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Wolf Pack/Whale Notebook

October 8, 2010 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Connecticut Whale News Release


When not battling injuries, Hartford Wolf Pack left wing Justin Soryal is known mainly for his toughness and ability to battle the opposition with lefts and rights.

But the 23-year-old Soryal is determined to make everyone think of him more than just someone who specializes in giving and taking in fights.

"I look at a guy like (Rangers left wing) Brandon Prust, and that's the way I get myself to the NHL," Soryal said after the Wolf Pack began final preparations for their 14th season opener Saturday at 7 at the XL Center in Hartford against the Charlotte Checkers. "He's a guy who combines playing and fighting. I'm not going to be like a guy like (Rangers enforcer) Derek Boogaard because I'm not that size (6 feet 7, 265 pounds), so I have to find my niche at what I do best."

Soryal has been working a lot with coach Ken Gernander at being a safe defensive player, getting pucks out and really getting in on the forecheck. He had been doing that during his first two years in the organization after signing a free-agent contract with the Rangers on March 12, 2008 but "cranked it up" since he returned for training camp.

"We've been working on my passing and just getting my skill set going, so I've been working on my skating," Soryal said. "We're really going to try to be aggressive this season. Bang. Bang. Bang. So I've got to make that part of my strength, just getting on the forecheck. We've got a couple of really good lines, and I'd like to chip in offensively so I'm going to try to combine both the physical and the skilled."

Soryal demonstrated lots of the latter in the Wolf Pack's first shootout contest at the end of practice Friday. He, rookie defenseman Ryan McDonagh and left wing Devin DiDiomete, who is recovering from major hip surgery in the offseason, were the only Wolf Pack skaters to beat goalies Chad Johnson and Cameron Talbot in the first round of practice for possible shootouts as the 75th AHL season begins.

Soryal then claimed the initial shootout "victory" of the season, bringing a lifted stick in celebration and some ohs and ahs from his teammates.

But Soryal is normally skating on a line with former Quinnipiac University standout Brandon Wong and Jeremy Williams, signed as a free agent after getting career highs for goals (32) and points (63) last season with the AHL's Grand Rapids Griffins thanks largely to a NHL-like shot.

"Williams really has a shot, so I'm going to try to get in there first, bang bodies and get pucks to those guys and hopefully we can convert," Soryal said. "And there should be a lot of rebounds because that's a tough shot to stop. Either it's going to go right in or there's going to be a nice rebound in front. I think we're going to play well because we seem to be getting it going pretty well in practice."

Soryal hopes his linemates can be a strong supporting cast to the top two lines of Dane Byers-Kris Newbury-Dale Weise and Brodie Dupont-Evgeny Grachev-Mats Zuccarello. And a good checking line that also should be able to help some offensively is center Ryan Garlock and rookie wings Chris McKelvie and Kelsey Tessier, all of whom have signed AHL contracts.

"I think we can come in waves," Soryal said. "We've got one of the toughest first lines in the league and some solid scorers, so it's going to be a good squad for sure."

After being signed as a free agent following his junior career at Peterborough of the Ontario Hockey League, Soryal missed much of his rookie pro season (2008-09) with a broken hand sustained in a fight.

He had three goals, seven assists and 114 penalty minutes in 43 games and then had five goals, four assists and 159 PIM in limited ice time in 67 games last season.

But now Soryal and his coaches hope he increase more than just his penalty minutes.

"You want everybody contributing and pulling their weight," Gernander said. "We don't have any specialists or any one person designated to play this role or that role. We want them to be well-rounded hockey players so they can compete or participate in a number of different regards."

When informed Soryal hopes to become someone like Prust, Gernander pointed out how Prust brings an element of toughness and can scrap but also is a guy the Rangers looked to down the stretch last season. Prust, former Wolf Pack center Artem Anisimov and departed tough guy Jody Shelley formed the Rangers' most consistent line in the late stages of the season.

"If the situation arises, (Prust) can finish a play and even killed some penalties last season," Gernander said. "There are no specialists now because your roster isn't big enough to accommodate somebody who can't play. There's no more just tough guys. There are no more just goal scorers. Everybody has got to play."

Gernander said he's interested to see what transpires when the Wolf Pack start for real after winning three of four preseason games. Nine of the Wolf Pack's healthy 22 players are newcomers, led by defenseman Wade Redden, who was waived by the Rangers to clear $6.5 million off their $59.4 million salary cap. After playing 994 NHL games with the Ottawa Senators and Rangers, the 12-year veteran will make his minor-league debut Saturday, after not playing in the preseason.

Others newcomers for the Wolf Pack, who will become the Connecticut Whale around Thanksgiving, are forwards Williams, Zuccarello, Wong, Tessier and McKelvie and defensemen Redden, Jyri Niemi, Tomas Kundratek and the Rangers' final two cuts, Ryan McDonagh and Pavel Valentenko.

Ironically, the Checkers are the Wolf Pack's former ECHL affiliate and one of the AHL's two new teams. They moved from Albany, N.Y., and are now affiliated with the Carolina Hurricanes, who replaced the Whalers after owner Pete Karmanos took his sticks, skates and pucks and bolted for North Carolina.

The Checkers' roster includes former Wolf Pack and ECHL Checkers defensemen Bryan Rodney (captain) and Ethan Graham and forwards Jerome Samson (37 goals, 41 assists last season), Jonathan Matsumoto (32 goals, 30 assists with the Adirondack Phantoms), Zach Boychuk, Carolina's first-round pick in 2008 who played 31 games with the Hurricanes last season, and 20-year-old rookie Jared Staal, the Phoenix Coyotes' second-round pick in 2008 and the youngest of the four Staal brothers in pro hockey. Marc Staal plays for the Rangers, Eric for the Hurricanes and Jordan for the Penguins. Zack FitzGerald led the AHL in penalty minutes last season with 311. Mike Murphy, who was 10-9 in Albany last season, will start in goal.

The Checkers' coach is former Hartford Whalers and Beast of New Haven wing Jeff Daniels, who led the Albany Devils to 33-40-0 and 43-29-0 records in his first two seasons as a head coach.

"We're going to have a lot of experience," Boychuk told the Charlotte Observer. "This year we're expecting a big year and better things. We're solid in all three positions - goalie, defense and forward. Guys are looking to playing as hard as they can to get back up. That's just going to help our team."

Trio Signs AHL Contracts

Garlock, 24, a fifth-year pro who originally signed with the Wolf Pack on July 20, 2009, had career highs of seven goals and 13 assists and was plus-10, third best on the team, in 59 games last season. A second-round pick of the Chicago Blackhawks in 2004 out of the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League, the 6-foot, 202-pound Garlock has played 179 games with the Wolf Pack, San Antonio Rampage, Binghamton Senators, Springfield Falcons, Hershey Bears and Syracuse Crunch. He also has played in 71 ECHL games with the Charlotte Checkers and Johnstown Chiefs.

McKelvie, 25, joined the Wolf Pack on an amateur tryout agreement last season out of Bemidji State University, where he had eight goals and 10 assists in 37 games his senior year. He had two goals and one assist in six games with the Wolf Pack and earned a job this training camp with tenacious work before being paired with McKelvie and Tessier.

Tessier, 20, had 19 goals and 34 assists in 54 regular-season games with the Quebec Remparts and Moncton Wildcats of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League last season. The 5-9, 177-pound Tessier then excelled in the playoffs, leading Moncton in postseason points (30) and finishing second in goals (14) and assists (16) in 21 games. He finished second in the QMJHL playoffs in points and third in goals, as the Wildcats captured the league championship and earned a trip to the Memorial Cup. Tessier continued that excellence this fall, using his grit, speed and strength on his skates to become the surprise of training camp, including killing penalties, mostly with Wong, during the four preseason games.

Arrive Early Saturday Night

A large walkup is expected for the start of "A Whale of a Season" on Saturday night, so Wolf Pack/Connecticut Whale officials are encouraging fans to arrive early so there won't be a major logjam at the box office. The XL Center atrium will open at 5:30 p.m., the doors at 6. The walkup could be large because fans can get tickets to Saturday night's game and Sunday's 3 p.m. game against the Worcester Sharks for $15. Plus, the first 5,000 fans to the opener receive a free commemorative poster and a static cling schedule courtesy of "Click It Or Ticket." Tickets for home games are available at the XL Center box office, through Ticketmaster charge-by-phone at 1-800-745-3000 and on-line at www.hartfordwolfpack.com. For ticket packages, group sales and VIP packages, call 860-728-3366. ... Opening night festivities will start with a four-minute video that includes highlights of the Whalers and Wolf Pack in the 35-year history of hockey in Hartford. It will be shown on the four new larger video screens brought in from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, which is also run by AEG. The players and coaches will be introduced before Gernander and Garry Swain drop the ceremonial first puck. Gernander has been with the Wolf Pack from Day One as a player/captain (eight years), assistant coach (two years) and head coach (three years). Swain played 21/2 seasons with the World Hockey Association's New England Whalers and scoring the winning goal in the first game at the Hartford Civic Center, a 5-4 overtime victory over the San Diego Mariners on Jan. 11, 1975, and a 5-2 upset of the Soviet National Team on Dec. 28, 1976.

"I'm not saddened by dropping the puck or the name change," Gernander said. "A lot of people asked if I had a problem with the name change, but I'm just proud to be part of Hartford hockey." ... There will be no curtains hanging on the north and south sides of the XL Center that cut capacity to about 10,000. "What do curtains do but say there are empty seats behind them," said Whalers Sports and Entertainment founder Howard Baldwin, the former owner and managing general partner of the New England and Hartford Whalers. "We want to fill the building." Wolf Pack and Connecticut Whale officials hope to get 10,000 on opening night despite taking over business operations of the team less than three weeks ago and not having time to put together any group sales.

AHL Graduates Galore

As the AHL started its 75th anniversary Friday night, it had 593 graduates on NHL opening-day rosters, more than 85 percent of the players. They included former Wolf Pack players Ryan Callahan, an assistant captain, Brandon Dubinsky, Artem Anisimov, Dan Girardi, Marc Staal, Michael Sauer and Matt Gilroy with the Rangers; Marc Savard with Bruins; P.A. Parenteau, Mike Mottau and Trevor Gillies with the Islanders; Nigel Dawes with the Thrashers; Fedor Tyutin and David LeNeveu with Blue Jackets; Steve MacIntyre with Oilers; Jamie Lundmark with Predators; Blair Betts with Flyers; Jason LaBarbera, Lauri Korpikoski, Petr Prucha and Al Montoya with Coyotes; Manny Malhotra and Mikael Samuelsson with Canucks; Bobby Sanguinetti with the Hurricanes; Tom Pyatt with the Canadiens and Dominic Moore with the Lightning. Players with Connecticut ties are Ron Hainsey (Bolton) with the Thrashers; Chris Clark (South Windsor) with the Blue Jackets; Jonathan Quick (Hamden) with the Kings; Ryan Shannon (Darien) with the Canucks; Martin St. Louis (Greenwich) with the Lightning; Mike Komisarek (Springfield Junior Pics) and Jean-Sebastien Giguere with the Maple Leafs. There also are 23 former AHL head coaches behind NHL, led by Joel Quenneville (Blackhawks), 2009 Stanley Cup winner Dan Bylsma (Penguins) and the last two AHL coaches of the year, Guy Boucher (Lightning) and Scott Arniel (Blue Jackets). ... Quenneville coached his 1,000th NHL game Thursday night, as the Blackhawks began defense of their first Stanley Cup title in 49 years with a 4-3 overtime loss to the Colorado Avalanche on the road. The Blackhawks rallied from a 3-1 deficit to force overtime, but fittingly, Paul Stasny, the son of Hockey Hall of Famer and former Whaler killer Peter Stasny, scored the winner against a team coached by a former Whaler. Quenneville is now 535-328-137 in 13 years as coach of the St. Louis Blues, Colorado Avalanche and Blackhawks. His 1,000 games behind the bench as a head coach ranks fourth among active coaches, and he has guided 11 of his 13 teams to the postseason. ... MacIntyre flattened Calgary Flames tough guy Raitis Ivanans with two right hands during a one-sided fight in the Edmonton Oilers' 4-0 victory Thursday night. The two sparred for about 30 seconds before MacIntyre sent Ivanans to the ice, with the Kings' wing having to be helped off the ice as classy Flames fans applauded his effort.

AHL Announces New CBA, Agreement With Referees

The AHL and Professional Hockey Players Association announced the ratification of a new four-year collective bargaining agreement on Friday.

The new CBA, which runs through Aug. 31, 2014, was ratified by the AHL's Board of Governors and the overwhelming majority of AHL players.

The CBA has been modified to include significant enhancements to the health and welfare plan offered to AHL players and their families, to provide flexibility to the AHL in Calder Cup playoff scheduling and financing and to allow for increases to per-diem and minimum salary, as well as modifications for housing and travel provisions.

"The American Hockey League continues to be fortunate to have an extremely positive and open relationship with our players and the PHPA," AHL president and CEO Dave Andrews said in a statement. "Our previous CBA included several significant elements which have proven over the last several years to be beneficial to our players, our owners and ultimately our fans, and this new agreement continues in that same spirit of cooperation."

A new agreement was especially important with the threat of a NHL work stoppage next season.

"Given the labor uncertainly currently at the forefront of professional sports, we viewed these negotiations as a means to create stability at our level of the sport while simultaneously being mindful of the current economic landscape in North America," Larry Landon, PHPA executive director, said in a statement. "We surveyed the players last fall and asked them what they would like to us to address in CBA negotiations. We feel this is a deal that incorporates revision or implementation of the various items suggested by the players and adds significant value for present and future AHL players." ... The AHL has signed a five-year officiating development agreement with the NHL, so the AHL will serve as the top development league for NHL's referees through 2014-15. NHL and AHL officiating departments will continue to work together in all aspects of recruitment, training and development of on-ice officials. NHL-contracted referees will continue to be assigned to officiate about one-third of AHL games, with the remainder of AHL games to be worked by AHL-contracted referees who have been identified as top officiating prospects. The new agreement also establishes a plan to introduce a two-referee system to the AHL on a phased-in basis starting this season. Approximately 25 percent of regular-season games and all Calder Cup playoff games will use the two-referee system. "The implementation of the two-man referee system in the American Hockey League is an important step in ensuring that we continue to identify and train the best officials," Terry Gregson, NHL Senior Vice President and Director of Officiating, said in a statement. "The two-man system has significantly enhanced the NHL game and we look forward to continuing to work with the AHL in developing quality young officials."

AHL Live Is Back

If you're interested in the AHL outside the Wolf Pack/Whale, AHL Live again has on-line coverage of games. AHL Live gives fans the greatest access to live and archived games, radio, live chat, video-on-demand and highlights. The modernized video console gives hockey fans an opportunity to tune into their favorite team with an Internet connection and watch the action anywhere, at any time. New this year, AHL Live will feature an updated look and feel, including a game status indicator, and will offer integrated team level branding and HD support. AHL Live will show more than 1,000 games in the regular season, which begins Friday. The exclusive service is the only way fans can watch live AHL games online, where the viewing experience expands the reach of the American Hockey League, its teams and world-class players to a global audience. Individual games are $6.99, and other subscription package options are available. The Calder Cup playoff games will also be offered through AHL Live. For more information, visit www.ahllive.com.

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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