Around the Farm: Miller strong in AHL preseason debut, Lindberg/Fast continue hot starts

Despite the 3-1 loss to Albany in Connecticut’s 2012-2013 preseason opener, there were many positives coming from the game. Per Jim Cerny, top prospect J.T. Miller was one player that stood out the most during the loss. Miller recorded the Whale’s lone goal and was a physical and dominating presence on the ice. Miller, playing on a line with Michael Haley and Chad Kolarik, was creative and showed that he belonged on the ice with the other AHL players.

Meanwhile, across the pond, Oscar Lindberg and Jesper Fast continued their torrid starts. Lindberg added another assist to his totals in a 2-1 shootout loss, while Fast scored yet another goal in HV71’2 4-1 win. Lindberg remains in the top five in scoring, while Fast is tied for second in goals.

One other item worth noting is that Thomas Spelling has only dressed for one game for Rogle’s SEL squad. He has suited up every other game in the Swedish Juniors*, and he is not very happy about it. The link is in Danish, but the Google Chrome translator gave this little nugget:

“It is as if the coach doesn’t believe in me, and I never really get any feedback other than being told that “things are going in the right direction”. But he never really speaks to me, unless I come to him first”

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Connecticut signs forward Ryan Flanigan

The Whale signings keep on coming. This time around, Connecticut has agreed to terms with undrafted forward Ryan Flanigan. Flanigan played four seasons with Merrimack College in Hockey East, finishing his college career with a line of 34-45-79 in 131 games.

Following the conclusion of his senior season, the 6’1″ 180 lb forward played four games with the Hamilton Bulldogs of the AHL (Montreal Canadiens affiliate), where he scored a goal and an assist.

Connecticut Whale roster announced

Despite the lockout, there is still some hockey to be played that affects the Rangers organization. The Rangers website has the preliminary roster for the Connecticut Whale this year:

Forwards: Ryan Bourque, Tommy Grant, Michael Haley, Marek Hrivik, Kyle Jean, Chad Kolarik, Chris Kreider, JT Miller, Kris Newbury, Brandon Segal, Christian Thomas, Jason Wilson, Andrew Yogan.

Defense: Sean Collins, Steven Delisle, Dylan McIlrath, Jyri Niemi, Blake Parlett, Logan Pyett, Mike Vernace.

Goalies: Jason Missiaen, Scott Stajcer, Cam Talbot.

There are also seven players not listed by the Rangers that are currently on the Whale roster:

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News and notes: Greenville stays; Divided owners; Whale schedule; MDZ negotiations

The Rangers will have the Greenville Road Warriors as their ECHL affiliate for at least one more season. The Greenville website posted that they have renewed their agreement with the Rangers for the 2012-2013 season, which will be their third season with the Rangers. The Rangers initially agreed to have the Greenville club as their ECHL affiliate when the Charlotte Checkers left to be the Carolina Hurricanes’ AHL affiliate.

Aaron Portzline, who did a fantastic job covering the Rick Nash trade, has an inside scoop that as many as eight owners might be willing to accept the NHLPA’s proposal as is. While this is not the unanimous approval that many are hoping for, it’s at least hope that the owners are divided. We don’t know the exact details of the NHLPA proposal, but we do know that it had some sort of revenue sharing system in place, and it kept the salary cap in place. My guess is that some of the lower-funded teams would readily accept more revenue sharing, as they are the ones that need the money to stay afloat.

The Connecticut Whale released their schedule this week as well. It would be really cool if MSG airs the Whale games if there’s an NHL lockout.

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With inclusion of Erixon, maybe Scott Howson did better than we thought

There have been several reports that some variation of the package the Rangers sent to Columbus for Rick Nash on Monday was on the negotiating table for months before the deal was finally consummated.  But Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch, who is one of the more clued in reporters in the business, tweeted that defensive prospect Tim Erixon was in fact only added to the deal last week. Portzline added that there was “no question” that Shea Weber’s offer sheet with Philadelphia pushed the Rangers to sweeten their offer and include Erixon.

That nugget drew little attention in light of all the other subplots surrounding the blockbuster trade, but if Portzline’s report is correct, then that tells us even more about GM Glen Sather’s negotiating tactics over the last few months.

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Minor signing: Rangers add defenseman Sean Collins

In their second minor signing of the day, the Blueshirts have reportedly inked 28-year old defenseman Sean Collins.

Collins went undrafted but has been a member of the Washington Capitals’ organization for the last six years.  During that time, Collins has seen 21 games of NHL action and registered two goals and an assist.  Collins, a right-handed shot, has primarily played for the AHL’s Hershey Bears and has tallied eight goals and 48 assists in 255 games with the club. Read more »

Minor signing: Rangers add Logan Pyett

Amidst all the hubbub over the Jeff Halpern signing and Rick Nash trade rumors, the Rangers made another depth move this morning, adding 24-year-old defenseman Logan Pyett to the mix.

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Dylan McIlrath undergoes surgery to repair dislocated kneecap

The Rangers held their breath last week as defenseman Dylan McIlrath crumpled to the ice in pain after colliding with newly signed prospect Kyle Jean at prospect development camp.

At the time, McIlrath was diagnosed as day-to-day and though he missed the rest of the camp, McIlrath was expected to be healthy for the start of the season.  That’s still not out of the question, but McIlrath faces an uphill battle now after undergoing surgery to repair a dislocated kneecap.

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Where the forward prospects stand

Before Friday’s draft it’s a good idea to take stock of what the Rangers already have in the system.  If New York follows suit, then the Blueshirts will pick the best player available regardless of position.  However, it’s worth evaluating where the team’s strengths lie, starting with a status update for the organization’s forwards.

Jonathan Audy-Marchessault

J.A.M. burst onto the scene in 2011-2012 with a surprisingly strong showing at the Traverse City Tournament in September and he was only just getting started.  Ryan Bourque’s old teammate with the QMJHL’s Quebec Ramparts earned a one-year contract with the Whale and made the most of the opportunity.  He battled for the team points lead all season and finished with 64 (24 goals, 40 assists), tied for the team lead and good for third among AHL rookies.  Audy-Marchessault still faces an uphill climb to the NHL thanks to his (listed) 5-foot-9, 175-pound frame, but he is much closer to achieving his dream than he was a year ago.  The bad news is that J.A.M. may not even be Rangers’ property come July; the 21-year-old is an unrestricted free agent and may prefer to sign with a club that could better use his services.  It’s hard to see exactly where Audy-Marchessault fits in the prospect depth chart and he’d likely garner several other offers following his banner year.  GM Glen Sather will surely offer J.A.M. a contract, but the rest is up to him.

Ryan Bourque

Bourque was one of the last cuts at training camp but disappeared for the first chunk of the season with Connecticut after suffering a concussion in his third game.  He drew little attention the rest of the way because of his irrelevant offensive production (six goals and eight assists in 69 games), but suddenly Bourque was in the spotlight again as the Whale began its playoff run.  Bourque was one player that noticeably raised his game in the postseason and even contributed a bit more offensively with two goals and an assist in nine postseason games.  It’s tough to imagine Bourque being much of a scorer at the NHL level, but he has a very well-rounded game, is a terrific skater and is a major pest on the forecheck, qualities that could endear him to the Rangers’ coaching staff sooner than some of the organization’s more touted prospects.  Bourque’s confidence is surely higher after a strong late season push and since he was one of the last cuts last year, it stands to reason that he could push very hard for a bottom-six role in New York next year.

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Panik ends Connecticut’s season, Whale fall to Norfolk four games to two

Norfolk Admirals 2, Connecticut Whale 1 (OT)

Norfolk, VA, May 11, 2012 – Richard Panik’s goal at 13:01 of overtime ended the Connecticut Whale’s season Friday night at Scope Arena, giving the Norfolk Admirals a 2-1 win in Game Six of the Eastern Conference Semifinal series between the two teams, and a four-games-to-two triumph in the best-of-seven set.

Panik took a pass from Alex Killorn and got a step on Whale defenseman Brendan Bell, then made a move to the forehand to put the puck past Connecticut goaltender Cam Talbot, who made 44 saves in the game, including a combined 32 in the third period and overtime.

The Whale nearly found themselves behind just 41 seconds into the game, but an apparent goal by Norfolk’s Alexandre Picard was disallowed when it was ruled that he knocked the puck into the net with a high stick.

The Whale controlled play thereafter, but were frustrated by Admiral netminder Jaroslav Janus (30 saves) until the 14:49 mark, when Connecticut got a goal as a result of a fortunate bounce.  Janus stopped a shot by Casey Wellman but could not control the rebound, and Norfolk forward Pierre-Cedric Labrie inadvertently knocked it into the net with his skate.  Jonathan Audy-Marchessault, who got the last touch on the puck, was credited with the goal.

The best chance of a scoreless second period came at 10:10, when Audy-Marchessault was awarded a penalty shot after he was hooked while working his way past the Admiral defense.  Janus, though, came up with a glove save on Audy-Marchessault’s penalty shot bid.

The Admirals dominated the third period, outshooting the Whale 18-2, but Talbot held the fort until the 10:52 mark, when Tyler Johnson tied the score.  The Whale won a defensive-zone draw but were unable to control the puck, and Ondrej Palat was able to work it off the left-wing boards to Johnson in front of the net.  Johnson nearly fanned on his shot, but was able to shove the puck through Talbot’s pads, for the goal that would end up forcing the overtime.

The series win was the first ever in a best-of-seven series for Norfolk, which will now go on to the Eastern Conference Finals to face the winner of a Game Seven Saturday between Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and St. John’s in St. John’s.

It’s never too early to think about a Whale ticket package for the 2012-13 season.  For information on season seats, mini plans and group discounts, visit www.ctwhale.com, or call the CT Whale ticket office at (860) 728-3366 to talk with an account executive today. Read more »