CANTLON’S CORNER: PACK PACK FOR CHARLOTTE 

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings

CROMWELL, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack head back to the proverbial lion’s den when they the streaking and offensively-talented Charlotte Checkers for two games on Thursday (12/13) and Saturday (12/15). In their last meeting, Friday night in Hartford, the Checkers sliced and diced their way to a 7-4 victory at the XL Center.

Head Coach Keith McCambridge and his assistant, Joe Mormina, spent their practice day working on breakouts and offensive zone entries, issues they have had against both Charlotte on Friday and then again against the Hershey Bears on Saturday.

McCambridge doesn’t view the losses as a “two steps back,” or a perfect game and certainly not disasters either.

“We know we’re facing a very good team. Clearly, we want those parts of our game to be sharper and you see teams come through the American Hockey League who play very well. In both games, there were some good blocks of time in which we controlled the play and we want to accomplish the things we want to. We don’t think we took steps backward. We need to improve in some areas,” He said. “The season gives you ups and down and we want to see things level off. We’ve had some personnel changes, and that’s the AHL. We have to make adjustments. We’re playing in, I think, one of the best divisions in the AHL with Charlotte, Wilkes Bare is always good, Lehigh Valley, Bridgeport, Springfield, and Providence.”

The first line of the Checkers consists of the CCM/AHL Player-Of-The-Week in Martin Necas, as well as Nicolas Roy, and Janne Kuokkanen. It’s certainly a top-flight trio.

“They’re all the same size, about 6’1 or 6’2. All good size guys and all have great speed. So, it’s just not one player on a line, it’s all three. It makes it tough for anybody in playing them,” McCambridge stated.

After knocking off Hartford, Charlotte did the very same thing the next night in Springfield against the Thunderbirds. They were down two goals, scored two in the last minute of regulation, and then won in overtime.

There are 20 players at different levels and classifications on the depth chart as part of the strata in the AHL.

Vinni Lettieri, in his second professional season, has eight points in seven games with the Pack but sports a minus-5. He’s a player that has to play, not just on offense and defense, but play different styles of hockey as well.

“For Vinni and his game, it’s two different styles as he has plays in two different leagues. When he is here, he’s an offensive threat and can score goals and has done that, and during a lot of transactions when a player goes to the NHL, he drops to another (skill) level. For Vinni, it’s a matter of maintaining his good work habits, finishing checks, staying on top of pucks, that helps him keep those habits in place and those are going to help him have more opportunity the next time he goes to New York,” McCambridge observed.

The splitting up of a player’s game from circumstances like Letteri’s requires a very delicate balance that has to be managed.

“No question, it can be a tricky thing to manage and shift gears on, but a lot of players have to reinvent themselves. Players have to take that opportunity to play in the best league in the world and a lot of players are eager to do so. Vinni has been open about handling that. He has an excellent work ethic and that’s a good place to start.”

On defense, there’s Libor Hajak. In 26 matches, he’s a minus-1 and his game is rounding out. The coaches have worked on adding physical play to complement his already strong offensive instincts and very solid skating skills.

“His overall game is improving. He is closing (gaps) much better. His strength (in one-on-one battles) and is such a good skater, he has always handled the puck well and we’re very pleased with his direction.” said McCambridge.”

While Hajak is not as physically big, but he’s starting to look like a young Tomas Kloucek, the one-time Wolf Pack rearguard who’s now retired.

Peter Holland’s play includes a team-high 17 assists and six goals (23 pts) and his work with the younger players has pleased McCambridge.

“He’s been very good for us a highly-skilled player. He has a very high hockey IQ.  He has the experience and leadership that our young players can lean on. Peter’s work ethic has allowed his game to really blossom here, and he has been providing scoring for us, so I give him high marks.”

Clearly, it looks like Alexander Georgiev will play at least one, if not both games, in Charlotte leaving Marek Mazanec, who hasn’t played since November 18th, in a backup role.

“We’re aware Maz hasn’t played in a while. We’re going to be talking to Chris Drury (the Wolf Pack GM) about what they want to do with Georgy”

The Pack will fly to snow-covered North Carolina Wednesday because the roads in the area are super-treacherous given they do not have the snow-clearing equipment and supplies so abundant in the Northeast.

PACK MOVEMENT

The revolving door that has become the entrance/exit to the Wolf Pack locker room continues to turn.

Coming back from New York is Cole Schneider. He was recalled but scratched for both games of the Rangers’ Florida trip. Also returning is Steven Fogarty who played in ten games and had no points. In the Rangers game in Tampa Bay on Monday night, he had 9:23 of ice time. The Rangers have five of their next six games at home. The Pack schedule is the opposite with five of their next six on the road.

Heading back to the ECHL Maine Mariners are Terrance Wallin, and Alex Kile, who scored his first AHL goal in his second game Saturday in Hershey.

After being drilled in the head by the Bears’ Beck Malenstyn, who received a match penalty for it, Ryan Lindgren didn’t skate yesterday and was in a non-contact jersey for Tuesday’s practice. Lindgren will be evaluated to see if he can play this weekend in Charlotte, though it’s not looking likely, but, he will be on the trip.

Malenstyn was hit with a two-game suspension by the AHL. Credit teammate and defense partner John Gilmour in coming to his defense in his first AHL scrap.

Despite Kevin Shattenkirk’s shoulder injury last night, the Rangers still have one extra defenseman in Brendan Smith. It’s unlikely a recall from the Wolf Pack d-corps is coming.

PLAYER MOVEMENT

Ex-Pack goalie, Chad Johnson, was claimed off waiverd by the Anaheim Ducks from the St. Louis Blues. The Blues are having plenty of problems both on-and-off the ice.

Former CT Whale, Logan Pyett, has moved from Hershey to KooKoo (Finland-FEL) for the rest of the year. Another Hershey Bear has exited in Sergei Shumastov who signed with Springfield.

Ex-Pack, Adam Cracknell, is on the move again. He was traded from the Toronto Maple Leafs to the Anaheim Ducks for ex-Sound Tiger, Steve Olesky. Cracknell leaves the AHL Toronto Marlies for the San Diego Gulls undoubtedly a huge weather upgrade

Charlotte recalled goalie Callum Booth (Salisbury Prep) from Reading (ECHL),

The Marlies also added former QU Bobcat goalie, Michael Garteig, from their ECHL affiliate, the Newfoundland (St. John’s) Growlers.

There are rumblings that Providence Bruins’ Slovakian-rookie, Martin Bakos, might be heading to Europe particularly to Mora IK of the Swedish Hockey League according to; hockeypuls.se

Former Yale defenseman, Adam Larkin, goes from Reading (ECHL) to Greenville (ECHL).

Former Wolf Pack, Kodie Curran, has signed a one-year extension with Rogle BK (Sweden-SHL).

The Sound Tigers lost RW Josh Ho-Sang to recall by the Islanders but received back goalie Christopher Gibson.

Ex-Pack, Miika Wiikman, has left Coventry (England-EIHL) for HC Anglet (France-FREL)

Ex-Pack defenseman, Julien Brouillette is playing for the new LNAH team in St. Jerome, Quebec. The team was moved from Berlin, NH because after ten home games, the attendance was dreadful. This is the first year in the Quebec-based league. The team’s assistant GM is ex-Pack, Dave MacIsaac. There is no information if he migrated with the team. Prior to the LNAH, the team played for two years in the Federal Hockey League (FHL).

At the IIHF U-20 Challenge Cup in Asia, host Malaysia won for a second year in a row downing Krygystan 4-2 in the final.

At the IIHF U-20 Division-1 tourney in Fussen, Germany with five countries participating, the tournament has begun. Two sons of former AHL’ers, Kristaps Skrastins and Renars Cipruss, are playing for Latvia. The countries in the tourney are; Belarus, France, Austria, Norway, Latvia, and host Germany.

The World Junior A (WJAC) tournament has begun in Bonnyville, Alberta with just five teams. They are the US, Canada (has two entries with an East and West squad), the Czechs and the Russians.

The Czechs have current UConn goalie, Tomas Vomacka, and a future Husky for next fall in Matej Blumel, who’s from Waterloo (USHL) as well as Zach Malik, the son of former Hartford Whaler, Ranger and Beast of New Haven d-man, Marek Malik. The Canada West squad also features another future Husky in Carter Berger from Victoria (BCHL). The team assistant coach is ex-Pack, David Wilkie, the current head coach for the University Nebraska-Omaha (NCHC).

At the upcoming WJC tourney in Vancouver and Victoria, the Swiss will have Ranger draftee Nico Gross, who plays with Oshawa (OHL). Russia has Vitali Kravtsov, the Rangers first round pick from last summer.

The Czech team is loaded. They have current Ranger, and ex-Pack, Filip Chytil, as well as this week’s AHL Player of Week, Charlotte’s Martin Necas and last year’s number three overall pick, Filip Zadina from Grand Rapids.

Finland has UMASS-Amherst goalie Filip Lindberg on the roster. Lindberg is unbeaten thus far for the Minutemen, the current #2 team in the nation.

The US squad has Darien native, and former Avon Old Farms star goalie, Spencer Knight, who’s a sure bet to be a first-round NHL Draftee.  Another goalie, Cayden Primeau from Northeastern (HE), is the son of ex-Whaler, Keith Primeau.

Two Ranger defenseman draft picks from last summer, Joey Keane and K’Andre Miller, as well as two Yale rearguards, in Greenwich’s Phil Kemp and Jack St, Ivany are on the roster. Another defenseman, Mattias Samuelsson, is from Western Michigan (NCHC), and the son of former Nighthawks and current Flyers development coach Kjell Samuelsson.

Up front is Jack Drury of Harvard (ECACHL). He is the son of Ted Drury, an ex-Whaler and is the nephew of Trumbull’s Chris Drury, the Wolf Pack GM.

If Drury makes the team, it would make the Drury’s part of an elite group of US hockey families that have had two or three players on a US World Juniors team.

The top of the exclusive list is the Tkachuk’s, who have had five starting with father Keith, then his sons Matt (Calgary) and Brady (Ottawa) and their cousin Casey Fitzgerald (Boston College) and Jimmy Hayes (Wilkes Barre/Scranton-AHL). Some of the other brother and family combinations include; the Broten brothers, Neal and Aaron plus a nephew Shane Gersich, one-time Ranger draft picks and ex-Pack’s, twin brothers Peter and Chris Ferraro, and the Eaves brothers, Patrick and Ben Eaves, who are the sons of former NHL’ers father Mike, and uncle Murray.

This year, the Hughes brothers will be added to the list. Jack is the likely #1 overall pick in the 2019 Entry draft this summer. Quinn (Michigan-Big 10/Vancouver) and Mike Anderson return to the team with his brother Joey (Binghamton/New Jersey), who was the captain last year.

Two other sons of NHL players are among the invitees. One-time Avon Old-Farms is Winged Beaver, Tyler Madden, who father John is now the head coach in Cleveland and Josh Norris, whose father, Dwayne, scored the WJC winner for Canada in 1990.

The 2021-22 venue was announced as Red Deer and Edmonton with next year in the Czech Republic in Ostrava and Trinec,

Sweden announced their team and it includes Rangers draft pick, Nils Lundkvist.

Blake Richardson, the son of ex-Danbury Trasher, Bruce Richardson, is now playing for Andre-Laurendeau (QCHL).

On April 23-24 an international hockey game dubbed “The Last Game” will take place at the North Pole to bring attention to climate change.

Some very big names are slated to be involved including Jari Kurri (Finland), Slava Fetisov (Russia) and Mike Richter (USA).

The game participants will also include people from science and other disciplines to be involved.