LAS VEGAS , Nev. – While the flurry of news coming from the Wranglers organization has tapered off, there is still some activity in Las Vegas as the club prepares for the upcoming ECHL season. A star goaltender from last season is returning for another year, a Las Vegas native returns home and some very successful former Wranglers have decided to go overseas. One piece of great news out of the Wranglers camp is the re-signing of goaltender Joe Fallon. Fallon, named ECHL Goaltender of the week last season from January 17-23, started his hockey career in the USHL, before spending the next four years at the University of Vermont. At U.V., Fallon played 132 games, winning 63 and dropping 51, while earning the NCAA ECAC Rookie of the Year honors. Following his U.V. career, Fallon moved to the ECHL, backstopping both the Fresno Falcons and the Gwinnett Gladiators, playing a combined 35 games, while being victorious in 18 of those matches. Fallon also suited up for Rockford, Peoria and San Antonio of the AHL, playing in 54 total games while earning the win 22 times. Last season with Las Vegas, Fallon stepped up in goal for the sometimes injured and AHL bound Michael Ouzas, playing in 27 games, winning 18 of those. Fallon also spent his share of time last season in the AHL with San Antonio, playing 13 games and winning 3 of them. Las Vegas has always been very solid in net and the re-signing of Fallon and the addition of pro veteran Mitch O’Keefe earlier this off-season is a great step in continuing that tradition. Another signing of a veteran player, just not to the Wranglers, is center Peter MacArthur. MacArthur, who played his collegiate career at Boston University, is no stranger to the minor league circuit, having played before in the ECHL with Fresno and the AHL with Bridgeport, Rockford and San Antonio. Last season with San Antonio, MacArthur played 21 games, earning 4 points and 15 penalty minutes. Overall, he has suited up for a total of 163 AHL games, earning 72 points and 81 penalty minutes in all. In his collegiate career in Boston, MacArthur won the Hockey East Championship whilst earning the captains “C” in his last season there. Originally a property of the Chicago Blackhawks organization after a successful ATO with Bridgeport of the AHL, MacArthur spent some time in Phoenix Coyotes training camp in 2010, before heading back to San Antonio. A returning veteran from last season is Las Vegas native and University of Nebraska, Omaha graduate, Eddie Del Grosso. Del Grosso played 29 games last season for the Wranglers, earning 11 points and 14 penalty minutes. Del Grosso’s only previous North American professional hockey experience was with the AHL Springfield Falcons during the 2009-2010 season, playing eight games, earning two points and nine penalty minutes. Prior to coming to Las Vegas last season, Del Grosso saw time in the Finnish SM-Liga with HIFK and HPK. I had mentioned in an earlier article for this site that Del Grosso was on free agent waivers for his former Finnish league teams but he was eventually picked up and Del Grosso becomes one of the only remaining Las Vegas natives to continually play pro hockey. A new addition to the Las Vegas Wranglers for the upcoming season is forward Eric Lampe. Lampe, who played his collegiate hockey at Quinnipiac University, has also suited up in his professional career for Florida and Elmira of the ECHL and Syracuse of the AHL. Splitting time last season with Elmira and Syracuse, Lampe was selected to the 2011 ECHL All-Star game, eventually winning the fastest skater award at the skills competition. Lampe suited up for 40 games with Elmira, earning 37 points and 14 penalty minutes. In overseas hockey and former Wrangler news, former Wrangler Chris Higgins has recently decided to leave his Swedish team. Along with fellow American and former Boston University teammate Joe Pereira, Higgins leaves Tingsryd of the Swedish Allsvenskan after only three games, earning no points and no penalty minutes in that timeframe. Higgins and Pereira made their decision to leave the Allsvenskan due to what the official team release calls a failure to adapt. Higgins played during the 2010-2011 season in Las Vegas, suiting up for 26 games, earning 18 points and 50 penalty minutes. In leaving, Higgins leaves behind former Wranglers Sean McMonagle and Dustin Johner in Tingsryd. Nick Anderson, a former Wrangler from 2004-2007, has signed with a club in the Italian Seria A. Anderson, a defenseman/forward who is going to Generali Aquile FVG Pontebba, has spent the previous four seasons in the German second and third divisions with EV Fussen, Fischtown, Landshut, Freiburg and Landsberg. Anderson, as a Wrangler, played a total of 123 games, earning 61 points and 107 penalty minutes. Former Wranglers and Quebecoise Hugo Carpentier and Thomas Bellemare have also found success in QuĂ©bec’s “All Fight League,” the LNAH. Carpentier, who played in Las Vegas during the 2008-2009 season, recently signed with Saguenay Marquis, a third year LNAH club. Carpentier, who will share ice time in Saguenay with former Ace Olivier Filion, totaled 45 games played, earning 24 points and 33 penalty minutes in his solo season in Nevada. Bellemare, who suited up for the Wranglers during the 2005-2006 season, continues his career with Sorel-Tracy CGI. Bellemare, who suited up for 51 games as a Wrangler, earned nine points and 115 penalty minutes, is second for the Sorel-Tracy franchise in penalty minutes, after only his first season with the club. Bellemare currently has 442 penalty minutes in the LNAH, compiling this feat in only 112 games. During his major junior time in the QMJHL with Drummondville, Bellemare compiled 655 penalty minutes in only 127 games. That type of stats make Bellemare a perfect player for the pugilistic nature of the LNAH and is a main reason why he is starting his fifth season in the Quebec located league. One of the few non-North American born players to play for the Wranglers, Romanian born Arphad Mihaly, has signed with Szekesfehervar of the Austrian/Hungarian League. Mihaly played at the tail end of the Wranglers 2006-2007 season, suiting up for 37 games, earning 25 points and 12 penalty minutes. Mihaly, post Las Vegas, has seen time in Italy, Austria, Hungary and Romania. Mihaly, who holds both Romanian and Hungarian passports, won the Hungarian League championship in 2009-2010 with Szekesfehervar. Former Wrangler favorite, Kelly Czuy, has signed with MMKS Podhale Nowy Targ of the Polska Liga. Czuy, a Wrangler from 2006-2009, returns to his Polish club after playing 28 games for them at the beginning of the 2010-2011 season, before returning to the ECHL with Stockton Thunder. A holder of both Canadian and Polish passports, Czuy played 177 games as a Wrangler, earning 100 points and 260 penalty minutes before going to Stockton and then back to Poland. A more recent Wrangler, from 2009-2011, Jerry Pollastrone, has decided to switch to the Eastern Conference of the ECHL after signing with the South Carolina Stingrays. Pollastrone, who started his hockey career at University of New Hampshire, had only played professionally with Las Vegas before this recent move. During his time with the Wranglers, Pollastrone suited up for 62 games, earning 19 points and 26 penalty minutes. While at University of New Hampshire, Pollastrone played 150 games, earning 97 points and 80 penalty minutes. Possibly joining Pollastrone in South Carolina is former Condor Vyacheslav Trukhno. Trukhno earlier signed with Medvescak Zagreb, but has recently been linked as returning to the ECHL in North Charlestown. JD Watt, a former Wrangler from 2008-2009 who has since bounced around the AHL, has recently signed with Manchester Monarchs of the AHL. Watt played 34 games for the Wranglers, earning 21 points and 121 penalty minutes, splitting that season with Quad City Flames of the AHL. Prior to coming to Las Vegas, Watt had won the WHL championship and Memorial Cup during his four seasons with the Vancouver Giants of the WHL. Since leaving Las Vegas, Watt has spent AHL time with Abbotsford and San Antonio, but failed to receive a contract with San Antonio following a ten game tryout with the club. Watt had previously been on a Calgary Flames contract, before being released from them in January 2011. An interesting note regarding Wranglers players, is that there are as many non-North American players that have played for the Wranglers as there have been players from California and the Western U.S, currently 11. An additional six players were born in the Western part of the United States. While the ECHL is not really known as a league that brings in more than its share of foreign born players, this is still interesting for any professional hockey team. Contact the writer at Joel.Hoopaugh@prohockeynews.com
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