AHL / BRUCE BERLET
Defenseman Dave Liffiton spent his first two pro seasons battling injuries as much as he did the opposition.
Yet he improved so much this year that he was made an assistant captain of the Pack for an extended time and was called up by the Rangers twice within the past two weeks.
Liffiton didn't get into an NHL game, but he did sit alongside future Hall of Famer Brendan Shanahan at a game against the Islanders. Shanahan hasn't played since sustaining a concussion Feb. 17.
"Sitting with Shanny was a pretty good experience as far as his knowledge and the way he sees the game," Liffiton said.
It was part of what Liffiton called a positive experience after paying his dues to reach the next level. And tonight in Atlanta, he gets his first legitimate shot at the NHL. He was called up for a third time Wednesday after Karel Rachunek sprained his right knee in a 3-2 loss to Ottawa on Tuesday. Rachunek will be out 3-4 weeks.
It was appropriate that Liffiton spent time with Shanahan, arguably the Rangers' most versatile and valuable player. Liffiton has always been a hard-nosed, inspirational type who stands up for himself and teammates. But he has elevated all facets of his game while being used in all situations for the first time, notably on the power play.
The Pack coaches called Liffiton an emotional catalyst who is very hard to play against.
Liffiton, 22, started the season slowly after surgery in early July on an ankle he re-injured in Game 5 of the division finals against Portland. He was in a cast for six weeks and had about a month to prepare for training camp, but he said his confidence rose as the Pack took off after being 5-11-1 at Thanksgiving.
The coaches increased Liffiton's responsibilities, using him on the power play and pairing him with Corey Potter since the rookie was called up from Charlotte of the ECHL Feb. 5.
Liffiton gave particular credit to assistant coach J.J. Daigneault.
"J.J. really helped the offensive side of my game," said Liffiton, who has one goal, 10 assists and 154 penalty minutes in 61 games. "The more you play, the better you usually play, so it's a nice feeling that the coaches have confidence in you. Corey and I clicked from the get-go, and it just shows the depth we have in the organization."
Daigneault, who spent 15 years in the NHL and won a Stanley Cup with Montreal in 1993, said patience is key for defensemen.
"There's no secret that unless you're Chris Pronger, you usually don't develop until 23 or 24," Daigneault said. "You need to play and pay your dues getting some seasoning in the minors. Less is sometimes more, and it takes a little time for defensemen because it's a responsibility position, second only to the goalie. The eyes are on you, and sometimes it takes a lot of maturity to make the right decisions. And sometimes for you to make the right decisions, you have to play a lot of hockey at the professional level."
Daigneault said consistency is a key to getting to the NHL, and Liffiton had a handful of games in which he did not have a good rating.
"It's a progression, but as a defenseman, you don't want to be impatient with yourself," Daigneault said. "You have to understand that it takes seasoning and you have to be one of the best in the minors before moving up. But Liffiton was a leader in juniors and now he has taken a leadership role here. He's vocal on the bench and has been a spark at trying to get his teammates going when things aren't going the way we want them to go. I think his best is yet to come."
Callahan With Rangers
Wing Ryan Callahan, the Pack's leading scorer (35 goals, 20 assists), joined Liffiton on the trip to Atlanta and Boston, where the Rangers play Saturday. The Pack are at Lowell on Sunday, and the Rangers host Pittsburgh on Monday. Captain Craig Weller (post-concussion symptoms) has resumed practicing but won't play this weekend. So with defenseman Martin Richter having a foot problem, wing Zdenek Bahensky was recalled from Charlotte and defenseman Kenny Smith was signed to a tryout contract after spending the season with the Checkers. Smith, a Harvard graduate drafted by the Edmonton Oilers in the third round in 2001, was with Portland most of last season. ... With a goal and four assists, Chris Ferraro won his first matchup with twin brother Peter in more than six years as San Antonio defeated Peoria 7-5 Friday. Peter had one goal and is 1-3-1 against Chris. They last played against each other in the 2000-01 season, when Chris was with Albany and Peter with Providence. The former Pack forwards could next meet March 31 in San Antonio. ... Ryan McGill reached 200 AHL coaching victories Saturday when Omaha beat Grand Rapids, 6-2. McGill, who got No. 201 in Milwaukee on Wednesday in the 11th round of a shootout, is in his second season with the Ak-Sar-Ben Knights after going 127-73-24-13 with the Pack in 2002-05. Two of the five other active coaches with 200 AHL wins are former Whalers wings, Rochester's Randy Cunneyworth (272) and Chicago's John Anderson (246).
Wolf Pack Week Ahead
March 16, 2007
bruce berlet
Tonight, at Providence, 7:05: Despite being short-handed, the Pack (38-23-3-0) rebounded from 4-1 losses to Manchester and Worcester with strong games against Lowell on Saturday (3-2 victory in shootout) and Springfield on Sunday (5-0 win). The Pack remain short-handed because leading scorer Ryan Callahan and defenseman Dave Liffiton were called up by the Rangers. This could be a first-round playoff matchup in the Atlantic Division. The Pack are 4-4 against the Bruins, 2-1 at the Dunkin' Donuts Center. The Bruins (36-25-1-3) are 21-6-0-1 since Jan. 7. David Krejci (24 goals, 35 assists) has points in 20 of his past 22 games (17, 15). Other major threats for the Bruins are Ben Walter (22, 34), Pascal Pelletier (13, 30) and T.J. Trevelyan (21, 21). Hannu Toivonen is 4-1 with a 1.90 goals-against average since returning from Boston on March 2, and the Bruins are the only AHL team that's perfect when leading after two periods (27-0-0-0).
Saturday, at Springfield, 7:05 p.m.: The Pack are 5-3 against the last-place Falcons (25-39-1-2) and tied a team record Sunday by allowing only 14 shots on goal in the 5-0 victory. The Falcons are on a 3-18-1-1 slide largely because they're last in the AHL with 149 goals. The top players offensively are Eric Healey (24, 36) and Norm Milley (23, 31).
Sunday, at Lowell, 4:05 p.m.: The Pack are 3-4 against the Devils but 2-1 at Tsongas Arena. The Devils (33-24-5-4) have moved into the fourth and final playoff spot in the Atlantic Division thanks to a 4-0-0-2 run that includes a 2-1 victory over the Pack. The trapping Devils are usually boring to watch but have a balanced attack, led by Chris Minard (24, 13), Dan McGillis (9, 25), David Clarkson (17, 16) and Nicklas Bergfors (13, 18). Former Springfield Pics wing Dan LaCouture has four goals and two assists in the past five games. Former Pack defenseman Mike Mottau has 19 assists in 29 games since returning in early January from a neck injury sustained when hit into the boards by teammate Cam Janssen in training camp.
