CANTLON’S CORNER: WOLF PACK OFF SEASON VOLUME 16 

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings

HARTFORD, CT – Summer is winding down. The days aren’t quite as long and the heat is subsiding a bit and that means fall is approaching and the 2019-20 hockey season is just around the corner.

As Cantlon’s Corner exclusively reported last week, the XL Center’s General Manager, Chris Lawrence, departed after six years of service in the Connecticut capital for an unspecified job in Michigan. It turns out that the job he took was as the new VP of Park Operations at Comerica Park in Detroit, the home of the American League’s, Detroit Tigers. There is a Connecticut connection. The Tigers Single-A short-season affiliate is located in Norwich. The team is the Connecticut Tigers of the New York Penn League (NYPL) and they play at Dodd Stadium.

Lawrence played college hockey at Michigan State in East Lansing, which is also where his wife is from.

Lawrence’s replacement as the XL Center is his former Assistant GM, Ben Weiss, who was promoted to the position on Monday.

PLAYER & COACHING MOVEMENT

After all the controversy, former New Haven Nighthawk, Don Waddell, has signed a three-year deal to remain as the GM of the Carolina Hurricanes. Waddell did take an interview for the GM opening with the Minnesota Wild.

Carolina also put pen and paper together by signing ex-Hartford Whaler, Hartford Wolf Pack, and New York Ranger goalie, Jason Muzzatti, as their new goaltending coach. Muzzatti held the same position with his alma mater, Michigan State (Big 10), over the last four years.

There are five finalists for the Minnesota GM job. Two of those five have a Connecticut connection. Back in the 1970s, he played for the University of New Haven. His name is Dean Lombardi, who was an assistant with Minnesota as one of his first NHL gigs. New Canaan resident, and NBC-TV analyst, Pierre McGuire, has tossed his hat in the ring for the job.

Congrats to one-time New Haven Nighthawks Marketing Director, Mike Santos, as he was named the new commissioner of the USA Tier-III junior level, Eastern Hockey League. Santos has held a variety of jobs in pro hockey since leaving the Elm City.

Santos has an incredibly impressive resume.

He was the Manager of Special Events for the National Hockey League and directed the 1993 NHL Draft in Hartford. He was the Assistant General Manager and Director of Hockey Operations of the New York Islanders for five years.

Santos was Corporate Counsel and Director of Hockey Operations and Assistant General Manager for the Florida Panthers and was the Director of Hockey Operations for the Nashville Predators over four seasons.

He also handled operations as General Manager of AHL franchises in Rochester, San Antonio, and Milwaukee. He also worked with the Norfolk Admirals (ECHL) as its team President for two years.

Santos also held the title of Commissioner once before. He did that role with the Tier-II North American Hockey League (NAHL) with the title of Commissioner and President.

North Branford native, Adam Erne, was traded by the Tampa Bay Lightning to the Detroit Red Wings for a 2020 fourth-round draft pick.

The AHL’s potential 32nd franchise coming to Palm Springs, CA, which will be the first affiliate for the yet unnamed NHL Seattle franchise, has trademarked the name, “Palm Springs Firebirds.” Read it in the Palm Springs Desert Sun HERE

Defenseman Josh Wesley, who’s the son of former Whaler, Glen Wesley, and who played 15 games with the Wolf Pack after being part of a reassignment/trade with Calder Cup champion Charlotte Checkers for goalie Dustin Tokarski, has signed a one-year AHL deal with the San Antonio Rampage.

Boston announced they have signed a new ECHL agreement with Atlanta to be Providence’s secondary affiliate. Ft. Wayne has an agreement with the Vegas Golden Knights and the New Jersey Devils have renewed its affiliation agreement with Adirondack.

The ECHL also saw Peter Karmanos part with the last of his hockey properties. He sold his controlling interest in the Florida Everblades. He also sold his OHL team in Plymouth, Michigan four years ago and the Hurricanes, where he is officially a minority owner of the franchise.

Norfolk, Reading, and Jacksonville have all changed ownership this summer. Manchester folded just after their playoff season ended.

Trevor Yates, the son of former Whaler, Ross Yates, who played with two AHL (Wilkes Barre/Scranton and Grand Rapids) and two ECHL (Wheeling and Toledo) last season has signed with Reading (ECHL) for the start of this season.

Tobias Lindberg played with three AHL teams last season, Belleville, Wilkes Barre/Scranton, and ended the season with the Chicago Wolves. He heads back home signing with IK Oskarshamn (Sweden-SHL). That makes 65 AHL’ers to sign in Europe.

Ex-Pack, Marek Hrivik, leaves Vityaz Podolsk (Russia-KHL) and signs with Leksands IF (Sweden-SHL).

Charles Corcoran (New Canaan) has signed with the Coventry Blaze (England-EIHL) for next season after inking an original deal with HC Lyon (France-FREL), but the team may not be in the elite Magnus League this season. He played last year with Dundee (Scotland-EIHL).

Four more collegiate grad transfers in Hockey East. The first two go to the Northeastern Huskies as Brendan Van Riemsdyk 23, leaves the University of New Hampshire and Craig Panton 24, from Merrimack.

The other two go to Michigan (Big 10). They are Jacob Hayhurst from RPI (ECACHL) and Shane Switzer of Boston University (HE).

There is one regular transfer. Bobby Hampton of Northeastern (HE) heads to Penn State (Big 10) but will have to sit out the 2019-20 season as per the NCAA transfer rule.

Michael Dill becomes just the second transfer to Canadian college hockey as he departs UMASS-Lowell (HE) to Dalhousie University (AUAA).

Jake Peters (Madison) is heading to Division III Nazareth (PA) College (UCHC) this season .

Ex-Sound Tiger, Scott Munro, was named the new goalie coach at Trinity College (NESCAC).

Former New Haven Nighthawk and New York Ranger, Mike Donnelly, will be inducted into the Michigan State Spartans Athletic Hall of Fame on Thursday, October 24th as part of their Celebrate weekend. Donnelly along with other inductees will be honored at halftime of the MSU-Penn State football game two days later.

Donnelly played for the Spartans from 1982-1986. As a senior, he scored the game-winning goal in the NCAA Final with 2:51 left in regulation that allowed them to beat Harvard 6-5, claiming the Division I title. He led the nation in goal scoring with 59 and beat out Brett Hull, then at the University Minnesota-Duluth, by seven goals to win the title.

He played 11 NHL seasons with and 465 games with 114 goals and 235 total points and in 197 AHL games has 112 goals and 244 points..

Donnelly played in New Haven on two different occasions. The first as a Rangers affiliate and the second with the Los Angeles Kings top farm team.

Presently, he is a development coach with the Kings and enters his 18th year in the organization on the hockey operations side of the game.

Five more US collegiate signed pro deals. Steven Ruggiero leaves Lake Superior State (WCHA) and signs with San Diego (AHL). Sean Romero departs Ohio State (Big 10) to go to Cincinnati (ECHL). Matt McArdle of Merrimack (HE) signs with Norfolk (ECHL). Ryan Cloonan leaves Boston University (HE) to sign with Utah (ECHL), and Matt McLeod leaves Canisius College (AHA) to sign a pro deal with Brampton (ECHL).

Two more players head to Europe as Wes Baker leaves Mercyhurst University (AHA) and signs with HC Chambery (France Division-2). Duggie Lagrone jumps from Division III SUNY-Geneseo (SUNYAC) and after playing a few games with Utah and Allen (ECHL) at the end of the year also signs with the same French team.

That makes 195 Division I players to sign pro deals, 53 in Europe and a total of 265 overall.

The Arizona State Sun Devils (NCAA Division I, Independent) have signed Eddie Lack as their goalie coach. Lack played six games with Binghamton before being shut down. He had hip labrum surgery and is still recovering but decided to do some coaching before he attempts a comeback.

Former Yale Bulldog goalie Patrick Spano (Westminster Prep) leaves HC Chambery (France Division-2) and heads to Belgium to play for the Liege Bulldogs (BEL-NEL).

D.J. King, the son of former Whaler and present Rockford (AHL) head coach, Derek King, is traded for two draft picks from Hamilton (OHL) to Saginaw (OHL).

Senna Peeters, a Belgian native from the Selects Academy program at South Kent Prep, signs with the Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL) who took him as their first pick, 48th overall, in the CHL Import Draft in June.

Long time Hartford sportscaster, Rich Coppola, who started on Day 1 with the Fox 61 WTIC-TV newscast that was christened April 10, 1989, after 30 years has parted ways with the station. His last broadcast was on Thursday. No future plans were announced. He has been the only Sports Director the station has ever had and is the last of the original crew from opening night.

“It’s difficult, I would be lying if I said it wasn’t. Being the last of the original newscast says quite a bit about my longevity and its special to me.

“All the events I have had the privilege to cover over the years, UConn games, Whalers, NCAA tournaments, the Wolf Pack, Super Bowls, state high school sports, are all wonderful experiences I treasure. but the friendships I have made along the way are even more important.

“I have met so many talented and interesting people being in this business whether they were in TV, newspapers, or radio or any media outlet. This has been a great ride and run, but this isn’t the end.

“After all these years of covering free agents in so many sports, I have a chance to be one myself,” Coppola said with a laugh. “I’m taking a chance on myself and in this business, like in sports, you get these chances only a few times, and if I’m gonna do it, now is the time.”

Coppola, a University of New Haven graduate, will still be doing NCAA Division I college hockey for the Quinnipiac University Bobcats on ESPN Plus. Coppola has also worked at ESPN, Channel 22 WWLP-TV in Springfield, an NBC affiliate, and started his career at WKCI-FM/WAVZ-AM radio in his early days in the business.

An East Haven native, Cappola is a true fan of hockey, a rarity in the state media corps. He played the sport in high school for the Yellowjackets program and grew up with the Eastern Hockey League New Haven Blades at the New Haven Arena and AHL New Haven Nighthawks at the New Haven Coliseum.

The Hartford market loses not only a great asset, but hockey in Hartford, at least for now, has lost its biggest voice.