Picking up speed

Nick Christensen

Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2004 | 9:25 a.m.

With five days of training camp out of the way, the Las Vegas Wranglers needed a break.

So from swinging sticks to swinging clubs, the Wranglers hit the links Tuesday evening at the Tuscany Golf Club in Henderson, with some of the team's new players joking that year-round golf was the reason they chose Las Vegas over other potential teams.

And if they didn't know how to golf?

"They'd better learn quick," said Wranglers coach Glen Gulutzan, who was not present for Tuesday's rounds.

Gulutzan has been getting an early look at his team's progress this year, and so far he likes what he sees. The 2004 Wranglers feature 13 new players on the roster, a number that figures to continue to grow as Triple-A American Hockey League teams further trim their rosters.

"I'm pleased with the effort the guys have given," Gulutzan said. "We're definitely a quicker hockey team than last year, and not quite as big. We're quicker; we'll see what happens."

The quicker team is also very young, with 14 players under the age of 26 and nine of those born after 1980.

Veteran defenseman Jason McBain said the combination of the smaller core of veterans and the new younger group is an asset for the later parts of the year.

"In this league, I think that you have to have guys who have a lot of experience," he said. "You also have to have guys who are younger; they bring excitement to every single game."

Rejean Stringer, a 30-year-old center who signed from Europe this summer, said the team's youthful speed will be a major plus in the ECHL.

"It's your older guys who lead you," Stringer said. "Your third-line guys make it tough to compete with you."

Gulutzan said one younger player who has stood out in camp is 26-year-old rookie Troy Smith, a efenseman from Canada's St. Francis Xavier University.

Two-a-days continue today for the Wranglers, who are preparing for Friday night's exhibition opener against Atlantic City in the Orleans Arena. They'll play the Boardwalk Bullies again on Saturday before getting ready for their season opener, Oct. 22 at Fresno.

"There are some guys in that grey area, that still have a chance and could make it," Stringer said. "I think most guys know, it's going to be tough to get called up."

Gulutzan said for Wranglers players, the lack of upward mobility for the duration of the strike is a mixed bag.

"I think they still know what's at stake in the long run, as far as the NHL goes," he said. "I don't think either way it's a detriment or a benefit. Guys are probably a little more established from where they're at."

But from a team perspective, he said, the strike is a good thing.

"Your team's more stable, so in that regard, it is a lot more positive," Gulutzan said.

Right now, the roster stands at 21 players, including assistant coach Joe Frederick. Forward Tom Nelson, re-signed last week, was released to pursue other hockey opportunities, according to Gulutzan. The roster must be trimmed to 20 by the start of the season, and the 21 doesn't include any players who might be sent down from the AHL in the next week and a half.