By Bruce Berlet

A year ago, Ryan McDonagh attended his first NHL training camp after foregoing his senior year after he, Derek Stepan and the University of Wisconsin lost 5-0 in the NCAA title game to Boston College, led by Chris Kreider, considered by many to be the New York Rangers’ top prospect.

McDonagh and Stepan didn’t know if they’d end up on Broadway or Asylum Street, and it proved to be Broadway for Stepan and Asylum for McDonagh, at least at the start of the season. A strong training camp earned Stepan a spot on the Rangers roster while McDonagh was among the final cuts.

McDonagh struggled for 15-20 pro games with the Hartford Wolf Pack/Connecticut Whale before veteran defenseman Wade Redden and assistant coach J.J. Daigneault helped him rediscover his game. On Jan. 3, McDonagh switched places with Michael Del Zotto, who was having his own issues in his second season with the Rangers after being named to the NHL All-Rookie Team.

But while injuries gave Del Zotto a shot at a few more NHL games before returning to the Whale and sustaining a season-ending injury when hit by a shot in a game against Springfield on March 3, McDonagh never looked back and became a solid contributor on the Rangers’ second pairing with fellow rookie and former Wolf Pack defenseman Michael Sauer.

So after his first 45 NHL regular-season and playoff games, McDonagh is now more secure about his role.

“My main job is to shut the other team down,” said McDonagh, who made his preseason debut Friday night as the Rangers played the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. “If I’m not doing that then I’m not doing my job. Any kind of offense I can bring, at this point, is an added bonus. I just want to show that I learned from last year and have improved.”

McDonagh, who had one goal and seven assists in 38 games with the Whale and one goal and eight assists in 40 games with the Rangers, might have to contribute more offensively than originally expected since All-Star Marc Staal is being held out of scrimmages and at least the three preseason games in North America because of recurring post-concussion symptoms from being hit by his brother, All-Star center Eric Staal, in a game against the Carolina Hurricanes on Feb. 22. Marc missed three games after the hit because of a sore knee and two more in March, and Rangers coach John Tortorella said Staal passed baseline neurological tests before returning last season and again when he took his pre-camp physical last week.

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But Tortorella is taking the better-safe-than-sorry approach with his No. 1 defenseman.

“Hopefully it’s progressing in the right direction,” Tortorella said. “We just want to be cautious with him to try to get him ready for the regular season (Oct. 7 against the Los Angeles Kings in Stockholm, Sweden). This is a situation out there, it’s well chronicled, some of the stuff that goes on with this. We want to make sure. I can’t say, ‘Yeah, he’s playing.’ We want to be smart about this as we go through however long this camp is. My thoughts – and I’ve talked to Marc – is he won’t be playing any exhibition games early on. I’d like to get him a couple overseas.”

But that plan was put on hold Monday when Staal reported to camp not feeling well, causing Tortorella to send him home. Staal skated Tuesday and Wednesday and then visited a specialist Thursday.

“This is a fluid situation,” Tortorella said. “We’re erring on the side of caution.”

Tortorella said Staal didn’t necessarily have to play in any preseason games before the season opener, but that’s hardly an ideal situation. With their top defenseman questionable, the Rangers are looking for a veteran who might be brought in on a tryout. Former Rangers Bryan McCabe and Paul Mara are still looking for jobs, but the Rangers could also wait until closer to the season opener to see which veterans might lose their jobs with their current teams.

“Even prior to this with Marc being up and down, we were looking,” Tortorella said.

Those who could benefit most from Staal’s absence are Del Zotto, Pavel Valentenko, one of the final cuts last year, and newly acquired Tim Erixon and Brendan Bell. Erixon, the son of former Rangers wing Jan Erixon and the Calgary Flames first-round pick (23^rd) overall in 2009, acquired for two second-rounders and Roman Horak on June 1, is almost certain to stick with the Rangers if Staal is out long term.

PARLETT BACK ON ICE BUT NOT IN LINEUP

Defenseman Blake Parlett, who excelled for the Whale after being called up from Greenville of the ECHL on Feb. 17, returned to the ice Thursday for the first time since the Rangers lost the prospects tournament final 5-2 to the more experienced Buffalo Sabres on Sept. 14 in Traverse City, Mich. Parlett was injured in a 6-2 victory over the St. Louis Blues in Game 2, sat out a 4-3 overtime loss to the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 3 and then played in the title game before being held out of practice and scrimmages for a week.

But Parlett wasn’t in the prospects lineup Friday afternoon in a game against their Devils counterparts at the Prudential Center.

The Rangers won the matinee contest, 5-4, on Jonathan Audy-Marchessault’s goal just 16 seconds into overtime. The Blueshirts recovered from a pair of two goal deficits in the game, finding themselves down 2-0 and 3-1 before responding with three straight goals to take a third period lead. Ryan Bourque scored twice in the matchup for the Rangers, who also received scores from top prospect Christian Thomas and impressive rookie and this summer’s 15^th overall draft pick J.T. Miller. Scott Stajcer and Jason Missiaen split the game evenly in goal, with each netminder allowing two goals to the Devils. The Rangers’ roster for the first of Friday’s two games against the Devils featured a number of players that spent time with the Whale last season, including Stu Bickel, Tomas Kundratek and Kelsey Tessier.

After the two games Friday, the Rangers were to make their first cuts and send their first group of assigned players to the Whale, who open camp Saturday at Champions Skating Center in Cromwell with physicals and testing. On Thursday, Rangers coach John Tortorella said his team would be taking 33 players, instead of 31, to Europe for the final four preseason games because one unnamed forward had earned a trip and an 11^th defenseman would go because of Staal’s injury.

The Rangers’ cuts will join several players not invited to Rangers camp, including veteran defenseman Wade Redden, who has played 994 NHL games with the Ottawa Senators and Rangers and was an extremely positive influence on the Whale’s young players in his first time in the minors last season.

The Whale will have their first scrimmage open to the public Sunday from 10:40 to 11:40 a.m.. 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 next 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. …Goalie Dov Grumet-Morris, voted the Whale’s MVP last season by his teammates, has signed a one-year deal with Lorenskog of Norway. Grumet-Morris, 29, was 13-5-1 with a 2.12 goals-against average, .923 save percentage and one shutout in 22 games with the Whale after being 15-8-1, 2.32, .922 with three shutouts with Greenville on the way to being named to the ECHL’s Second All-Star Team.

TORTORELLA AS BLUNT AS EVER

Tortorella, as usual, didn’t mince words when asked if expectations for this season are – or should be – higher this year.

“That’s up to you guys,” Tortorella told the New York media. “You guys are the ones who plant the expectations. I’m not a forecaster. I’m not a big guy to talk about expectations. I just want us to grow in all areas. I think we’re in a different level of the process. We’ve kept our kids. (President and general manager) Glen (Sather) has done a great job keeping our nucleus and our core. I think they’ve grown. I think they need to continue to grow.

“We’ve added (Mike) Rupp, we’ve added (Brad) Richards, veteran guys, so that puts in the process of trying to be a better team. I think we’ve upped our talent level with Richie (Richards) and helps us in a lot of areas with our club. Rupp’s going to help us in a lot of areas with our lines. So I’ll put it that way. I think we’re in the next step of the process of being the best we can be.”

Tortorella was also straightforward when asked if this season is different than two years ago when he openly said he’d live with the hiccups as he brought along a lot of young players.

“When you’re grooming a team and building a team you’re looking to chip out some of those hiccups, as this might be the third year for some of those guys,” Tortorella said. “Certainly we want to kick out some of those hiccups and be a better team. I thought we were a pretty good team last year. I thought we did a really good job of identifying who we want to be, who we are, and playing to it.

“We’re going to have to be better in all areas if we want to get out of that seventh, eighth, ninth (place) fight that we’re in every year. Whether that’s expectations, I’m just being honest. That’s where we are in our process of trying to get there, into another spot.”

SHANAHAN SUSPENDS SHELLEY FOR TEN GAMES

Former Hartford Whalers captain Brendan Shanahan has made his first major disciplinarian decision as the new NHL Senior Vice President of Player Safety.

Shanahan suspended Philadelphia Flyers forward Jody Shelley for 10 games, the remaining games of the preseason and the first five games of the regular season, for a boarding penalty on Toronto Maple Leafs forward Darryl Boyce in Wednesday night’s game. Shelley, assessed a five-minute major and a game misconduct for boarding Boyce at 12:34 of the second period, also will forfeit $67,073.15 in salary, with the money going to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund. The suspension began Thursday night, and Shelley will be eligible to return Oct. 20, when the Flyers host the Washington Capitals.

Since Shelley is considered a repeat offender under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement (he was suspended twice last season for four games), he has to forfeit his salary based on the number of games in the season (82) instead of the number of days in the season (185).

The NHL changed the boarding rule in the offseason to put the onus on the player making the hit to avoid or minimize the contact against a defenseless player. The focus is also on the violent and potentially dangerous contact with the boards rather than the actual point of contact.

“Shelley hit Boyce squarely from behind into the glass,” Shanahan said. “Boyce’s back was turned toward Shelley well before the contact, requiring that Shelley avoid or minimize the check. He did neither. In addition, Shelley’s two suspensions last season weighed heavily in this decision.”

Shelley is the second player suspended for violating the boarding rule this week. Calgary Flames forward Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond was suspended for the remaining four preseason games and one regular-season game for hitting Vancouver Canucks forward Matt Clackson from behind in Tuesday’s game. … Former Whalers general manager Jim Rutherford was given a four-year extension through the 2015-16 season to be the president and GM of the Carolina Hurricanes.

“Jim is one of the premier general managers in all of sports,” Hurricanes CEO Peter Karmanos said in a statement. “In the 14 years since the Hurricanes arrived in North Carolina, his leadership has allowed our franchise to host two Stanley Cup finals, the NHL All-Star Game and the NHL draft, bringing tremendously positive attention to the team and the area.”

Rutherford is entering his 18^th NHL season, the second-longest tenured active GM in the NHL. Lou Lamoriello, entering his 25th season, has been the New Jersey Devils’ GM since 1987.

Under the 62-year-old Rutherford, the Hurricanes have won three Southeast Division titles and appeared in two Stanley Cup finals, winning in 2006.

MODANO RETIRES AS A STAR

The Dallas Stars signed Mike Modano to a one-day contract so he could retire as a member of the team. The deal was worth $999,999, based on his jersey No. 9. Modano won’t collect the money, but once he put his name on the contract, he retired.

“You wonder what this day would be like and it feels pretty overwhelming,” Modano said, fighting back tears. “I look back at 21 years with one franchise and I think that’s what made me the most proud of anything.”

Modano spent 20 of those 21 seasons with the Minnesota North Stars/Dallas Stars franchise. The first pick in the 1988 draft, his name is all over the Stars’ record book. He’s the franchise’s all-time leader in a number of categories, including games played (1,459), goals (557), assists (802) and points (1,359). He’s also the all-time leading playoff scorer with 145 points in a club-high 174 games. And he’s the all-time leader among U.S.-born players in goals (561) and points (1,374).

“Mike Modano will always be the face of this franchise,” said Stars GM and Hockey Hall of Famer Joe Nieuwendyk, a former teammate. “He means so much to our organization and all of our fans. We wanted to give him the opportunity to retire as a Dallas Star. Mike has given his heart and soul to this game for over 30 years. On behalf of the entire organization and the National Hockey League, we would like to thank him for his dedication.”

Modano, 41, decided it was time to end his playing career after 21 years in the NHL, making the announcement on his Facebook page Wednesday, saying, “I’ve come to the decision that it’s time to retire as a player from the NHL.”

“I think I knew in my heart I was done after last season,” Modano told ESPNDallas.com. “I had a harder time coming to grips with it than I thought I would. Part of me wanted to play it out and see if anybody had called in July. When that didn’t happen, I figured that’s pretty much it.”

Modano, a future Hall of Famer, is a Michigan native drafted first overall in 1988 by the North Stars and became the face of hockey in Dallas when the organization moved to Texas in 1993. He played his final home game with the Stars on April 8, 2010, scoring the tying and winning goals in an emotional game. He considers it one of his greatest memories of his career.

EMOTIONAL NIGHT FOR WHEAT KINGS

As pointed out by Jess Rubenstein, the astute assessor of junior and college talent at The Prospect Park, it was a difficult opening night in the Western Hockey League on Thursday night. Former WHL players Derek Boogaard, Ryan Rypien, Wade Belak and Brad McCrimmon, all from the province of Saskatchewan, were among the losses this summer.

Boogaard (Rangers), Rypien (Winnipeg Jets) and Belak (retired) were found dead from various causes, while McCrimmon, a former Whalers defenseman, was one of 44 people killed in a plane crash before he could coach his first game for Yaroslavl Lokomotiv team in the Kontinental Hockey League in Russia. Boogaard and Rypien played for the Regina Pats, while McCrimmon and Belak were with the Saskatoon Blades.

There was a moment of silence for the four before the Brandon Wheat Kings helped the Moose Jaw Warriors christen their new arena. The Wheat Kings are coached by Kelly McCrimmon, Brad’s brother, who must have had all kinds of emotions running through him, especially with everyone in the arena and a national Canadian TV audience eying him.

The Wheat Kings responded with a 4-1 victory thanks to a hat trick by 5-foot-8 rookie Alessio Bertaggia of Lugano, Switzerland, in his WHL debut. Moose Jaw was missing key defensemen Dylan McIlrath and Collin Bowman, who were still with the Rangers.

UNFORTUNATE INCIDENT IN LONDON, ONTARIO

While it was an emotional night in Western Canada, it was night of insensitive stupidity in the eastern part of the country, London, Ontario.

A banana was thrown at Philadelphia Flyers forward Wayne Simmonds, an African-American, as he participated in a shootout to decide a preseason game against the Detroit Red Wings at the John Labatt Centre.

“I don’t know if it had anything to do with the fact I’m black,” Simmonds, 23, told reporters. “I certainly hope not. When you’re black, you kind of expect (racist) things. You learn to deal with it.”

Not surprisingly, others were not as understanding.

NHL Network analyst Kevin Weekes, whose career as a NHL goalie included a stint with the Rangers, condemned the incident through his Twitter feed (@KevinWeekes).

“For those that asked: I’m extremely disappointed with what happened to Wayne Simmonds tonight in London Ont,” he posted. “We’ve taken HUGE steps to grow the game of hockey, as I speak Willie O’Ree and I are in D.C. attending the Black Congressional Caucus on behalf of the NHL & ironically this takes place.”

O’Ree, the NHL’s first black player, and Weekes are among a contingent of hockey ambassadors attending the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s 41st annual legislative conference, marking the first time the hockey community has had a formal presence at the annual public-policy gathering.

In a statement released Friday, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said: “We have millions of great fans who show tremendous respect for our players and for the game. The obviously stupid and ignorant action by one individual is in no way representative of our fans or the people of London, Ontario.”

In a smart move, London Mayor Joe Fontana issued an apology to Simmonds on behalf of his town: “As Mayor, and on behalf of Londoners, I am sending an apology to Wayne Simmonds and the Philadelphia Flyers organization regarding the incident at last night’s exhibition game. It was a stupid and mindless act by a single individual, however it reflects badly on our entire community. London is a diverse and welcoming city and we like it that way.”

Several current NHL players used Twitter to show support for Simmonds, who joined the Flyers in a June trade with the Los Angeles Kings. San Jose Sharks forward Logan Couture (@Logancouture) grew up just outside of London and also was horrified by the incident.

“Wayne Simmonds is a good friend of mine,” he tweeted. “To hear what happened to him in my hometown is awful. No need for this in sports or life.”

Amen to that, Logan. Couldn’t have said it better myself, though my wife, Nancy, had the perfect response when I told her about the incident: “That’s disgusting.”

Amen again.

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.

Photo credit: Getty Images

HARTFORD, September 23, 2011: For The Connecticut Whale’s first full season fans will be literally dancing in the streets, as Whalers Sports & Entertainment (WSE) announced today that the Connecticut Whale will host its official “Whale Blue & Green Block Party” Season Face-off event Saturday, October 1 from 6:00-9:00 PM at Blue Back Square in West Hartford.

The Whale Face-off event will take the form of a pep rally, with introductions of the 2011 Whale team and coaching staff, who will also be signing autographs.

“The Connecticut Whale Face-Off event at Blue Back Square in West Hartford will literally have you dancing in the streets as we kick off the Connecticut Whale’s first full season,” said Howard Baldwin, Jr, President & COO, WSE. “Help us celebrate our first full season kick off.”

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 Whale’s latest apparel, outdoor movies, Pucky The Mascot, 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.

In addition, fans can enter to win tickets to the Whale’s home opener Saturday, October 15 or a Connecticut Whale replica jersey.

Admission to the Whale Face-off event is free and open to the public. It will be held in the area of Blue Back Square known as “The Square”, on Isham Rd. next to Barnes & Noble.

Season tickets for the Whale’s 2011-12 AHL campaign are on sale now. For information on season seats, and all of the Whale’s ticketing options, visit www.ctwhale.com, or call the Connecticut Whale ticket office at (860) 728-3366 to talk with an account executive today.

By Bruce Berlet

John Mitchell has always prided himself in being “a pretty fast skater” and proved it when he won a fastest skater competition with the Toronto Maple Leafs three years ago.

“I think I actually beat the time in the NHL All-Star Game, so I know I can skate,” Mitchell recalled Wednesday night after his first NHL action with the New York Rangers in a 2-1 overtime loss to the New Jersey Devils in the preseason opener at the Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y.

Mitchell was one of the first players used in all situations and also leveled Cam Janssen, one of the Devils’ tough guys, as he continued to center a line with pesky veteran Sean Avery and fuzzy-faced J.T. Miller, the Rangers’ first-round pick (15^th overall) in June. The trio was cited as “probably our most effective line, as far as forechecking and having some offensive zone pressure” by Rangers coach John Tortorella, who watched in the upper deck with president and general manager Glen Sather and other team executives while assistant GM/assistant coach/Connecticut Whale GM Jim Schoenfeld ran the bench with assistant coach Mike Sullivan.

But Mitchell’s major asset Wednesday night was a quicker pace from last season, when he often skated at 45 rpm instead of 78 after he missed time with injuries both with the Toronto Marlies and with the Whale, whom he joined after being acquired on Feb. 28 for a seventh-round pick in 2012.

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“Injuries heal,” Mitchell said, “and I felt like I could get back to my normal skating stride. I try to use my size (6 feet 3, 205 pounds) and my speed to my advantage.”

Mitchell had plenty of reason to smile after continuing his solid play since being traded. Schoenfeld considered Mitchell the Whale’s best player after his acquisition and said his steady play has continued in training camp. Some of the latter can be attributed to summer training with retired NHL veteran Gary Roberts, who is the player development consultant of the Dallas Stars and runs a gym in Mitchell’s hometown of Toronto where they worked out with NHL stars such as Steven Stamkos and Steve Downie of the Tampa Bay Lightning, James Neal of the Pittsburgh Penguins and reigning Rookie of the Year Jeff Skinner of the Carolina Hurricanes.

“I did a lot more running and kind of sprint work, so that might help with cycling your feet through when you skate,” Mitchell said. “Gary is a great guy who does everything beautifully. He has a top-notch facility and is very good with his workouts. He’s (45), but he’s still huge, a real specimen. Nutrition for him is just as much as your workouts. It’s crazy how he deals with nutrition.

“Another great thing about working out with him was that there was a meal right afterwards, and it was all organic. There was no preservatives, no (potato) chips, none of that, zero. This was THE most organic meal you could possibly eat, and I like that because obviously you need to fuel the body right after you work out. So you have protein shake, go shower and do whatever for 20-25 minutes, and by the time you’re done that, you’re starving. That shake didn’t really do much for you, so you want to eat a meal.”

Mitchell said he gained a few pounds, weighed 208 at the start of training camp and is now at 204.

“That’s best for me for optimum strength and speed,” Mitchell said. “Even if I went down to 200, I wouldn’t be opposed to that. You might just be that much quicker.”

 

It’s all part of a kind of second lease on hockey life for Mitchell after the injuries and being discarded by the Maple Leafs. At the time he was traded, Mitchell had one goal and four assists in 10 games with the Marlies after getting two goals and one assist in 23 games with the Maple Leafs.

“At the end, it was tough (in Toronto) with injuries two years in a row,” Mitchell said. “Things obviously didn’t work out for me there. But it’s a new year and new season and a new training camp, so it’s an opportunity.

“Every time you get traded, obviously there’s some sort of chance. Of course I would have liked to come up and play with the big club last year and have an opportunity to show them what I could do in the regular season. But things obviously didn’t happen for me that way, so I re-signed here ($650,000 at the NHL level for one year) just trying to get myself an opportunity. They obviously showed interest in me, so that’s a good sign and you definitely want to want to sign at that point because they show interest in you and they like the way you play. So I thought there was a definite opportunity there, and I’m going to try to make the most of it.”

Mitchell has accomplished that objective so far, getting seven goals and five assists in 14 regular-season games with the Whale and then adding three goals and three assists in six playoff games. And he scored one of the first goals in team scrimmages while earning plaudits from Tortorella.

“I’ve felt pretty good in camp so far,” Mitchell said. “And I felt pretty good (Wednesday night) trying to use my speed and get some bumps in and checks and try to get some pucks to the net. The first game is always a little bit sloppy, but obviously you can’t use any excuses and you just got to go out there and play the game.

“Obviously it wasn’t going to be a finesse game with the ice being a little wet, so at that point it’s basically just try to get chips off the boards to your wingers or even to yourself with speed. Obviously if you chip it, they can’t hold you up, so that gives you a chance to get around them and get the puck and take it to the net if you can. That’s something that we tried to do.”

Mitchell smiled when reminded of knocking Janssen to the ice.

“I’ve played against Jannie a long time, all the way to the (Ontario Hockey League),” said Mitchell, 26, who played for the Plymouth Whalers in juniors. “He’s definitely a tough guy and likes to take runs at guys every once in a while, so I’ll give a run at him just to let him know.”

Mitchell also had one of the Rangers’ few good scoring chances before Dale Weise started and ended the play that tied the game with 4:21 left in regulation. Mitchell was denied the equalizer when Jeff Frazee gloved his 30-foot shot with 9:34 to go and the Rangers on a power play.

“The puck kind of came to me, and I just wanted to try and get a shot on the net,” Mitchell said. “I didn’t have a very good angle to get a rebound or anything crazy like that, so I just tried to get the puck on the net and see what might happen. (Frazee) kind of saw it the whole way.”

Mitchell said he has been happy with the way things have gone with Avery and Miller, who excelled in a prospects tournament last week in Traverse City, Mich., where the Rangers lost 5-2 in the final to the more experienced Buffalo Sabres.

“They’re both speedy guys who like to get in on the forecheck, and so do I, so we complement each other reasonably well with just how we play,” Mitchell said. “We’re all kind of in the same boat.”

Mitchell hopes his steady play earned him a trip to Europe for four of the Rangers’ seven preseason games, starting next Thursday at HC Sparta Prague in the Czech Republic.

“I most certainly would love to go, and it would be an honor and benefit me,” Mitchell said. “I’ve never played in Europe, so that definitely would be quite the experience for me. The thought of the bigger ice suits me well because I like to skate and use my speed. You’ve got wider boards and longer rinks, so it certainly helps.”

And it helps when you’ve performed the way Mitchell has the first week of the preseason.

“He has had a very good camp and followed it with a very good game,” Schoenfeld said. “He’s been skating well with more speed, is in great shape and has made some good plays. But it’s all about passing tests, and he’ll have more to come soon.”

But it’s not Friday at 7 p.m., as Mitchell is not scheduled to be in the lineup for the Rangers’ second preseason game against the Devils at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. The lineup is slated to include goalies Marty Biron and Chad Johnson, defensemen Brendan Bell, Michael Del Zotto, Tim Erixon, Ryan McDonagh, Michael Sauer and Pavel Valentenko and forwards Weise, captain Ryan Callahan, Brian Boyle, Ruslan Fedotenko, Marian Gaborik, Carl Hagelin, Kris Newbury, Brad Richards, Mike Rupp, Derek Stepan, Wojtek Wolski and Mats Zuccarello.

In a 1 p.m. prelim that is closed to the public, the Rangers’ prospects will play their Devils counterparts. The Rangers’ lineup is scheduled to consist of goalies Jason Missiaen and Scott Stajcer, defensemen Stu Bickel, Sam Klassen, Tomas Kundratek, Dylan McIlrath, Jyri Niemi and Sam Noreau and forwards Bourque, Miller, Jonathan Audy-Marchessault, Jordan Hickmott, Shane McColgan, Matt Rust, Michael St. Croix, Scott Tanski, Kelsey Tessier, Christian Thomas, Jason Wilson and Andrew Yogan.

The Rangers play their third and final preseason game in North America when they visit the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday at 1 p.m. before flying to Europe for four games before their season opener Oct. 7 against the Los Angeles Kings in Stockholm, Sweden.

TALBOT SHINES IN DEFEAT

The tough-luck loser in goal Wednesday was Cam Talbot, who was exceptional in his first appearance in an NHL game of any kind. Talbot relieved Henrik Lundqvist (17 saves on 18 shots) with 8:47 left in the second period and stopped all 23 shots he faced before defenseman Steve Eminger’s pass intended for Weise was picked off by Zach Parise, who fed a deft pass to the right post to Patrik Elias for an easy redirection into an open net at 45 seconds of overtime. Parise, a three-time 30-goal scorer who signed a one-year, $6 million contract on July 29 to avoid arbitration, played in only 13 games last season because of knee surgery.

“I didn’t have much chance,” Talbot said of the winner. “The guy (Parise) made a nice play. I thought he was coming in to take the shot and he back-doored me. I didn’t really get a good push on it, and when I went to reach for it, I didn’t have enough length.”

But Talbot was rightfully satisfied with his effort, which included bang-bang stops on veteran Petr Sykora at 2:27 of the third period and a glove stab of Ilya Kovalchuk’s 30-foot laser in the slot with 1:12 left in regulation. Several in the pro-Rangers crowd of 9,420 stood to cheer the latter save.

“I’m pretty happy with my performance,” said Talbot, who was 11-9-2 with a 2.84 goals-against average, .902 save percentage and two shutouts in 22 games in an injury-plagued rookie season in 2010-11. “I just tried to come in there and follow Hankie’s performance, which obviously isn’t always easy to do. I just tried to get my head into the game early. They kept a couple of the first shots from the outside and let me feel the puck, which is good. That kind of got me into it, and I tried to keep the ball rolling.”

Talbot said he also has been “pretty satisfied” with his play in the first week of training camp while trying to improve in all aspects of his game and working on endurance with goaltenders coach Benoit Allaire.

“I’m just trying to keep my level as high as possible and carry that over into the season,” Talbot said. “Bennie gives me all the tools I need, and it’s just up to me to go out and execute, so the game is pretty easy if you take it from there. I am just glad that I was able to make a pretty good first impression.”

Talbot also would love to be one of the three goalies to be part of the Rangers’ four preseason games in Europe. Talbot and Johnson are the leading candidates to make the trip overseas, which also would be a first for Talbot.

“Two of them (Lundqvist and Biron) are pretty solidified,” Talbot said with a wide smile. “Obviously I would like to go (to Europe), but if that’s not in the cards for me this year, then I’ll go to Hartford and start a few games there. But obviously Europe would be a great experience, even if I don’t get to see any playing time. Just to be over there watching Hank, one of the best goalies in the world, would be quite an experience.

“I’d love to get into another exhibition game to follow up this performance if I can and maybe showcase myself a little more.”

It appears that will happen after what transpired Wednesday night.

“He had some great saves,” Schoenfeld said. “He kept us close and with a chance to win until we had that little mistake. But he made some point-blank saves and did a real good job of tracking the puck and not allowing rebounds.”

WEISE GETS NOTICED

In his fourth pro season after being a fourth-round pick in 2008, Weise wants to take the next step to the next level and try to earn one of the few open forward spots on the Rangers roster. He, Zuccarello, injured Chad Kolarik and rookies Hagelin and Bourque are battling for one or two spots.

Weise certainly was noticed Wednesday night as he got into several yapping sessions with Devils tough guys Janssen, Eric Boulton and David Clarkson, had a fight with pesky Brad Mills and then started and finished the play that resulted in the Rangers’ only goal with 4:21 left in regulation. Weise leveled Devils defenseman Adam Larsson, the fourth overall pick in the June draft, got the puck to former Hartford Wolf Pack center Artem Anisimov, drove to the net, got a return pass and roofed a shot past Frazee.

“Fight, goal. I thought the third period was probably the best period, at least to see what some guys were doing. So, that’s good for Weise,” Tortorella said.

“I think I showed I can do a little more than last year in spot duty,” Weise said. “Ten games last year was a real good experience, but I’m not strictly a one-dimensional, fourth-line guy. I can play any situation and that’s something I like showing. I’m just feeling more comfortable in everything I do. There are no nerves for me anymore. I know what to expect and what I have to do. I know it’s only exhibition, but I’m taking every game seriously and felt real comfortable out there.”

Weise was delighted to be on the Rangers’ No. 1 line this night, playing alongside Anisimov and Brandon Dubinsky while filling the spot normally occupied by Callahan, another former Wolf Pack right wing.

“Anytime you play with skilled guys like that, you’re just looking to get them the puck,” said Weise, whose three shots tied for the team lead with Anisimov and Miller. “I thought I did that, and I thought we had some good chemistry down low. Obviously the ice was a little choppy so it was real tough to make plays, so we just tried to keep it simple, and I thought we did that.”

Weise will need more of the same in future preseason games if he is to add to his first 10 NHL games last season in what he admits is a make-or-break time in his career.

“I think that’s the mindset everyone comes into camp with,” Weise said, “but more important for me individually, it’s kind of now or never. I’ve played three years down there (in Hartford), had a little cup of tea last season (in New York) and now I’m trying to show them I’m ready to be here fulltime. In hockey terms, I’m relatively young, just turned 23, but I’ve played three years pro already, and in my mind, I think I’m ready to play here. So I’m just going to continue to work hard and show what I can do.”

Anisimov continued to show his improved all-around play while still recovering from losing dozens of friends and former teammates on the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl team in the Kontinental Hockey League in Russia that died in a plane crash Sept. 7 on the way to their opener in Minsk, Belarus. Anisimov flew to his hometown of Yaroslavl for the funerals before returning for the start of training camp.

“It was terrible,” said Anisimov, who played parts of two seasons with the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl organization. “I knew most of the team and don’t really like to talk about it. The whole town came out for the funerals. It’s lots of people that they wanted to say goodbye to.”

Lokomotiv Yaroslavl will not play in the KHL this season, and the airline operating the Yak-42 jet that crashed lost its license on Wednesday. The Federal Air Transportation Agency, which took away the license, said it based its decision on a check into Yak-Service’s operations and took the Yaroslavl crash into account. But it cited no violations.

Forty-four people were killed when the Yak-42 carrying the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl hit a navigational beacon just beyond the end of the runway and crashed into a small river after failing to pick up enough speed during takeoff. The only survivor, flight attendant Alexander Sizov, has recovered enough to meet with investigators, his doctor said Wednesday. No date for questioning was given. … Tortorella had this assessment of  the play of Avery and Erik Christensen: “I thought Sean, along with his two linemates, I thought forechecked very well. He created some offense. I don’t think there was a lot of scoring chances, but they created some zone time. Erik, you know, not much was happening there with him. Again, I don’t want to get too down on someone, I don’t want to get too high on someone, the first exhibition game, especially with the way the ice was. You could see both teams, it was like a basketball game at times with the puck bouncing so much. We’ll continue. We’ll continue with it.” … Tortorella also had some fun with the media when asked about watching from the stands: “I wanted to because there’s just a lot of players that we need to evaluate, and when you’re ice level, sometimes you just don’t see some of the little things that go on in the game. So I can see why you guys are experts. You get to watch from up there, and see everything. It’s a real easy game from up there, that’s for sure. I guess I’ll have to be more patient with you guys.” … Dubinsky and former Wolf Pack defenseman Dan Girardi were the alternate captains, as the Rangers didn’t have anyone wear a C as a fill-in for Callahan, who didn’t play. … Rookie Keith Kinkaid, who played for nearby Union College, got the start in net for the Devils. He played the first 31:13 and stopped all 10 shots he faced before being replaced by Frazee. … Sykora, who is on a tryout with New Jersey, continued to make a strong case for making the team by scoring the game’s first goal on a shot from the right circle that beat Lundqvist to the far corner. … The crowd included the parents of Bourque, Hall of Famer Ray Bourque and his wife. Not surprisingly, several fans asked Ray for his autograph. … Six of the Rangers’ seven preseason games will be televised by the MSG Network. The one that won’t is Tuesday’s game. … All-Star defenseman Marc Staal visited a specialist Thursday because of continued concussion-like symptoms that have kept him out of scrimmages and at least the first three preseason games in North America. … Tortorella said he’s considering a lot of players for left wing on the No. 1 line with Gaborik and newcomer Brad Richards, including Boyle, who normally plays center. Tortorella admitted he was hesitant to break up the Dubinsky-Anisimov-Callahan line that was the team’s best last season because of their chemistry. … Members of the FDNY and NYPD hockey teams skated with the Rangers’ regulars in a “game” and then a shootout Thursday. Needless to say, a memorable and enjoyable time was had by all. Kudos to the Rangers for the best preseason move so far. “We went out touring to some of the fire stations,” Tortorella said when asked for the genesis of the fun game. “I just figured some people saw the guys. I just wanted them to practice with us. We just thought it was good timing. I think it’s just a way of us showing respect to them for what they do for us. The game itself was great, but just to watch them with the players afterwards, taking pictures, Pruster (Brandon Prust) showing them how to fight. I was so glad it worked out that way. Look at our guys, look how much fun they had. Not sure who had more fun, our guys, the policemen, or the firemen.” … Defenseman Blake Parlett, who excelled for the Whale after being called up from Greenville of the ECHL on Feb. 17, returned to the ice Thursday for the first time since being injured in the prospects tournament last week in Traverse City, Mich.

WHALE OPEN CAMP SATURDAY

After the two games Friday, the Rangers will make their first cuts and send an as-yet undetermined number of players to the Whale, who open camp Saturday at Champions Skating Center in Cromwell with physicals and testing.

The Rangers’ cuts will join several players not invited to camp, including veteran defenseman Wade Redden, who has played 994 NHL games with the Ottawa Senators and Rangers and was an extremely positive influence on the Whale’s young players in his first time in the minors last season.

The Whale will have their first scrimmage open to the public Sunday from 10:40 to 11:40 a.m.

The Whale’s first preseason game is Tuesday at 7 p.m. against Albany 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 Sept. 30 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).

WHALE KICKOFF OCT. 1 IN WEST HARTFORD

The Whale will hold a “Whale Face-off” season kickoff Oct. 1 from 6-9 p.m. at Blue Back Square in West Hartford, weather permitting. The event will include a pep rally, with introductions of Whale players and coaches who will be signing autographs. In addition to offering a chance to meet the players and mascot “Pucky,” the Whale Face-off will include a wide variety of other fun for fans of all ages, including face-painting.

There will be live music and a movie shown on an outdoor screen, with popcorn available. Also, prospective sharpshooters can measure their puck-shooting skills in the CT Whale Slap Shot Cage sponsored by XFINITY. Fans also can enter to win tickets to the Whale’s home opener or a Whale replica jersey.

Admission is free, and the event will be held 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. … Former Wolf Pack left wing Justin Soryal and defenseman Chris Murray were among six players that the Carolina Hurricanes assigned to the Charlotte Checkers on Wednesday. … The AHL and Rogers Sportsnet have announced a five-year agreement that gives the Canadian network multi-platform broadcast rights to the AHL All-Star Classic starting in 2012 in Atlantic City, N.J. Sportsnet also will produce and broadcast (in high definition) the first outdoor AHL game held in Canada, as the Hamilton Bulldogs host the Marlies at Ivor Wynne Stadium in Hamilton, Ont., on Jan. 21, 2012.

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.

Photo credit: AP Photo

HARTFORD, September 22, 2011:  Whalers Sports & Entertainment (WSE) president and COO Howard Baldwin, Jr. announced today that Frank Berrian will be the new public-address announcer for Connecticut Whale home games at the XL Center.

Berrian also serves the Whale as the team’s Community Relations Manager, coordinating all of the Whale’s community outreach and appearances.  Prior to joining the team’s full-time staff during the 2010-11 season, Berrian was a member of the game-night promotions staff for both the Whale and the Hartford Wolf Pack.

“Frank does an outstanding job promoting and representing the team in the community, and having him as our p.a. voice is another way for his enthusiasm and energy to help the team,” Baldwin, Jr. said.  He has an infectious personality, with a voice to match, and that combination will really add to the already-great atmosphere of Whale games at the XL Center.”

In addition to his community relations and promotion experience, Berrian handled the public-address duties for the extensive high-school and youth hockey action at this past February’s outdoor Harvest-Properties.com Whalers Hockey Fest at Rentschler Field in East Hartford.  His qualifications for that assignment include a wide-ranging array of work in the radio broadcasting field since 1993.  Berrian has been behind the microphone as an on-air host and commercial voice-over talent at such Connecticut radio outlets as “KC 101” WKCI-FM in Hamden, WAOF-AM in Avon, and “Q-105” 105.5 FM and “XL 102” 102.3 FM in New London, as well as WMCR-FM in Poughkeepsie, New York and WFPC-FM in Rindge, New Hampshire.  He also did a stint as a news anchor at WMXT-TV in Poughkeepsie, and as the p.a. voice of the New Haven Ninjas of Arena Football 2.

Berrian’s XL Center debut at the Whale p.a. mike will be at the 2011-12 home opener, which 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.

HARTFORD, September 21, 2011:  The Connecticut Whale will be opening its training camp for the 2011-12 season this weekend at Champions Skating Center in Cromwell, CT.

The team will be conducting on and off-ice testing this Saturday, September 24, starting at 12:15 PM.  Then, the first training camp scrimmage is scheduled for this Sunday, September 25, from 10:40 to 11:40 AM.  The Whale is tentatively scheduled to have practices immediately before and immediately after the scrimmage.

A scrimmage is also scheduled for this Monday, September 26 from 10:00-11:00 AM, with practices immediately before and after.

The Whale training camp schedule is subject to change, so all interested media are asked please to double-check on times with either Bob Crawford or Brian Ring before attending a scrimmage or practice.

The Whale’s first preseason game is this Tuesday, September 27 at Trinity College’s Koeppel Community Sports Center, a 7:00 PM game against the Albany Devils.  The Koeppel Community Sports Center is located at 175 New Britain Ave. in Hartford, and the September 27 game is a benefit for 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 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.

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.

By Bruce Berlet

Chad Johnson experienced about the ultimate in good news-bad news last season.

The good? The New York Rangers called up the goalie from the Connecticut Whale on Feb. 28 after backup Martin Biron sustained a broken collarbone when hit by a shot in practice.

The bad? Johnson played only 20 minutes in two months while backing up Henrik Lundqvist.

And things didn’t start all that well this season when the first shot of warm-ups in the Rangers’ first scrimmage went off Johnson’s facemask, requiring him to go to the bench for repairs.

But Johnson, who struggled much of the season before being summoned by the Rangers, insists spending weeks with the Rangers and goaltending coach Benoit Allaire far outweighed having virtually no playing time.

“It was good to be here with Benoit and work on kind of really getting my game back, tweaking all the little things and getting my habits back,” said Johnson, who wasn’t scheduled to play Wednesday night in the Rangers’ preseason opener against the New Jersey Devils in Albany, N.Y., home of the Devils’ AHL affiliate.. “In that aspect, it was good for me to be up and be around the atmosphere, the crunch of trying to make the playoffs and then obviously the playoffs, too.

“The experience of being around that atmosphere helped me for sure. Just being exposed to that sort of environment with the fans and the media was good for me. Obviously you want to play games and showcase your skills and help your team win in Hartford or New York, but that was the situation. Being in the minors, you have to anticipate certain situations like that, so I took everything that I could from it.”

The 25-year-old Johnson was 16-19-0 with a 2.72 goals-against average, .901 save percentage and two shutouts in 40 games when called up. Though he benefitted from his time with the Rangers, it was difficult spending all but one period practicing, cheerleading and opening the bench door for his teammates.

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“It’s sort of tough because you don’t really do a lot of game-situation stuff throughout practice, especially later in the season,” said Johnson, a fifth-round pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2006 acquired for a similar pick in 2009. “But for me, it was just a matter of keeping my mental intensity up. Benoit was always there after practice to do some small game situations for me. It’s just the situation you’re in, so you have to make the best of it and be ready whenever you possibly can. Obviously I would have like to have played a lot more, but again it’s kind of crunch time, and that was the situation that I was in. I understood the situation and tried to make the most of it. I tried to help the team as much as I could throughout the game, so obviously I was there in a different aspect throughout practice and off the ice, too.”

Johnson admitted his first four months of last season weren’t as good as his rookie campaign when he was 24-18-2 with a 2.54 GAA, .911 save percentage and three shutouts in 44 games with the then Hartford Wolf Pack and 1-1-2, 2.35 and .919 in five games with the Rangers.

“I think it was more my approach to the game,” Johnson said. “I think the way I approached and prepared for games wasn’t what it should have been. I was more worried about the technical side instead of just going out and playing and competing to win the hockey game. So over the summer, I adjusted that as far as preparing for games, along with getting stronger and improving in little things, like my footwork, that Benoit talks about.

“In the end, when you’re in a game, it’s all about competing hard and trying to get those two points somehow. How you get it done is making sure you’re making the saves you should and play solid to help the team win. I think I improved on that aspect, and physically I’ve gotten stronger and in better condition, which I think is going to help my overall game.”

Rangers assistant general manager/assistant coach/Whale GM Jim Schoenfeld agrees that Johnson needs to concentrate better than he did last season, which likely will come with more ice time.

“Being with the Rangers is nice, but playing is better,” Schoenfeld said. “The key is being ready for every shot. His high end is as high as many, but it’s the ability to focus and not let in the one you’re supposed to stop. To me, goalies have to stop everything they’re supposed to stop, plus a few. And even if you stop more than a few that are hard, if you let one in that you’re supposed to stop, it knocks the heck out of your team.

“So that to me is that consistency of focus. You’re not going to get beaten by a bad-angle shot because you’re focused on being where you should be. You’re not going to be beaten by giving up a bad rebound because you’re lazy and don’t steer it into the corner. It’s all that mental clarity, and that’s something that has to be developed, just like your leg strength, your arm quickness and everything else. It’s something that you have to work on all the time.”

Schoenfeld related Johnson’s inconsistency last season to golf, though in the more fast-paced game of hockey, goalies live by the credo, “He who hesitates is lost.”

“When you’re learning a new skill or technique, the time to think about is when you’re practicing it, so when you get in a game, you just try to put the ball in the hole,” Schoenfeld said. “When you get in the (hockey) game, you just stop the puck any way you can. You can’t be thinking about a lot of things, so sometimes when they’re going through the process of learning, when the game starts, it doesn’t matter how you do it but you stop the puck. Technique is important – don’t get me wrong, it’s critical to have good technique to be an efficient goaltender – but the most important thing is stopping the puck. After plenty of practice, the habit becomes habit-forming, but you can’t think about it. It’s a reaction, and your first reaction to the shot has to be instinctive.”

Johnson said he tried to improve the mental part of his game by zeroing in on his goals for every game and individual plays that might arise. He said he has focused on having a clear mind, knowing what his goal is for each game and period and staying in the present without thoughts of outcomes or statistics.

“I just want to keep it simple and not try to do too much or try to win games all by myself,” Johnson said. “I just have to play the way I can and have confidence in doing it, nothing too elaborate because it’s a simple game. My job is simple, you stop the puck. When you start making it too complicated is when you kind of get in trouble. Everybody always has their own little different way of doing things, whether it’s coaches or the media saying you should have done this or that, but it’s not really a complex game. You just have to stick to what you do. That’s all you can really worry about.”

It stems from majoring in psychology at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks, where he was the Central Collegiate Hockey Association Player of the Year and a Hobey Baker Award finalist his senior year when he was 14-16-5 but had a 1.66 GAA, .940 save percentage and six shutouts in 35 games.

“You just have to focus to making that next save because nothing else really matters,” Johnson said. “It’s just training your mind to think a certain way. And I learned that from school taking sports psychology stuff, which, as I look back, helped me, too.”

Lundqvist and Biron are ticketed to be the Rangers goalies, with Johnson, Cam Talbot and youngsters Jason Missiaen and Scott Stajcer vying for spots in Hartford, though some decisions may have already been made. During the prospects tournament last week in Traverse City, Mich., Rangers director of hockey operations Gordie Clark said Missiaen, who spent a month with the Whale last season, would be going to Greenville of the ECHL to get some seasoning. Clark and Schoenfeld have said Stajcer would be headed back to the Ontario Hockey League as an over-aged junior because he has missed most of last season after hip surgery in November. But Stajcer played well in the prospects tournament and a strong camp could earn him a spot with the Whale.

It’s all part of the increased depth in the Rangers organization, which helps in Hartford.

“I think the team is going to be more experienced on the back end,” Johnson said. “Early on last year, we didn’t have a lot of experience with a lot of young guys coming in, which can be a good thing because they compete hard and don’t really care if they’re playing three (games) in three (days) or who you’re playing against. They’re just coming in and competing hard, so I think defensively, we’re going to be a lot stronger. Obviously there are a lot of D-men in the organization and not a whole lot of spots available (in New York), so I think we’re going to be good on defense with a lot of experience and skill.

“Up front, we’re going to have a lot of skill, too, a lot of youth, which I think is going to be good. It brings that energy, that excitement to the game. I think it’s good having young guys in there because you just go out and play, you don’t think about anything else. You just want to go in and play as well as you can when you first get in there, so I think it’s good for the whole team to have a lot of young kids who really compete every day because it brings everybody else up and challenges everyone else in practice and in games to be their best.”

Youngsters such as late-season additions Carl Hagelin, Andrew Yogan, Tommy Grant and Kale Kerbashian could be joined by Ryan Bourque, son of Hockey Hall of Famer Ray Bourque, Jonathan Audy-Marchessault, Jason Wilson, Jordan Hickmott and/or Tayler Jordan. Bourque and Audy-Marchessault excelled in the prospects tournament, where the Rangers lost 5-2 in the final to the more experienced Buffalo Sabres.

So with so much youth up front, the defense and goaltending might have to carry the Whale at the start of the season, which begins Oct. 8 against the Adirondack Phantoms in Glens Falls, N.Y. The home opener is Oct. 15 against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, whose head coach is former Wolf Pack defenseman Brent Thompson. One of his assistants is West Haven native Eric Boguniecki, who was the AHL’s MVP with the then Worcester IceCats in the 2001-02 season.

“It has to start with your goaltending. I think that’s how you win games,” Johnson said. “Whether it’s in the minors or the NHL, teams that do well and go far in the playoffs all have good goaltending throughout the season. And having good defense and playing good strong team defense is important, too, is how you’re going to consistently win hockey games. You can win games being really offensive, but you’re not going to be as consistent as if you’re just playing strong defensively.

“So for sure early on, our defense and goaltending are going to have to be our strong points, and with playing strong D, you’re going to get the puck and get more opportunities so you’re going to score more goals. So I think if we just focus on playing well defensively early on, offensively things are going to come.”

While Johnson appears headed to Hartford, he is taking nothing for granted in training camp, especially in light of what happened last season. Not to mention the Rangers will be taking three goalies to Europe for four preseason games before the season opener Oct. 7 against the Los Angeles Kings in Stockholm, Sweden, and everyone knows who two of them will be, barring injuries. Coach John Tortorella said Tuesday that he wants to get Lundqvist and Biron as ready as possible in the preseason games.

“You want to compete and showcase what you can do to the organization and all the scouts that are here,” Johnson said. “Obviously they have Henrik and Marty there, but you come into this camp as a tryout camp and a training camp to compete and battle and show what you can. For me, I’m not really that worried about Hartford. When the time comes and I’m down there, I’ll worry about down there. Right now, I’m worried about trying to make the New York Rangers, even if they do have things penciled in. Things change all the time, so you want to make sure you’re playing the best you possibly can all the time. It’s important for me to have a good camp and do what I do, play the best I possibly can. That’s all that I can control.”

LUNDQVIST, TALBOT BACKSTOP RANGERS IN PRESEASON OPENER

Lundqvist and Talbot were scheduled to split the preseason opener in Albany, and the defensive pairings were expected to be: Dan Girardi-Brendan Bell, Michael Del Zotto-Steve Eminger and Erixon-Dylan McIlrath, who played together in the prospects tournament.

The lines scheduled lines were (left to right): Brandon Dubinsky-Artem Anisimov-Dale Weise, Hagelin-Erik Christensen-Christian Thomas, Sean Avery-John Mitchell-J.T. Miller and Bourque-Shane McColgan-Andre Deveaux.

Lundqvist told the New York media that this would be the last start that he doesn’t finish, but didn’t know which games he would play. He’s likely to start four of the seven preseason games and most assuredly against his former team, Frolunda, on Sept. 30 in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Tortorella said the Rangers will be taking three goalies, 10 defensemen and 18 forwards to Europe. They hope to be down to the maximum 23 for the regular season after the first two games in Europe. The final cuts will join the Whale, giving coach Ken Gernander and assistants J.J. Daigneault and Pat Boller about a week to form their lines and defensive pairings for their opener Oct. 8 against the Adirondack Phantoms in Glens Falls, N.Y.

Right wing Chad Kolarik, who played his first four NHL games with the Rangers last season after being acquired from Dane Byers on Nov. 13, wasn’t scheduled to play Wednesday but couldn’t even practice. He tried to skate after being injured Tuesday during a scrimmage but quickly left the ice.

The 25-year-old forward played reasonably well and had an assist on the fourth line with the Rangers as an injury replacement, and his past performance will be part of his evaluation this year.

“He did some things for us last year,” Tortorella said. “You can’t take anything away or against what they’ve done prior. You have to keep it in your memory how they’ve played. But it’s also, ‘Are they improving?’ And Kolarik is not getting a chance to show that if he can’t skate.”

Kolarik, Weise, Hagelin, Bourque and Mats Zuccarello are vying for a possible one or two forwards spots, with veterans Avery and Christensen on the bubble.

“There’s a lot of players in there that really need to show some things to really move along,” Tortorella said after the morning skate. When asked if that included Avery and Christensen, Tortorella said “very definitely.”

We’ll have a look at the game and reactions Thursday.

WHALE COACHES EARN PLAUDITS

All of the Rangers hierarchy that we talked to believe training camp has been competitive and fast paced. Tortorella said much of the credit goes to Clark and the scouts and the Whale coaches.

“Gordie Clark and his crew are the people looking at kids, drafting the kids,” Tortorella said. “I go back to even Kenny (Gernander) and (his assistants). When we had all the injuries last year we were playing with a lot of the Hartford guys for a good part of the season. They came in and did a great job and really did give us an opportunity to get into the playoffs. So organizationally, I think we’ve added to our depth. I think we’ve done a great job down there and with our scouts and player development as far as adding to our depth with drafts and having to come along through our system.

“This is what we want to do. We have a captain (former Wolf Pack All-Star right wing Ryan Callahan) that’s come through our system; he’s the captain of our team now. This is what you want to do. So I think you really need to look to give some credit to the people that are out there, watching these games, drafting and the minor-league team that have helped develop them.”

When asked if that really matters, Tortorella had an emphatic response.

“Absolutely. Absolutely,” he said. “In a (salary) cap world, and where we’re at right now, I think it’s huge as far as how they feel about it, and the business end from us, how we’re going to go about our business, not just for one year, but as you go along. Again, that’s why I’m excited. I’m excited that Ryan Callahan is the captain of the team. He is one of us. He has gone through the system, been drafted on through and now he’s turned into this. It’s a great example and I think the players really come together with that when you get to your National Hockey League team, the top team in your organization.”

Schoenfeld agreed that Callahan was the logical successor to Trumbull native Chris Drury, who retired Aug. 19 after having the final year of his five-year, $35.25 million contract bought out by the Rangers on June 23.

“Ryan was the heir apparent,” Schoenfeld said. “I really liked Chris and admired the way he played, but people knew Cally was the right choice. He plays the game the way it’s supposed to be played, and he’s homegrown. He’s a Ranger.”

STAAL BACK BUT CAUTIOUS

All-Star defenseman Marc Staal returned to the ice Tuesday, taking part in drills and practice but not a scrimmage after being sent home for not feeling well on Monday. Staal has been bothered by headaches since summer and said that getting through the first three days of intense training camp with only minor issues was a good sign.

“I couldn’t get through my workouts at the start of the summer because of the headaches, but it has been steadily improving since,” said Staal, who also skated Wednesday. “It’s frustrating. It’s something I’ve never had before, but I’ve been improving quite a bit the past two-three weeks, so I’m just hoping it keeps heading in that direction.”

Staal originally sustained a concussion when hit by his brother, All-Star center Eric Staal of the Carolina Hurricanes on Feb. 22.

“He’s not real happy about it,” Marc said of Eric. “But it is what it is. You can’t really do anything about it now.”

Marc passed baseline tests after hit by Eric and before training camp, but the headaches continue depending on the extent of his workouts. As a precaution, the Rangers are holding Staal out of scrimmages and at least the first three preseason games in hopes he will be ready for the regular-season opener on Oct. 7 against the Los Angeles Kings in Stockholm, Sweden.

“It depends on the length and the hardness of the workout,” Staal said of the severity of his headaches. “Some days I’ll get a headache late in the day that’ll last sometimes four or five hours, or it’ll last one hour. That’s just kind of the way it’s been going the last couple of weeks.

“I feel no symptoms if I don’t do anything. If I sit on the couch all day, I don’t get any headaches or anything like that. If I push myself really hard, later on in the day, I’ll more times than not get a headache.”

Tortorella acknowledged it’s much more difficult dealing with a concussion than other injuries but is trusting Staal to let the Rangers know how he’s feeling.

“It’s a hard one,” Tortorella said. “You want to be careful. I’m a coach (that thinks) you need to keep pushing athletes. Sometimes athletes are sore but not hurt. Not everybody feels perfect, but you’ve got to be careful. (A concussion) is not tangible. It’s a difficult injury. You leave it up to the player. He needs to communicate with you. There’s a league-wide push on us on the need to be careful.

“I trust him. Take away the head injury, sometimes you don’t trust a player. I trust him.”

All sides are hoping a cautious approach will bring a full recovery for the Rangers’ assistant captain who forms the team’s No. 1 defensive pairing with former Wolf Pack Girardi. But if Staal’s health issues become a long-term concern, it will be a major blow to the Rangers’ hopes of joining the NHL’s elite.

The one bright side of Staal’s injury is management will get a chance to look at defensemen on the bubble for one or two roster spots such as Del Zotto, Pavel Valentenko, Tomas Kundratek and newcomers Bell and Erixon, son of former Rangers wing Jan Erixon and the Rangers’ best player in the prospects tournament.

“We’re going to keep on looking at guys, and that is a position that there are spots wide open,” Tortorella said. “So we’ll get some guys in situations to take a look at them in the exhibition games.”

WHALE OPEN CAMP SATURDAY

The Rangers’ prospects will play their Devils counterparts Friday at 1 p.m. in Newark, N.J., before the parent clubs face off at 7 p.m. Then the Rangers will make their first cuts and send an as-yet undetermined number of players to the Whale, who open camp Saturday at Champions Skating Center in Cromwell with physicals and testing.

The Rangers’ cuts are expected to join several players not invited to Rangers camp, including veteran defenseman Wade Redden, who has played 994 NHL games with the Ottawa Senators and Rangers and was an extremely positive influence on the Whale’s young players in his first time in the minors last season.

The Whale will have their first scrimmage open to the public Sunday from 10:40 to 11:40 a.m. The Whale’s first preseason game is Sept. 27 at 7 p.m. against Albany 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 Sept. 28 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 Sept. 30 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).

MODANO RETIRES – VIA FACEBOOK AND TWITTER

Mike Modano, the all-time leading NHL scorer among U.S.-born players, retired on his Facebook and Twitter accounts on Tuesday and announced he will hold a press conference Friday.

“After a long summer of thinking about my future, I’ve come to the decision that it’s time to retire as a player from the NHL,” Modano wrote on his Facebook page, a link to which he also posted to his Twitter account. “There’s way too many people to thank here at this time and too much to say, so I have a press conference scheduled for early Friday afternoon. Check back Friday late afternoon for more. What a great ride it’s been!

Modano played 1,499 regular-season NHL games, including 1,459 with the Minnesota/Dallas franchise, and finished his career with 561 goals and 813 assists. The first pick of the 1988 draft, he made his NHL debut with the North Stars in 1989 and played 21 seasons. The native of Livonia, Mich., returned home last season to play with the Red Wings, but injuries limited him to only 40 games.

“The greatest American player ever,” former teammate Brett Hull told The Hockey News. “I don’t think there’s one better. He’s by far No. 1.”

Modano won the Stanley Cup with the Stars in 1999 and holds NHL records for the most goals, points, playoff points (145) and games played by a U.S.-born player. He also holds Minnesota/Dallas franchise records for games played in the regular season, games played in the playoffs (174), goals in the regular season (557), goals in the playoffs (58), assists in the regular season (802), assists in the playoffs (87) and points in both the regular season (1,359) and playoffs (145). He was named to the All-Rookie team in 1990 and played in eight All-Star Games.

BLUE JACKETS SIGN UMBERGER TO BIG DEAL, SPLIT TWO WITH JETS

Center R.J. Umberger, who worked out the Wolf Pack but never played for the Rangers, signed a five-year, $23 million contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets that also was revealed via social media on Wednesday.

“We have signed RJ to a 5 year extension,” Blue Jackets general manager Scott Howson tweeted. “Thrilled to have such a big part of our team signed long term.”

Umberger is entering his fourth season in Columbus after spending his first three NHL seasons with the Philadelphia Flyers. He hasn’t missed a game in a Blue Jackets uniform and has 74 goals and 84 assists. He has scored at least 23 goals in each of his three seasons with Columbus and had 32 assists in each of the last two. He had a career-best 57 points last season.

The announcement of Umberger’s signing came just hours after the Blue Jackets split two games with the new Winnipeg Jets. They won 5-1 at home but were routed 6-1 in the return of the NHL to Manitoba after a 15-year absence, in a game that had the feel of a Stanley Cup game before a sellout crowd of 15,003 at the MTS Center. Mark Scheifele, the seventh overall pick in June, had two goals and two assists for the Jets, and former Wolf Pack wing Alexandre Giroux assisted on the Blue Jackets’ only goal by Ryan Johansen, the fourth overall pick in 2010.

Winnipeg fans roared from the moment the Jets hit the ice for warm-ups, rarely rested throughout the game and screamed “Go Jets Go” countless times. “The atmosphere was electric,” said Blue Jackets coach Scott Arniel, a member of the original Jets and 2009 AHL Coach of the Year while with the Manitoba Moose when they played in Winnipeg. “We knew it was going to be loud, and it was.” Could this be Hartford again in a few years?

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.

By Bruce Berlet

GREENBURGH, N.Y. – Dale Weise got a taste of the NHL last season and would love to have a permanent dose this year.

So to try to give himself the best possible chance of making the New York Rangers, the right wing changed his diet and worked with a trainer, Nate Rubin, for the first time this summer while home in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and reported to training this week stronger, thanks largely to eight pounds of muscle mass.

“We set up our own thing and went one-on-one all summer, and I think it really helped me,” Weise said Tuesday while watching others scrimmage at the Madison Square Garden training facility. “Normally I work in a group, but this time I worked one-on-one with (Rubin). I’m leaner than ever. I’m stronger than ever. And I’m a little bit heavier, which I feel good about because I was getting stronger but not really losing my speed.

“After playing in the NHL last season, if I want to play the style I want I felt I had to get a little stronger, and I think I did that over the summer. It’ll probably get a little more physical as we get rolling into the exhibition games, but it has felt pretty good so far.”

Weise, who ended last season at 205 pounds but is now at 213, will be in the lineup when the Rangers open a rigorous preseason schedule Wednesday night at 7 against the New Jersey Devils in Albany, N.Y; home of the Devils’ AHL affiliate. But several players who played for the Connecticut Whale last season or could be in Hartford season will be action, including goalie Cam Talbot, defensemen Michael Del Zotto, Tim Erixon and Brendan Bell and forwards John Mitchell, Carl Hagelin, Andre Deveaux and Ryan Bourque, son of Hockey Hall of Famer Ray Bourque. Others playing include standout goalie Henrik Lundqvist, defenseman Steve Eminger, pesky Sean Avery and former Wolf Pack players Dan Girardi, Brandon Dubinsky and Artem Anisimov.

To continue reading, click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

Weise is battling fellow wings Mats Zuccarello, Chad Kolarik and Hagelin for one of the final few open spots on the Rangers roster. Centers Mitchell and Kris Newbury are also in the forward mix, depending on whether the Rangers decide to play second-year pro Derek Stepan in the middle or at wing, which he did a few times last season.

Zuccarello and Newbury also did extensive training in the summer. Zuccarello worked out with Rangers center Brian Boyle and former Olympic medalist Barbara Underwood, the team’s skating guru. Newbury worked out with former Whale strength and conditioning coach Jeremy Goodman at Champions Skating Center in Cromwell.

Weise was encouraged Tuesday when he was put on a line with Boyle and newcomer Mike Rupp, who won’t play against his former team Wednesday night. The first two days of scrimmages, Weise was alongside Bourque and newcomer Jonathan Audy-Marchessault. Bourque and Audy-Marchessault excelled in last week’s prospects tournament in Traverse City, Mich., where the Rangers lost 5-2 in the finals to the more experienced Buffalo Sabres.

“It’s a big line, and we all kind of play similar styles,” Weise said of his Tuesday pairing. “I think it’s good that they’re giving me a look on some different lines and try to check out some combinations.”

Weise, a fourth-round pick in 2008, said he thinks he has a decent shot to stick with the Rangers, though there’s little margin for error.

“If you look at their roster, they have a lot of good, young guys, and I just want to be a part of it,” Weise said. “And they’re building something special with the core guys that they love to talk about (Lundqvist, Dubinsky, captain Ryan Callahan and All-Star defenseman Marc Staal). There a couple of guys battling for one or two spots, and I’m taking it day-to-day and game-to-game and just try to do what I can to make an impression and show them a little more than I did in the 10 games last season.”

Weise was scoreless with 19 penalty minutes in the 10 games but earned some notoriety when he fought Philadelphia Flyers’ tough guy Daniel Carcillo in his NHL debut in the Wachovia Center. Weise also had 18 goals, 20 assists and 73 penalty minutes in 47 games with the Hartford Wolf Pack/Whale while battling a series of injuries that began even before the season even began.

“Knock on wood, it’s nice not to be playing with any broken fingers,” Weise said with a smile. “Last year things started bothering after a fight with (Marcus) Foligno. I didn’t really say anything because I’m not a guy who’s going to complain about a little stuff like that, but it continued to get worse as I played the first two games. Then I got into a fight in the second game, which didn’t help. I was out for month and then came back, played three games and broke my finger, so it was kind of a whirlwind start. I’m lucky to stay healthy so far this year.”

Weise hopes he can follow in the footsteps of Boyle and former Wolf Pack defenseman Michael Sauer. Boyle, a first-round pick (26^th overall) of the Los Angeles Kings in 2003, was acquired for a third-round pick on June 27, 2009. After a forgettable season in which he had only four goals and two assists in 71 games, Boyle worked out in the offseason with Underwood but still seemed destined for Hartford. But he performed so well in training camp that he earned a job with the Rangers and had 21 goals and 14 assists, while being a top penalty killer, in 82 games last season. Sauer had three injury-plagued seasons in Hartford before staying healthy in 2010-11 after surprisingly earning a job in New York in training camp. He then ended up being part of the Rangers’ No. 2 pairing with Ryan McDonagh, who changed places with Del Zotto on Jan. 3 and never left Broadway.

“It was good to see for a guy like that who battled through some adversity with injuries,” Weise said. “It kind of slowed his progression a little bit, but he came last year in kind of the same situation as me now, made the team and got himself a nice, little contract (two years, $2.5 million).

“You look at a guy like that who got a chance to play a few NHL (preseason) games. No one was really expecting him to make the team, and he was steady and made it hard on (Rangers management) and they couldn’t cut him. And look at Brian Boyle, who also wasn’t considered to be making the team. He came in, had a solid camp and continued to get better. I think guys like that are something I can build off of.”

WHALE OPEN CAMP SATURDAY

The Rangers prospects will play their Devils counterparts Friday at 1 p.m. in Newark, N.J. Then the Rangers will make their first cuts and send a yet-undetermined number of players to the Whale, who open camp Saturday at Champions Skating Center with physicals and testing.

The Rangers cuts are expected to join nine players not invited to Rangers camp, including veteran defenseman Wade Redden, who has played 994 NHL games with the Ottawa Senators and Rangers and was an extremely positive influence on the Whale’s young players in his first time in the minors last season.

The Whale will have their first scrimmage open to the public Sunday from at 10:40 to 11:40 a.m. The Whale’s first preseason game is Sept. 27 at 7 p.m. against Albany 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 Rangers will commemorate left wing/enforcer Derek Boogaard, who died May 13, with a helmet decal, just as the Winnipeg Jets will do for Rick Rypien, who committed suicide Aug. 15 after a long bout with depression. Boogaard was found dead in his Minneapolis apartment from an accidental overdose of alcohol and painkillers.

MARK JOHNSON AMONG LESTER PATRICK TROPHY WINNERS

Former Hartford Whalers center and Olympic gold medalist Mark Johnson is among four people named to receive the 2011 Lester Patrick Trophy for outstanding service to hockey in the United States.

Other recipients to be honored Oct. 26 at the RiverCenter in St. Paul, Minn., are Hockey Hall of Famer Bob Pulford, longtime USA Hockey executive Tony Rossi and college coaching legend Jeff Sauer. The award, one of the most prestigious in hockey, was presented to the NHL by the Rangers in 1966 to honor the memory of Lester Patrick, who spent 50 years in hockey as a player, coach and general manager and was a pioneer in the sport’s development.

Johnson, born in Minneapolis, followed an accomplished athletic career by distinguishing himself as a coach. Perhaps best-known as the leading scorer for champion Team USA at the 1980 Olympic Winter Games, one of 13 international tournament in which he would play for the U.S., Johnson scored twice in Team USA’s iconic 4-3 victory over the Soviet Union en route to the gold medal. Johnson, who had a three-year collegiate playing career at the University of Wisconsin, also competed for 11 years in the NHL (1979-90), collecting 508 points in 669 games.

Johnson is currently head coach of the women’s hockey team at his alma mater, having led Wisconsin to four NCAA championships (2006, 2007, 2009 and 2011). He also served as the head coach of the 2010 silver-medal winning U.S. Olympic women’s hockey team and twice was as an assistant coach for the U.S. men’s national team at the World Championships (2000, 2002) Johnson, the son of legendary college and NHL coach “Badger” Bob Johnson, was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 2004.

Pulford was one of the most reliable players in the NHL during a 16-year career that spanned three decades. He played 1,079 regular-season NHL games, winning four Stanley Cups with the Toronto Maple Leafs (1962-64, 1967) before being traded to the Kings in 1970. He took his first coaching role with the Kings, guiding them to their first playoff appearance in five years in 1974, and won the Jack Adams Award as coach of the year in the NHL in 1975. That season, the Kings amassed 105 points, still a club record.

Pulford then joined the Chicago Blackhawks, where he spent more than 30 years in various roles. He served as the club’s head coach on three separate occasions from 1977 to 1987. He was promoted to senior vice president in 1990 and took on the general manager’s duties three separate times. Pulford was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1991.

Besides a highly successful business career, Rossi has generously donated significant time, resources and expertise to USA Hockey for parts of five decades at the grassroots and executive leadership levels. After beginning his volunteer career with the National Governing Body in the mid-1970s, Rossi was elected to the USA Hockey Board of Directors in 1983 and served as a director from the Central District until 1988. He then was elected to the USA Hockey executive committee and transitioned into the role of USA Hockey treasurer in 1995. He currently serves as vice president of the organization and its international council chair.

During his time with USA Hockey, Rossi helped guide the formation and growth of The USA Hockey Foundation, a charitable and educational non-profit corporation that provides long-range financial support for USA Hockey and promotes the growth of the game in the United States. He was elected to the International Ice Hockey Federation council in 2008.

Sauer is one of the most successful and distinguished coaches in the history of college hockey. After his playing career at Colorado College, where he played for Bob Johnson, Sauer spent more than 30 seasons as an NCAA Division I head coach at Colorado College (1971-1980) and the University of Wisconsin (1983-2002). Sauer won national championships as coach of the Badgers in 1983 and 1990 and ranks eighth on the all-time wins list of college hockey coaches with a 655-532-57 record.

Sauer also is closely involved with preparing and coaching the USA Deaf Olympic Team, having participated in seven Deaflympics and earning a gold medal in 2007 at the IIHF Winter Deaf Olympics. In April 2009, he also coached Team USA to a bronze medal in the first World Deaf Hockey Championships. Sauer earned the John “Snooks” Kelley Founders Award from the American Hockey Coaches Association in 2003, presented to individuals in the coaching profession who have contributed to the overall growth and development of the sport in the United States. He is a member of USA Hockey’s International Council and the Disabled Hockey Committee and also currently works for the Western Collegiate Hockey Association as assistant to the commissioner. Sauer was recently named head coach of the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team.

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HARTFORD, September 1, 2011:  Hockey Night in Hartford is 45 days away and counting. Whalers Sports & Entertainment president and COO Howard Baldwin, Jr. announced today that tickets  for the gala Opening Night October 15^th, and all individual game tickets for the Connecticut Whale’s upcoming 2011-12 American Hockey League season, presented by the Connecticut Lottery, will go on sale this Saturday, September 3 at 10:00 AM.

“The countdown for the Connecticut Whale’s first full season is underway,” Baldwin, Jr. said. “Are your Whale tickets on ice?”

The Home Opener on Saturday, October 15, a GEICO Connecticut Cup game vs. the Bridgeport Sound Tigers at the XL Center, is the first of 12 Saturday home games this season.  With the Whale’s new fan-friendly schedule a remarkable 90% of The Whale’s schedule will be played on weekends and during vacation and holiday breaks.

The Whale’s recent partnership announcements with Aetna, St Francis Hospital and Medical Center, Max Restaurant Group and its new Rockin’ Hockey radio partnership on WCCC further support the Whale’s “One Goal” 2011-2012 Season Ticket Campaign.

“The Whale’s ‘One Goal’ campaign is to provide the best fan experience and value while we all enjoy the journey to bring the Hartford hockey market back to the status it once enjoyed,” Baldwin Jr. said.

Single-game tickets will be available at the XL Center Public Power Ticket Office, which is open Monday through Friday from 12 noon to 5:00 PM.  Whale tickets can also be purchased on-line at www.ctwhale.com and through TicketMaster Charge-by-phone at 1-800-745-3000.  Box office prices for the Whale’s 2011-12 season start at just $14 and youth seats available for only $12.

The Home Opener on October 15th is the first of ten GEICO Connecticut Cup battles between the Whale and their Connecticut adversaries the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.

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.

HARTFORD, August 30, 2011:  Hockey Night in Hartford has taken on a whole new flavor with the announcement that the Max Restaurant Group, Connecticut’s premier restaurant group, is partnering with the Connecticut Whale for a unique season ticket holder loyalty program, said Whalers Sports & Entertainment (WSE) president and COO Howard Baldwin, Jr.

The Max program features the Whale’s new Season Ticket Holder Loyalty Program that offers every season ticket holder 20% off entrees at both Max Downtown and Trumbull Kitchen before or after each home game. In addition, the Connecticut Whale has announced the “Max Restaurant Group Season Ticket Holder of the Night”, who will be selected from season ticket holders attending the game.

“The Max Restaurant Group-Whale partnership is more than about hockey, it is about tastefully enriching the community in which we all live,” said Richard Rosenthal, President, Max Restaurant Group.

The Max Restaurant Group sponsorship, along with the Whale’s recent Alliance Partnerships announcements with Aetna and St Francis Hospital and Medical Center, further support the Whale’s “One Goal” 2011-2012 Season Ticket Campaign.

“The Whale’s Goal is to provide the best fan experience and value to the Max while we all enjoy the journey to bring the Hartford hockey market back to the status it once enjoyed,” Baldwin Jr. said.

Max Restaurant Group is the premier restaurant company in the Greater Hartford area, consisting of 8 locations in the Hartford, CT/Springfield, MA region. Founder and President Richard Rosenthal had a vision in the 1980’s to bring fine dining to the Capital city and has succeeded beyond his imagination. Today, the Max Restaurant Group has evolved into a dynamic organization that employs over 600 people who pride themselves in their customer service and a creative approach in delivering its guests the best dining experience possible. To learn more, visit www.maxrestaurantgroup.com.

Season tickets for the Whale’s 2011-12 AHL campaign are on sale now. For information on season seats, and all of the Whale’s many ticketing options, visit www.ctwhale.com, or call the CT Whale ticket office at (860) 728-3366 to talk with an account executive today.

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.

HARTFORD, August 18, 2011:  Whalers Sports and Entertainment today announced the Connecticut Whale’s schedule of games for the upcoming 2011-12 American Hockey League season.

Hartford’s 15^th season of AHL hockey, and the CT Whale’s first full season, commences with the road opener at the Glens Falls Civic Center Saturday, October 8 vs. the Adirondack Phantoms.

The Whale will play their festive home opener on Saturday, October 15 vs. the Bridgeport Sound Tigers at the XL Center, the first of 12 Saturday home games this season. Faceoff is at 7:00 PM. The Whale will also play 16 Friday-night home games and four Sunday home contests.

The rest of the home schedule consists of three Wednesday nights, including November 23^rd (day before Thanksgiving), and three Tuesday games, among them a Tuesday, December 27^th Holiday Week game and a special New Year’s Eve game at 5:00 PM.

“Through the combined efforts of the NY Rangers, AEG and our staff, we are thrilled to be able to offer our fans a schedule that is truly fan friendly,” said Whalers Sports and Entertainment president and COO Howard Baldwin, Jr.  “We continue our quest to return Hartford to hockey supremacy and this schedule is an important tool for us to further our campaign.”

Faceoff for all non-Sunday home games is 7:00 PM, with the exclusion of Saturday, December 31, which will be a 5:00 PM start vs. the Springfield Falcons, and Tuesday, February 28, which will be an 11:00 AM start vs. the Worcester Sharks.  Sunday home dates will all face off at 3:00 PM.

Once again this year, the Whale’s schedule is tailored to highlight their strong New England rivalries with familiar Northeast-Division opponents.  The Whale will defend their GEICO Connecticut Cup title against the Sound Tigers 10 times (five home and five away) during the season, and will play I-91 rival Springfield 12 times.  The Whale will play the rest of the Northeast Division, Adirondack and Albany, four times each (two home, two away), as well as traditional rivals Portland and Providence eight times each (four home, four away).

Season tickets for the Whale’s 2011-12 AHL season are on sale now. For information on season seats, and all of the Whale’s many ticketing options, visit www.ctwhale.com, or call the CT Whale ticket office at (860) 728-3366 to talk with an account executive today.

To see the full schedule, click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

Following is the Whale’s entire 2011-12 season schedule:

CONNECTICUT WHALE 2011-12 SCHEDULE

(All Home Games in Caps, All Times Eastern)

Sat.     Oct.      8      at Adirondack             7:00

Sun.    Oct.      9      at Wilkes-Barre/Scr.    5:05

Fri.      Oct.    14      at Albany                   7:00

Sat.     Oct.    15      BRIDGEPORT            7:00

Fri.      Oct.    21      MANCHESTER           7:00

Sat.     Oct.    22      at Springfield              7:00

Sun.    Oct.    23      SPRINGFIELD            3:00

Fri.      Oct.    28      at Adirondack             7:00

Sat.     Oct.    29      at Worcester              7:05

Wed.   Nov.      2      at Bridgeport               11:00 AM

Fri.      Nov.      4      ST. JOHN’S                7:00

Sat.     Nov.      5      at Albany                   7:00

Sat.     Nov.    12      at St. John’s               6:00

Sun.    Nov.    13      at St. John’s               2:30

Fri.      Nov.    18      BRIDGEPORT            7:00

Sun.    Nov.    20      at Providence              4:05

Wed.   Nov.    23      PORTLAND                7:00

Fri.      Nov.    25      at Bridgeport               7:00

Sat.     Nov.    26      at Springfield              7:00

Tue.    Nov.   29       HERSHEY                 7:00

Fri.      Dec.     2      at Providence              7:05

Sat.     Dec.     3      at Springfield              7:00

Sun.    Dec.     4      BINGHAMTON            3:00

Fri.      Dec.     9      HERSHEY                 7:00

Sat.     Dec.   10      PROVIDENCE            7:00

Sun.    Dec.   11      at Providence              4:05

Fri.      Dec.   16      BRIDGEPORT            7:00

Sat.     Dec.   17      PROVIDENCE            7:00

Wed.   Dec.   21      ADIRONDACK            7:00

Mon.   Dec.   26      at Bridgeport               7:00

Tue.    Dec.   27      ALBANY                    7:00

Fri.      Dec.   30      at Worcester              7:30

Sat.     Dec.   31      SPRINGFIELD            5:00

Mon.   Jan.      2      at Portland                 1:00

Fri.      Jan.      6      at Binghamton            7:05

Sat.     Jan.      7      SPRINGFIELD            7:00

Sun.    Jan.      8      at Springfield              3:00

Fri.      Jan.    13      at Norfolk                   7:30

Sat.     Jan.    14      at Norfolk                   7:15

Wed.   Jan.    18      at Portland                 6:30

Fri.      Jan.    20      ST. JOHN’S                7:00

Sat.     Jan.    21      NORFOLK                  7:00

Fri.      Jan.    27      WILKES-BARRE/SCR.   7:00

Sat.     Jan.    28      SPRINGFIELD            7:00

Fri.      Feb.     3      ALBANY                    7:00

Sat.     Feb.     4      at Hershey                 7:00

Tue.    Feb.     7      SYRACUSE               7:00

Fri.      Feb.    10      at Springfield              7:30

Sat.     Feb.    11      at Manchester            7:00

Sun.    Feb.    12      at Bridgeport               3:00

Fri.      Feb.    17      SPRINGFIELD            7:00

Sat.     Feb.    18      WORCESTER            7:00

Sun.    Feb.    19      at Providence              4:05

Fri.      Feb.    24      PORTLAND                7:00

Sat.     Feb.    25      at Springfield              7:00

Tue.    Feb.    28      WORCESTER            11:00 AM

Fri.      Mar.     2      at Portland                 7:00

Sun.    Mar.     4      at Manchester            3:00

Fri.      Mar.     9      BRIDGEPORT            7:00

Sat.     Mar.    10      NORFOLK                  7:00

Sun.    Mar.   11      at Manchester            3:00

Fri.      Mar.    16      BRIDGEPORT            7:00

Sat.     Mar.    17      SPRINGFIELD            7:00

Sun.    Mar.    18      PORTLAND                3:00

Fri.      Mar.    23      PORTLAND                7:00

Sat.     Mar.    24      PROVIDENCE            7:00

Sun.    Mar.    25      at Bridgeport               3:00

Fri.      Mar.    30      WILKES-BARRE/SCR.   7:00

Sat.     Mar.    31      ADIRONDACK            7:00

Sun.    Apr.      1      PROVIDENCE            3:00

Fri.      Apr.      6      MANCHESTER           7:00

Sat.     Apr.      7      at Wilkes-Barre/Scr.    7:05

Sun.    Apr.      8      at Hershey                 5:00

Wed.   Apr.    11      at Portland                 6:30

Fri.      Apr.    13      MANCHESTER           7:00

Sat.     Apr.    14      at Syracuse                7:30

HOME

Sat.     Oct.    15      BRIDGEPORT            7:00

Fri.      Oct.    21      MANCHESTER           7:00

Sun.    Oct.    23      SPRINGFIELD            3:00

Fri.      Nov.      4      ST. JOHN’S                7:00

Fri.      Nov.    18      BRIDGEPORT            7:00

Wed.   Nov.    23      PORTLAND                7:00

Tue.    Nov.   29       HERSHEY                 7:00

Sun.    Dec.     4      BINGHAMTON            3:00

Fri.      Dec.     9      HERSHEY                 7:00

Sat.     Dec.   10      PROVIDENCE            7:00

Fri.      Dec.   16      BRIDGEPORT            7:00

Sat.     Dec.   17      PROVIDENCE            7:00

Wed.   Dec.   21      ADIRONDACK            7:00

Tue.    Dec.   27      ALBANY                    7:00

Sat.     Dec.   31      SPRINGFIELD            5:00

Sat.     Jan.      7      SPRINGFIELD            7:00

Fri.      Jan.    20      ST. JOHN’S                7:00

Sat.     Jan.    21      NORFOLK                  7:00

Fri.      Jan.    27      WILKES-BARRE/SCR.   7:00

Sat.     Jan.    28      SPRINGFIELD            7:00

Fri.      Feb.     3      ALBANY                    7:00

Tue.    Feb.     7      SYRACUSE               7:00

Fri.      Feb.    17      SPRINGFIELD            7:00

Sat.     Feb.    18      WORCESTER            7:00

Fri.      Feb.    24      PORTLAND                7:00

Tue.    Feb.    28      WORCESTER            11:00 AM

Fri.      Mar.     9      BRIDGEPORT            7:00

Sat.     Mar.    10      NORFOLK                  7:00

Fri.      Mar.    16      BRIDGEPORT            7:00

Sat.     Mar.    17      SPRINGFIELD            7:00

Sun.    Mar.    18      PORTLAND                3:00

Fri.      Mar.    23      PORTLAND                7:00

Sat.     Mar.    24      PROVIDENCE            7:00

Fri.      Mar.    30      WILKES-BARRE/SCR.   7:00

Sat.     Mar.    31      ADIRONDACK            7:00

Sun.    Apr.      1      PROVIDENCE            3:00

Fri.      Apr.      6      MANCHESTER           7:00

Fri.      Apr.    13      MANCHESTER           7:00

ROAD

 

Sat.     Oct.      8      at Adirondack             7:00

Sun.    Oct.      9      at Wilkes-Barre/Scr.    5:05

Fri.      Oct.    14      at Albany                   7:00

Sat.     Oct.    22      at Springfield              7:00

Fri.      Oct.    28      at Adirondack             7:00

Sat.     Oct.    29      at Worcester              7:05

Wed.   Nov.      2      at Bridgeport               11:00 AM

Sat.     Nov.      5      at Albany                   7:00

Sat.     Nov.    12      at St. John’s               6:00

Sun.    Nov.    13      at St. John’s               2:30

Sun.    Nov.    20      at Providence              4:05

Fri.      Nov.    25      at Bridgeport               7:00

Sat.     Nov.    26      at Springfield              7:00

Fri.      Dec.     2      at Providence              7:05

Sat.     Dec.     3      at Springfield              7:00

Sun.    Dec.   11      at Providence              4:05

Mon.   Dec.   26      at Bridgeport               7:00

Fri.      Dec.   30      at Worcester              7:30

Mon.   Jan.      2      at Portland                 1:00

Fri.      Jan.      6      at Binghamton            7:05

Sun.    Jan.      8      at Springfield              3:00

Fri.      Jan.    13      at Norfolk                   7:30

Sat.     Jan.    14      at Norfolk                   7:15

Wed.   Jan.    18      at Portland                 6:30

Sat.     Feb.     4      at Hershey                 7:00

Fri.      Feb.    10      at Springfield              7:30

Sat.     Feb.    11      at Manchester            7:00

Sun.    Feb.    12      at Bridgeport               3:00

Sun.    Feb.    19      at Providence              4:05

Sat.     Feb.    25      at Springfield              7:00

Fri.      Mar.     2      at Portland                 7:00

Sun.    Mar.     4      at Manchester            3:00

Sun.    Mar.   11      at Manchester            3:00

Sun.    Mar.    25      at Bridgeport               3:00

Sat.     Apr.      7      at Wilkes-Barre/Scr.    7:05

Sun.    Apr.      8      at Hershey                 5:00

Wed.   Apr.    11      at Portland                 6:30

Sat.     Apr.    14      at Syracuse                7:30

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