Alumn-ICE Report: April 23
Sam Morton
Photo Credit: Russ Alman
(The Alumn-ICE report will shift to every two weeks through the postseason, covering the progress of former ICE and Wild players roughly round-by-round through the NHL, AHL and ECHL playoffs).
A proud first-year member of the Western Hockey League, the Wenatchee Wild are continuing a celebrated WHL legacy that dates back to Edmonton, Alberta in 1996, continuing in Cranbrook, British Columbia and Winnipeg, Manitoba. These are the ICE alumni, who are now also members of the #WildFamily, making news in American pro hockey this week:
NHL
SAM REINHART (2010-15) – Ended the regular season on a four-game point streak for the Florida Panthers, scoring the eventual game-winner in the second period before adding an empty-net tally with 2:20 left last Tuesday in a 5-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Reinhart ended the season with 94 points, including 57 goals, good for second-most in the National Hockey League.
ZACH BENSON (2020-23) – Closed out his first NHL season with a goal in the Buffalo Sabres’ 4-2 win last Monday against the Tampa Bay Lightning. His final goal of the season came on a tip-in halfway through the third period. Benson ended his rookie season with 30 points, including 11 goals, appearing in 71 of Buffalo’s 82 games.
BRAYDEN McNABB (2006-11) – Scored his last goal of the regular season for the Vegas Golden Knights last Tuesday, opening the scoring in a 3-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks. His goal 66 seconds into the second period Monday was the eventual winner in a 4-3 victory over the Dallas Stars to open the Western Conference playoffs. McNabb was an “iron man” for the Golden Knights, scoring 26 points while stepping onto the ice in all 82 games.
ICE Alumni Appearing in the NHL Playoffs
Sam Reinhart (FLA), Brayden McNabb (VGK)
AHL
GRAHAM SWARD (2022-24) and BRILEY WOOD (2022-24) – Were signed to Amateur Tryout contracts by the Colorado Eagles ahead of the final week of the regular season. Neither appeared in a game in the season’s final week, but the Eagles did lock in home-ice advantage in the first round of the Pacific Division playoffs against the Abbotsford Canucks.
ZACK OSTAPCHUK (2022-23) – Was named the Belleville Senators’ Rookie of the Year for this past season, after posting 17 goals and 11 assists, appearing in 69 of Belleville’s 72 games.
DAWSON BARTEAUX (2019-20) – Played in his 100th AHL game last Wednesday in a 6-4 Manitoba Moose loss to the Milwaukee Admirals, before finishing his regular season with assists in the final two games. He posted an assist in the midst of a string of five straight Manitoba power play goals in an 8-3 win at the Texas Stars on Friday, and added another power play assist the following night in a 4-1 win at Texas. Barteaux closed out the year with 19 points in 45 games for Manitoba.
MIKEY MILNE (2018-22) – Finished the scoring for his season Friday in a 4-1 Iowa Wild home win over the Grand Rapids Griffins, pouncing for a power play goal late in the second period before notching an assist on a CARSON LAMBOS (2018-23) goal in the third. Milne picked up 21 points in just 40 games for Iowa this season, while Lambos finished his first pro season with 14 points in 69 appearances.
JACK FINLEY (2021-22) – Scored his last point of the regular season for the Syracuse Crunch by burying a game-tying goal late in the first period in Friday’s 4-3 win at the Utica Comets. He posted 13 goals and 19 assists over 52 games for the Crunch.
HUDSON ELYNUIK (2012-18) – Earned assists on both Chicago Wolves goals Sunday in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Rockford IceHogs. Elynuik played 46 games for Chicago this past season, ending the year with 20 points.
MICHAL TEPLY (2019-20) – Picked up three goals on 13 shots in his final weekend of the regular season for the Rockford IceHogs – two of the three IceHogs goals in a 6-3 loss to the Milwaukee Admirals on Saturday belonged to him, as did a goal in the final minute of the first period of Sunday’s 3-2 overtime win over the Chicago Wolves. LUKE PHILP (2011-16) had assists on both goals in Sunday’s game. Teply played in all 72 Rockford games this past season, scoring 30 points, while Philp finished with six points, playing in 15 games after recovering from surgery to repair a torn Achilles.
ADAM CRACKNELL (2002-06) – Ended his season with a first-period assist in the Henderson Silver Knights’ 5-3 loss at the Bakersfield Condors on Saturday, his 750th game in an AHL uniform. Cracknell was the second-highest-scoring ICE alumnus in the AHL this year, notching 35 points in 59 games.
CALE FLEURY (2014-18) – Picked up an assist in both ends of a Coachella Valley Firebirds home-and-home over the weekend against the San Diego Gulls – his assist Saturday came on the overtime winner in a 5-4 decision in San Diego, while his assist Sunday helped spark a three-goal Firebirds comeback in a 4-3 shootout loss. Fleury’s 36 points this season was the highest mark among ICE alumni in the AHL.
ISAAC JOHNSON (2019-20) – Earned an assist Sunday on the Toronto Marlies’ only goal in a 3-1 loss to the Cleveland Monsters. Johnson finished with two points in eight games, finishing the season in the AHL after spending most of the season in the ECHL with the Newfoundland Growlers.
ICE Alumni Appearing in the AHL Playoffs
Cale Fleury (Coachella Valley); Jack Finley (Syracuse); Michal Teply, Luke Philp (Rockford); Zack Ostapchuk (Belleville); Dawson Barteaux (Manitoba); Chase Wheatcroft (Texas); Brett Sutter (Calgary); Isaac Johnson (Toronto)
ECHL
CAM HAUSINGER (2017-19) scored his first playoff goal as a member of the Indy Fuel on Saturday, posting a power play tally for Indy’s only goal in a 7-1 loss to the Wheeling Nailers. Hausinger is facing his old team, after notching nine playoff goals in 2022 for the Nailers.
NOLAN ORZECK (2017-22) – Had an assist on the Allen Americans’ go-ahead goal Saturday in a 6-3 win over the Tulsa Oilers.
BOBBY RUSSELL (2016-18) – Finished his regular season with three assists on the final weekend of the Greenville Swamp Rabbits season – he picked up two assists on Tanner Eberle goals Friday in a 7-3 win over the Atlanta Gladiators, and helped open the scoring Sunday in a 5-1 win against the Savannah Ghost Pirates.
ICE Alumni Appearing in the ECHL Playoffs
Owen Pederson (Maine); Bobby Russell (Greenville); Jon Martin, Cam Hausinger (Indy); Gage Alexander (Tulsa); Nolan Orzeck (Allen)
Also on Wenatchee’s alumni list are the standouts from its Junior A era (2008-2023) – these players laid the foundation for the WHL’s future success in the Wenatchee Valley. These are Wenatchee’s Junior A alumni who are making news in American pro hockey this week:
DEVIN COOLEY (2016-17) – Handled duties in net for both of the San Jose Sharks’ final two games of the season, making 22 saves last Monday in a 9-2 loss to the Edmonton Oilers before stopping 23 shots Thursday in a 5-1 loss at the Calgary Flames. Cooley went 2-3-1 in his first stretch on an NHL roster, posting a 4.98 goals-against average and a save percentage of .870.
NIC DOWD (2008-09) – Closed out the regular-season slate for the Washington Capitals with a pair of points early last week – Dowd scored an empty-net goal with 13 seconds left to seal Monday’s 2-0 win over the Boston Bruins, and set up T.J. Oshie for an empty-net game-winner against the Philadelphia Flyers the following night in a 2-1 finish. That point capped a 22-point season for Dowd, whose regular-season finale also marked his 500th NHL game.
SAM MORTON (2016-18; 2019-20) – Scored back-to-back second-period goals for the Calgary Wranglers to finish the regular season on Saturday, in a 3-2 loss at the Abbotsford Canucks. Morton finished an end-of-season cameo with the Wranglers by posting seven points in 13 appearances.
BRYAN YOON (2015-16) – Snapped a scoreless tie late in the second period of a 3-2 Hartford Wolf Pack win over the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Saturday. Yoon posted a pair of goals in 18 games for the Wolf Pack after playing much of the season for the ECHL’s Utah Grizzlies.
GEHRETT SARGIS (2009-10) – Made his first appearance on the ECHL Kelly Cup playoff scene with a flourish, picking up points in both Norfolk Admirals games against the Trois-Rivieres Lions last week – his second-period goal last Wednesday gave the Admirals a two-goal cushion on the way to a 4-2 win, while his assist Saturday helped put Norfolk ahead in a 2-1 victory Saturday.
Wenatchee Junior “A” Alumni Appearing in the Playoffs
Nic Dowd (Washington, NHL); Jasper Weatherby (Milwaukee, AHL); Sam Morton (Calgary, AHL); Bryan Yoon (Hartford, AHL); Drew Bavaro (Providence, AHL); Lukas Svejkovsky (Wheeling, ECHL); Brendan Harris, Brandon Puricelli (Jacksonville, ECHL); Avery Winslow (Orlando, ECHL); Jacob Modry (Greenville, ECHL); Gehrett Sargis (Norfolk, ECHL)