Howlings

ANOTHER GOALTENDER IN THE PACK

If we were guessing, and we actually are, this is probably a depth signing and Munce will likely be headed to Charlotte with Chad Johnson who was signed back in mid July. Hockeydb has his stat history.

Here’s the official release:

WOLF PACK SIGN GOALTENDER RYAN MUNCE

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Fifth-year Pro was Busiest Netminder in ECHL Last Season

Hartford Wolf Pack general manager Jim Schoenfeld announced today that the team has signed goaltender Ryan Munce to an American Hockey League contract.

A 24-year-old fifth-year veteran, Munce saw three games of action in the AHL last season with the Syracuse Crunch, going 0-2-0 with a 2.98 goals-against average and a 91.1% save percentage. The 6-2, 200-pound Mississauga, Ontario native spent most of the year in the ECHL with the Mississippi Sea Wolves, and led the ECHL in minutes-played (3,219), saves (1,852) and shootout wins (6) for the second time in his career. Munce also finished fifth among ECHL netminders in wins, with a record of 24-28-1, along with a 3.21 goals-against average, a 91.5% save percentage and one shutout.

Munce appeared in 10 AHL games with the Norfolk Admirals in 2007-08 and compiled a 3-6-0 record, with a 2.99 GAA and a 90.4% save percentage. In his rookie year, 2005-06, with the ECHL’s Bakersfield Condors, Munce led league goalies in minutes-played (3,234), saves (1,705) and shootout wins (8).His 30 wins that season (30-18-5, 2.78, 91.1, 2 SHO) also was fifth-best in the ECHL. In 175 career ECHL outings with Bakersfield, Reading, Johnstown and Mississippi, Munce sports a record of 84-72-10, with a 2.96 GAA, a 91.5% save percentage and six shutouts.

Prior to turning pro, Munce was a third-round selection (82nd overall) of the Los Angeles Kings in the 2003 NHL Draft, from the Ontario Hockey League’s Sarnia Sting.

The Wolf Pack open the home portion of their 2009-10 regular season at the XL Center Saturday, October 10 vs. the Springfield Falcons at 7:00. Once again this season, all tickets for the home opener will be priced at $10 each. The Wolf Pack is offering “Knockout Season Ticket Prices” for 2009-10, with across-the-board price reductions of 8-13% depending on the seat location. To learn more, visit www.hartfordwolfpack.com, or call the Wolf Pack ticket office at (860) 548-2000 to talk with an account executive today about all of the Wolf Pack’s many ticket options.

HENLEY IN THE BAND

Here’s another one of those moves that the Rangers/Wolf Pack organization makes that at face value leaves you scratching your head. Today the Pack have signed defenseman Brent Henley (to the best of our knowledge, no relation to Don). Henley is a 6’7” 250 pounder who, guess what? Likes to throw down the gloves. When Rangers head coach John Tortorella said that he felt the team was, “too soft” he wasn’t kidding. Over the summer the Pack have added a lot of players that like to hit or that will throw down the mitts. Teams are going to get a beating when they come to play in the Insurance Capitol of the World, that’s for sure. If you’re a fan of fighting, you should be on pins and needles about this upcoming year.

In the case of Henley, our best guess is that his is a two way deal (AHL/ECHL) meant to give the Pack some size and depth should an injury occur.

Here’s the official release:

WOLF PACK SIGN DEFENSEMAN BRENT HENLEY

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6-7, 250-pounder has Eight Years of Pro Experience

HARTFORD, August 25, 2009:  Hartford Wolf Pack general manager Jim Schoenfeld announced today that the team has signed defenseman Brent Henley to an American Hockey League contract.

Henley, 28, stands 6-7 and weighs 250 pounds, and is entering his ninth year in the pro ranks.  The Coquitlam, B.C. native spent most of the 2008-09 season in the AHL with the Norfolk Admirals.  In 47 games with the Admirals, Henley registered six assists and 198 penalty minutes, which was tops among Norfolk defensemen and second overall on the team.  He also saw ECHL action last year with Augusta and Mississippi, totaling six games, with one assist and 13 PIM.

The 2007-08 season saw Henley skate in three AHL games with Springfield and spend the balance of the season in the IHL with Fort Wayne (26 GP, 0-4-4, 108 PIM), with whom he captured a Turner Cup championship.

Henley has dressed for a total of 93 AHL contests in his career, with the Lowell Lock Monsters, Rochester Americans, Toronto/Edmonton Roadrunners, Springfield and Norfolk, amassing one goal and ten assists for 11 points, along with 343 minutes in penalties.  In 180 career ECHL games, he has chalked up six goals and 26 assists for 32, with 977 PIM.

The Wolf Pack open the home portion of their 2009-10 regular season at the XL Center Saturday, October 10 vs. the Springfield Falcons at 7:00.  Once again this season, all tickets for the home opener will be priced at $10 each.  The Wolf Pack is offering “Knockout Season Ticket Prices” for 2009-10, with across-the-board price reductions of 8-13% depending on the seat location.  To learn more, visit www.hartfordwolfpack.com, or call the Wolf Pack ticket office at (860) 548-2000 to talk with an account executive today about all of the Wolf Pack’s many ticket options.

(Henley photo courtesy of dailypress2.com)

PACK ALWAYS THERE FOR CHARITIABLE CAUSES

Once again, the Hartford Wolf Pack do what they can to help children, raise money for charity and promote the game of hockey in the Hartford community. Here’s all the information from the team. Howlings highly supports the efforts of the team in this endeavor and encourage people in the area to take part.

 

WOLF PACK COMMUNITY FOUNDATION, TRINITY COLLEGE TEAM UP

FOR LEARN-TO-PLAY-HOCKEY PROGRAM

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Free Eight-week Program for Hartford Children Memorializes Ryan Gordon

The Hartford Wolf Pack Community Foundation is partnering with Trinity College to launch a “Ryan Gordon/Hartford Wolf Pack Community Foundation Learn to Play Hockey Program”.

The program will be conducted at Trinity College’s Koeppel Community Sports Center and is open to children aged 4-16 who are residents of the City of Hartford.  The program will run for eight weeks starting September 12 and is free to all participants, as all costs, including registration, instruction and equipment rental, are being funded by the Wolf Pack Community Foundation and Trinity College.

“One of the main goals of the Wolf Pack Community Foundation is to foster initiatives that help inner-city youngsters enjoy high-quality sports competition and instruction,” said Ken Gernander, Wolf Pack head coach and president of the Wolf Pack Community Foundation.  “And to bring the opportunity to learn the game of hockey to groups of kids who might otherwise not be exposed to it is something that our organization is proud and excited to do.”

The program is named for Ryan Gordon, a young Wolf Pack fan who passed away in 2006 and asked that a portion of the funds set aside for his education be donated to the Wolf Pack Community Foundation.

The Learn-to-Play sessions will teach skating, stick-handling, passing and shooting, and instructors will include members of the Trinity College men’s and women’s hockey teams.  Wolf Pack players will also make appearances at selected sessions, as will Sonar, the Pack’s lovable mascot.  Participation is limited to 100 skaters.  Enrollment will be on a first-to-register basis, with a fully-completed application, and the registration deadline is September 1.  Registration applications, as well as more information on the program, can be obtained at the Koeppel Community Sports Center, located at 175 New Britain Ave. in Hartford, and on-line through the Wolf Pack’s official website, www.hartfordwolfpack.com, and at www.trincoll.edu/StudentLife/athletics/CSC.

Prospective program participants and their families are asked to make a commitment to the full eight weeks of instruction.  Program sessions will take place on Saturday mornings from 7:30-9:00, and it is strongly recommended that applicants already be proficient in the skating skills of skating forward, the two-foot glide, the snowplow stop and being able to stand up after falling.

The stated mission of the Hartford Wolf Pack Community Foundation is to help fund charitable and non-profit endeavors that offer support to inner-city youth, amateur sport, and promote the health, education and well being of Connecticut's children.

Throughout its 12-year history, the Wolf Pack has generated over $1.2 million in monetary funds for various community entities.

SHORT TERM GOALS

Ordinarily we wouldn’t post something like this because it’s more business oriented than anything to do with the Wolf Pack. However there is a New York Rangers connection. Many of you remember Mike Hartman who was a member of the 1994 Rangers Stanley Cup team. Well, since Mike left the NHL, he has been deeply involved in coaching in a variety of capacities. Mike has also become one of only a handful of experts in a relatively new science called “Axiology.” Now before anybody overreacts with, “What the hell are you doing here Mitch?” Understand that this isn’t something spiritual or religious in any way, shape or form. Axiology is a real science. feel free to learn a little history of it here or you can look up it’s definition at any site on the net. According to the Miriam-Webster Dictionary, Axiology is defined as, “the study of the nature, types, and criteria of values and of value judgments especially in ethics.”

Now what does that have to do with the price of tea in China. Well, if you’re like us, you can use as much help as you can get in attaining the goals you set for yourself and it just so happens that Mike teaches a course in it. After having taken the program ourselves, we believed in it so heartily that we added it as a part of our regular business, Crossroads Consulting, an employment agency and search firm. We also began advocating for the use of what are called “assessments” or tests. It’s an extremely versatile personality tests that is like many of the ones that you might have taken in your life when applying for a job. The main competitors out there that you might be familiar with are called Caliper, Omnia, Disc, PI, etc. This test, which again we’ve taken ourselves, is easier to do (it’s all online) and goes far deeper and is not only WAY more accurate than any of the others we’ve taken… and we’ve taken almost all of them over the years, but it’s far less expensive.

In any event, if you want to learn more about it you can read about it at our new business site, BetterLifeGroup.net.

Ordinarily we would never mention non-hockey information this is this forum,  but there is a totally FREE event coming up where you will have a chance to talk with Mike and be a part of a mini-seminar/conference call that we are co-sponsoring. The Short Term Goals Conference Call will take place on August 31st at 9pm eastern time. Anyone who wants to can register and participate in and again, it’s totally FREE with no strings or obligations.

Here’s the actual information on it:

Short Term Goals Coaching by Mike Hartman
Join us for a conference call Monday August 31 at 9:00 pm To 9:30 pm

Dial (712) 432-0111
Access code 455832#

More on Mike Hartman
Lifestyle Coach and National Academy of Sports Medicine Certified

Mike had a 16-year professional career playing with the Buffalo Sabres, Winnipeg Jets, Tampa Bay Lightning and the Stanley Cup Champion New York Rangers. Mike also played for and coached Team USA and has played in Europe.

Mike is an Axiological Practitioner & National Academy of Sports Medicine coach. He has been coaching athletes & corporate executives by providing goal-focused coaching programs designed to meet their needs of his clients of all ages. Mike delivers a comprehensive lifestyle package for life, business, sports and fitness.

We will focus on the most successful ways to create short term goals that will lead to enhancing your professional, personal and financial lives. The tools provided will provide you the motivation and excitement to start you on a new and more focused path in life.

RSVP & Register at Betterlifetraining.tv for this FREE monthly podcast and Coaching conference calls.

 

NOTE:

This conference has ZERO to do with Blueshirt Bulletin Magazine, or it’s ownership. BB in no way either endorses or recommends this event.

We hope that the mentioning of this opportunity in this forum is taken in the spirit in which it was intended. It’s an opportunity for Ranger fans that might have wanted to speak with Mike to have the opportunity to do so. More importantly however, we wanted to be able to offer to our terrific readers at Howlings, something that we feel strongly about that during these tough economic times might be of some help to so many people out there who are struggling. It’s been an invaluable tool and help to us.

PRE-SEASON SCHEDULE

Northland AEG announced today the Hartford Wolf Pack’s 2009 preseason schedule.  Three of the Pack’s four total exhibition contests will be home games, with local action to be played at Trinity College in Hartford, Champions Skating Center in Cromwell and Simsbury’s International Skating Center of Connecticut.

The Wolf Pack kick off preseason play Wednesday, September 23, with a contest against the Worcester Sharks at Trinity College’s Koeppel Community Sports Center, located at 175 New Britain Ave. in Hartford. Faceoff is 7:00 PM.  Donations will be accepted at the door, in lieu of an admission charge, for this game, to benefit the Ryan Gordon/Hartford Wolf Pack Community Scholars Fund.  This fund is a memorial to young Wolf Pack 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 Wolf Pack Community Foundation. 

The Wolf Pack then play a home-and-home set with their Connecticut rivals the Bridgeport Sound Tigers Friday, September 25 and Saturday, September 26.  The Friday, September 25 game will be played at Champions Skating Center, 6 Progress Drive, Cromwell, starting at 7:00.  Admission is $5 and proceeds will benefit Connecticut Clippers Youth Hockey. The Saturday-night game will be the Wolf Pack’s only road preseason outing, played at The Rinks at Shelton (784 River Rd., Shelton, CT) with faceoff at 7:00.

The Pack wrap up their exhibition slate with a home game Sunday, September 27 at the International Skating Center of Connecticut, 1375 Hopmeadow Street, Simsbury, vs. Worcester.  That game faces off at 3:00 PM.

HARTFORD WOLF PACK PRESEASON SCHEDULE

Date	Opponent	Venue	Faceoff
Wed.  Sept. 23	WORCESTER	KOEPPEL COMMUNITY SPORTS CENTER, TRINITY COLLEGE	7:00PM
Fri.     Sept. 25	BRIDGEPORT	CHAMPIONS SKATING CENTER, CROMWELL, CT	7:00PM
Sat.    Sept. 26	at Bridgeport	The Rinks at Shelton, CT	7:00PM
Sun.   Sept. 27	WORCESTER	INTERNATIONAL SKATING CENTER OF CONNECTICUT, SIMSBURY	7:00PM

The Wolf Pack open the home portion of their 2009-10 regular season at the XL Center Saturday, October 10 vs. the Springfield Falcons at 7:00.  Once again this season, all tickets for the home opener will be priced at $10 each.  The Wolf Pack is offering “Knockout Season Ticket Prices” for 2009-10, with across-the-board price reductions of 8-13% depending on the seat location.  To learn more, visit www.hartfordwolfpack.com, or call the Wolf Pack ticket office at (860) 548-2000 to talk with an account executive today about all of the Wolf Pack’s many ticket options.

WOLF PACK SCHEDULE RELEASED

As you'll see this is a very interesting and demanding schedule that this version of the Wolf Pack are going to play. There are long road trips and long home stands. January is an especially difficult month with fifteen games (8 home / 7 road).

*** In other Pack related news, RW Brandon Sugden, last years team enforcer and a real fan favorite, has signed with the Hershey Bears.

SMOOTH AS GLASS

On July 13th Hartford Wolf Pack general manager Jim Schoenfeld announced the team had signed a young defenseman by the name of Trevor Glass. While most Pack fans don’t know his name, they soon will.

Glass is 6’0 and 197 pounds hailing from Cochrane, Alberta Canada. Glass knows what it’s like to be part of a winning program. In ‘07-‘08, Glass won a Memorial Cup as a member of the Medicine Hat Tigers and in ‘06-‘07 he also helped the Tigers win the WHL Championship and got the the Memorial Cup finals but came up short. Incidentally, his linemate on defense that year? Michael Sauer.

Jess Rubenstein of The Prospect Park, our eyes and ears for all things concerning the juniors, told us of Glass the day he signed, "What Hartford fans will like about Trevor is that he comes to work every night, never afraid to give or receive a hit if it means he can make a play. Really good player to have on a team as he can be used in a variety of ways and give you a strong performance.

Five of his six goals last season were on the power play but his defense is mainly the strongest part of his game. Smart defender who does not get caught out of position.”

Howlings caught up with the Pack’s newest defenseman as he prepares for his first professional season and asked him if he could take us through how you became a member of the Rangers organization?

When I was 14, the Rangers rookie camp was held in my hometown of Calgary and they needed a team to play their rookies against. My brother’s agent put a team together with his clients and I was asked to play. It gave me my first shot at playing hockey against professional players. I must have made some sort of good impression because after my last season of junior where we lost out in the 2nd round of playoffs, I was approached and signed an Amateur Try-Out (ATO) contract to play with the Hartford Wolf Pack. I went and was able to get to know the city and practice with the team during their playoff run. It was then a process of negotiations with teams throughout the summer, but we were able to come to terms with the Wolf Pack right before the 2009 NHL draft.

Based upon the various youtube clips we’ve seen of you, it seems like you’re a VERY physical defenseman. Is that how you would describe your game?

I would like to consider myself a two way defenseman that will take care of the defensive end first, but jump into the play when the opportunity is there. I always enjoy catching someone off guard with a big hit, but it’s not something I will put myself out of position for. On the other hand if the chance is there, I will definitely try to capitalize.

What inspired you to become a defenseman?

I think because my brother’s a goalie.  I always wanted to make sure his confidence was high because he knew there was someone in the defensive zone he could trust to make the right play.

You had to know this question was coming. Who are some of the players that you've modeled yourself after?

(Laughs) I don't think I can say that I have a particular mold or style of player that I want to model my game after.  But I have been very fortunate to play with some very talented defensemen throughout my junior career who taught me a lot. Cam Barker was very poised. Chris Russell had amazing speed and knew just when to jump in the play. Both are very smart defensemen with different styles that I would like to adapt into my game.

How will fans know from watching you play when you're really on your game on any particular night? In other words when things are going right for you what will we be seeing...?

When I am on my game I am very confident with everything that I do being more on my toes then my heels. I think it just comes down to small things like being more aggressive in every aspect of the game from having a good gap to finishing checks to jumping in the play when the opportunity is there.

What are you goals for this season? How will you measure your own level of success for the coming year?

My goals for this season are to make an impact right off the bat and to continue to develop as a player. Last year the Hartford Wolf Pack finished off the season with a strong record. I’d like to be a contributing factor to improving on that this year. I fully believe it will be a very good team again. Also, I’m  hoping that my playoff experience will help the team have a long and successful post season.

What have you learned to this point as to how they play the game in Hartford and how do you think you'll fit in?

The couple of weeks that I was in Hartford I learned that the team plays a high paced, quick transition game that I think I will fit into well. The coaching style was very similar to what I have been taught throughout my junior career and that will make the transition much easier. Getting the chance to go there and meet the coaches and the team was perfect for me. Now I can go there feeling more comfortable with my environment and just focus on playing my game.

Lastly, what have you been doing this summer to get yourself ready for camp?

Living in Calgary for the summer is great for hockey. It’s such a major training center for so many hockey players that I have found it really easy to find good ice time with skilled players. It keeps you honest being in a environment like that with so many good players around you always pushing you to do your best on the ice and in the gym. Another thing I have taken up this summer that is becoming more popular with hockey players here is hot yoga. Its something that my brother has taken in the past and has said it has greatly helped with flexibility and muscle endurance so I figured I would give it a shot.

Expect Trevor Glass to make quite the impact in Hartford when the season kicks off in early October.

 

(Photo courtesy of mastercardmemorialcup.com)