Wranglers rebuilt for speed

The Wranglers will not be a finished product tonight in their first regular-season game under new coach Ryan Mougenel at Orleans Arena.

That's one of few promises the 33-year-old coach seems willing to make.

''We're young and fast and hungry. This team is only going to get better and better," Mougenel said on the eve of the Wranglers' ECHL opener against the Utah Grizzlies.

Embarking on his first season as a head coach, Mougenel was hired to replace Glen Gulutzan, who guided Las Vegas to the playoffs in five of the franchise's first six seasons.

Gulutzan left to become coach of the Texas Stars of the American Hockey League after leading the Wranglers to a 34-31-8 record and a second straight berth in the National Conference finals.

Only four players remain from that roster, and Mougenel has rebuilt with an emphasis on speed and youth. The players' average age is 241/2.

''We're going to be a fast, fast team,'' center Adam Miller, arguably the team's speediest skater last season. ''I can't name one guy who doesn't have speed.

''And we're young, so they're going to work a little harder for us.''

The Wranglers' other returnees are forwards Chris Neiszner and Mick Lawrence and defenseman John Schwarz, though the latter was here for only four games on a late-season amateur tryout. The other three combined for 49 goals and 119 points.

Defenseman Mike Madill, 27, also is expected to return when he recovers from offseason knee surgery, and ex-Las Vegas defenseman Jason Krischuk is back after finishing college last year and playing elsewhere.

Krischuk, 29, is the oldest player on the roster. One of the Wranglers' most mobile defensemen from 2006 to 2008, he now finds himself fighting for playing time.

''I'm scared for my ice time right now,'' Krischuk said half-jokingly. ''All our defensemen are very capable of skating up the ice with the puck and scoring. Everyone on our team is capable of scoring goals, skating fast and stick handling.''

Miller is expected to center a line including Lawrence and Matt Watkins. Mougenel calls it ''a great energy line with a ton of speed.'' Josh Prudden, who turns 28 on Nov. 7, will center a veteran line with Ned Lukacevic and Shay Stephenson, the only player on the team with NHL experience. Neiszner will center Greg Collins and Andrew Orpik.

The defensive pairings are expected to be Chris Frank and Robbie Bina; Craig Switzer and Nick Ross, a 2007 first-round draft pick by the parent Phoenix Coyotes; and Krischuk and Schwarz.

Mougenel hasn't named a starting goalie. Michael Ouzas and Joel Gistedt, a 2007 second-round pick by Phoenix, will split time.

Mougenel said several National Conference squads ''are absolutely stacked" but sounds unconcerned about the Wranglers' place in the mix.

''That means absolutely nothing to me,'' he said. ''It's about how you come together. That's the most important part.''

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