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The Las Vegas Wranglers are a minor league ice hockey team in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The Wranglers were originally to begin play in the West Coast Hockey League, but the WCHL merged with the ECHL before the beginning of the 2003 season. Home games are played at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. The Wranglers are the only team to hold a game that is played at midnight. The annual "Midnight Holiday Roundup" (the 'Holiday' part is so-called because it is held every December) was created so that Las Vegans who work during the usual game times (e.g. employees of the gaming industry), could watch a game. Other Wranglers promotions have included the traditional mullet hat night and even a give away of orange vests that said "Don't Shoot...I'm Human!" during a game on March 17, 2006, a joke on the Dick Cheney hunting incident.1 The Wranglers are the first team in ECHL history to have three consecutive 100-point seasons.2
The Wranglers have been the ECHL affiliate of the NHL's Calgary Flames and the AHL's Quad City Flames since the team's inaugural season in 2003. Under the terms of the affiliation agreement, up to nine Flames prospects can play for Las Vegas.3
The Wranglers play in the Pacific Division of the ECHL's National Conference and are one of the most prolific teams in ECHL history.
History
The market was previously served by:
Players
Current roster
As of December 30, 2008: 4
| Goaltenders |
| Number |
|
Player |
Catches |
Acquired |
Place of Birth |
| 1 |
 |
John DeCaro |
L |
2008 |
Marysville, Washington |
| 38 |
 |
Kevin Lalande |
L |
2008 |
Kingston, Ontario |
|
| Defensemen |
| Number |
|
Player |
Shoots |
Acquired |
Place of Birth |
| 2 |
|
Brandon Straub |
R |
2008 |
Colorado Springs, Colorado |
| 4 |
|
Chris St. Croix |
R |
2008 |
Voorhees, New Jersey |
| 6 |
|
Steve Makway |
L |
2008 |
Trail, British Columbia |
| 7 |
|
Sean Owens |
R |
2007 |
Victoria, British Columbia |
| 8 |
|
Jason Dest |
L |
2007 |
Fraser, Michigan |
| 9 |
|
Mike Madill |
R |
2007 |
Kirkland, Quebec |
| 24 |
|
Bret Tyler |
L |
2008 |
Maynard, Massachusetts |
| 32 |
|
Jeff May |
L |
2008 |
Richmond, British Columbia |
| Forwards |
| Number |
|
Player |
Shoots |
Position |
Acquired |
Place of Birth |
| 13 |
|
Chris Ferraro |
R |
C |
2007 |
Port Jefferson, New York |
| 15 |
|
Kelly Czuy |
R |
F |
2008 |
Edmonton, Alberta |
| 16 |
|
Matt Beaudoin |
R |
F |
2008 |
Rock Forest, Quebec |
| 17 |
|
Peter Ferraro |
R |
RW |
2007 |
Port Jefferson, New York |
| 18 |
|
Justin Taylor |
L |
C |
2008 |
Edmonton, Alberta |
| 19 |
|
Mick Lawrence |
R |
LW |
2008 |
Port Coquitlam, British Columbia |
| 22 |
|
Chris Neiszner |
R |
C |
2008 |
Craik, Saskatchewan |
| 26 |
|
Shawn Limpright |
L |
LW |
2004 |
St. Adolphe, Manitoba |
| 29 |
|
Dan Ryder |
R |
C |
2008 |
Bonavista, Newfoundland and Labrador |
| 81 |
|
Adam Miller |
L |
C |
2007 |
Livonia, Michigan |
| Injured Reserve |
| Number |
|
Player |
Shoots |
Position |
Time Remaining |
| 13 |
|
Chris Ferraro |
C |
R |
2 days |
| 18 |
|
Justin Taylor |
L |
C |
12 days |
| Suspended |
| Number |
|
Player |
Shoots |
Position |
Time Remaining |
| 29 |
|
Dan Ryder |
R |
C |
– |
|
Staff
|
| Title |
Staff Member |
| Head Coach |
Glen Gulutzan |
| Assistant Coach |
Mike McBain |
| Head Athletic Trainer |
Scott McLay |
| Equipment Manager |
Brian Garcia |
Team captains
Notable players
- See also: List of Las Vegas Wranglers players
Franchise scoring leaders
-
These are the top-ten point-scorers in franchise history. Figures are updated after each completed ECHL regular season.5
Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games Played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game; * = current Wranglers player
| Player |
Pos |
GP |
G |
A |
Pts |
P/G |
| Shawn Limpright* |
LW |
187 |
39 |
92 |
131 |
.70 |
| Dan Tudin |
LW |
130 |
54 |
65 |
119 |
.92 |
| Derek Edwardson |
C |
122 |
43 |
70 |
113 |
.93 |
| Tyler Mosienko* |
C |
135 |
40 |
71 |
111 |
.82 |
| Steve Crampton |
LW |
123 |
43 |
68 |
111 |
.90 |
| Jason McBain |
D |
137 |
19 |
76 |
95 |
.69 |
| Marco Peluso |
LW |
154 |
38 |
57 |
95 |
.62 |
| Jeff Attard |
C |
138 |
32 |
55 |
87 |
.63 |
| Matt Dzieduszycki |
C |
76 |
39 |
46 |
85 |
1.12 |
| Chris Stanley |
C |
125 |
40 |
42 |
82 |
.66 |
Season-by-season record
This is a partial list of the last five seasons completed by the Wranglers. For the full season-by-season history, see Las Vegas Wranglers seasons
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes
Records as of end of the 2007-08 ECHL season. 6
| Season |
GP |
W |
L |
T |
Pts |
GF |
GA |
PIM |
Finish |
Playoffs |
| 2003–04 |
72 |
43 |
22 |
7 |
93 |
227 |
186 |
1605 |
2nd, Pacific |
Lost in Division Semifinals, 2-3 (Idaho) |
| 2004–05 |
72 |
31 |
33 |
8 |
70 |
201 |
199 |
1666 |
7th, West |
Did Not Qualify |
| 2005–06 |
72 |
53 |
13 |
6 |
112 |
267 |
176 |
1513 |
2nd, West |
Lost in Division Finals, 2-4 (Alaska) |
| 2006–07 |
72 |
46 |
12 |
14 |
106 |
231 |
187 |
1374 |
1st, Pacific |
Lost in Conference Semifinals, 2-4 (Idaho) |
| 2007–08 |
72 |
47 |
13 |
12 |
106 |
244 |
179 |
1440 |
1st, Pacific |
Lost in Kelly Cup Finals, 2-4 (Cincinnati) |
All-Time Record Versus Opponents
This is a table of the overall win-loss-tie records for the Wranglers against certain opponents. Teams in italics are no longer members of the ECHL. Some franchises have moved over the years, and records against franchises which have since moved are combined. Records in the playoffs are also included in the overall win-loss-tie records presented. The Wranglers have the most success against the Phoenix Roadrunners and the least success against the Reading Royals. Of the other 21 teams in the current 22-team ECHL, the Wranglers have never played against Charlotte, Charleston (SC), Dayton, Duluth (GA), or Elmira (NY). The Wranglers have only played against Cincinnati during the 2008 Kelly Cup Finals.
Records as of November 20, 2008:
- 1. Previously known as the Texas Wildcatters (4 games, 3-1-0)
- 2. Previously known as the Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies (3 games, 1-1-1).
- 3. Previously known as the Toledo Storm before the team suspended operations in 2007 in order to construct new arena. All eight games were played before the name change.
Honors
Team
- First team in ECHL history to have three consecutive 100-point seasons.
- Highest Winning Percentage (.676; 2003-08) in ECHL History
- Highest Road Winning Percentage (.706; 2003-08) in ECHL History
- Fewest (5; 2006-07) and 3rd (7; 2007-08) Fewest Road Losses in One Season
- Tied for Longest Road Win Streak in ECHL history (10 - 22'Nov'05 - 31'Dec'05)
- Hold Longest Win Streak in ECHL history (18 games)
- Tied with 1990-91 Peoria Rivermen of the IHL for Longest Win Streak in professional hockey history (18 games).
- Fewest Shorthanded Goals Allowed, One Season (2; 2007-08)
- Fewest Penalty Minutes in One Game (0; 27'Nov'04 @ Florida)
- 2nd Most Road Wins in One Season (25; 2005-06)
- 3rd Most Wins in One Season (53; 2005-06)
- 3rd (12; 2006-07) Fewest Losses in One Season
- 3rd and 4th Longest Regular Season Win Streaks in ECHL History
- 3rd Longest Unbeaten Streak (20 - 03'Nov'07 - 21'Dec'07) (1)
- 4th Most Ties in One Season (14; 2006-07)
- 5th Most Points in One Season (112; 2005-06)
- 5th Highest Winning Percentage for One Season (.778; 2005-06)
(1) An unbeaten streak in the ECHL refers to wins and any game that is tied at the end of regulation. Losses that occur in overtime or shootout are scored as ties in the ECHL, earning one point each and continue an unbeaten or winless streak.
Individual
Miscellaneous
Championships
- Division Titles: 2 – 2006-07, 2007-08
- Kelly Cups: none
- Brabham Cups: 1 – 2006-07
- Bruce Taylor Cups: 1 – 2007-08
Affiliation History
- Calgary Flames (2003 - Present)
Main Rivals
The Las Vegas Wranglers have significant rivalries with the Alaska Aces, Bakersfield Condors, Fresno Falcons, Idaho Steelheads, and Utah Grizzlies. The longest of the rivalries is with the Utah Grizzlies, which started between the Las Vegas Thunder and the Utah Grizzlies in the International Hockey League and came to its highest point during 1996 IHL Western Conference Finals. The Wranglers and the Steelheads have had a constant rivalry that has centered around the playoffs. The Wranglers have met the Steelheads in all three of their playoff appearnaces. The Alaska Aces rivalry began during the 2005-06 season in which the Wranglers fell one point behind the Aces for the West Division and Brabham Cup titles. The rivalries with the Condors and Falcons started off very softly during the Wranglers inaugural season but has become more heated since the Wranglers move into the Pacific Division during the 2006-07 season. In 2008-09, the Wranglers are expecting a new rival with the Texas Wildcatters relocating to Ontario, CA. The Reign, are to be affiliated with the Los Angeles Kings who have a heavy fan base in the Las Vegas metropolitan area as Las Vegas is a part of the Los Angeles sports market.
Former rivals of the Wranglers included the Long Beach Ice Dogs, San Diego Gulls, and Toledo Storm. The rivalry with Long Beach and San Diego came from the time that the teams were members of the IHL and made numerous playoff appearances against each other, while the rivalry with Toledo was based upon the large population of Las Vegas residents from Toledo, OH.
Theme Songs
The Wranglers have had numerous songs that represent the team during pre-game introductions. Songs that represented the regular season have included: Never Gonna Stop (The Red Red Kroovy), Stand Up, Ready Steady Go, ...To Be Loved, Crash. When the team makes the playoffs, the song that was used in the regular season is usually changed. Songs that have represented the playoffs have included: The Hand That Feeds and Lights and Sounds. During the regular season the Wranglers used Ain't Nothing Wrong With That by Robert Randolph and the Family Band and The Pretender by the Foo Fighters as their theme song. For the 2008 Kelly Cup Playoffs, the Wranglers used Give It All by Rise Against. Currently the Wranglers are using Hell Yeah by Rev Theory as their theme song.
Logos
Original Logo
(Never Used)
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Alternate Logo
(Never Used)
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References
External links
Las Vegas, Nevada
