The training camp season is officially underway, and there certainly are a lot of positive vibes coming out of the Ranger organization.
In Traverse City, MI, Ken Gernander got his head coaching career going with a 4-0 record and a championship in the yearly prospects tournament held in that northwestern Michigan city. I was at the first day of on-ice workouts at the Rangers’ camp at their training center in Tarrytown, NY, and everyone I talked to inside the organization couldn’t stop raving about how well the young guns fired in that tourney. Of particular note was the performance of a full line of 2006-07 Wolf Pack regulars, Brandon Dubinsky centering Lauri Korpikoski and Alex Bourret. That threesome combined for sixteen points in the four games, and Dubinsky and Bourret both totaled three goals and four assists for seven points over the course of the competition. If all three of those guys are ready to take a step up in their careers as second-year pros, then that bodes very well for the Wolf Pack.
The overall feel of the start of Ranger camp was very much one of being ready and raring to go, and anxious to build on what had been achieved last season. The pace seemed crisp in the scrimmages I watched, and the addition of world-class players like Chris Drury and Scott Gomez to the talent that was already present in the Ranger locker room certainly lent an extra air of electricity to the first official doings of the new season.
With that as a backdrop, some reader inquiries…
Jeff from East Granby, CT asks, “Do you think Brandon Dubinsky is going to stay with the Pack most of the year this season or do you think the Rangers will bring him up, since he has so much potential?”
Jeff, I would expect Brandon to spend some time with the Wolf Pack this year, but if he performs well in the AHL, I could definitely see him getting more games in the NHL than the six he played in last season. Clearly Chris Drury and Scott Gomez are ahead of him at the center position, but he might be able to give Blair Betts a bit of a run for the next spot in behind those guys, especially if he carries over his good play from the rookie tournament. Of course, he’ll also have to fight off the challenges of fellow youngsters like Artem Anisimov, Brodie Dupont, Tom Pyatt and Joe Barnes in the battle for center-ice time.
Rebecca from Branford, CT asks, “What happened to (Jason) LaBarbera? You said (in the last edition of this column) that Manchester won’t have the security blanket of having him in the net? Did he get traded? I tried looking for him all over the place but can’t seem to find him? Who do you think will be our goalies for this year? With him gone do you think Manchester will not be as good and unstoppable as they were last year?”
Jason is still in the L.A. organization, Rebecca, but what I meant by that was that I don’t think the Kings would send him to the AHL again this year. That is because by doing that, they, and he, would basically be in the same boat as last season, the Kings paying him a pretty high six-figure salary and not being able to recall him without the fear of losing him on waivers. You never know, but I doubt that they would do that, especially in light of the fact that Jason handled himself with such class under the circumstances he found himself in last year. And his play seemed to be such a big part of that Manchester team’s solidifying its confidence last season, I think potentially not having that steady veteran presence in net could pose a big challenge to the Kings’ farmhands in 2007-08.
As for the Wolf Pack goaltenders, it should be a pretty good battle among four goalies for two spots. Al Montoya is the incumbent number-one, but I’m sure he’s not taking anything for granted. Matt Zaba earned a free-agent contract with a fine NCAA career at Colorado College. Chris Holt has shown the past two seasons that he is capable of coming up with some big games, and Miika Wiikman, to me, is a bit of a wild card, a European-born goaltender who has had good success in Finland but is an unknown on this side of the Pond.
Kevin from Wyckoff, NJ writes, “Right now the Rangers are carrying eight legitimate defenders (Rozsival, Malik, Mara, Tyutin, Girardi, Pöck, Strudwick and Hutchinson). This obviously is not counting Kasparaitis and Staal. Is it possible that we could see Hutchinson, Pöck or Strudwick playing in Hartford this season?”
I wouldn’t think so, Kevin, at least not for any significant length of time. I know Pöck and Strudwick would have to clear waivers to be assigned on anything other than a conditioning loan, and I would assume that would apply to Hutchinson, being a sixth-year pro, as well. It definitely is a crowded blueline, though.
Eric from Avon, CT asks, “How many more games is Frankie Lessard's suspension from his altercation with Trevor Gillies from April 15th?”
Eric, he was suspended for 10 games total and he served seven of them during last spring’s playoffs, so he will still have to sit out three more games at the start of this season.
Keith from Manchester, CT asks, “Did the Rangers offer a contract to Eric Hunter (sixth-round draftee in 2006)? The last couple of seasons he has played very well for Prince George of the WHL. It would be great to see him in a Pack jersey this year.”
To my knowledge, Keith, he has not been signed, but he is slated to come to the Wolf Pack’s training camp. His Junior numbers are strong, and he’s listed at 6-1 and 188 pounds, which is certainly decent size for a pro forward. He’ll certainly be on of the guys on whom there is some pressure to make an immediate impression in camp, with there being a pretty good crop of forwards already under contract.
Steve Taylor from Charlotte, NC writes, “Please give me any info you have and your thoughts on who the Ranger/Wolf Pack organizations will send to Charlotte for goaltending work. With the Rangers having Henrik Lundquist and Steve Valiquette in New York, that leaves Al Montoya, Chris Holt, Miika Wiikman and Matt Zaba. Out of the four goalies left-could they send two to Charlotte and who do you think they will be?”
That will be very interesting to see, Steve, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s a pretty wide-open competition. Based on past history and barring trades, I would give Montoya and Zaba the edge to be in Hartford, Montoya because he’s held the spot the last two years and is a first-round pick, and Zaba because the organization spent some money on him to land him as a free agent. If that were true, that would leave Holt and Wiikman needing spots to play, but depending on what happens in camp and in exhibitions, that could totally change.
David McLeod of Willimantic, CT asks, “What is the likelihood of the Hartford Wolf Pack hosting an AHL All-Star game?”
David, it has been discussed at different times, but there are no plans in the works at the present time.
Hartford would certainly fit the bill in terms of having a first-class facility, a dynamic market, a dedicated core of fans and a strong front office, so I think the possibility of having the All-Star Classic here one of these years is something that would continue to be considered.
Ron McNaughton from Toronto writes, “There seems to be a lot of talk about the performances of Staal, Bourret and Dubinsky in Traverse City. Yes, they did very well, but not enough was said about Jordan Owens’ performance, as he also scored three goals in the tourney. This guy is for real, maybe a ‘diamond in the rough’.”
Ron, your point is well taken. I have liked Jordan since the first game he played for the Wolf Pack last spring, and clearly he did himself a lot of favors with his performance in the Traverse City tournament. What I saw of him in the one day of Ranger training camp scrimmages I watched was quite impressive as well.
Everybody in the hockey world knows about high draft picks like Staal, Bourret and Dubinsky, but if you can get a guy like Owens to come out of relative obscurity and make an impact, then that’s like found money. It’s still early yet and he’s not a very big guy, but Owens seems to be a player who can do a lot of different things for you. He can score, he looks like he reads plays well, and he plays in traffic. How exciting that would be, if a guy they basically just took a flyer on as a tryout player ends up being a real prospect!
Gilles from Rocky Hill, CT asks, “What happened to Alexandre Giroux?”
He played last year in the Washington Capitals organization, Gilles, and went to the Calder Cup Finals with Hershey, along with getting into nine games (and scoring his first career NHL points) with the parent Capitals. Then, this summer he signed with the Atlanta Thrashers.
Martin Boatwright of Cromwell, CT asks, “Will Wolf Pack Confidential be at Little Mark's Big Barbecue or a new location? When will the first broadcast be?”
Martin, that is still up in the air as of right now. We are not certain if Little Mark’s will be signing on for another year of the show. Rest assured that as soon as the details are finalized, we will have an announcement for you on the location and when the show’s schedule will start. Thanks for your interest!
Rich from Croton, NY writes, “Any word on whether FSNE or FSNY will be carrying any of the Pack's games this season as they have in the past?”
As of this writing, Rich, there are no plans to telecast any Wolf Pack games this season. Should that change, though, we will certainly get the word out through all possible media and cyber avenues.
Thanks for the questions and I’ll continue to poke my pen into this space whenever I can cobble together enough material.
