Strike slows Wranglers from building a team

Friday, Aug. 29, 2003 | 9:16 a.m.

As he scours Western Canada for young talent to stock the Las Vegas Wranglers' roster, Glen Gulutzan, the team's coach and general manager, has discovered two common themes on the minds of prospects.

The Strip and the spiffy Orleans Arena are very enticing attractions.

However, the Wranglers are a new ECHL franchise, and many prospects have not been eager to sign -- much less negotiate -- because of a current players' strike.

"Players are standoffish," Gulutzan said on his cell phone from Calgary. "They're not certain, and we're not certain, with the rules. It will be hard to make concrete offers to certain players.

"When anyone goes on strike, it's a big deal. But I'm still very positive. I've kind of heard rumblings on both sides that something will get done, I would say, probably in the next three weeks. I think both sides think they'll get an agreement soon."

The Wranglers are scheduled to begin training camp on Oct. 4, and they open their season at Idaho on Oct. 17. They play on Oct. 21 against Bakersfield.

The Professional Hockey Players Association, which represents ECHL players, went on strike last Friday. The former contract between the league and the union expired May 31, and the two sides have been negotiating for almost three months.

Last season, ECHL teams had a weekly salary ceiling of $10,000. The league has stated it favors lowering that to $8,000 while the players had countered with a salary floor of $8,500. A cap on the number of veterans allowed on each team is another issue.

Commissioner Brian McKenna has clearly stated his intention to keep the ECHL as a developmental league along the lines of the Double-A level of baseball.

Upon being informed of the strike, McKenna told the Associated Press that striking is one of the tools at the union's disposal.

"They're just trying to turn up the heat to get a deal done. They're on strike, but they're not due to show up for 60 days," McKenna said.

"A bargaining tactic," Gulutzan said. "It'll get done, but it's just made it a little tougher, with recruiting and that sort of thing. I think a lot has to do with the uncertain economic times we're facing."

Graduates of American and Canadian colleges, and players from Canadian junior leagues, will be the foundation of the Wranglers, according to Gulutzan, who returns to Las Vegas on Tuesday.

"I want to meet the kids face-to-face," he said, "and, hopefully, recruit some of the best talent down to Vegas."

Las Vegas forged a working relationship with the Calgary Flames two weeks ago, and the Wranglers will feed Calgary's American Hockey League affiliate in Lowell, Mass.

Gulutzan -- pronounced GULL-it-zin -- has relatives throughout Western Canada, and he has also been meeting regularly with Flames general manager Darryl Sutter.

"Just (Wednesday), we shared information on players," Gulutzan said. "It will be a good pipeline, in the fact that NHL teams pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in scouting potential NHL players.

"We will get a little pipeline of the young and upcoming guys. Obviously, they'll send us a few players who, they feel, can get to the NHL. It'll be a good situation, with access to the best young players."

Gulutzan, 32, played minor-league hockey for nine years. He was a player-coach in Fresno last season. His 425 career points for the Falcons, over six years, are a team record.

The ECHL has 32 teams in 18 states.

"Kids these days seem well-informed on where the good talent is," Gulutzan said. "It will be important for us to get out of the gates well and establish a reputation as a city with great fans and a winning hockey team.

"We have a first-class building, and we're putting together a first-class organization. Sometimes, players want to see a track record. They want to know it'll be an awesome place to play."