End of lockout favors Wranglers

The end of the NHL lockout should ultimately benefit the Wranglers, who aren't affiliated with an NHL team and didn't sign any NHL players during the lockout, as several ECHL teams did.

But Las Vegas did little to impress Sunday afternoon in an ugly 4-0 loss to the Utah Grizzlies at Orleans Arena that featured a combined 37 infractions and 161 penalty minutes.

"I told the guys, 'I stuck with you guys. I had a lot of opportunity to add NHL players and I chose not to. I knew it would be a struggle, but now you've got to play,' " Wranglers coach Ryan Mougenel said. "Tonight was unacceptable. We weren't ready to play, and that falls on me."

Playing their seventh game in 10 days, the Wranglers (15-15-4) were outshot 44-25 and surrendered a pair of power-play goals to the Grizzlies (14-14-5), who Mougenel expects to be one of several ECHL teams adversely affected by the end of the lockout.

"I think the landscape's going to change big time," he said. "It will affect us a little bit, but not like other teams in our league. They're going to be absolutely devastated.

"Stockton's going to lose a lot of players, Utah's going to lose a lot of players, and Alaska's going to lose a lot of talent up front."

Aside from losing NHL players, many ECHL teams are expected to have players called up to the American Hockey League once NHL training camps open.

The Wranglers only had one NHL-contracted player in goalie Mark Owuya, who allowed all four goals Sunday and went 3-3-0 for Las Vegas. The Toronto Maple Leafs prospect was loaned to the Wranglers by the Toronto Marlies (AHL), who recalled Owuya after the game.

"Not that we're counting on teams' misfortune of getting guys called up, but our league felt the effects of players pushed down," Mougenel said. "NHL players are totally different."

Mougenel was vehemently against ECHL teams adding NHL players during the lockout.

"It's a developmental league," he said. "You can say guys in Alaska weren't taking guys' jobs, but they were, and I refused to do that to my guys who don't make a lot of money.

"I'm glad I stuck to my guns and didn't add those guys."

The Wranglers could soon lose more players to the AHL; Mougenel said he received five phone calls Sunday morning from AHL teams interested in players from Las Vegas and elsewhere.

"Until you get a call, your main focus is on playing for the Wranglers," said defenseman Jamie Fritsch, who left the game in the first period after suffering a large gash in his right hand.

Four players scored for Utah, which twice netted goals with a two-man advantage.

Wranglers left wing Adam Huxley ignited a melee with less than six minutes to play when he checked Riley Armstrong in front of the Utah bench and punched him when he was on the ice. Huxley then bloodied Josh Burrows in a fight before getting ejected.

After Grizzlies coach Kevin Colley was tossed for abuse of the officials, Utah forward Brad Mills became enraged on the bench. He hurled a couple dozen sticks on the ice, then jumped over the boards and shoved linesman Zach Thornton before heading for the locker room.

"You saw them being frustrated and you saw us being frustrated," Mougenel said. "There were some bizarre calls. That's what you get in a Sunday game sometimes. The refs probably worked three games in three nights.

"It was frustrating to coach. We just weren't good."

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0354.