MARCHESSAULT WINS STANLEY CUP AND CONN SMYTHE

By: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings HARTFORD, CT - When he was a member of the Connecticut Whale, Jonathan Audy-Marchessault was a diamond in the rough. Marchessault was playing for the Quebec Remparts in the QMJHL, learning his craft under the recently-retired Memorial Cup-winning head coach, Patrick Roy, over a dozen years ago. The New York Rangers signed Marchessault as an undrafted free agent in 2010 along with his junior teammate and fellow Connecticut Whale alumni, the just-retired Kelsey Tessier. Another of Marchessault's junior and CT Whale teammates was retired forward Ryan Bourque. Marchessault finished second in scoring on the initial CT Whale squad with 24 goals and 64 points. The Rangers thought he was going to be strictly an AHL player. They got that wrong. The Columbus Blue Jackets took a chance on Marchessault the following season and sent him to the AHL Springfield Falcons. Machessault's anger and frustration were apparent when he explained why he signed and agreed to go to Springfield in a Howlings interview. "It's total BS. I'm second in scoring on the team (Kris Newbury was first) and the Rangers didn't offer me any NHL money in a new contract. I had signed for just a year. They just offered another AHL deal. Total BS. I will get to the NHL and win the Stanley Cup. Signing with Columbus may be my fastest route," Marchessault scornfully declared then. Marchessault is the first undrafted player (signed with the WHA Indianapolis Racers with a personal services contract, or he would have been a Montreal Canadiens draft pick) since Wayne Gretzky in 1988 to win a Conn Smythe Trophy. He scored ten goals that either gave Vegas the lead (six times) or tied the game (four times) during the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs. He is just one of three players in the last 35 years to score a goal in the first three games of the Stanley Cup Final. The Rangers weren't the only team to misjudge Marchessault's talent. After one year with Columbus/Springfield and not getting an opportunity, he then signed the following year with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Marchessault got in his initial NHL playing time with 47 games over two years but spent most of his three years with the organization in Syracuse. "Marchie's" journey then crossed the Sunshine State when he signed with the Florida Panthers. He received his first solid NHL playing time a had a 30-goal campaign six years ago. When the Vegas Golden Knights came into the NHL as a franchise, Marchessault was left exposed by the Panthers and was taken by Vegas in the expansion draft. The Panthers' decision to leave Marchessault exposed amazingly came about because the franchise decided to protect two other players, both no longer in the organization, Alex Petrovic (Dallas) and Mark Pysyk (Buffalo), who was coming off his worst defensive year at minus-21. Marchessault never wavered or accepted no for an answer - ever. Marchessault was on a two-year deal with the Panthers at a cap-friendly $750K. The following year, he signed a five-year extension for $30 million that expires next year. It also included a modified no-trade clause. He then becomes a UFA. Since he arrived in the Nevada desert, the 32-year-old has not been a minus player since, as one of the original six Golden Knights, who all started the Cup-clinching game. Naturally, who scored Vegas's first goal of the series…Marchessault. The Connecticut connections in Vegas are numerous. Their backup goalie, Jonathan Quick (Hamden/AOF), Chandler Stephenson, is the nephew of Bob Stephenson, a former Hartford Whaler. Ex-Ranger Brett Howden played for three years in New York. A trio of ex-Whalers, assistant coach John Stevens Sr., goalie coach Sean Burke who did a superb job with Conn Smythe consideration former Springfield Falcon, Aidin Hill, whose first pro game was against the Wolf Pack, and Murray Craven, is a Senior VP of Operations. Vegas' Team President is former New Haven Nighthawk and Ranger George McPhee. Scouts include ex-Whaler Jim McKenzie (Pro Scout), Connor Jones (Amateur Scout) is a former Quinnipiac University/Bridgeport Sound Tigers/and the grandson of former New Haven Blade Terry Jones) standout and ex-Whaler, Alex Godynyuk (European scout). Florida had ex-Yale Bulldog goalie Alex Lyon, ex-Pack/Ranger Marc Staal, former Sound Tiger Carter Verhaeghe, former Whaler coach, head coach Paul Maurice, and ex-Pack Sylvain Lefebvre as the Panthers assistant coach. Pro Scouts Sean Backman (Cos Cob/Yale Univ./Sound Tigers/AOF) and P.J. Fenton (son of Nighthawk/Whaler Paul Fenton) Two special advisors to the team GM, former Nighthawks coach Rick Dudley and former New Haven Nighthawks and Whalers player PJ's father, the aforementioned Paul Fenton. Marchessault now has a Stanley Cup ring and was voted as the Conn Smythe Trophy with the Golden Knights with the second most points of 25, just one behind Jack Eichel. Quebec City got its Stanley Cup from the Cap-Rouge native, a suburb of the city and hopes Marchessault remembers his declaration and parades the Cup it in front of the iconic Frontenac Hotel along the Quebec City elevated promenade, aside from the St. Lawrence River. He now joins the pantheon of great Quebec French-Canadian high scoring forwards the game has had from Guy Lafleur, Mike Bossy, Mario Lemieux, Maurice "The Rocket" Richard, Marc Tardif, Andre "The Magician" Lacroix (ex-Whaler), Marcel Dionne, and Real "Buddy" Cloutier. Not taking no for an answer paid off handsomely for Marchessault. NAHL DRAFT The NAHL-North American Hockey League held the last junior draft mid-week, two weeks before the NHL Draft in Nashville at the end of the month. Taken from Connecticut first, the draft pick El Paso initial was James Mallozzi (New Canaan), selected from Westchester U-16 (T1EHL) in the second round (38th overall) by the Danbury Hat Tricks. Danbury's first round (26th overall) was Ethan Farrow, then Jack Wuertz in the second round (36th overall). Tamás Tóth, from the CT Jr. Rangers (NCDC), who played for the Hungary WJC Division Group 1A team, was taken by the Maryland Black Bears. Matt Alberti, from Salisbury School, was selected in the third round (71st overall) by Janesville (WI) Jets, and Evan West was taken by the Chippewa (WI) Steel, third round (84th overall), a former Danbury Jr. Hat Trick. In the fourth round (123rd overall), Danbury took Marius Angelin from Potomac (USPHL Premier), coached by ex-Pack Josh Gratton. The pick belonged to the Amarillo (TX) Wranglers. Then Roman Winnicki was taken in the fifth round (172nd overall) as the Hat Tricks took him from their NA3HL team and was originally an El Paso draft choice. Jakub Krizan, from Czechia of the Selects Academy at SKP (South Kent Prep), went in the fifth round, 150th overall, and Jack Keane, in the sixth round, 164th overall, was taken by Danbury. Then the Maine Nordiques took Lucas DiChiara of Fairfield in the sixth round (172nd overall). The pick originally belonged to the Johnstown (PA) Jets. Then in the sixth round (190th overall), Geno Carcone was taken by Danbury from Des Moines (USHL). The pick was from the Lone Star (TX) Brahmas. Then seventh round (196th overall), Jacob Ingstrup was selected by Minot (ND) and the Kent School Lions. Then Danbury took Matt DellaRusso (Darien) from the St. George's School (RIPREP). In the ninth round (281st overall), the Minnesota Wilderness took Jack Roberts from the Kent School. The final selection in the 10th round (313th overall) was Michael Murtagh, formerly of The Frederick Gunn School (Washington, CT), playing for the Nanaimo Clippers (BCHL). NOTES: The Rangers hired their new bench boss, who played 12 games in 1988-89 for the Blueshirts in his playing days and two seasons for the Binghamton Rangers, who were relocated to Hart City in 1997. He has now coached six Metropolitan Division teams; NY Islanders, Hurricanes, Washington, Hurricanes, and Flyers. The Rangers announced assistant coach and former Wolf Pack assistant Gord Murphy had been dismissed, and Kris Knoblauch would be back in Hart City. Former Sound Tiger Matt Donovan returns to the AHL from Adler Mannheim (Germany-DEL) and signs with the Chicago Wolves. Lochlan Tetarenko, the son of Beast of New Haven defenseman Joe Tetarenko, signs with Saskatoon (WHL), who drafted him last year from Okotoks (AEHL). The Bridgeport Islanders' defenseman Connor McCarthy, signs with HC Banska Bystrica (Slovakia-SLEL). He split the season between Bridgeport and Worcester (ECHL). Ex-Whaler Mark Hunter of London Knights (OHL) won GM of the year, and Bridgeport Islanders Matt Maggio won the OHL Red Tilson regular season MVP award. HARTFORD WOLF PACK HOME Read the full article

KRIS KNOBLAUCH, HARTFORD WOLF PACK END OF SEASON WRAP-UP

By: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings HARTFORD, CT - After decompressing following the Hartford Wolf Pack's being swept by the Hershey Bears, Head Coach Kris Knoblauch shared his final assessment regarding the 2022-23 edition of the Wolf Pack. Winning and consistent goal-scoring was difficult for two-thirds of the season. However, the team had its share of bright lights over the final third of the year in which deadline moves at the trade deadline in early March that brought Anton Blidh, Will Lockwood, Adam Clendening, and Wyatt Kalynuk to Hartford and with the New York Rangers sending down Ryan Carpenter in December and then Jake Lechyshyn in January paid off handsomely. "The team got better as the year went on. The run for the playoffs was the turning point of our season. Getting Leschyshyn and Carpenter from New York and the four players at the trade deadline made all the difference," Knoblauch said." We got better five-on-five. We put together winning streaks, and we got better power plays and finally had some success." Improving the power play was critical, as it had been the worst in the league for most of the season. Once Blidh, Lockwood, Clendening, and Kalynuk arrived, it took some time, but the chemistry eventually came. "All the players were all special team caliber players and that's when we started winning games. It had been missing most of the season. It helped make our power play and penalty kill stronger," Knoblauch remarked. DOMINGUE/GARAND One question was the somewhat controversial decision to start rookie goaltender Dylan Garand in Game 3 of the series against Hershey when they were already down two games and had their starter, veteran Louie Domingue, available, despite not having played in five weeks. Garand had played extraordinarily well to that point, but perhaps it was time to make a change. "Well, true (Domingue) hadn't played in a while. He did win his previous starts before his recall, and he helped get the team into the playoffs. He ultimately got us in that position (the playoffs). He was strong for us all year. Louie is a wonderful goalie, and obviously, it was a difficult decision for us to make. With everything that was going on, and we're down two-nothing in the series, I felt it was what our team needed. We didn't lose the game because of our goaltending. It was our inability to score goals or even getting the lead. You can look back, but we have no regrets," said Knoblauch. The Rangers have many decisions to make in New York and Hartford, especially in goal. Jaroslav Halak, Igor Shesterkin's backup in New York, is at the end of his contract. So do the Rangers look internally, move Domingue up, and hand Hartford over to Garand? "I'm not sure where the Rangers are right now. They need a coach first. When they make a decision, it will trickle down and impact us. Trades will happen, bodies will be shuffled." Each AHL off-season features change, but for the Wolf Pack, with 12 contracts expiring, the largest number ever in team history, this will be an off-season like no other. Five of the six defensive slots will be available at training camp in the fall. GETTINGER Among the free agent decisions to be made, and an important one at that, is Tim Gettinger, who has been with the Pack for five years. "I'm not sure at this point. At the end of the year, with free agency, players have earned the ability to go wherever they want to go. They're so many factors involved. Gettinger is a very good player, and we're happy with his contributions here. That's a decision for Tim and the Rangers organization to make. "There will be lots of turnover. There always is at the AHL level. We're looking at five or six rookies and openings on defense. It's going to be a lot of new faces. Guys have to be qualified. Players drafted and signed; there is a lot of work left to be done in Hartford and New York. Right now, it's pretty tough to forecast what our roster is going to be," Knoblauch commented. PAJUNIEMI The first came as no surprise early on Tuesday. After two years in North America, Lauri Pajuniemi returned to the North Atlantic as the Finnish right winger signed with Malmö IF (Sweden-SHL), where he joined ex-Pack Gustav Rydahl in Sweden. DEFENSE On defense, Zac Jones, seemingly without a future with the Rangers, will likely seek a new home. Adam Clendening's family is in Chicago. So don't be surprised if he signs there with the Chicago Wolves going towards independent status. For Rangers GM Chris Drury and Hartford GM Ryan Martin to keep Wyatt Kalynuk, a pivotal component to the spring run, it will take some salary cap gymnastics. Ty Emberson had a solid second half of the season. However, he falls into a special category under the CBA. He hasn't played enough required professional games to qualify for arbitration under section 10.2 (paragraph 3). ROBERTSON The only defensive player returning will be Matt Robertson, who enters the final year of his Entry Level Contract. He was injured and close to returning had the Hershey series gone longer. "He was very close. He wore a regular jersey in practice, and he was one or two situational practices from being back (from an undisclosed upper body injury)," said Knoblauch. Scoring, or the lack thereof, in the Hershey series, and the season, will be addressed next year. The Wolf Pack will be infused with new blood as Brennan Othmann, Adam Edström, Will Cullye, and Bobby Trivigno will likely be the O core in Hart City next year. TRIVIGNO Trivigno has now completed his first pro campaign. "He played very well for us in his first year. He had high expectations individually. Players find out how hard it is to score at the American (Hockey) League level. Often, players feel frustrated when they don't put up the numbers they're used to or anticipate. He finished up strong. "He provided a lot moving up and down the lineup. Whether on the first line or with the fourth with Karl (Henriksson), playing left wing and right wing in the second half. "I think next year, with us losing so many players, guys taking charge, doing more, and having more responsibilities, he will be one of those players," Knoblauch said. HENRIKSON Knoblauch found Henriksson to be a pleasant surprise. "Absolutely. Karl is an effective player, like Bobby; he played everywhere we asked him to and makes his linemates better. He finds players and covers up for any mistakes on the ice well." CULLYE Cullye led the team in the regular season with 25 goals but ran out of steam at the end of the season. "He didn't score or put up the points he had during the season. During the playoffs, it did drop off a bit. His game was solid, and for a 20-year-old to play as many minutes and situations as he did, it says he came a long way this year. He became one of our top guys. "If he gets a chance with the Rangers next year and is not there, he'll lead our forward group with even more responsibilities. That's up to the Rangers and ultimately Will in deciding where he plays next year." BRODZINSKI Captain Jonny Brodzinski will be back and playing in the last year of his deal. Knoblauch acknowledges the ill-timed Ranger recall of his best players to be the Black Aces for the NHL playoffs hurt the Wolf Pack. It also derailed the AHL Player of March at the most inconvenient time. "He had a remarkable year, and the players enjoyed playing with him more and more as the year progressed. He would have liked to have done more, and naturally, 27 days away takes the edge you have in your game. "He really wanted to make significant value and contributions; it just wasn't there, no matter where we put him," said Knoblauch, who was never afraid to change line combinations. ASSISTANT COACHES His assistants, Steve Smith, and Jamie Tardif, served him ably. In addition, after a European career in France, newcomer Colin Downey, who replaced Casey Torres right at the beginning of the season, made a vital contribution, not just as a mentor in an ex-NHL player role that an assistant coach usually has. "He had a more defined and specified role with different than, say, Tanner Glass (Assistant Director of Player Development) or Jed Ortmeyer (Director of Player Development). They were more of the traditional mentor role. This was his first year in coaching full-time after retiring, or a part of a team. It was his green year," said Knoblauch. "He stepped in and did a remarkable job. He was doing more and more working the finer points of the game and players really appreciated the time they spent with him." It will be a summer of twists and turns, whether here or vacationing out West in Canada or back to his hometown of Prince Albert. HARTFORD WOLF PACK HOME Read the full article

HERSHEY BEARS SWEEP THE HARTFORD WOLF PACK

By: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings HARTFORD, CT - Despite a two-to-one shots advantage, the Hartford Wolf Pack season ended before 4,596 at the XL Center Wednesday night when the Hershey Bears defeated them 3-1 and swept their Best of Five Atlantic Division Final series in three straight. Hershey moves on to play the Rochester Americans, who swept their series over the Toronto Marlies, setting up an AHL Original Two matchup in-a Best-of-Seven Eastern Conference Final. "Hershey's a very good team. They're the best team five-on-five in our conference this year," Wolf Pack Head Coach Kris Knoblach said. "The difference in the series was we weren't able to generate enough offense. "In the first game, we had three power play goals. If we had that tonight, it would have made a huge difference. Five-on-five we weren't able to capitalize, and they did. Two even-strength goals in three games are simply not enough." THE THIRD PERIOD The Bears put the game away in the third period scoring twice after a penalty shot at 3:28 by former Quinnipiac alum Sam Anas, who was stopped by starting netminder Louis Domingue. A penalty shot was awarded to Anas after breaking into the Pack zone off the right wing on a two-on-one. Pack Captain Jonny Brodzinski tugged him from behind, creating the penalty shot situation. After starting at center ice on the shot attempt, Anas weaved and zig-zagged to the net. Domingue slightly adjusted to stay in front of him, patiently waited him out, and made a glove save. It kept the score tied and gave the team hope they could still pull this out. "That was a huge moment for our team. Louie came up with a huge save. We had a lot of offensive zone time in the third period, but I don't know how many quality chances we had, but we just couldn't find the net. Not being able to capitalize early in the game, we could have been up two or three goals, especially on a chance (Tim) Gettinger had. It was the turning point in the game. We couldn't build off our lead," Knoblauch said. The Bears, on the other hand, had other ideas. Lucas Johansen broke the 1-1 tie at 4:22. Normally a defensive-oriented defenseman, Johansen took a Mark Vecchione pass from behind the goal line at the left point. The 6'2 2016 first-round pick (28th overall) ripped a laser of a shot past Domingue high to the glove side at 4:22. That made it 2-1. Then at 7:25, Garrett Pilon put the final nail in the Pack coffin. Pilon, who was a two-way physical menace in this series, was deep on the right-wing side and took a cross-ice feed from Connor Michaels and, from a bad angle, beat Domingue, who couldn't come across fast enough to get there. For Pilon, it was his second goal of the playoffs. The Bears' Hunter Shepard (33 saves)  stopped the Pack's efforts to come back the rest of the third. SECOND PERIOD In the second period, the Pack had an early power play they could not capitalize on. At 9:14, Hershey's Riley Sutter, a righthanded shot on the left wing off a three-on-two, struck Domingue in the mask. Despite losing his protective gear, Domingue maintained his presence of mind and kept the puck in front of him. Beck Malenstyn, part of the Hershey fourth line, who was a thorn in the Pack's side throughout the entire series, leveled Bobby Trivigno at center after he released the puck for a penalty creating a brief scrum. The hitting at both ends of the ice by Hershey forced an offensive zone turnover by Tanner Fritz and led to a Hershey goal. Henrik Borgstrom fed Vecchione, who quickly found Vincent Iorio open on the right side. Iorio was two strides ahead of Gettinger and Ty Emberson and fired his first of the playoffs high to the blocker side past Domingue to tie the score at 1-1 with 4:55 remaining in the period. The Pack got a late power play on the roughing situation between Will Lockwood and Iorio. Ryan Carpenter, a team-best six shots, was stopped. "We had quality chances. It (was) that last ditch effort for the puck. It was throwing one wide, not bearing down. We played a really good game. In the third period it was those small breakdowns, and they played the opportunistic game. They didn't play their best game, but when you're off, they just sat back and took advantage of our mistakes. Two mistakes, (then) we found the puck in the back of our net," said Brodzinski. The Pack held the shot advantage throughout, but Shepard had his mojo going as he did in November and this entire series and kept his team in the contest. "We had a very resilient group this year," Brodzinski said. "A lot a credit to everyone in that locker room. There was no quit. I thought we had a good enough team to make a deep push, but we came up short. They were very opportunistic on their chances. He (Shepard) played a good game against us. All the credit to them, (they) played a sound defensive game once they got up one or two goals. They're a tough team to break down, get pucks through. But I'm proud of this team how they played this year." FIRST PERIOD The Wolf Pack started Domingue between the pipes over Dylan Garand, who had gotten them to this point when Domingue was called up to the Rangers for their playoff run. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Knoblauch also decided to shake up all of his lines and sat Karl Henriksson in favor of 6'6 Adam Edström to add some size to counter the Bears in that department. "They're big and physical, and we're a fast, gritty team. I thought we matched up well against them. It's the way the series goes. They beat us in overtime in that first game that we should have had. We were up in this game, and we let it slip away. Two of the (three) games could have been ours; that's how playoffs work. Next year we'll have to be better," Brodzinski said. He has another year left on his two-year $325K deal. Defensive combinations were also required to change because Adam Clendening's mother-in-law passed away unexpectedly, and he was understandably unavailable. The two teams traded chances. At 17:40, the Wolf Pack broke through as Anton Blidh won a one-on-one battle keeping the puck in the Hershey zone. The puck found Carpenter was behind the net all alone, came out of the left wing, and tried to stuff it in the net on the short side, but Shepard made the save. The puck came back on his stick. He waited patiently, and in came Turner Elson and stuffed in his second postseason goal. Blidh and ex-Pack Dylan McIlrath were battling for position in front, leaving it open for Elson. Each player was penalized, but Mac escaped a cross-checking minor. LINES: Carpenter-Cullye- Elson Fritz-Pajuniemi-Blidh Leschyshyn-Brodzinski-Lockwood Gettinger- Adam Edström-Trivigno Jones-Emberson Hájek-Scanlin Kalynuk-Hillman Domingue Garand SCRATCHES: Karl Henrikksson (healthy) Talyn Boyko #40 Matt Rempe (healthy) Louie Roehl #4 (healthy) Brett Berard #27 (healthy) Matt Robertson (upper body) Patrick Khordorenko (season-ending shoulder surgery). C.J. Smith (hip area surgery done for the season) NOTES: Condolences to Clendening on the passing of his mother-in-law. The last win by the Pack against Hershey was on November 20th. Tanner Fritz finished the Pack playoffs with a team-best nine assists and ten points. The Pack lost back-to-back games for the first time since early March. They ended the year with a three-game losing streak (0-3) in a five-game stretch and lost four of their last five. The previous streak of that kind was in early March 5th-11th. The last series win by the Pack over Hershey was eight years ago in six games. Just over nine years ago, they last lost to the Manchester Monarchs. McIlrath was at both. He was on the losing side of a sweep by Manchester, the eventual Calder Cup champs, and in the game against the Bears. The Calgary Wranglers will play the Coachella Valley Firebirds in a decisive Game 5 Friday. The winner goes to the Western Conference final. The Milwaukee Admirals lead the Central Division final. They are up two games to one over the Texas Stars and play in the Lone Star state capital on Friday. Brennan Othman, who will likely be with the Wolf Pack next season, had an assist as he and his Peterborough Petes teammates beat the London Knights 5-3, going up three games to one. They're one step closer to an OHL title with the chance for a trip to the Memorial Cup in Kamloops, BC. They would join the host Kamloops Blazers. The game will air on the NHL Network. The Halifax Mooseheads are up three games to one on the Quebec Remparts in the QMJHL Gilles Courteau Trophy Championship. The Seattle Thunderbirds are up by the exact count in their series with the Winnipeg Ice. Propositions 301, 302, and 303 on creating a Tempe Entertainment District, which would primarily house a new 16,000-plus seat arena for the Arizona Coyotes, were soundly defeated by the voters 56 % to 44%. The defeat now sets the stage for the eventual relocation of the long-troubled franchise. The NHL was unhappy with the outcome and will meet with the Coyotes' ownership in the next few days to discuss the options now available to them. Staying at Mullet Arena beyond the contracted three years is not likely one of them. What could throw a monkey wrench into this are the quiet negotiations that have already been taking place. The NHL Players' Association's new head, Marty Walsh, when asked what his first order of business was when taking over last month, replied that he was getting NHL players not to play regularly in a college arena. That signaled how he felt the Coyotes' situation playing in the 5,000-seat Mullett Arena at ASU (Arizona State University) had to be remedied immediately. The agreed and signed escrow scheme (a part of the CBA revenue) to meet desired levels by finding them a new home and closing that gaping hole. The most likely scenario will see the team relocate to Houston, the fourth largest US TV market. It also won't disturb Commissioner Gary Bettman's 16 East and 16 West scheduling balance. By extension, the AHL Tucson Roadrunners would likely need to be moved. A lease arrangement would need to be agreed to first. Then, a regional TV deal would need to be secured, and several large sponsorships, especially for food and concessions with a soft drink company and a beer company, will be required, staffing, and so on. The NBA's Houston Rockets have been very open to adding an NHL team to the building's portfolio. It will take time to put in an ice system and to deal with making their building, the Toyota Center, dual-use compliant for hoops and hockey. Regarding naming the team in Houston, what's most likely is a new name and color scheme to maximize branding and merchandise sales. In the past, Houston has seen the Aeros in the old WHA, IHL, and AHL. Then there was the Apollos, for four years in the Central Hockey League (1965-1969) as an affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens. Then a second edition in the CHL (1979-1981). The Houston Blast played in the Gulf Coast Hockey League. They and the league never got off the ground. A USHL team, then a semi-pro league, had a team that called Houston home just after WWII that lasted for just two years. As for options other than Houston? Quebec City already has an NHL-level building, The Videotron Centre, but it won't get a team for four reasons. 1. French language requirements 2. Canadian currency exchange rate 3. The Montreal Canadiens 4. It busts Gary Bettman's mentioned 16/16 conference formula. Hartford? Not a chance. Kansas City? Despite Patrick Mahomes lobbying, remember the Kansas City Scouts, the mid-'70's NHL expansion disaster? The clock has started ticking. Tucson relocation options would be... in order... 1. Beaumont, at the Ford Center east on I-10 on the Texas/Louisiana border, 2. San Antonio, the AT&T Center, was an old AHL city south of Austin (Texas Stars) on I-10 southwest of Houston. 3. Waco 4. Amarillo 5. San Angelo 6. Allen. Ex-Sound Tigers goalie Kristers Gudlevskis, heads from MODO (Sweden-Allsvenskan) to Fischtown (Germany-DEL). C.J. Stretch leaves SC Bietigheim-Bissen (Germany-DEL 2) and heads down a level to Rosenheim (Germany Division-3). The AHL to Euro list has grown to 25 as the semi-Swedish name of Axel Andersson going from San Diego to Djurgårdens IF (Sweden-Allsvenskan). Expect more in the coming days. HARTFORD WOLF PACK HOME Read the full article

PREVIEW: HARTFORD WOLF PACK GO HUNTING FOR HERSHEY BEARS

By Gerry  Cantlon, Howlings HARTFORD, CT - The Hartford Wolf Pack are among the final eight AHL teams still playing in May. What seemed improbable seven weeks ago has become reality. Trade deadline moves and an incredible streak of winning 15 of their last 18 games have brought them to this place in the season. They knocked off the Springfield Thunderbirds in the first round. They followed that up by eliminating the Providence Bruins in four games in the second round, despite finishing 17 points behind them in the regular season. That puts the Pack on a collision course in the Division Finals with the Hershey Bears, who finished the regular season 16 points ahead of them. Pack Head Coach Kris Knoblauch knows the tall order that lies in front of them. “(They’re) a big strong team. Outstanding defensively; don’t give you much room,. That’s in part because of their defense. They have some players who can score goals. Their team specialties (powerplay and penalty kill) are very good. We're just gonna have to find a way to the net,“ He said. Hershey's physical height is plentiful. The Bears are led by their captain, the 6'5 defenseman and ex-Pack, Dylan McIlrath. McIlrath was much maligned when he was a member of the Wolf Pack. He played on the last Pack playoff team eight years ago. Ironically, that year, they eliminated Hershey. Joining McIlrath is Aliaksei Protas at 6’6, Gabriel Carlsson at 6’5, Vincent Iorio at 6’3, and Benton Maass, who's 6’2. Their two in-house goalies include the 6’4 Clay Stevenson and the 6'3 Garin Bjorklund. Bjorklund was recalled when the South Carolina Stingrays (ECHL) were eliminated from the Kelly Cup playoffs. It's possible that the 6’2 Zach Furcale will need to be dealt with all over the ice as well. The Bears have eight players who are 6’2 and taller. Casey Shepard will likely start in the net for the Bears. In terms of height, the Pack can counter with the 6’8 Matt Rempe and the 6’6 Adam Edström. PRODUCTION While during the regular season, no Wolf Pack player was anywhere near the top in player production categories. Now, in the postseason, the Pack finds themselves all over the stat sheet as the Atlantic Division final begins. Leading the way for the New York Rangers AHL affiliates is goaltender Dylan Garand who has a 5-1 with a 1.17 GAA, tops in the AHL. He also is at the top of the production sheet for netminders with two shutouts. He will likely start. In the plus/minus department, Ty Emberson is atop the AHL charts at plus-13. In second place in that category is Anton Blidh at plus-11. In assists, Lauri Pajuniemi is fifth-best in the league with eight. Tim Gettinger and Tanner Fritz find themselves in the Top Ten in scoring with seven points each. The Pack also has two of the top three leaders in PIMs. Adam Clendening and Will Lockwood. The top shot producer is Zac Jones. He's tied at 21. A team with a championship mindset expects to be playing its best and most productive hockey in the playoffs. The Wolf Pack are undoubtedly not only the best they've been all season, but you could also argue they're the best they've been in eight years. NOTES: The Rangers did some organizational housekeeping before leaving Tuesday to head to Hershey for Thursday’s series opener. They released from ATO and PTO deals 18-year-olds Bryce McConnell-Barker, who didn’t play, and Adam Sýkora, who played two regular season games and two playoff games. Sýkora might be added to the Slovakia World Championship team when the IIHF tourney starts May 12th running through May 29th. It's a 16-country tournament and will be played this year in Tampere, Finland, Pajuniemi's hometown. They will also play in Riga, Latvia. The team also sent home Maxim Barbashev and Ryder Korczak. When the Peterborough Petes earned a 3-2 victory in Game 7 on Monday night over the North Bay Battalion, it guaranteed that Brennan Othmann will not be coming to Hart City this spring. Othmann had the game-tying goal in the game, and in Game 6 had the tying goal and an assist on the game-winner. The Petes will also play for the John Ross Robertson OHL championship against the London Knights, coached by Dale Hunter, starting on Thursday. The Petes also feature Chase Stillman, grandson of former New Haven Knights and Springfield Indians' alum Bud Stefanski. A Memorial Cup berth for the tournament will be played in Kamloops, BC, at the Sandman Centre from Friday, May 26th, until Sunday, June 4th. That's where Garand spent his junior career. The Cup will be awarded to the winner. The Winnipeg Ice (WHL), coached by former Ranger/Whaler James Patrick, along with Easton Armstrong, the son of former Wolf Pack, Derek Armstrong, will be playing for the WHL Championship. They will have their home games (the first two) starting Friday at the Life Canada Centre, home of the NHL Winnipeg Jets against the Seattle Thunderbirds, Rempe's former junior team, that won 4-2 on Monday over the Kamloops Blazers, who still make the tournament as the host team. Lane Sim, the son of ex-Sound Tiger Jon Sim, was drafted by the OHL Sarnia Sting in the OHL Priority Draft a few weeks ago. He played for Weeks U-18 (NSMHL) in Nova Scotia. The WHL Bantam Draft is on Thursday. May 11th. Players from the two Western Provinces of British Columbia and Alberta and the three Western territories - the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and the Yukon - are eligible. The US states of Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming are eligible to be selected. The QMJHL Draft is on June 10th at the Palais des Sports in Sherbrooke, Quebec. The draft is divided into two separate drafts. In the first portion, the selections are primarily for kids from the Province of Quebec, the Canadian Maritimes, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island-PEI, and Newfoundland. Occasionally, a small number of New England players get taken. A separate US Draft will be held afterward, comprising Northeastern US states Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont are taken. Any US-born player who plays a second of major junior hockey is NCAA ineligible. Players from European countries, excluding Russia and Belarus, are taken in the CHL Import Draft in which all Canadian major junior teams participate. It will be held a week after the NHL Draft on July 5th. Usually, the top slots are taken by NHL draftees. Now former Wolf Pack’s Adam Sýkora was taken first overall by Medicine Hat (WHL) last year but elected to stay in Slovakia instead. The USHL Phase I Futures Draft and Phase II General Draft were completed a week ago. In Phase I, Mason Kraft, the son of ex-Sound Tiger Ryan Kraft, was selected in the fourth round (48th overall) by the Sioux Falls (SD) Stampede out of Moorhead HS (MN). In Phase II, Sioux Falls also chose Anthony Bongo (Ridgefield) from the Mid-Fairfield U-15 squad in the second round (18th overall). In the third round (33rd overall), Matej Teply (Stamford) was chosen. He played for the Selects Academy program at South Kent Prep. He was selected by the Chicago (Ill.) Steel. In the fifth round (63rd overall), Ronan Buckberger, the youngest son of former Beast of New Haven Ashley Buckberger, was selected by the Madison (WI) Capitols out of the Saskatoon U-18 (SMHL) program. Two years ago, he was selected by Swift Current (WHL). Taft’s (Watertown) top-flight goalie Rudy Guimond (Yale -ECACHL commit), from Pointe-Claire, Quebec, was selected by the Cedar Rapids (IA) Roughriders. He was taken in the fifth round (69th overall). Tate Pecknold (Southport), the son of Quinnipiac University (ECACHL) head coach of the defending national champion Bobcats, Rand Pecknold, was taken in the 13th round (185th overall) by the Omaha (NE) Lancers. This season, he transferred from Avon Old Farms (CT) to St. George’s (RI). Lastly, Jackson Potulny, the nephew of ex-Pack Ryan Potulny, was taken in the 13th round (197th overall) by the Chicago Steel. He was selected from the U-18 team from the successful Minnesota program at Shattuck’s St. Mary’s (NAPHL). Back in the AHL, the North Division final pits the Toronto Marlies against the Rochester Americans. The Marlies feature Quinnipiac University (ECACHL) goalie Keith Petruzzelli, who won against the Wolf Pack in April. They may get some players from around the corner if Florida eliminates the parent Toronto Maple Leafs. Rochester features Michael Mersch, the son of late New Haven Nighthawk Mike Mersch and ex-Bridgeport Sound Tiger Mason Jobst. The Hartford-Hershey tilt winner will play the North Division series winner for the Eastern Conference crown. Out west, two of the newest AHL teams, the Calgary Wranglers and Coachella Valley Firebirds, will square off. Player-wise, Calgary has former Rangers Kevin Rooney and Dryden Hunt. They also have Nick DeSimone (CT Oilers-EHL) and ex-UCONN (HE) defenseman Yan Kuznetsov. Behind the bench as one of the assistant coaches is former Whaler, New Haven Nighthawk, and Springfield Indian Don Nachbaur. The goalie coach is ex-Pack Mackenzie Skapski and AHL coach of the Year for two years in a row, Mitch Love. The Firebirds have former Quinnipiac University defenseman Brogan Rafferty. The Texas (Austin) Stars in the Central Division have just one Connecticut connection in GM Scott White, a one-time New Haven Senator. The Stars will tangle with the Milwaukee Admirals, who received nine players from the parent Nashville Predators. They feature recently acquired at the trade deadline from Hartford, Austin Rueschhoff, and ex-Pack captain and former UCONN (AHA years) player Cole Schneider. Also on the roster is Luke Evangelista, a second cousin to former Whaler Brendan Shanahan. The winners of those two series will battle for the Western Conference championship. The Charlotte Checkers released Mackie Samoskevitch (Sandy Hook) and Skylar Brind’Amour (Quinnipiac University) from their PTO and ATO deals. Charlie Risk of the NCAA Division III Independent, Albertus Magnus College (New Haven), signs with Mont Blanc (France-FFHG Division-2). HARTFORD WOLF PACK HOME Read the full article