HARTFORD, Conn – You can’t help but root for Scott Tanski to make the Connecticut Whale.
The day before the New York Rangers opened camp, Tanski was preparing to leave on a road trip with his Carleton University team in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, when he got a call saying he had four hours to pack his bags and catch a flight to LaGuardia Airport in New York.
The Rangers had sustained several injuries and defections during and after finishing second in a prospects tournament in Traverse City, Mich., and needed a few more healthy bodies for the start of their training camp in Greenburgh, N.Y.
“I had tried to get Tanski in to camp twice before, but it didn’t work out,” Rangers director of player personnel Gordie Clark said Friday night before the Whale’s 2-1 loss to the Worcester Sharks at TD Bank Sports Center on the campus of Quinnipiac University in Hamden. “When (Rangers assistant general manager) Jeff Gorton called saying he needed a few players, the guy that I thought of was Tanski. I knew I could rely on him to come in and play hard.”
So with Tayler Jordan getting injured and Randy McNaught and Jordan Hickmott opting to attend school rather than Rangers camp, the SOS went out to Tanski, who was stunned but delighted finally to get a chance to join the Blueshirts after playing for the Columbus Blue Jackets in the past two prospects tournaments.
“It was kind of funny because I actually knew I was coming to Connecticut camp, but I had no idea I was going to main camp,” Tanski said. “I thought going to Connecticut camp would be an unbelievable opportunity, but my agent called (Carleton) and they said, ‘Get off the ice, go get a suitcase and pack your bag.’ ”
When Tanski arrived at LaGuardia, he took a shuttle to the hotel where the Rangers were staying in White Plains, N.Y. He got the training camp itinerary the next morning and was soon on the ice experiencing the torturous skating tests of Rangers coach John Tortorella while rubbing shoulders with the likes of Henrik Lundqvist, Brad Richards, Marian Gaborik and Rangers captain and former Hartford Wolf Pack right wing Ryan Callahan.
“It was definitely exciting being with some of the best players in the world,” Tanski said with a smile. “I had had a little (pro) experience in Columbus’ main camp, but I definitely was shocked at the intensity of Torts’ camp. It was really tough. No matter how hard you work coming into camp, you’re not prepared for that. But I’ve definitely got into shape and tried to put my best step forward. I want to try to show the coaches what I can bring to the team. Hopefully I’ve done that and continue to do that.”
After a so-so start in the Whale’s 3-1 loss to the Albany Devils on Tuesday night, Tanski scored twice in a 4-2 victory over the Springfield Falcons the following night. First, he jammed in Tommy Grant’s centering pass from the left wing at 8:16 and then one-timed Grant’s pass from behind the net with 1:24 left in the second period. By game’s end, the line of Tanski, Grant and Kelsey Tessier combined for three goals and four assists.
Friday night, Tanski nearly had his third goal of the preseason off the opening faceoff, but Tyson Sexsmith came out to rob him in the slot after a nifty pass from Tessier only 43 seconds into the game. Tanski had another good bid denied with 12:25 left, and only defenseman Jared Nightingale could beat Sexsmith (21 saves) with 4:49 left. It wasn’t enough to offset Ryan Del Monte’s power-play goal on the rebound of Adam Zulyniak’s shot that went off the pad of Chad Johnson (15 saves) and skate of defenseman Jyri Niemi at 3:36 of the second period and Nick Petrecki beating Johnson high to the stick side 26 seconds later after a Whale turnover.
Tanski was headed to Carleton University after finishing four years with Brampton of the Ontario Hockey League, where he had 53 goals and 80 assists in 219 games. But the hockey gods then intervened, giving Tanski a shot he never anticipated. He said he hopes to make the Whale roster and would have to confer with his agent and family if he had to choose between going to Greenville of the ECHL on a two-way contract or returning to Carleton University.
“I came to camp not knowing what to expect, not having even talked to anybody, so I have just kind of gone on the ice every day and gone to work trying to sell myself,” Tanski said. “I’ve been given an opportunity, so I know I have to take advantage of it. You only get a few chances to play with guys like Tessier and Grant, so I have to make the most of it and definitely show myself.
“My game is getting in on the forecheck, using my speed, providing energy, playing the body, doing whatever it takes. I’ve been looking at this for 18, 19 years of my life, and this is what I want to do, so I’m not going to stop at nothing to try and achieve it, so I hope to catch someone’s eye. If something happens, it would be a dream come true, but I’m not going to think about it too much because it’s not for me to decide.”
Whale coach Ken Gernander will certainly be part of the decision, and he gave Tanski a ringing endorsement Friday night, sounding after if he was describing himself as a player.
“If you want to watch a game and watch a guy who’s going to play straight-line hockey, start-stop hockey, a real meat-and-potatoes type of hockey, that’s what he has been giving us,” Gernander said. “I think, to a large extent, that’s kind of created success for him. If you’re going to take short cuts and high-risk plays, sometimes you get rewarded, but often times it doesn’t bode well for you. So if you want to keep it simple and really work hard at it, you’re going to get rewarded through diligence.
“He also likes to finish hits, and what he does on breakouts and different things like that, he gets to where he needs to be early. He works hard to get there, so when the puck gets there, he’s got options and is going in the right direction, whereas you have some guys that want to come back and maybe not work as much, and when the puck gets to them, the opportunity is lost or they’re in poor position to make plays. Scott is a straight-line guy who plays hard, and as long as you do that, you’re going to be effective.”
Tanski has been effective enough to earn another shot at making the team in its preseason finale Sunday at 2 p.m., a rematch with the Sharks at Champions Skating Center in Cromwell ($5 admission benefits Junior Wolf Pack youth hockey).
Story by Bruce Berlet of the Connecticut Whale
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