FROM THE CREASE with BRUCE BERLET

BY: Bruce Berlet

Mission accomplished for New York Rangers president and general manager Glen Sather.

Sather entered the offseason hoping to keep his core of marquee players intact for at least several years, and that goal was finalized Wednesday when former Hartford Wolf Pack right wing Ryan Callahan signed a three-year, $12.825 contract, averting an arbitration hearing in Toronto on Thursday. He will receive $4 million the first two years and $4.825 million the final year.

It seemed a fair price for both parties after Callahan was the Rangers’ second-leading scorer last season to former Wolf Pack linemate Brandon Dubinsky with career highs in goals (23), assists (25) and points (48) despite missing 22 of 82 games because of injuries. Callahan also continued to be one of the NHL’s leading penalty killers and shot blockers, which led to a broken hand and ankle, the second coming in an April 4 game and ending his season. And consider this: The Rangers were 14-3-1 when he scored and 24-7-1 when he had a point.

FROM THE CREASE with BRUCE BERLET

By: Bruce Berlet

NHL general managers and coaches usually worry about their players getting injured in such special events as the Olympics and World Hockey Championships, especially when they’re goalies.

Intelligent officials won’t keep players from competing for their country, though they often wish they would when those dreaded injuries occur.

AMBUHL OUT, BROUILLETTE BACK TO CHARLOTTE

Steve Zipay of Newsday is reporting on Twitter than Andres Ambϋhl has left the Wolf Pack and been reassigned to the Swiss National Team in order to play for his country in the Olympics. He will return to the Pack afterwards.

Julien Brouillette was sent down to Charlotte on Saturday and played for the Checkers Sunday against Toledo.

Here’s the release:

WOLF PACK’S ANDRES AMBÜHL HEADED TO OLYMPICS
*           *           *           *

Will Skate for Swiss Team in Vancouver

Hartford Wolf Pack general manager Jim Schoenfeld announced today that the parent New York Rangers have reassigned forward Andres Ambühl from the Wolf Pack to the Swiss National Team for the upcoming Winter Olympics in Vancouver, B.C..

This will be Ambühl’s second straight trip to the Winter Olympics, as he also was a member of Switzerland’s team at the 2006 Winter Olympiad in Torino, Italy.

A native of Davos, Switzerland, Ambühl has played 50 games with the Wolf Pack this season, scoring four goals and adding three assists for seven points, while serving 28 minutes in penalties.  Prior to signing as a free agent with the Rangers May 27, 2009, Ambühl played eight years in Switzerland’s top pro league for his hometown club, HC Davos, winning four league championships.

The Swiss Men’s Olympic Team plays the United States in its first game in Vancouver next Tuesday, February 16 at 3:00 PM, Eastern Time.

The Wolf Pack are next in action this Friday night, February 12, when they visit the Providence Bruins for a 7:05 PM game (WTIC HD-2, www.hartfordwolfpack.com, www.wtic.com).  The Wolf Pack’s next home game is this Saturday, February 13, a GEICO Connecticut Cup matchup vs. the Bridgeport Sound Tigers (7:00).

Single-game tickets for 2009-10 Hartford Wolf Pack regular season home games are on sale now at the XL Center box office, through Ticketmaster Charge-by-Phone at 1-800-745-3000 and on-line at www.hartfordwolfpack.com.

For information on all the Wolf Pack’s many ticketing options, including terrific discounts for groups of 15 or more, visit www.hartfordwolfpack.com, or call the Wolf Pack ticket office at (860) 548-2000 to talk with an account executive today.

The AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack is operated by Northland AEG LLC, a joint partnership between Northland Investment Corporation and AEG Facilities.  The team is the top player-development affiliate of the NHL’s New York Rangers.

Here’s the release on Brouillette:

WOLF PACK RELEASE DEFENSEMAN JULIEN BROUILLETTE FROM PTO
* * * *
Played Two Games on Wolf Pack Blueline, up from ECHL Charlotte

Hartford Wolf Pack general manager Jim Schoenfeld announced today that the team has released defenseman Julien Brouillette from his Professional Tryout (PTO) agreement. Brouillette returns to the Wolf Pack’s ECHL affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers.

Brouillette skated in two games for the Wolf Pack after signing his PTO January 30, and registered two penalty minutes and an even plus/minus rating. In 38 ECHL games with the Checkers, the third-year pro has 10 goals and 16 assists for 26 points in 38 games.

The Wolf Pack are next in action this Friday night, February 12, when they visit the Providence Bruins for a 7:05 PM game (WTIC HD-2, http://www.hartfordwolfpack.com, http://www.wtic.com). The Wolf Pack’s next home game is this Saturday, February 13, a GEICO Connecticut Cup matchup vs. the Bridgeport Sound Tigers (7:00).