CANTLON: HOCKEY NEWS & NOTES OFF SEASON – VOLUME 17 

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings

HARTFORD, CT – The NHL took a big step forward on Friday, July the 10th, as the owners and players ratified the “Return-To-Play” package and a six-year Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) that will keep labor harmony to 2025-26.

The vote, according to TSN, was 502-135 (78.8%) votes in favor.

The dates are somewhat solidified but could shift as pandemic conditions warrant.

After a 142-day interruption, training camp in the hub cities of Toronto and Edmonton start on July 13th. The NHL Stanley Cup playoffs begin on August 1st with the Best-of-Five qualifying round and playoff schedule will feature games being played beginning at Noon and lasting until past midnight.

Ex-Bridgeport Sound Tiger, Travis Harmonic, of the Calgary Flames is the first hockey player to announce they are opting out of participating.

The New York Rangers and the Carolina Hurricanes will play their first game on Saturday, August 1st with the puck dropping at noon in Toronto.

On August 10th, the much-maligned NHL Draft Lottery will conclude once the first round is completed.

Once the Eastern Conference is completed, the travel date for the trip to Edmonton from Toronto will be September 8th. Again, all dependent upon COVID-19 if it rears up and puts a stop to things.

Assuming everything moves ahead as scheduled, the Stanley Cup will be awarded no later than October 4th in Edmonton.

The virtual NHL Entry Draft is tentatively set for October 9-10. The NHL free agency period is set to being in late October or early November. Training camp for the upcoming 2020-21, 82-game regular season is set to start in mid-November or as late as early December.

The NHL and AHL season will start sometime between December 1st and January 1st.

The AHL season will likely be truncated depending on the season’s starting date. It could be a 50-60 game or as much as a 60-70 game season.

COLLEGE HOCKEY

That thunderclap on Wednesday evening wasn’t just a summer thunderstorm. It could easily have been the Ivy league canceling its fall sports schedule and quietly imperiling the entire sports year for the ECAC conference, particularly hockey – a two-semester sport when in session.

This was a soft landing done by conference and its schools trying to cushion the blow. All US colleges and universities, both private and public, are bracing for a reduced population, either virtual or in the flesh.

Some schools will be restricting their on-campus life and not allowing freshmen in the first semester and sophomores in the second semester. Juniors and Seniors will remain on campus all season. The thinking in both terms is to reduce the population and potential for COVID-19 transmission.

Teachers, who a majority of them are above the age of 50, a primary risk category in some cases, are taking early retirements or sabbaticals in response.

The announcement now puts more pressure on winter sports programs with their calendar for players, which begins shortly, and the players will have some heady decisions to make. Those who have already been NHL-drafted will have to decide if staying to obtain their highly-valued degree from Yale, Cornell, Princeton, or Harvard, can be done by other means such as online?

That means delay that gratification. No big graduation hoopla and instead move forward to pursue their hockey dream professionally in North America or Europe, as long as they already have an EU passport.

July 15th is a date some schools have set to hear from a student-athlete to inform them without penalty that they have decided to forgo an academic year. The date is not universal, but in short, by the end of July, that decision will have to be done.

Draft-eligible college players have a different decision to make, depending upon what the athletic landscape is in the fall of 2021 might be. The hope is that it will be much more favorable to remain in school or transfer becomes an option if other college hockey conferences will still play and there is one close to home.

A critical factor in that decision that can’t be overlooked is family finances,

We have to remember we still have 20 million-plus Americans out of work. The nation still has an unemployment rate of 11.4% that is a major calculus in the equation. For athletes not on a full scholarship, the money resources may not be there or could be severely restricted.

Some players, if they’re still junior-age-eligible, could elect to go to the USHL or the NAHL, could still preserve their NCAA eligibility, and play hockey for a year hoping normalcy returns in the fall of 2021. Those with Canadian passports could return to the Canadian Junior A leagues to preserve their eligibility.

Players already NHL-drafted could turn pro and make AHL rosters even younger than they already are, or crowd out players in the ECHL level.

If a student stays, they will not lose their year of eligibility, which could be favorable to players on the bottom end of the roster. They could then do a graduate transfer at the end of their collegiate career with a diploma in hand.

The NHL has set their calendar which will aid players in that decision process.

For colleges, not only are school sports teams going to be affected, so will the sports support staff, university staff, and local economic impact will be significant on top of what has occurred already during the pandemic.

College recruitment, in all sports, also will take a significant hit. Presently for junior hockey, the US, and Canada, plus prep schools are in limbo just like the rest of the universe.

UCONN hockey is still on track with players scheduled to return to campus in the fall and begin practice. Football and basketball were allowed back on campus last week. The schedule hasn’t been released but is still unchanged.

Several other college sources are stating there has been no change yet with any other conferences or schedules. Though the Big 10, ACC, and Pac-10 have announced conference-only schedules for fall sports but nothing regarding the winter sports schedule.

The second annual SNY Connecticut Ice Festival that is scheduled for January at the Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport is in jeopardy if Yale and Quinnipiac hockey seasons do indeed evaporate.

As of now, the Huskies non-conference games with Sacred Heart University at home as both the regular season and home opener slated for October 9th is still on. Also still on are visits from Ohio and Arizona State.

The UCONN Christmas tournament at Wisconsin with the host Badgers, and Arizona State, could have an issue if Clarkson University (ECACHL) does not make it. Anew fourth school might have to be selected.

Another by-product of all this uncertainty on the collegiate-front is that varsity club programs are solely-reliant on money-generating varsity programs could be hurt. The ACHA (American College Hockey Association) league would not be in existence without it. How that moves forward is also subject to COVID-19.

Everything, as it is outside the sports world, is tentative and subject to change.

WOLF PACK

The hiring of Rangers’ Assistant Coach, Lindy Ruff, 60, by the rival New Jersey Devils to be their new head coach, has an effect on the Wolf Pack. Associate coach, Gord Murphy, according to multiple outlets, is taking Ruff’s place on the Rangers staff.

The likely aforementioned start date for the 2020-21 AHL season will not disturb a third consecutive season in 2021-22.

Starting December 1st and finishing the season by April 11th it’s possible to have a 50-60 game universal homogenized AHL schedule tossing in a few three-in-three weekends and some mid-week games.

This is dependent on an agreement with the AHL’s own “Return-To-Play” committee, the NHL, and the AHLPA.

PLAYER MOVEMENT

AHL free agency is underway with several small signings as teams are in the tire-kicking stage at this point.

Ex-Sound Tiger, Nick Schilkey, and Zach Nastasiuk, of the San Antonio Rampage sign with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

Keaton Middleton from the San Jose Barracuda signs with the Colorado Eagles.

Andy Miele leaves the Tucson Roadrunners and returns to Torpedo Novgorod (Russia-KHL) for next year making 36 AHL’ers to have signed in Europe. 19-of-the-31 teams have lost at least one player.

Ex-Sound Tiger goalie, Kevin Poulin, who played just nine games between the Grand Rapids Griffins and the Ontario Reign signs in Europe with IF Bjorkloven (Sweden-Allsvenskan).

New Canaan’s Craig Puffer stays in the North Atlantic for next year signing with Esbjerg (Denmark-DHL) after leaving Norway and Mangelrud.

River Rymsha, the son of former New Haven Nighthawk, Andrew Rymsha, heads overseas leaving Norfolk (ECHL) to HC Detva (Slovakia-SLEL).

Kristoff Kontos, the son of former Nighthawk and Ranger, Chris Kontos, signs a deal with Boden HF (Sweden Division-1) leaving Vimmerby HC.

After one year in Montreal in Canadian university with the Concordia University Stingers (OUAA), Liam Murphy (Killingworth/Avon Old Farms) signs a pro deal with Ft. Wayne (ECHL).

Ex-CT Whale, Michael Pelech leaves the Greenville Swamp Rabbits (ECHL) and signs a deal with the Atlanta Gladiators (ECHL).

Ex-Sound Tiger, Peter MacArthur, leaves HC Val Pusteria (Italy-AlpsHL) and signs as a playing assistant coach with the Orlando Solar Bears (ECHL).

Wyatt Kalynuk, of the University of Wisconsin Badgers (Big 10), is close to signing an entry-level two way deal with the Chicago Blackhawks.

Jack Suter of UMASS-Amherst (HE) signs with the Utah Grizzlies (ECHL), and Grant Frederic of the Miami-OH Red Hawks (NCHC) and the younger brother of Providence Bruins’ Trent Frederic, signs a deal with the Bruins Double AA team, the Atlanta Gladiators (ECHL).

The Danbury Hat Tricks (FPHL) sign a pair from Becker College (CCC) players in Alex Kielczewsksi and Cody Foster.

Conlan Keenan, the captain for the last two years at SUNY-Geneseo (SUNYAC) signs with Toledo Walleye (ECHL).

Hugo Reinhardt from American International College – AIC (AHA) signs with Timra IK (Sweden-SHL).

Jacob Gammelgaard from Endicott College-PA (CCC) leaves for Rungtad IK (Denmark-DHL).

Aidan Pelino of Bentley College (AHA) goes to RoKi (Finland Division-1).

Liam Finlay from the University of Denver (NCHC) and Colton Kerfoot Harvard University (ECACHL) both sign with Koovee (Finland Division-1).

That makes 40 college players Division I, and Division III, to sign in Europe.

105 Division I players have signed North American pro deals. 43 Division III and 188 players total have signed European and North American pro deals.

26 underclassmen have left school early.

Schools with North American pro signees by conference breaks down like this;

Hockey East has 24 players, NCHC 21, Big 10 has 20, WCHA and ECACHL both have 15 and AHA has 10 plus Arizona State, a Division I independent has two.

New Dartmouth (ECACHL) head coach former QU Bobcat player and assistant coach, Reid Cashman, has filled out his staff naming Jason Tapp as Associate Head Coach. Tapp comes over from Union College (ECACHL) while Stavros Paskaris leaves Princeton (ECACHL) after five years to be the Big Green’s new assistant coach.

A NEW BUILDING IN TROIS RIVIERES

The ECHL will likely have a team in Trois Rivieres, Quebec for the 2021-22 season.

Deacon Sports Management (DSE) has concluded an initial five-year lease arrangement with two five year options with the city and the mayor Jean Lamarche, to play in the brand new 4,000 seat Coliseum that will be completed by the end of the year according to Le Nouvelliste Trois Rivieres.

The new building replaces the aging Trois Rivieres Coliseum which was built in 1938 and holds only 2,700. It was home to the QMJHL Trois Rivieres Ducs (1969-1974) and the Draveurs (1974-1992), as well as several LNAH teams Caron and Guay, Vikings, Blizzard and Draveurs (2003-2017) and the Canadian college team, the University Trois Rivieres Patriots (1970-2020).

DSE, whose principal owners are Glenn Stanford and Dean MacDonald, also own the ECHL Newfoundland Growlers.

Among the architects is former NHL’er and Trois Rivieres native, Marc-Andre Bergeron, and Michael Weightman, a former Montreal Alouettes executive who helped finalize the deal. The team will more than likely have an affiliation with the Montreal Canadiens and the Laval Rocket (AHL). The lease will now go to the ECHL BOG for approval before an affiliation is announced along with the team name and colors.

The building will also be home for the Canadian college team, the University of Trois Rivieres, and will be located at the junction of Route 55 and Route 40.

The city will be demolishing the old Jean-Guy Talbot Arena named for the one time Rangers coach and long time Montreal Canadiens defenseman who played in for 10 years from 1955-1967 and played over 1,000 NHL games was used for local minor hockey.