By Bruce Berlet

You can’t help but root for Scott Tanski to make the Connecticut Whale.

The day before the New York Rangers opened camp, Tanski was preparing to leave on a road trip with his Carleton University team in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, when he got a call saying he had four hours to pack his bags and catch a flight to LaGuardia Airport in New York.

The Rangers had sustained several injuries and defections during and after finishing second in a prospects tournament in Traverse City, Mich., and needed a few more healthy bodies for the start of their training camp in Greenburgh, N.Y.

“I had tried to get Tanski in to camp twice before, but it didn’t work out,” Rangers director of player personnel Gordie Clark said Friday night before the Whale’s 2-1 loss to the Worcester Sharks at TD Bank Sports Center on the campus of Quinnipiac University in Hamden. “When (Rangers assistant general manager) Jeff Gorton called saying he needed a few players, the guy that I thought of was Tanski. I knew I could rely on him to come in and play hard.”

So with Tayler Jordan getting injured and Randy McNaught and Jordan Hickmott opting to attend school rather than Rangers camp, the SOS went out to Tanski, who was stunned but delighted finally to get a chance to join the Blueshirts after playing for the Columbus Blue Jackets in the past two prospects tournaments.

“It was kind of funny because I actually knew I was coming to Connecticut camp, but I had no idea I was going to main camp,” Tanski said. “I thought going to Connecticut camp would be an unbelievable opportunity, but my agent called (Carleton) and they said, ‘Get off the ice, go get a suitcase and pack your bag.’ ”

When Tanski arrived at LaGuardia, he took a shuttle to the hotel where the Rangers were staying in White Plains, N.Y. He got the training camp itinerary the next morning and was soon on the ice experiencing the torturous skating tests of Rangers coach John Tortorella while rubbing shoulders with the likes of Henrik Lundqvist, Brad Richards, Marian Gaborik and Rangers captain and former Hartford Wolf Pack right wing Ryan Callahan.

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“It was definitely exciting being with some of the best players in the world,” Tanski said with a smile. “I had had a little (pro) experience in Columbus’ main camp, but I definitely was shocked at the intensity of Torts’ camp. It was really tough. No matter how hard you work coming into camp, you’re not prepared for that. But I’ve definitely got into shape and tried to put my best step forward. I want to try to show the coaches what I can bring to the team. Hopefully I’ve done that and continue to do that.”

After a so-so start in the Whale’s 3-1 loss to the Albany Devils on Tuesday night, Tanski scored twice in a 4-2 victory over the Springfield Falcons the following night. First, he jammed in Tommy Grant’s centering pass from the left wing at 8:16 and then one-timed Grant’s pass from behind the net with 1:24 left in the second period. By game’s end, the line of Tanski, Grant and Kelsey Tessier combined for three goals and four assists.

Friday night, Tanski nearly had his third goal of the preseason off the opening faceoff, but Tyson Sexsmith came out to rob him in the slot after a nifty pass from Tessier only 43 seconds into the game. Tanski had another good bid denied with 12:25 left, and only defenseman Jared Nightingale could beat Sexsmith (21 saves) with 4:49 left. It wasn’t enough to offset Ryan Del Monte’s power-play goal on the rebound of Adam Zulyniak’s shot that went off the pad of Chad Johnson (15 saves) and skate of defenseman Jyri Niemi at 3:36 of the second period and Nick Petrecki beating Johnson high to the stick side 26 seconds later after a Whale turnover.

Tanski was headed to Carleton University after finishing four years with Brampton of the Ontario Hockey League, where he had 53 goals and 80 assists in 219 games. But the hockey gods then intervened, giving Tanski a shot he never anticipated. He said he hopes to make the Whale roster and would have to confer with his agent and family if he had to choose between going to Greenville of the ECHL on a two-way contract or returning to Carleton University.

“I came to camp not knowing what to expect, not having even talked to anybody, so I have just kind of gone on the ice every day and gone to work trying to sell myself,” Tanski said. “I’ve been given an opportunity, so I know I have to take advantage of it. You only get a few chances to play with guys like Tessier and Grant, so I have to make the most of it and definitely show myself.

“My game is getting in on the forecheck, using my speed, providing energy, playing the body, doing whatever it takes. I’ve been looking at this for 18, 19 years of my life, and this is what I want to do, so I’m not going to stop at nothing to try and achieve it, so I hope to catch someone’s eye. If something happens, it would be a dream come true, but I’m not going to think about it too much because it’s not for me to decide.”

Whale coach Ken Gernander will certainly be part of the decision, and he gave Tanski a ringing endorsement Friday night, sounding after if he was describing himself as a player.

“If you want to watch a game and watch a guy who’s going to play straight-line hockey, start-stop hockey, a real meat-and-potatoes type of hockey, that’s what he has been giving us,” Gernander said. “I think, to a large extent, that’s kind of created success for him. If you’re going to take short cuts and high-risk plays, sometimes you get rewarded, but often times it doesn’t bode well for you. So if you want to keep it simple and really work hard at it, you’re going to get rewarded through diligence.

“He also likes to finish hits, and what he does on breakouts and different things like that, he gets to where he needs to be early. He works hard to get there, so when the puck gets there, he’s got options and is going in the right direction, whereas you have some guys that want to come back and maybe not work as much, and when the puck gets to them, the opportunity is lost or they’re in poor position to make plays. Scott is a straight-line guy who plays hard, and as long as you do that, you’re going to be effective.”

Tanski has been effective enough to earn another shot at making the team in its preseason finale Sunday at 2 p.m., a rematch with the Sharks at Champions Skating Center in Cromwell ($5 admission benefits Junior Wolf Pack youth hockey).

GOOD START, POOR FINISH

The Whale started well Friday night but failed to convert on five consecutive first-period power plays, including a 5-on-3 for 26 seconds, as they went 0-for-7 with the man advantage. The early power plays helped the Whale to a 7-1 shot advantage in the opening 20 minutes, but the bang-bang goals by Del Monte and Petrecki swung the momentum in the Sharks’ favor and the Whale rarely sustained an attack the final 30 minutes.

“I’m not going to get very critical of (the power play) when some of our power-play personnel isn’t here and we haven’t been working on it for months and months at a time,” Gernander said. “That’s where you are; it’s preseason. But I thought we had a lot of forechecking pressure and shots, but not necessarily (quality) chances in the first period. Then they capitalized on their chances. It’s a game of inches or momentum swings or whatever you want to call it, but early on we had good pace and tempo to our game and got shots and pressure while they didn’t really generate a lot.

“But then they get two quick goals, and it looks pretty good for them. And at the end of the game, we tried too many high-risk plays. Instead of maybe getting it deep when you could see they were backing off and defending, we were too stubborn to put it in behind (the defense) and forecheck to go get it.”

After the Whale got to 2-1 when Andreas Thuresson’s pass from behind the net went through a maze of players in front to Nightingale at the right point for a 40-foot laser past Sexsmith, they were short-circuited when Andre Deveaux got a checking to the head penalty with 4:01 left.

“That was tough, especially because we had power-play opportunities early where we didn’t capitalize, and you know there’s swings in the game and we don’t want to give them power-play opportunities,” Gernander said. “So it’s got to be addressed and taken care of.”

Gernander likely did it Saturday, when Rangers All-Star defenseman Marc Staal again skated with the Whale as he continues to try to recover from lingering headaches from post-concussion syndrome from being hit by his brother, All-Star center Eric Staal, in a game against the Carolina Hurricanes on Feb. 22. Staal sustained a concussion but passed baseline neurological tests and missed only three games. But headaches manifested themselves in the summer and have forced Staal to miss most of training camp, including all of the Rangers’ five preseason games, two of them wins in Europe.

The Rangers had hoped Staal could fly to the Czech Republic on Thursday so he could rejoin his teammates at the opener of a six-game European run, which will be capped by their first two regular-season starts against the Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks on Friday and Saturday in Stockholm, Sweden. But instead of being on hand for the Rangers’ 2-0 victory over HC Sparta and 4-2 win over Frolunda, the former team of Lundqvist, Staal was prepping for and participating in workouts with the Whale. Staal, part of the Rangers’ top defensive pairing with former Hartford Wolf Pack defenseman Dan Girardi, hopes to travel to Stockholm, but that will depend on how he reacts to being back skating and eventually participating in contract drills.

RANGERS, WHALE MAKE ROSTER MOVES

The Rangers made a third round of cuts Saturday, assigning defensemen Tim Erixon and Blake Parlett and forwards Kris Newbury, John Mitchell, Dale Weise and rookies Carl Hagelin and Ryan Bourque to the Whale and assigning defenseman Dylan McIlrath to Moose Jaw of the Western Hockey League. Newbury, Mitchell and Weise have to clear waivers before they could join the Whale, but all of the players will be flying back to the United States on Sunday.

The biggest surprise was defenseman Stu Bickel making the roster less than a year after being acquired from the Anaheim Ducks for Nigel Williams. Bickel is a hard-nosed, team player who was the first to come to Andre Deveaux’s defense Monday night when Deveaux was run face-first in the boards by the Philadelphia Flyers’ Tom Sestito, who was suspended four games (two preseason, two regular season) by the NHL. But the penalty was reduced by a game by AHL president Dave Andrews after Sestito was assigned to the Adirondack Phantoms.

Bickel, 24, has never played in a NHL regular-season game, but he could be in the lineup Friday if Staal and former Wolf Pack defenseman Michael Sauer (sprained shoulder) can’t play.

“This kid Bickel has stood in there for us,” Rangers coach John Tortorella said. “He’s a guy that is involved and has had a very good camp. We’ve been pretty impressed with how Bickel has stood in there because I knew nothing about him when he came in here. He’s a big guy who gets in the way. He’s beginning to learn how to use his stick. He has improved daily and that’s why he is here.”

Hagelin and Bourque were expected to be sent down for more seasoning, but Erixon was a bit of a surprise, though the Rangers have to hope veteran defenseman Wade Redden and assistant coach J.J. Daigneault, who works with the defense, can work their magic with the Calgary Flames’ first-round pick in 2009 as they did with Ryan McDonagh last season.

With an overload of players, the Whale made their first cuts, assigning goalies Jason Missiaen and Jerry Kuhn and forwards Chris Chappell, Kale Kerbashian, Jeff Prough and Connor Shields to Greenville of the ECHL. The Whale still have two goalies (Johnson, Cam Talbot), 11 defensemen (Redden, Erixon, Parlett, Niemi, Tomas Kundratek, Pavel Valentenko, Jared Nightingale, Lee Baldwin, Collin Bowman, T.J. Fast, Sam Klassen) and 19 forwards (Newbury, Mitchell, Weise, Bourque, Hagelin, Tanski, Andre Deveaux, Andreas Thuresson, Kelsey Tessier, Chad Kolarik, Jonathan Audy-Marchessault, Tommy Grant, Jason Wilson, Max Campbell, Chris McKelvie and tryouts Jordan Owens, Brendan Connolly, Tayler Jordan and Matt Rust). Jordan is injured, and Kolarik will have surgery Wednesday to repair a torn ACL in his left knee and will be sidelined at least six months.

The Whale will make more cuts after Sunday’s preseason finale so Gernander and assistants Daigneault and Pat Boller have workable numbers to form their lines and defensive pairings for four days of preparation for the opener Saturday night at 7 against the Phantoms in Glens Falls, N.Y. The Whale then plays at Wilkes-Barre, Pa., on Oct. 9 and at Albany, N.Y., on Oct. 14 before their home opener on Oct. 15 at 7 p.m. against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. … Lundqvist was understandably emotional about being back home and delighted that his 30 saves helped the Rangers win Friday night in his homeland. “I have been thinking about this day almost every hour the past few days, and I wasn’t sure how I’d react to it,” he told reporters. “It was very emotional. I didn’t cry, but I was close. I started following (Frolunda) since I was five when my dad took me to my first game ever here. It’s been my dream to play here, and then I did from when I was 16. Then (tonight) I realize I am playing my twin brother, against Frolunda, with the New York Rangers, and then I get (the tribute and great fan reaction) before the game. It was just a lot to take in all at once. I am so thankful for it.”  … Information on Whale season tickets and all of the ticketing options can be obtained by calling 860-728-3366 or visiting www.ctwhale.com. Individual tickets are on sale at Public Power ticket office at the XL Center. The Whale will play 90 percent of their 38 home games on weekends and during vacation and holiday breaks. Tickets, starting at $14 for adults and $12 for youth, are available at the box office Monday through Friday from noon to 5 p.m. or online at www.ctwhale.com and through TicketMaster charge-by-phone at 1-800-745-3000. … J.T. Miller, the Rangers’ first-round pick (15^th overall) in June, scored his first OHL goal at 11:45 of the third period to snap a 2-2 as the Plymouth Whalers rallied for a 3-2 victory over the Ottawa 67’s on Friday night. The Whalers have won two in a row to improve to 2-1-0-0.

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HARTFORD, October 1, 2011:  Connecticut Whale general Manager Jim Schoenfeld today announced the following changes to the team’s training camp roster:

Assigned to the Whale by the NY Rangers:

Defensemen (2): Tim Erixon, Blake Parlett

Forwards (5): Ryan Bourque, Carl Hagelin, John Mitchell, Kris Newbury, Dale Weise

Reassigned by the Whale to Greenville (ECHL):

Goaltenders (2): Jerry Kuhn, Jason Missiaen

Forwards (4):  Chris Chappell, Kale Kerbashian, Jeff Prough, Connor Shields

With those changes, the Whale now have 32 players in training camp:

Goal (2): Chad Johnson, Cameron Talbot

Defense (11):  Lee Baldwin, Collin Bowman, Tim Erixon, T.J. Fast, Sam Klassen, Tomas Kundratek, Jyri Niemi, Jared Nightingale, Blake Parlett, Wade Redden, Pavel Valentenko

Forwards (19):   Jonathan Audy-Marchessault, Ryan Bourque, Max Campbell, Brendan Connolly, Andre Deveaux, Tommy Grant, Carl Hagelin, Tayler Jordan, Chad Kolarik, Chris McKelvie, John Mitchell, Kris Newbury, Jordan Owens, Matt Rust, Scott Tanski, Kelsey Tessier, Andreas Thuresson, Dale Weise, Jason Wilson

The Whale wrap up their preseason action tomorrow, Sunday, October 2, against the Worcester Sharks at Champions Skating Center, which is located at 6 Progress Dr. in Cromwell, CT.  That game will face off at 2:00, and a $5 admission charge will benefit Junior Wolf Pack youth hockey.

The Whale’s regular-season home opener is coming up Saturday, October 15, a GEICO Connecticut Cup game vs. the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.  Tickets to that game, and all 2011-12 Whale home games, are on sale now at the Public Power Ticket Office at the XL Center, as well as on-line at www.ctwhale.com and through TicketMaster Charge-by-phone at 1-800-745-3000.

Save on your tickets, and get the best seats, with a ticket plan for the Whale’s 2011-12 AHL campaign, which are on sale now. For information on season seats and mini plans, visit www.ctwhale.com, or call the CT Whale ticket office at (860) 728-3366 to talk with an account executive today.

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By Brian Ring

Hamden, CT, September 30, 2011 – The Connecticut Whale were defeated by the Worcester Sharks, 2-1, Friday night in AHL preseason action at the TD Bank Sports Center at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, CT.

Despite outshooting their opponent by a sizable margin for the majority of the game, the Whale could not convert many of their chances.

A two-goal flurry by the Sharks’ Ryan Del Monte and Nick Petrecki in the early stages of the second period sank the Whale, who fell to 1-2 in preseason contests this season. Jared Nightingale scored the only goal of the game for Connecticut.

“Early on, we had a good pace to our game, good tempo,” said Whale head coach Ken Gernander. “We got shots, not necessarily lots of chances but pressure, and (the Sharks) didn’t really generate a lot. But then they get two quick goals and it looks pretty good for them.”

The Whale and the Sharks played to a scoreless first period, despite Connecticut being afforded five power-plays by Worcester and outshooting their opponent, 7-1.

Worcester came out with more attack in the second, as they scored twice within a span of less than a minute to take a 2-0 lead. Del Monte was given credit for the Sharks’ first goal, which hit off a skate trickled past Whale goaltender Chad Johnson (15 saves) on Worcester’s first power-play of the night at 3:36.

“The one power-play goal was tough,” said Gernander. “It was a rebound that went off our defenseman’s skate, then we had a turnover in the middle of the ice for two quick goals.”

Just 28 seconds after Del Monte’s goal, Petrecki beat Johnson for the 2-0 lead with an unassisted score, as he picked up a Whale turnover.

“It is what it is, you capitalize on your chances. It’s a game of inches, or there’s momentum swings,” said Gernander, of the quick lapse.

The Whale finally broke through at 15:11 of the third period on a slap shot by defenseman Jared Nightingale, which went through a crowd in front of the net and eluded Worcester goaltender Tyson Sexsmith (21 saves).  A penalty taken immediately after the goal, however, seemed to dull Connecticut’s momentum and they could not come up with the equalizer.

The Whale will conclude their preseason slate with a game against the same Worcester Sharks, Sunday at Cromwell’s Champions Skating Center (2:00). Connecticut will begin the regular season on Saturday October 8, when they head to Glens Falls, NY to face the Adirondack Phantoms.

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Worcester Sharks 2 at Connecticut Whale 1
Friday, September 30, 2011 – TD Bank Sports Center

Worcester 0 2 0 – 2
Connecticut 0 0 1 – 1

1st Period- No Scoring. Penalties-Livingston Wor (hooking), 1:08; DeAngelis Wor (hooking), 4:27; Levesque Wor (hooking), 6:38; Del Monte Wor (high-sticking), 8:13; Petrecki Wor (cross-checking), 10:34.

2nd Period-1, Worcester, Del Monte 1 (Zulyniak, Acolatse), 3:34 (PP). 2, Worcester, Petrecki 1   4:02. Penalties-Petrecki Wor (interference), 0:23; Tanski Ct (goaltender interference), 1:51; Thuresson Ct (interference), 9:04; Petrecki Wor (interference), 9:34; Gogol Wor (fighting), 12:20; Wilson Ct (fighting), 12:20; Petrecki Wor (fighting), 15:25; McKelvie Ct (fighting), 15:25; Perdicaro Wor (fighting), 18:39; Deveaux Ct (interference, fighting), 18:39.

3rd Period-3, Connecticut, Nightingale 1 (Thuresson, Audy-Marchessault), 15:11. Penalties-Grant Ct (hooking), 5:27; Prough Ct (high-sticking), 11:30; Deveaux Ct (checking to the head), 15:59.

Shots on Goal-Worcester 1-7-9-17. Connecticut 7-8-7-22.
Power Play Opportunities-Worcester 1 / 6; Connecticut 0 / 7.
Goalies-Worcester, Sexsmith 1-0-0 (22 shots-21 saves). Connecticut, Johnson 2-1-0 (17 shots-15 saves).
Referees-Tim Mayer (19).
Linesmen-Brent Colby (7), Derek Wahl (46).

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By Bruce Berlet

The Connecticut Whale is the focus of Whalers Sports and Entertainment’s business game, and the brainchild of former Hartford Whalers owner and managing general manager partner Howard Baldwin is making a major push to improve its position for its first full season and in the hockey world.

WSE has doubled its season ticket staff from three to six and added Dean Zappalorti and Jenna Miller-Wassell to oversee corporate sponsorships while working with former Whalers center Garry Swain.

And don’t be surprised if you hear Howard Baldwin, Jr., WSE’s president and chief operating officer, calling to ask for your support as WSE continues to try to increase interest in the local AHL team with an eye toward getting Hartford hockey back to the NHL.

“This is a huge year for us,” Baldwin, Jr. said as the WSE staff preps for the franchise’s 15^th season home opener at the XL Center on Oct. 15 against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. “There’s a big emphasis on this year, and we had a big summer to plan, so we’re excited about what’s happening.

“And if we’re ever going to get on another map, a map of the big picture here, we need to continue to sell some more tickets and get everybody behind us. The New York Rangers put on a great product here, and we are determined to keep getting more fans to the games.”

The Whale’s attendance did improve about 50 percent after WSE re-branded the team the Whale on Nov. 27. And a huge impression was made by an AHL-record crowd of 21,673 that saw the Whale host the Providence Bruins at Rentschler Field in East Hartford in the Harvest-Properties.com Whale Bowl on Feb. 19.

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The foundation of any team business is season tickets, and Baldwin said WSE has ramped up its already extensive efforts to make season ticket holders feel special.  That includes giving those who sit along the plexiglass a green-and-white Whale golf shirt. And before the Oct. 21 game against the Manchester Monarchs, there will be a season ticket holder forum in the XL Center directors’ suite. If there’s an overflow crowd, the event will be moved across the street to the Hilton Hotel.

“Our season ticket-holders are our biggest customers, and we never stop trying to make sure they know how much we value them,” Baldwin said.

Baldwin said 85 percent of last year’s season ticket holders have renewed, and he and WSE’s increased staff are constantly calling those who haven’t renewed, as well as prospective new season ticket holders.

“Myself and others call all the non-renewals, about 30-40 a week,” Baldwin said. “My dad has called a few, but he works on the corporate and I work on the individuals.  We want it to be a personal appeal, so that the people we are calling know how very important they are to us.”

Season ticket sales have reached about 900, which is about twice what the former Hartford Wolf Pack had when WSE assumed business control of the franchise last September. Baldwin hopes WSE can reach 1,000 season ticket holders before the Whale face the Sound Tigers in mid-October.

The Whale will have improved radio coverage on WCCC-FM, and there will be televised games for the first time since the 2006-07 season in a package to be announced soon.

The WSE personnel will be out in force to try to reach their ticket-sales goal at the “Whale Blue & Green Block Party” season Face-off event Saturday from 6-9 p.m. at Blue Back Square in West Hartford. It will resemble a pep rally, with introductions of the Whale players and coaching staff, who will be signing autographs.

“We’re pretty pumped up about that,” Baldwin said.  “It will be a great way to welcome the players and coaches back, and to get excited about the start of the season.”

The Face-off Fan Experience will feature live music by Hartford hockey legendary national anthem singer Tony Harrington & Touch, food specials available from local restaurants, Whale merchandise showcasing the latest apparel, an outdoor movie, “Pucky” joined by other mascot friends in the Autograph Zone, prizes and the introduction of the new CT Whale Slap Shot Cage sponsored by XFINITY, where fans can test their puck-shooting skills. Fans also can enter to win tickets to the home opener Oct. 15 against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers or a Connecticut Whale replica jersey.

Admission is free and the event will be in the area of Blue Back Square known as “The Square” on Isham Rd. next to Barnes & Noble.

Individual tickets are on sale at the Public Power ticket office at the XL Center. The Whale will play 90 percent of their 38 games at the XL Center on weekends and during vacation and holiday breaks. Tickets, starting at $14 for adults and $12 for youth, are available at the box office Monday through Friday from noon to 5 p.m. or online at www.ctwhale.com and through TicketMaster charge-by-phone at 1-800-745-3000. For information on season seats and mini-plans, call 860-728-3366 or visit www.ctwhale.com.

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By Brian Ring

Springfield, MA, September 28, 2011 – The Connecticut Whale defeated the Springfield Falcons, 4-2, Wednesday night in American Hockey League preseason action at the MassMutual Center.

Scott Tanski scored twice for the Whale and Tommy Grant added three assists in the win, while Phil Ginand assisted on both of Springfield’s goals for the Falcons.

“It wasn’t a giant deviation from what we look for every night,” said Whale head coach Ken Gernander. “They just happened to do it rather well tonight and cashed in on their chances.

The Whale had jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead just 26 seconds into the first, as Kelsey Tessier crashed the net and beat Springfield goaltender Mike Spillane (18 saves) off a pass from Grant.

Tanski’s first goal extended the lead to 2-0 on a nice tip-in in front of Spillane, as Grant earned his second assist of the night on a pass from the corner. T.J. Fast also assisted on the play.

Connecticut extended its lead to 3-0 6:08 into the second period, as Jordan Owens beat Spillane high to the blocker side for his first goal since returning to Hartford’s AHL club. Kale Kerbashian earned his second point in as many nights with the assist.

Tanski and Grant connected again with 1:24 left into the second period.  Falcons goaltender Brian Mahoney-Wilson (12 saves) stopped Grant’s initial bid, but Grant found Tanski with a pass in the slot for the 4-0 advantage. Tessier recorded his second point of the night with the secondary assist.

“You’re getting opportunities, you’re getting looks, you’ve got to make the most of it,” said Gernander of Tanski, an undrafted right wing who had spent the last four seasons with the Brampton Battalion of the OHL.

Springfield closed the gap to 4-1 just 41 seconds into the third frame, when Tom Mele scored on Whale goaltender Jerry Kuhn (17 saves).  Phil Ginand and Obi Aduba assisted on Mele’s goal on Kuhn, who had replaced Connecticut starter Cam Talbot (11 saves) midway through the second period.

Wade MacLeod scored for the Falcons on the power-play to draw Springfield within a pair at 4-2 at the 9:44 mark of the third. Ginand recorded his second assist of the night and Dalton Prout also assisted on MacLeod’s tally.

Connecticut will finish its preseason slate against the Worcester Sharks, with games Friday at Quinnipiac University’s TD Bank Sports Center in Hamden (7:00 PM faceoff) and Sunday at Champions Skating Center in Cromwell (2:00 PM faceoff).

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Connecticut Whale 4 at Springfield Falcons 2
Wednesday, September 28, 2011 – MassMutual Center

Connecticut 2 2 0 – 4
Springfield 0 0 2 – 2

1st Period-1, Connecticut, Tessier 3 (Grant), 0:26. 2, Connecticut, Tanski 1 (Grant), 8:16. Penalties-Grimaldi Spr (high-sticking), 4:09; Chappell Ct (holding), 16:45; Grant Ct (roughing), 20:00; Mele Spr (roughing), 20:00.

2nd Period-3, Connecticut, Owens 1 (Kerbashian), 6:08. 4, Connecticut, Tanski 2 (Grant, Tessier), 18:36. Penalties-Wilson Ct (unsportsmanlike conduct, fighting), 2:46; Bogosian Spr (fighting), 2:46; Kearney Spr (hooking), 6:35; Grimaldi Spr (clipping), 9:13.

3rd Period-5, Springfield, Mele 1 (Ginand, Aduba), 0:41. 6, Springfield, MacLeod 1 (Prout, Ginand), 9:44 (PP). Penalties-Bogosian Spr (high-sticking), 0:44; Chappell Ct (hooking), 9:31; Kundratek Ct (delay of game), 19:27.

Shots on Goal-Connecticut 13-14-7-34. Springfield 9-8-13-30.
Power Play Opportunities-Connecticut 0 / 3; Springfield 1 / 4.
Goalies-Connecticut, Talbot 1-0-0 (11 shots-11 saves); Kuhn (19 shots-17 saves). Springfield, Spillane 0-1-0 (21 shots-18 saves); Mahoney-Wilson (13 shots-12 saves).
Referees-Ryan Hersey (46).
Linesmen-Jim Briggs (83), Chris Millea (33).

By Brian Ring

Hartford, CT, September 27, 2011 – The Connecticut Whale fell to the Albany Devils, 3-1, Tuesday night in their preseason opener at Trinity College’s Koeppel Community Sports Center.

Nathan Perkovich scored the game-winning goal for Albany and former Wolf Pack forward Chad Wiseman had a goal and an assist in the Devils’ win over the Whale. Kale Kerbashian scored the lone goal for Connecticut.

“We’re evaluating players and obviously there’s things from a team perspective that we’d like to do better,” said fifth-year Whale head coach Ken Gernander. “I thought we had a real good hard-working first period. We haven’t worked a ton on special teams and that was a big difference in tonight’s game.”

The Devils broke a scoreless tie with 3:23 left to play in the first period as Wiseman scored on the power-play, putting his own rebound past Whale starter Chad Johnson (13 saves). Eric Gelinas and Mike Sislo recorded the assists on the first goal of the AHL preseason, with the Whale’s Sam Klassen off the ice for boarding.

Kerbashian tied the game for the Whale 7:42 into the second period following a failed Devils clear, beating Albany goaltender Keith Kinkaid (30 saves) with a backhander under the goaltender’s left pad. Matt Rust and Tommy Grant assisted on the score.

The rest of the second remained tied, as the Whale went scoreless during five power-play opportunities afforded to them by the Devils in the frame.

Albany again capitalized on the power-play at 3:21 of the third period, as Perkovich put the Devils ahead for good, 2-1, scoring high to the glove side on Whale goaltender Jason Missiaen (nine saves). The goal was assisted by Brandon Burlon.

The Devils extended their lead to 3-1 with 10:36 remaining in the third, as Darcy Zajac found the range with a snap shot low to the stick side of Missiaen. Wiseman earned the lone assist on the goal, his second point of the night.

The Whale will be in preseason action again Wednesday night, when they face the Springfield Falcons at the MassMutual Center (7:00 PM faceoff). Connecticut will play their last two tune-ups against the Worcester Sharks, with games Friday at Quinnipiac University’s TD Bank Sports Center in Hamden (7:00 PM faceoff) and Sunday at Champions Skating Center in Cromwell (2:00 PM faceoff).

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Albany Devils 3 at Connecticut Whale 1
Tuesday, September 27, 2011 – Koeppel Community Sports Center

Albany 1 0 2 – 3
Connecticut 0 1 0 – 1

1st Period-1, Albany, Wiseman 1 (Gelinas, Sislo), 16:37 (PP). Penalties-Kelly Alb (cross-checking), 3:47; Klassen Ct (boarding), 15:37.

2nd Period-2, Connecticut, Kerbashian 1 (Rust, Grant), 12:18. Penalties-Young Alb (hooking), 7:56; Anderson Alb (high-sticking, high-sticking), 12:36; Kelly Alb (hooking), 17:28; Banwell Alb (high-sticking), 18:57; Audy-Marchessault Ct (high-sticking), 19:50.

3rd Period-3, Albany, Perkovich 1 (Burlon), 3:21 (PP). 4, Albany, Zajac 1 (Wiseman), 9:24. Penalties- Alb (holding the stick), 0:21; McKelvie Ct (hooking), 5:01; Campbell Ct (tripping), 11:37.

Shots on Goal-Albany 6-12-7-25. Connecticut 10-13-8-31.
Power Play Opportunities-Albany 2 / 4; Connecticut 0 / 7.
Goalies-Albany, Kinkaid 1-0-0 (31 shots-30 saves). Connecticut, Johnson (14 shots-13 saves); Missiaen 0-1-0 (11 shots-9 saves).
Referees-Terry Koharski (10).
Linesmen-Luke Galvin (2), Kevin Redding (16).

By Bruce Berlet

Kale Kerbashian joined the New York Rangers organization literally over a cup of coffee and a vanilla milkshake.

The smallish (5-foot-11, 165 pounds) but quick forward was interviewing with Rangers scout Rich Brown at a Starbucks in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada, when he got an offer to sign an American Hockey League contract with one of the NHL’s Original Six organizations.

“He had watched me all season, and I guess he liked what he saw so they gave me a chance,” Kerbashian recalled. “I loved coming down (to Hartford) and staying in the Homewood Suites. It was great.”

Kerbashian got a three-week taste of pro hockey in April after he signed AHL and amateur tryout deals after completing his junior career with Sarnia of the Ontario Hockey League. He had 63 goals and 81 assists in 126 games in two seasons in Sarnia and chipped in two goals and one assist in four games with the ECHL’s Wheeling Nailers in 2010.

Kerbashian celebrated his 21^st birthday in Connecticut, but was scoreless in four regular-season games and then watched as the Whale were eliminated by the Portland Pirates in six games in the first round of the playoffs.

“It would have been nice to step right in and help the team, but the experience helped me a lot as far as understanding the dedication it takes toward the game,” Kerbashian said. “On the ice, not that much stuff is different (from juniors), but off the ice, there’s the preparation before the game. It’s paying attention to detail. It’s your job, not something you do for fun or for something to do. You’re signing up for it, so it’s your job, and we’re pretty lucky it’s something we love.”

Kerbashian spent the summer in Thunder Bay, Ontario, and returned to play in the prospects tournament in Traverse City, Mich., where the Rangers lost 5-3 in the final to the more experienced Buffalo Sabres. Kerbashian then participated in the Rangers’ main camp in Greenburgh, N.Y., before being among the first 21 players assigned to the Connecticut Whale on Friday.

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“I didn’t have a very good camp in New York,” Kerbashian said. “I was very uptight, thinking way too much, and they told me that in my exit meetings.”

A meeting with Whale assistant coach Pat Boller, who works with the forwards, immediately helped Kerbashian, though he said it wasn’t anything resembling Einstein’s theory of relativity.

“I just basically told him to just play his game,” Boller said Tuesday. “He was trying to overdo things a little bit, trying to worry about putting the numbers up, and I just told him to do the little things like stopping and starting, going to the net, shoot the puck. I just told him to relax, play hockey and do the little things.”

It might have been simple advice, but Kerbashian knew exactly what Boller was talking about.

“I’m better off when I relax and keep it simple,” Kerbashian said. “And they want me to shoot it more. I know I’ve got a good shot but I wasn’t much of a shooter, and they brought it to my attention. It can be one of my assets if I use it, so I took that as a confidence builder. You don’t have as much time and space as you do in juniors, so if you’ve got a shot, you’ve got to take it.”

Kerbashian proved an excellent listener Monday, when he had three goals and an assist in the Blue’s 6-4 victory over the Red in a training camp scrimmage. His last two goals were nearly identical shots from the left circle off nice passes from Kelsey Tessier and Scott Tanski that beat 6-8 Jason Missiaen high to the near corner. Though the forwards have to constantly rotate in scrimmages because of a shortage of players, Kerbashian was especially dangerous on a line with Tessier and Jonathan Audy-Marchessault, former teammates with the Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Though each is on the small side, they have good speed and obvious skills.

“(Kerbashian) is a good skater with a pretty good shot,” Whale coach Ken Gernander said, “but he’s going to have to learn the professional game a little more in terms of some attention to detail and managing the puck. Sometimes when you don’t have a play, you can’t force it. And on the defensive side, you have to pick up your reads. Nobody can get by just on offense. He had some points in juniors, but there are no one-way offensive players any more, especially at the AHL level because you have to be a solid, all-around player. The more numbers that you can post offensively will obviously help, but you have to be diligent in both areas.”

Kerbashian got that chance again Tuesday night against the Albany Devils in the Whale’s preseason opener at the Koeppel Community Sports Center on the campus of Trinity College in Hartford. It was his latest connection to the Insurance City, where his uncle, Ron Busniuk, played for the New England Whalers and Ron’s younger brother, Mike, was a Hartford Wolf Pack assistant coach for five seasons, including in 1999-2000 when the team won the only Calder Cup in franchise history. Ron is now a retired coach who guided the Thunder Bay Twins senior hockey team to two successive championships in 1983 and ’84 and was later inducted into the Northern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame and the University of Minnesota Duluth Athletic Hall of Fame. Mike is in his second season as the assistant coach of the Lakehead University hockey team in Thunder Bay.

“My mom’s sister married Ron, so Ron is my first uncle, and Buzzy is like my uncle,” Kerbashian said. “I talked to him on the phone when I was struggling.”

Buzzy always specialized in talking and enjoying himself, and Kerbashian has to hope his words and those of Boller continue to sink in.

RANGERS SEND TWO TO WHALE

After losing 5-3 in Philadelphia and before boarding a chartered flight to Europe on Monday night, the Rangers assigned forwards Andre Deveaux and Andreas Thuresson to the Whale, leaving them with 33 players, 10 over the opening-night limit. Thuresson, John Mitchell and Brian Boyle scored for the Rangers in a game that included three fights and the Flyers’ Tom Sestito hitting Deveaux hard from behind, driving him face-first into the glass and setting off a melee. All this just hours after Rangers and Flyers players and officials were playful during the official announcement that the 2012 NHL Winter Classic between the teams would be at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia on Jan. 2. Rangers president and general manager Glen Sather even guaranteed his team would win the game and Stanley Cup and the New York Yankees would win the World Series.

After Sestito’s hit on Deveaux, Stu Bickel, who played for the Whale last season, immediately came to Deveaux’s defense and fought Sestito, who was given a five-minute major for boarding, five minutes for fighting and a game misconduct. Sestito is almost certain to be suspended by former Rangers and Hartford Whalers All-Star wing Brendan Shanahan, the new NHL Senior Vice President of Player Safety who has been doing videos to explain why he handed several recent suspensions to try to prevent hits from behind and to players in a defenseless position. On Sept. 18, Shanahan suspended Flyers enforcer Jody Shelley for 10 games for hitting Toronto Maple Leafs center Darryl Boyce from behind, and Sestito’s hit could be construed as being even worse.

“Well, Shanny (Shanahan) should have a field day, as far as the hits from behind; he should have a field day,” Rangers coach John Tortorella told reporters after the game.

Even Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren, the former Whalers coach and GM, said he expected to hear from the league office about Sestito.

“Overzealous,” Holmgren said. “It’s unfortunate for him. I haven’t heard anything yet. I expect to get an e-mail or a call.”

Deveaux said he didn’t appreciate the hit but took the high road when if Shanahan should suspend Sestito.

“Obviously I have a problem with (the hit),” Deveaux told the media. “We just watched (Sunday) with Shanahan. That was pretty much everything that they want us not to do. … All I’m going to say (about a possible suspension) is that was pretty dangerous. I’m in a pretty defenseless position. I’m sure they’re going to look at it.”

Deveaux and Thuresson were placed on waivers Tuesday for the purpose of having them be part of the Whale as of noon Wednesday. If they clear, Gernander said he wasn’t sure if they would play Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the MassMutual Center in Springfield against the Falcons. If Deveaux does play, it will be a homecoming for the rugged right wing, who played parts of three seasons with the Falcons, getting 11 goals, 15 assists and 353 penalty minutes in 140 games. Thuresson was acquired from the Nashville Predators for Brodie Dupont on July 2.

The Whale completes their preseason when they host the Worcester Sharks at the TD Bank Sports Center on the campus of Quinnipiac University in Hamden on Friday at 7 p.m. ($5 admission benefits Gaylord Hospital in Wallingford) and on Oct. 2 at 2 p.m. at Champions Skating Center ($5 admission benefits Junior Wolf Pack youth hockey). The entire AHL preseason schedule is available at www.theahl.com.

Besides the likely addition of Deveaux and Thuresson, the Whale released defenseman Dan Lawson from his tryout, leaving them with 31 players: goalies Missiaen, Chad Johnson, Jerry Kuhn and Cameron Talbot, defensemen Lee Baldwin, Collin Bowman, T.J. Fast, Sam Klassen, Tomas Kundratek, Jyri Niemi, Jared Nightingale, Wade Redden and Pavel Valentenko and forwards Deveaux, Thuresson, Tessier, Kerbashian, Audy-Marchessault, Tanski, Max Campbell, Chris Chappell, Brendan Connolly, Tommy Grant, Tayler Jordan, Chad Kolarik, Chris McKelvie, Jordan Owens, Jeff Prough, Matt Rust, Connor Shields and Jason Wilson. Valentenko, Kolarik and Jordan are injured, haven’t been skating and are doubtful for any of the preseason games.

Former Rangers captain Jaromir Jagr scored two power-play goals Monday night and assisted on Braydon Coburn’s winner in his home preseason debut for the Flyers, who signed the Czech star to a one-year, $3 million in the offseason. It was Jagr’s first game in Philadelphia since March 21, 2008, when he played for the Rangers. Flyers fans quickly have taken to Jagr, giving him a rousing ovation when he was introduced as part of the starting lineup. Henrik Lundqvist had 26 saves for the Rangers, newcomer Ilya Bryzgalov 17 for the Flyers.

The Rangers players traveling to Europe were goalies Lundqvist, Martin Biron and Scott Stajcer, defensemen Bickel, Dan Girardi, Ryan McDonagh, Michael Sauer, Brendan Bell, Michael Del Zotto, Steve Eminger, Tim Erixon, Dylan McIlrath and Blake Parlett and forwards Sean Avery, Boyle, Mitchell, Bourque, captain Ryan Callahan, Artem Anisimov, Erik Christensen, Brandon Dubinsky, Ruslan Fedotenko, Carl Hagelin, Marian Gaborik, Kris Newbury, Brandon Prust, Brad Richards, Mike Rupp, Derek Stepan, Dale Weise, Wojtek Wolski and Mats Zuccarello.

Sauer sprained his right shoulder only 3:41 into the game when hit into the boards by rugged Zac Rinaldo, who fought Weise later in the first period. The oft-injured former Wolf Pack defenseman will not practice for at least a week, but Tortorella said Tuesday in Prague, Czech Republic, that he hopes Sauer will play in some of the Rangers’ final four preseason games and be ready for the regular season opener Oct. 7 against the Los Angeles Kings in Stockholm, Sweden.

“My adrenaline was going so I tried to gather myself,” Sauer told reporters after the game. “But then the pain just kept coming. It’s frustrating because you never want to come out of a game like that, especially before this trip we’ve got going. The good news is that the X-rays came back negative. I’ll just treat it and get going soon.”

The Rangers were already without All-Star defenseman Marc Staal, who wasn’t on the charter flight but is expected to rejoin the team Thursday or Friday after missing most of training camp with headaches related to a concussion from being hit by his brother, All-Star center Eric Staal, in a game against the Carolina Hurricanes on Feb. 22. Staal met with specialists on Thursday and Friday, had acupuncture treatment Sunday and more unspecified treatment Monday.

Avery also didn’t practice Tuesday at the Tesla Arena in Prague because of a sore right foot from blocking a shot in the third period Monday night. He did not return in the midst of a strong game and later displayed a big right toe that had its nail ripped completely off and saying, “It’s not broken, but it’s not pretty.”

On Tuesday, Tortorella said, “I’m not sure where he’ll be tomorrow” as far as practicing with the team.

The Rangers will remain in Prague through their first European preseason game against HC Sparta Prague on Thursday night and then head to Gothenburg, Sweden, where they will face Lundqvist’s former team, Frolunda, on Friday night. … Other players placed on waivers Tuesday included former Wolf Pack players Dane Byers (Columbus), Francis Lessard (Ottawa), Brian Fahey (Chicago) and Corey Locke (Ottawa), who was the AHL MVP last season with the Binghamton Senators, Nick Bonino of Farmington and Avon Old Farms (Anaheim), Kevin Quick of Salisbury Prep (Carolina) and former Yale goalie Alec Richards (Chicago).

WHALE KICKOFF SATURDAY NIGHT IN WEST HARTFORD

The Whale will host their “Whale Blue & Green Block Party” season Face-off event Saturday from 6-9 p.m. at Blue Back Square in West Hartford. It will resemble a pep rally, with introductions of the Whale players and coaching staff, who will be signing autographs.

The Face-off Fan Experience will feature live music by Hartford hockey legendary national anthem singer Tony Harrington & Touch, food specials available from local restaurants, Whale merchandise showcasing the latest apparel, outdoor movies, “Pucky” joined by other mascot friends in the Autograph Zone, prizes and the introduction of the new CT Whale Slap Shot Cage sponsored by XFINITY, where fans can test their puck-shooting skills. Fans also can enter to win tickets to the home opener Oct. 15 against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers or a Connecticut Whale replica jersey.

Admission is free and the event will be in the area of Blue Back Square known as “The Square” on Isham Rd. next to Barnes & Noble. … Whale season and individual game tickets are on sale. For information on season seats and all the Whale’s many ticketing options, visit www.ctwhale.com or call the Whale ticket office at 860-728-3366 to talk with an account executive. Individual tickets are on sale at Public Power ticket office at the XL Center. The Whale will play 90 percent of their 38 games at the XL Center on weekends and during vacation and holiday breaks. Tickets, starting at $14 for adults and $12 for youth, are available at the box office Monday through Friday from noon to 5 p.m. or online at www.ctwhale.com and through TicketMaster charge-by-phone at 1-800-745-3000. For information on season seats and mini-plans, call 860-728-3366 or visit www.ctwhale.com.

ST. JOHN’S TAKING TO ICECAPS

When the Whale visits Newfoundland for games on Nov. 12-13, they can expect to play before a full house at One Mile Centre. Yes, the folks of St. John’s have quickly shown their appreciation for the new IceCaps, buying enough season tickets to fill more than three-quarters of the 6,275-seat arena.

“We’ve sold over 5,000 season tickets and our suites are almost all gone,” IceCaps COO Glenn Sanford said Monday. “We haven’t even put our single-game tickets on sale yet. It looks like we’ll be sold out for the whole year, too.”

The IceCaps are the new affiliate of the new Winnipeg Jets, who are back in the NHL thanks to several years of strong support for the Manitoba Moose in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Now, the return of the AHL to the picturesque seaside town in Newfoundland after a six-year hiatus is being touted as Winnipeg East or Mini Winnipeg.

It was demonstrated Monday night when a sellout crowd sang and wielded thundersticks as the Jets beat the Ottawa Senators 3-1 behind second-period goals by Mark Scheifele and Troy Bodie and the 27 saves of Ondrej Pavelec.

“It kind of reminded me a little bit of a packed junior game,” said Scheifele, 18, a Jets rookie and training camp hopeful who leads the team in preseason scoring with three goals and three assists. “It was fun to play in St. John’s.”

“The whole country got caught up in the return of the NHL to Winnipeg and we got to join that ride and momentum,” Stanford said. “We’re happy to be known as Mini Winnipeg right now because it fits. Winnipeg got the NHL back, and then they made a tough decision and brought the AHL back to St. John’s.

“The buzz here has been the same as in Winnipeg. It’s amazing the energy here and the talk about the AHL coming back. Now, to have our parent team here to play an NHL game just two weeks before our home opener, it’s really kicking things off for us.”

The AHL left The Rock in 2005 after a 14-year run as the top affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs from 1991 to 2005. Hopefully local hockey fans take a lead from the Newfoundlanders and help bring the NHL back to Hartford.

THIRD AHL OUTDOOR GAME IN PHILADELPHIA

The Adirondack Phantoms will host the Hershey Bears at Citizens Bank Park on Jan. 6, 2012, in the third outdoor game in AHL history, as part of the NHL Winter Classic in Philadelphia.

“This is an extremely exciting day for the Phantoms organization and Phantoms fans everywhere,” Phantoms president Rob Brooks said. “A hockey celebration and atmosphere unlike anything the AHL has ever seen will happen at Citizens Bank Park. We are extremely grateful to (Comcast Spectacor President) Peter Luukko for helping make this truly great event a reality.”

The Rangers-Flyers game at Citizens Bank Park on Jan. 2 is the fifth NHL Winter Classic, but the first to also feature an AHL outdoor game as part of the festivities. The Phantoms and Bears will wear specially designed jerseys honoring the significance of the game, similar to the jerseys the NHL teams have worn in their Winter Classic games.

“The American Hockey League has a strong following in the region and it will be a terrific experience for Pennsylvania hockey fans as the historic Phantoms-Bears rivalry is renewed outdoors at Citizens Bank Park,” AHL president and CEO David Andrews said. “We are thrilled to join with the Philadelphia Flyers in adding AHL hockey to their outdoor showcase.”

This will be the third outdoor game in AHL history. The Syracuse Crunch hosted the Binghamton Senators on Feb. 20, 2010, at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse before 21,508 fans, setting a single-game AHL attendance record. Last season, 21,673 fans saw the Whale host the Providence Bruins at Rentschler Field in East Hartford on Feb. 19, in the Harvest-Properties.com Whale Bowl. The Hamilton Bulldogs and Toronto Marlies will also be playing outside this season, with a game at Ivor Wynne Stadium in Hamilton, Ont., on Jan. 21, 2012.

Citizens Bank Park is the Major League Baseball home of the Philadelphia Phillies and will have a seating capacity of approximately 40,000. Details on how to purchase tickets for the game will be available soon. One way to be guaranteed a ticket is to become a Phantoms season ticket holder.

WISNIEWSKI SUSPENDED EIGHT GAMES

Shanahan is taking his new job seriously. He has suspended a handful of players in the past few weeks, capped by Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman James Wisniewski having to sit the remainder of the preseason and for eight regular-season games for an illegal check to the head of Minnesota Wild forward Cal Clutterbuck.

Wisniewski will forfeit $536,585.36 for his fourth suspension, which Shanahan said factored into his decision. Under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement, Wisniewski forfeits his salary based on the number of games in the season (82) rather than the number of days (185). The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

Wisniewski was disciplined for delivering a blow that targeted Clutterbuck’s head, and made it the principal point of contact, at the end of the third period. Wisniewski, who was assessed a minor penalty for illegal check to the head, missed preseason games against Buffalo on Sunday and Washington on Monday and will also sit out Thursday against Minnesota and Friday at Carolina. He also will miss regular season games Oct. 7 vs. Nashville, Oct. 8 at Minnesota, Oct. 10 vs. Vancouver, Oct. 12 vs. Colorado, Oct. 15 at Dallas, Oct. 18 vs. Dallas, Oct. 21 at Detroit and Oct. 22 at Ottawa. He will be eligible to return Oct. 25 vs. Detroit.

HARTFORD, September 27, 2011:  Connecticut Whale general manager Jim Schoenfeld announced today that the parent New York Rangers have assigned forwards Andre Deveaux and Andreas Thuresson to the Whale, and that the Whale has released defenseman Dan Lawson from his training camp tryout.

These moves come as the Whale prepares to open its 2011 preseason schedule tonight, with a game against the Albany Devils at Trinity College’s Koeppel Community Sports Center. The game will face-off at 7:00 PM and will benefit the Ryan Gordon/Connecticut Whale Community Scholars Fund, with donations accepted at the door in lieu of an admission charge.  The fund memorializes young fan Ryan Gordon, who passed away in 2006 and asked that a portion of the monies set aside for his college education be donated to the Connecticut Whale Community Foundation.

The Whale’s lone road preseason contest is tomorrow night, Wednesday, September 28, when they travel to the MassMutual Center in Springfield to battle the Springfield Falcons at 7:00.  The Whale then host the Worcester Sharks at the TD Bank Sports Center at Quinnipiac University this Friday, September 30, with faceoff at 7:00.  Admission to that game is $5, with proceeds benefitting Gaylord Hospital in Wallingford, CT.

The Whale’s final preseason action is this Sunday, October 2 at Champions Skating Center in Cromwell, the Sharks again providing the opposition.  That game will face off at 2:00, and a $5 admission charge will benefit Junior Wolf Pack youth hockey.

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With the addition of Deveaux and Thuresson and the deletion of Lawson, the Whale’s training camp roster stands as follows, with 31 players currently in camp:

Goal (4): Chad Johnson, Jerry Kuhn, Jason Missiaen, Cameron Talbot

Defense (9): Lee Baldwin, Collin Bowman, T.J. Fast, Sam Klassen, Tomas Kundratek, Jyri Niemi, Jared Nightingale, Wade Redden, Pavel Valentenko

Forwards (18): Jonathan Audy-Marchessault, Max Campbell, Chris Chappell, Brendan Connolly, Andre Deveaux, Tommy Grant, Tayler Jordan, Kale Kerbashian, Chad Kolarik, Chris McKelvie, Jordan Owens, Jeff Prough, Matt Rust, Connor Shields, Scott Tanski, Kelsey Tessier, Andreas Thuresson, Jason Wilson

The Whale’s regular-season home opener is coming up Saturday, October 15, a GEICO Connecticut Cup game vs. the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.  Tickets to that game, and all 2011-12 Whale home games, are on sale now at the Public Power Ticket Office at the XL Center, as well as on-line at www.ctwhale.com and through TicketMaster Charge-by-phone at 1-800-745-3000.

Save on your tickets, and get the best seats, with a ticket plan for the Whale’s 2011-12 AHL campaign, which are on sale now. For information on season seats and mini plans, visit www.ctwhale.com, or call the CT Whale ticket office at (860) 728-3366 to talk with an account executive today.

By Bruce Berlet

CROMWELL – Jonathan Audy-Marchessault might be the smallest player in Connecticut Whale training camp, but he certainly has made some big-time plays and impressions the past few weeks.

It started when Dean Stork, coach of the ECHL’s Greenville Road Warriors, recommended Audy-Marchessault to the New York Rangers after the speedy forward had a standout season with the Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League that was coached by Hall of Fame goalie Patrick Roy and included speedy, gritty left wing Ryan Bourque, son of Hall of Fame defenseman Ray Bourque and a top Rangers prospect.

“I knew Roy and talked to Audy-Marchessault’s mother,” Stork said Monday as he began a three-day stint watching the Connecticut Whale practice and scrimmage at Champions Skating Center. “I was hoping to sign him for my team.”

Well, barring something unforeseen, Stork can forget that idea. After the 5-foot-8, 175-pounder from Cap-Rouge, Quebec, showed well in the Rangers’ prospects camp after the NHL draft in late June, he was invited to participate in the prospects tournament two weeks ago in Traverse City, Mich. After starting on the fourth line, Audy-Marchessault advanced to one of the top lines and played on the power play and killed penalties. In four games, he tied for second in team scoring with two goals and two assists as most of the Rangers’ top young players finished runner-up in the tournament to the more experienced Buffalo Sabres.

“I played good and just worked hard,” Audy-Marchessault said Monday. “I was disappointed to start on the fourth line, but I wanted to prove to them that I could be better. So I just worked hard, and finally they knew me and knew what I was capable of doing. I played in all situations and am good at draws, and it was a really good experience going to the finals because there were a lot of good players. Me, Bourque and Christian (Thomas) played against (AHL Rookie of the Year) Luke Adam, (Marcus) Foligno and (Matt) Kassian. They were a pretty good line, so hopefully I’ll have an important role with the Whale.”

Off the strong showing in Traverse City, Audy-Marchessault got an invite to the Rangers’ main camp in Greenburgh, N.Y., and continued to show well.

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“He went head-to-head with some pretty good centers like (Kris) Newbury, (John) Mitchell and (Erik) Christensen and didn’t take a step backward,” Whale coach Ken Gernander said. “He held his ground defensively, so that’s a pretty good sign. He was a solid, two-way player.”

“I’m used to playing against good guys because when you have better players in front of you, it inspires you to get better and keep pushing in that direction,” Audy-Marchessault said.

Then in a prospects game Friday in Newark, N.J., Audy-Marchessault made a brilliant play to set up Bourque’s 5-on-3 goal, the first of the game, and scored 16 seconds into overtime off a speedy rush through the neutral zone and a pin-point shot for a 5-4 victory over the Devils’ prospects.

In the Whale’s first scrimmage Sunday, Audy-Marchessault made the artistic play of the game, racing down left wing and around defenseman Tomas Kundratek before circling into the slot and beating Jason Missiaen with a 25-foot shot to the glove side.

“The cut back and wrist shot from the slot was great,” Gernander said.

Monday, Audy-Marchessault was robbed in close on a nice save by Missiaen but had two assists, including a nifty pass to former Remparts teammate Kelsey Tessier in the left circle for the Blue’s third goal in a 6-4 victory over the Red. While forwards constantly rotate in scrimmages, Audy-Marchessault, Tessier and Kale Kerbashian was the line of day, combining for 11 points. Kerbashian had three goals and an assist, and Tessier had one goal and four assists, including an unselfish pass to Brendan Connolly for a clinching empty-net goal.

Tryout Connor Shields scored the other goal for Blue, which got shutout goaltending from Chad Johnson for the second straight day. Jordan Owens, on a tryout after playing parts of two seasons with the Hartford Wolf Pack, had a goal and an assist for the Red, which also got goals from Jeff Prough, Jason Wilson and Tommy Grant.

“He has been real good,” Gernander said of Audy-Marchessault’s play since the prospects tournament. “He just puts his nose to the grindstone and is an all-business kind of guy. He played with Bourque in juniors but never on the same line, but whenever we’ve thrown them together, they’ve had pretty good chemistry.”

Audy-Marchessault said Roy didn’t play him and Bourque together because “we were running all over the place everywhere.”

“We always wanted to play together because we knew we had a connection together,” Audy-Marchessault said. “We played together in Traverse City and in Newark and had a very good connection together, so I hope we’re going to start together and push in the same direction.”

But for now, Bourque is still with the Rangers, who were leaving Monday night for Europe for the team’s final four preseason games before they open the season Oct. 7 against the Los Angeles Kings in Stockholm, Sweden.

Audy-Marchessault’s strong start as a pro is a continuation of his final junior season as assistant captain of the Remparts, when he finished sixth in regular-season scoring with 40 goals and 55 assists in 68 games, with his 10 first goals and 11 game-winners tops in the QMJHL. In the playoffs, he led the league in scoring with 11 goals and 22 assists in 18 games even though the Remparts were eliminated in the semifinals. The 11 goals were third in the QMJHL, and the 22 assists were the most, as he became the first player to lead the QMJHL in playoff scoring despite not playing in the finals.

Audy-Marchessault was named a QMJHL First Team All-Star and received the Bud Light Cup as Quebec’s player of the year despite moving from center to right wing for the first time.

“We had a big center, (6-4, 215-pound) Joel Champagne, who was good on draws and signed with Nashville, so I told Patrick that I didn’t care if I went to right wing,” Audy-Marchessault said. “I don’t find it different playing right wing or center. Center is better for my speed, but I felt I did a good job on the wall when I was on right wing. Maybe I’m better at center here because I have more space to skate, and when I have the puck, I’m in movement so I have my speed going up.

“I had a good year last season, so I have to keep doing that because that’s my role, put pucks in the net and produce offensively. I want to keep doing that, and I hope the coach will give me my chance to play on the power play and one of the first three lines.”

Audy-Marchessault will get his first shot at the AHL level Tuesday night at 7 when the Whale opens their preseason schedule against Albany at the Koeppel Community Sports Center on the campus of Trinity College in Hartford. It’ll be a continuation of his quest to land a spot in Hartford rather than Greenville since he signed his first pro contract with the Rangers on June 23 after turning down offers in France and with other NHL teams. He also demonstrated faith in himself when he signed a one-year, two-way deal in the AHL and ECHL when he could have had two years

Audy-Marchessault has had to have confidence since joining the Remparts as a 16-year-old for the 2007-08 season after being drafted in the 12th round. In his third season (2009-10), he won the Gaetan Duchesne Trophy as Quebec’s best defensive player and finished the regular season with 30 goals and 41 assists and then added three goals and 11 assists in nine playoff games.

Tessier sat in the locker stall next to Audy-Marchessault for 21/2 seasons before being traded to Moncton late in the 2009-10 season, when he had seven goals and five assists in 15 regular-season games with the Wildcats before exploding for 14 goals and 16 assists in 21 playoff games, earning a free-agent shot with the Rangers. Audy-Marchessault and Tessier continued to talk and text message after Tessier was traded, and now they could be linemates, especially off their showing together Monday.

“We’re good friends and connect well because we communicate easy on the ice,” Tessier said. “He’s a small player, but he has always been a real skilled guy who can score and give a pass. He’s a really offensive player who’s a hard-working guy and been my buddy for so long as my stall roommate and spending time together in the summer. He’s a good guy on the ice and a good guy off the ice and plays hard. He got a lot of points last year on the power play thanks a lot to good vision.”

Audy-Marchessault also called Tessier “one of my good buddies.”

“It was hard for us when he got traded, but I was happy for him because he had a good year,” Audy-Marchessault said. “But we keep in touch, so I was happy when I came here because it wasn’t like I was coming here alone. I was meeting Tess and was with Ryan (in New York).”

Audy-Marchessault talked to Stork during the summer and finally met the Greenville coach Monday.

“I’m happy to meet him, but I want to stay here,” Audy-Marchessault said. “I was really happy to play well in Traverse City because my objective this year was to go to New York camp and then do the AHL all year. I’m on the path to doing it, and I’ll keep pushing in that direction.”

The Whale-Devils game Tuesday night benefits the Ryan Gordon/Connecticut Whale Community Scholars Fund, with donations accepted at the door in lieu of an admission charge. The fund memorializes longtime Wolf Pack fan Ryan Gordon, who died in 2006 from cancer and asked that the money set aside for his college education be donated to three charities, including the Connecticut Whale Community Foundation.

The Whale also will play at the MassMutual Center in Springfield on Wednesday at 7 p.m. against the Falcons and then host the Worcester Sharks at the TD Bank Sports Center on the campus of Quinnipiac University in Hamden on Friday at 7 p.m. ($5 admission benefits Gaylord Hospital in Wallingford) and on Oct. 2 at 2 p.m. at Champions Skating Center ($5 admission benefits Junior Wolf Pack youth hockey). The entire AHL preseason schedule is available at www.theahl.com. … Whale defensemen Wade Redden and Pavel Valentenko and right wing Chad Kolarik have cleared waivers. Valentenko and Kolarik are recovering from injuries, haven’t been skating and are doubtful for the preseason games.

STORK THANKFUL TO RANGERS, WHALE

When the Road Warriors open their second ECHL home season on Oct. 14, they’ll have the thrill of raising two banners to the rafters of the BI-LO Center for winning the Southern Division and Eastern Conference regular-season titles.

Stork can take a lot of the credit for the franchise’s first-year success, but he also had plenty of kind words for the Rangers and Whale. Last season, Stork got goalie Cam Talbot on a rehab assignment, forwards Chris Chappell, former Quinnipiac standout Brandon Wong and Chris McKelvie on rehab and defensemen Blake Parlett, Lee Baldwin, Sam Klassen and Trevor Glass from the Whale. Stork then filled his roster with independent signings that included goalie Dov Grumet-Morris, who was a second-team ECHL All-Star and was voted Whale MVP by his teammates, defensemen Julien Brouillette and forwards Shields, Brendan Connolly, Mark Voakes, Marc-Olivier Vallerand and Andrew Carroll. Chappell, McKelvie, Connolly, Shields and Klassen are among the players in Whale camp this year, and Parlett is still with the Rangers.

“It was a great affiliation last year,” said Stork, who opens camp Monday in Greenville, S.C. “I really thought we got some really good kids who wanted to learn and get better every day. We had great character guys with people like the Parletts and Klassens.”

Stork has already signed defensemen T.J. Fast, who played in Cincinnati last season, and re-signed Shields and Wong, who had 21 goals in 64 games with the Road Warriors after he started the season with the Whale. Stork said he will be working exclusively with the Rangers this season after sharing an affiliation with the Philadelphia Flyers, who might send a player to Greenville in a pinch. Stork hopes to get a few more players from the Whale, but that will depend on injuries and how they play.

 

“I’m expecting a few more, but we’ll see how they do,” Stork said.

The Road Warriors did plenty good in their inaugural season, as their 96 points were only one less than the regular-season champion Alaska Aces, who went on to win the Kelly Cup under the direction of former Wolf Pack defenseman Brent Thompson, now coach of the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.

“Every other top team was in the 80s (in points), so us and Alaska were the two powerhouses last year,” Stork said.

So why such success?

“We were a team that wanted to win every game,” Stork said simply. “We had great character in the locker room and had the work ethic. Guys worked in practice no matter what they did. The work ethic was fantastic, and it had a lot to do with the Rangers and some real good independent ECHL contracts that I signed on my own, like Connolly, Shields, Vallerand, Voakes, (Justin) Bowers, Brouillette and Carroll. A lot of those guys ended up in the AHL, so I was fortunate the independent guys that I had and the Rangers’ contracted players really helped me win hockey games. We were all-around solid in every aspect of the game.”

When Grumet-Morris was called up by the Whale for good in January, the Flyers’ Nic Riopel became Greenville’s top goalie. Though Riopel played well, Stork said he thinks the Road Warriors would be raising a championship banner if he had had Grumet-Morris in the playoffs. The Road Warriors were eliminated in Game 7 of the second round by the Wheeling Nailers, who will be on hand for the banner raisings on opening night in two weeks. Ironically, one of the Nailers’ top players was former Wolf Pack center Paul Crowder, who is now with the Adirondack Phantoms, who will host the Whale in their season opener Oct. 8 in Glen Falls, N.Y.

STAAL STAYING HOME – FOR NOW

After playing in Philadelphia and before heading to Europe on Monday night, the Rangers were reportedly to assign two of their 21 forwards to the Whale, which would leave them with 33 players, 10 over the opening-night limit.

“I have a pretty good idea of who the two [cuts] are, but I also want to take a look at them in this Philly game, and you never know,” Rangers coach John Tortorella told the New York media on Sunday.

The forwards who played against the Flyers were Bourque, Sean Avery, Brandon Dubinsky, Brian Boyle, Dale Weise, Andre Deveaux, John Mitchell, Mats Zuccarello, Erik Christensen, Artem Anisimov, Andreas Thuresson and Carl Hagelin. The defensemen were Michael Del Zotto, Dan Girardi, Ryan McDonagh, Michael Sauer, Stu Bickel and Tim Erixon, and the goalies were Henrik Lundqvist and Martin Biron.

But All-Star defenseman Marc Staal was reported to be not leaving with the team, though he is expected to rejoin the Rangers’ traveling party later in the week after missing most of training camp with headaches related to a Feb. 22 collision with his brother, All-Star center Eric Staal, in a game against the Carolina Hurricanes. Staal met with specialists on Thursday and Friday, had acupuncture treatment Sunday and more unspecified treatment Monday.

“It’s ongoing,” Tortorella said. “We’re not looking for results. It’s an ongoing procedure to try to help him. You guys keep on asking me on results – it’s not result-orientated, it’s just to try to help him. … We’re hoping, as he continues his procedures with the specialists, I’ll probably have an update in four or five days.”

Staal has been cleared by doctors for contact, but the Rangers continue to move very cautiously with getting him back into game situations. Without him, they brought 10 defensemen to Europe, where they play four games in five days starting Thursday against HC Sparta Prague in the Czech Republic.

During the official announcement that the Rangers would play the Flyers in the 2012 NHL Winter Classic at Citizen’s Bank Park in Philadelphia on Jan. 2, Rangers president and general manager Glen Sather said he expects Staal to rejoin the team on Thursday or Friday and be ready for the season opener.

“Marc practiced yesterday, he looked great and his conditioning is terrific,” Sather said. “I think he’s tested, in every (conditioning) test that we have, he’s been one of the top guys in the organization. I’m not concerned about that at all. First of all, going through the protocol happened a long time ago. He’s gone through the protocol a couple of times to find out exactly what it is. There are a lot of things that can cause headaches. You can look at migraines, you have a slipped disc, you can have pulled muscles, you can have a hundred different things.

“Trying to diagnose exactly whether it’s a concussion or it’s something else that’s bothering the player, we really have to find that out first. That’s been complicated. He’s had MRIs, X-rays, examinations by different people and they come and go. It’s not as if you sit at home for 24 hours and you have a pounding headache you need to take a migraine pill for it. That’s not the case. It’s coming and going.

“We think we’ve got a handle on it now so we’re going to know in the next couple of days exactly. I’m saying is I’m not exactly sure. I’ve heard that it may not be (a concussion), but it’s such a fine area of trying to define what’s causing the problem.”

Rugged left wing Brandon Prust, who has not played in the preseason after offseason shoulder surgery, was expected to fly with his teammates and return to game action in Europe.

Defenseman Dylan McIlrath, the Rangers’ first-round pick (10^th overall) in 2010, was slated to make the trip.  He could play as many as nine games with the Rangers before either having to be returned to Moose Jaw of the Western Hockey League or having this season count against his entry-level contract.

“He has some work to do,” Tortorella said. “He’s not ready. I shouldn’t say – well, he isn’t. He’s a young guy, and this gives us more of a chance, in the situation we’re in right now with our D, more of a chance to keep playing, and for us to keep evaluating and keep teaching. The longer these guys are with us, we can keep teaching, also. So we’ll see where it goes.”

Meanwhile, former Wolf Pack All-Star right wing Ryan Callahan said he didn’t notice much of a difference between wearing an “A” on his jersey and the “C” on his left shoulder in a 4-3 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Friday night.

“It’s not much difference in terms of dealing with on-ice things with the refs or anything like that,” Callahan said. “Maybe you’ll talk to them a little bit more, and got to deal with them a little bit more, but nothing much has changed that way.”

Callahan’s biggest adjustment was playing a real opponent for the first time since broke his ankle blocking a slap shot by Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara in a game on April 4.

“Early on, you feel a little bit off, being your first game,” Callahan said. “Just timing and things like that. Overall, I felt pretty comfortable. Obviously, our conditioning is there through our training camp, so that’s not an issue. Things are starting to come together. We’re doing a little bit more systems and getting used to things like that, so it’s good.”

As for Staal, an assistant captain, Callahan said, “It’s hard because you don’t know exactly when he’s going to be back. If you have an ankle or a hand, you have a timeline. There’s no secret that he’s a huge part of our team. He’s one of our top defensemen, and if we don’t have him, it’s going to be a hole. Hopefully he gets better soon, and we have him for the start of the season.”

WHALE KICKOFF SATURDAY NIGHT IN WEST HARTFORD

The Whale will host their “Whale Blue & Green Block Party” season Face-off event Saturday from 6-9 p.m. at Blue Back Square in West Hartford. It will resemble a pep rally, with introductions of the Whale players and coaching staff, who will be signing autographs.

The Face-off Fan Experience will feature live music by Hartford hockey legendary national anthem singer Tony Harrington & Touch, food specials available from local restaurants, Whale merchandise showcasing the latest apparel, outdoor movies, “Pucky” joined by other mascot friends in the Autograph Zone, prizes and the introduction of the new CT Whale Slap Shot Cage sponsored by XFINITY, where fans can test their puck-shooting skills. Fans also can enter to win tickets to the home opener Oct. 15 against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers or a Connecticut Whale replica jersey.

Admission is free and the event will be in the area of Blue Back Square known as “The Square” on Isham Rd. next to Barnes & Noble. … Whale season and individual game tickets are on sale. For information on season seats and all the Whale’s many ticketing options, visit www.ctwhale.com or call the Whale ticket office at 860-728-3366 to talk with an account executive. Individual tickets are on sale at Public Power ticket office at the XL Center. The Whale will play 90 percent of their 38 games at the XL Center on weekends and during vacation and holiday breaks. Tickets, starting at $14 for adults and $12 for youth, are available at the box office Monday through Friday from noon to 5 p.m. or online at www.ctwhale.com and through TicketMaster charge-by-phone at 1-800-745-3000. For information on season seats and mini-plans, call 860-728-3366 or visit www.ctwhale.com.

By Bruce Berlet

CROMWELL – Despite spending a pleasant summer in picturesque Kelowna, British Columbia, with his wife and young daughter, Wade Redden experienced a bit of an unsettling offseason, proving again that money can’t buy you complete happiness.

While pondering his future, nothing materialized with NHL teams other than the New York Rangers for Redden, the second overall pick by the New York Islanders in the 1995 draft, largely because of his $6.5 million contract, and talks with European teams never got past the preliminary stage.

Then came the coup de grace, the tragic plane crash Sept. 7 that claimed 44 lives, most of them the Yaroslavl Lokomotiv hockey team, including two friends. Former Rangers defenseman Karel Rachunek was Redden’s partner for several seasons in Ottawa, and Brad McCrimmon, who never got to make his head coaching debut after three years as an assistant with the Detroit Red Wings, was finishing his career as a Hartford Whalers defenseman as Redden embarked on his NHL career.

A week ago, Redden was in Farmington, Mich., attending McCrimmon’s funeral along with Red Wings coach Mike Babcock and his entire team and such NHL luminaries as former coach Scotty Bowman, Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman, Toronto Maple Leafs president and general and former Whalers GM Brian Burke and NHL executive Cliff Fletcher.

“It was a tough one,” the 34-year-old Redden said Saturday after his first workout in his second season with the Whale. “My wife told me about it after seeing it on TV. I knew McCrimmon was the coach, but I didn’t know Rachunek was on the team until I saw the list (of those killed).”

Now, only seven days later, Redden and his 994 NHL games with the Senators and Rangers was among 10 players doing tests on and off the ice at Champions Skating Center on Saturday morning before a two-mile run Saturday night starting at St. Joseph’s College, not far from his house in West Hartford. They were joined Sunday by 21 players assigned by the Rangers on Saturday for the first full-day of Whale camp, highlighted by a morning scrimmage.

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Redden worked out in Kelowna with several NHL players and members of the local Western Hockey League junior team, and after the workouts jokingly asked the media, “How do I look?”

The answer was still slim and trim. And he hadn’t changed in the skating tests, working up a good sweat while chatting with players who had to be thrilled just to be cruising around the rink with someone with Redden’s credentials.

Whale coach Ken Gernander again gave Redden “top marks” for a high level of professionalism and willingness to help young players trying to get where he had been for 13 seasons. Redden was especially beneficial to rookie Ryan McDonagh, who improved dramatically with help from his partner and assistant coach J.J. Daigneault, who handles the defense. On Jan. 3, McDonagh switched places with Michael Del Zotto, never returned to Hartford and finished the season as part of the Blueshirts’ No. 2 pairing with former Wolf Pack defenseman Michael Sauer.

“I don’t know how much more a guy can do (to be a leader), but I don’t think it’s on your to-do list,” Gernander said. “You don’t get up in the morning and say, ‘I’ve got to come to the rink and be a leader.’ It’s just something that you bring with you that’s part of your package. If you see something or an area where you can help, you put that on yourself as far as a leadership role. I certainly expect him to be one of our leaders, but like I said, I don’t think it’s on his to-do list. That’s just something that’s kind of instinctive.”

Gernander will be delighted to know Redden is ready to be an even more positive influence. Redden looked back at “a big number” of coaches and players who helped him when he was learning to become a NHL All-Star and top international competition. The group included former Whalers wing Randy Cunneyworth, Lance Pitlick, a Senators teammate in his first season who played with Gernander at the University of Minnesota, and McCrimmon’s brother, Kelly, who was Redden’s general manager in junior hockey with the Brandon Wheat Kings and “touched so many lives in hockey as far as tutelage and his impact on the game.”

“I feel more comfortable and better this year knowing the situation,” said Redden, who might consider coaching as a post-playing career. “I’m more settled, and I want to help these guys. I remember guys who helped me. I obviously want to take care of myself first, but I want to be there to help my teammates.

“I’ve always been that kind of guy where I tried to be a good teammate, and that’s not going to change. There are some good, young players here, not that they need a lot of direction, but there are the coaches, myself and people with experience who can help along.”

Tomas Kundratek, another defensive partner last season, and Pavel Valentenko were among the Rangers’ first 21 cuts Saturday and could be prime candidates for Redden’s help.

“You see young guys come in every year, and you see them make another step so hopefully they can keep progressing,” Redden said. “ ‘Tank’ (Valentenko) had a solid year all-around, and I’d like to see him keep going.”

Last season, Redden tied for fourth in Whale scoring with 42 points (eight points, 34 assists) and was their best player during a critical 14-4-0-1 run from early February to late March that allowed the team to make the playoffs.

“I have to be honest with myself that I don’t think I’ll go anywhere,” Redden said. “It’s a long shot that anybody is going to pick up my contract, so I’ll play and hopefully something will happen where I can be free of it and move on or something happens. Everything is up in the air.”

Redden considered opting out of his contract and playing for less money elsewhere but didn’t think that was possible under the current collective bargaining agreement. But there also was no assurance that another team would sign him.

“All I can do is keep a positive attitude and go from there,” Redden said. “I had some contact with people I know in Europe, but this was a good situation for me last season. I felt good here as far as the hockey and the situation that I was in. As far as my family was concerned, it was a nice area, and I didn’t want to shake things up too much that way.”

Others who tested Saturday after not being invited to Rangers camp were goalie Jerry Kuhn, defensemen T.J. Fast and Dan Lawson and forwards Max Campbell, Chris Chappell, Brendan Connolly, Jeff Prough, Connor Shields and Jordan Owens, who was signed as an undrafted free agent to an entry-level contract with the Blueshirts on June 12, 2007 and played parts of four seasons with the Wolf Pack before being traded to the Detroit Red Wings for center Kris Newbury on March 3, 2010.

Chappell, Connolly and Fast played last season with Greenville, the Whale’s ECHL affiliate. Owens had one goal and four assists in 17 games with the Grand Rapids Griffins at the end of the 2006-07 season and then had six goals and 14 assists in 60 games last season before an injury in early March ended his season and scared away a lot of teams, according to Owens.

“There’s no better place to be because this is where I started my (pro) career,” said Owens, who didn’t have any place to go until he got a call from the Rangers on Monday. “I’m in exactly the same position as I was coming out of juniors, trying to earn a contract. I was looking for a job, and I still am. I was away for a little bit, but I’m back for the time being. I don’t know if there are any spots, but the only thing at this point of my career is that you can’t really worry about that stuff. I just have to worry about coming and playing to the best of my ability.”

The players assigned to the Whale were goalies Chad Johnson, Jason Missiaen and Cameron Talbot; defensemen Kundratek, Valentenko, Lee Baldwin, Collin Bowman, Sam Klassen, Jyri Niemi and Jared Nightingale; and forwards Chad Kolarik, Jonathan Audy-Marchessault, Tommy Grant, Tayler Jordan, Kale Kerbashian, Chris McKelvie, Matt Rust, Scott Tanski, Kelsey Tessier and Jason Wilson.

The Rangers also returned seven players to their junior teams: defensemen Peter Ceresnak (Peterborough, OHL) and Samuel Noreau (Baie-Comeau, QMJHL) and forwards Shane McColgan (Kelowna, WHL), J.T. Miller (Plymouth, OHL), Michael St. Croix (Edmonton, WHL), Christian Thomas (Oshawa, OHL) and Andrew Yogan (Peterborough, OHL).

“It was all the Rangers decision, and I’m not going to second-guess anything they did,” Gernander said. “It’s still training camp to some extent, so there might be varying reasons for different players who maybe get a little bit longer look because of experience or whatever the case may be. We’re all one big organization, and our job is to work the guys who are here and get them there.”

The Rangers still have 35 players, 12 more than the opening-night limit, including three goalies, 11 defensemen and 21 forwards. Surviving the first round of cuts were top prospects Dylan McIlrath, Ryan Bourque, Carl Hagelin and Tim Erixon, all of whom played in the Rangers’ first two preseason games.

After two days of practice and scrimmages, the Whale’s first preseason game is Tuesday at 7 p.m. against the Albany Devils at the Koeppel Community Sports Center on the campus of Trinity College in Hartford. The game benefits the Ryan Gordon/Connecticut Whale Community Scholars Fund, with donations accepted at the door in lieu of an admission charge. The fund memorializes longtime Wolf Pack fan Ryan Gordon, who died in 2006 from cancer and asked that the money set aside for his college education be donated to three charities, including the Connecticut Whale Community Foundation.

The Whale also will play at the MassMutual Center in Springfield on Wednesday at 7 p.m. against the Falcons and then host the Worcester Sharks at the TD Bank Sports Center on the campus of Quinnipiac University in Hamden on Friday at 7 p.m. ($5 admission benefits Gaylord Hospital in Wallingford) and on Oct. 2 at 2 p.m. at Champions Skating Center ($5 admission benefits Junior Wolf Pack youth hockey). The entire AHL preseason schedule is available at www.theahl.com.

STRONG DEBUT FOR RICHARDS

The Rangers made the biggest offseason splash when they signed Brad Richards to a nine-year, $90 million contract that put the former Dallas Stars center on the hot seat in the media capital of the world.

Richards provided immediate dividends in his debut Friday night, scoring once on a fortuitous bounce and setting up Gaborik’s power-play goal Friday night in a sweep of the teams’ two games at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.Y. In the afternoon, Ryan Bourque, son of Hockey Hall of Famer Ray Bourque, scored twice as the Rangers prospects team beat their Devils counterparts, 5-4.

While Bourque will be counted on by the Rangers in the near future, Richards is expected to be the key for the attack that had to work overtime to score most of last season.

Richards’ first Rangers goal came only 4:22 into his first game on his second shift as he got around David Steckel and rifled a pass from the low left circle intended for Wojtek Wolski on the other side of the crease that deflected off the skate of Devils defenseman Adam Larsson, the fourth overall pick in June, and past Martin Brodeur to tie the score.

“He (Richards) made some good plays with the puck,” said Tortorella, who again watched from the stands. “His passing ability, that’s a big part of his game. So I thought that line created a lot of offense. Hopefully, we’ll see, we’ll try some people along the way here and just see how it goes. I thought Richards played well.”

Richards skated between Gaborik and Wolski, as they have most of training camp. Richards, Gaborik and new defenseman Brendan Bell each had a goal and an assist for the Rangers, who escaped a potential overtime when Ilya Kovalchuk was denied a fourth point less than two minutes after Bell’s blast from the blue line had given the Rangers the lead. Kovalchuk had a goal and two assists, and his potential equalizer was denied with 2:22 left for Nick Palmieri’s interference on goalie Chad Johnson, who stopped the 10 shots he faced and got the win.

“We played a good first half of the game,” Richards said. “Then we let them back in it, they got momentum and made it a lot tougher. … But we ended up getting a goal when we needed it, and finished it out.”

The Rangers had a two-goal lead thanks to goals by Richards, Derek Stepan and Gaborik after Adam Henrique had scored on a backhand 92 seconds into the game. A series of penalties – Kris Newbury for slashing at 6:40, Newbury for tripping at 14:46, Tim Erixon for hooking at 16:10 and Valentenko for holding at 18:55 – helped the Devils tie the game. Jacob Josefsen scored on a 4-on-4 and Kovalchuk scored with one second left in a 5-on-3.

Martin Biron allowed the three Devils goals on 16 shots, giving way after two periods to Johnson, who was 10-for-10 in the third. It was Biron’s first competition since breaking his collarbone when hit by a shot in practice on Feb. 28.

“The timing is what needs to be back,” Biron said. “It felt good the last couple of days. We had real practices – we had 45 minutes to an hour, with 2-on-1s, 3-on-2s, plays down low, that kind of thing – where the first few days of camp, there’s a lot of scrimmages, and then if you have a practice with 14 guys on the ice, it’s a lot of flow and then some conditioning.”

Mike Rupp, who had five hits in his Rangers debut against his former team, got into a fight with Eric Boulton with 2:39 left in the third period and landed several solid shots after Boulton’s helmet came off. Boulton rallied a bit, but it was a win for Rupp – and shortly thereafter for the Rangers.

“Rupp had a good game, not a bad game forechecking,” Tortorella said. “We tried him a little bit killing penalties, see what he can do there. (The fight is) part of his responsibility. I’m not sure how it all started. I thought he stood in there really well, and Boulton’s a pretty good fighter.”

In his first game as Rangers captain, former Hartford Wolf Pack right wing Ryan Callahan had the primary assist on Gaborik’s goal, tied with Gaborik and Wolski for the team high in shots with four and led all Rangers forwards in ice team with 21:57. He was also part of a five-forward power play that also included Gaborik and Rupp up front and Richards and Wolski on the points.

Tortorella said All-Star defenseman Marc Staal might not go to Europe on Monday because of lingering post-concussion headaches from a hit by his brother, All-Star center Eric Staal, in a game against the Carolina Hurricanes on Feb. 22. He didn’t skate Thursday and Friday because he was seeing specialists but could join the Rangers during the week if he’s not on the plane Monday night.

“There’s all different options. It depends,” Tortorella said. “We’re trying to get him straightened out for the regular season. We feel the specialists that he’s seeing now are going to speed that up. So if he doesn’t make the first plane, he could come over the next day. We just haven’t gotten that far. He’s done a lot of testing, a lot of things over the past two days, and is doing it now. So we’ll find out more as we go into (Saturday) and Sunday.”

PACIORETTY, SHANNON SCORE TWICE; GRACHEV, JAGR KEY WINS

New Canaan native and former Taft School-Watertown standout Max Pacioretty showed no effects from the broken vertebra and concussion that ended his 2010-11 season early as he sparked Montreal’s comeback from a three-goal deficit with two power-play goals and then scored in the shootout as the Canadiens won 4-3 in Ottawa on Friday night.

Former Rangers center Scott Gomez tied the game with 36.5 seconds left in regulation when the puck went into the net off Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson. The line of Gomez, Pacioretty and prospect Brendan Gallagher combined for 19 shots, nine by Pacioretty.

“It seemed like we were controlling the puck really well every time we had it,” said Pacioretty, a first-round pick (22^nd overall) in 2007. “It just shows how good Gomer is because most of the time the puck was on his stick down there and we were just trying to create some space for him.”

Last season ended for Pacioretty on March 8 when his head was bounced off a stanchion by Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara, cracking a vertebra in his neck and leaving him with a concussion that had him lying on the ice unconscious for several minutes. The concussion symptoms did not last very long, which Pacioretty feels very lucky about considering the plight of players such as Sidney Crosby and former Wolf Pack and Rangers center Marc Savard.

“I don’t think I’m in the clear completely, I know some of these players many months down the road have experienced some symptoms,” Pacioretty said. “So I’m aware of that, and I hope to keep getting as lucky as I have with my situation.”

Darien native Ryan Shannon scored two second-period goals to lead host Tampa Bay to a 5-2 victory over cross-state rival Florida, spoiling the NHL coaching debut of former Hartford Whalers captain Kevin Dineen.

Shannon, a free-agent signee who played with Ottawa last season, beat Jacob Markstrom for a power-play goal at 6:31 and then made it 3-0 when he scored the winner at 12:55.

“Every day, I feel more comfortable,” Shannon said of getting used to coach Guy Boucher’s system. “He tells us exactly what he wants, so it’s our job to do it well.”

Evgeny Grachev, acquired from the Rangers on June 28 for a third-round pick in the draft, continued to make a case for a roster spot with the St. Louis Blues by scoring his third goal in four preseason games in a 3-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche.

“He’s finding a way to be effective, not only on the score sheet, but in a number of different areas, decisions on the ice with the puck, his defensive play,” Blues coach Davis Payne said of Grachev. “He’s come here to make a statement to our organization after picking him up in a trade this summer and he’s doing a very good job of it.”

Grachev’s power-play goal at 8:06 of the first period was the only score by either team through 40 minutes. Adam Cracknell made it 2-0 at 5:02 of the third period before Colorado rookie Tyson Barrie ended Jake Allen’s shutout bid with a shot from the top of the left circle at 12:48. It was Barrie’s second goal and third point in two nights.

Jaromir Jagr, playing in the NHL for the first time in three years after leaving as captain of the Rangers, had a goal and an assist in the Philadelphia Flyers’ 3-1 victory in Detroit.

“It may take me a while to get my timing back,” the highest-scoring European-born player in NHL history told philly.com. “I want to get – how do you say it? – to NHL (level) as quick as I can.”

Late in the first period, Jagr set up James Van Riemsdyk’s goal and then scored 52 seconds later to erase the Red Wings’ 1-0 lead. Jagr’s goal came when he took a pass from Scott Hartnell and wristed a 15-footer past goalie Jimmy Howard. … Several players with Connecticut ties were assigned to AHL teams. Former Wolf Pack wing Ryan Hollweg was sent to Portland, former Wolf Pack goalie David LeNeveu and former Salisbury Prep/Fairfield Prep/Yale forward Mark Arcobello of Milford went to Oklahoma City and Philip Samuelsson, the oldest son of former Whalers and Rangers defenseman and Wolf Pack assistant coach Ulf Samuelsson to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

WHALE KICKOFF SATURDAY IN WEST HARTFORD

The Whale will host its “Whale Blue & Green Block Party” season Face-off event Saturday, October 1 from 6-9 p.m. at Blue Back Square in West Hartford. It will resemble a pep rally, with introductions of the Whale players and coaching staff, who will be signing autographs.

The Face-off Fan Experience will feature live music by Hartford hockey legendary national anthem singer Tony Harrington & Touch, food specials available from local restaurants, Whale merchandise showcasing the latest apparel, outdoor movies, “Pucky” joined by other mascot friends in the Autograph Zone, prizes and the introduction of the new CT Whale Slap Shot Cage sponsored by XFINITY, where fans can test their puck-shooting skills. Fans also can enter to win tickets to the home opener Oct. 15 against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers or a Connecticut Whale replica jersey.

Admission is free and be in the area of Blue Back Square known as “The Square” on Isham Rd. next to Barnes & Noble. … Whale season and individual game tickets are now on sale. For information on season seats and all the Whale’s many ticketing options, visit www.ctwhale.com or call the Whale ticket office at 860-728-3366 to talk with an account executive. Individual tickets are on sale at Public Power ticket office at the XL Center. The Whale will play 90 percent of their 38 games at the XL Center on weekends and during vacation and holiday breaks. Tickets, starting at $14 for adults and $12 for youth, are available at the box office Monday through Friday from noon to 5 p.m. or online at www.ctwhale.com and through TicketMaster charge-by-phone at 1-800-745-3000. For information on season seats and mini-plans, call 860-728-3366 or visit www.ctwhale.com.

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