Las Vegas Wranglers

The Las Vegas Wranglers are a professional ice hockey team based in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Wranglers are members of the Pacific Division of the National Conference of the ECHL. Preceded in Nevada's largest city by the Las Vegas Thunder of the International Hockey League, the Wranglers were founded as an expansion franchise in 2003 following the East Coast Hockey League's takeover of the West Coast Hockey League to form the ECHL. The Wranglers are one of the most prolific teams in ECHL history.

The Wranglers have held many accolades over their seven year span, including having the highest winning percentage in ECHL history and hold seven ECHL records. The Wranglers have made one appearance to the Kelly Cup Finals and have won the Brabham Cup once and the Pacific Division title twice. Former Wranglers that have reached the National Hockey League include Brent Krahn, Adam Pardy, Dany Sabourin and Tyler Sloan. The Wranglers play their home games on the west side of the city at the Orleans Arena, which opened in 2003.

The Wranglers have been the ECHL affiliate of the NHL's Calgary Flames since the team's inaugural season in 2003 and the AHL's Abbotsford Heat since that franchise moved from Moline, Illinois in 2009. Under the terms of the affiliation agreement, up to nine Flames prospects can play for Las Vegas, but have received players that have been under contract with other NHL or AHL teams including, Brent Krahn (Dallas), Kelly Czuy (Springfield) and Glenn Fisher (Edmonton).

The Wranglers have garnered many accolades from the local media, including the Las Vegas Review-Journal naming the Wranglers "Best Local Sports Team" three times (2005, 2006, 2009)and head coach Glen Gulutzan "Best Local Coach" (2007, 2009).

Official Las Vegas Wranglers Website: http://www.lasvegaswranglers.com/

Return of Ice Hockey to the Desert
With the Las Vegas Thunder of the International Hockey League folding following the 1998-99 IHL season, the West Coast Hockey League announced their intentions to keep ice hockey in the Las Vegas Valley when they granted expansion rights to the city in 1999, with plans for the team to start competing in the 2000-01 WCHL season. The Wranglers team name and logo was announced shortly before what was supposed to be the franchise's inaugural season in 2000 with the team, but the team had to suspend their playing entrance into the WCHL for three seasons due to the lack of a suitable arena for the team to play at. Deciding to not miss out on another season, the Wranglers announced in October 2002 that they planned to play at the proposed Las Vegas Events Center in downtown Las Vegas and share the arena with the Community College of Southern Nevada's men's and women's basketball teams. The Events Center was to be paid for and operated by a non-profit organization that was supported by Las Vegas mayor Oscar Goodman

With no progress on the proposed Events Center, the franchise announced in September 2002 that they were moving to the Orleans Arena that was under construction at The Orleans Hotel and Casino on the west side of the city. The Orleans Arena would become the home for the Wranglers beginning with the 2003-04 WCHL season. Later in September 2002, a planned merger between the WCHL and the East Coast Hockey League was announced that would have the WCHL's six active franchises and three expansion franchises (including the Wranglers) join the ECHL for the 2003-04 season.

Early Years
On May 29, 2003, in place of owner Charles Davenport, IV, actor Rick Schroder introduced former Fresno Falcons player/coach Glen Gulutzan as the franchise's first head coach and general manager.Within four months, Gulutzan was able to come to terms with Calgary Flames general manager Darryl Sutter to make the Wranglers the ECHL affiliate of the Calgary Flames and Lowell Lock Monsters.The first two players that Gulutzan would sign were brothers and former NHLers Jason and Mike McBain and added veteran ECHL goaltender Marc Magliarditi shortly there after. Before the Wranglers inaugural season, Gulutzan named Jason McBain the franchises first captain. The Wranglers would start off their season on a bang going 9-1-3 in their first thirteen games and didn't lose a home game in regulation until a 1–0 loss to the San Diego Gulls on December 27, 2003, going 13-1-1 at home over the stretch.The Wranglers would finish their first season with a record of 43-22-7 (93 points) and finishing second in the Western Conference's Pacific Division (15 points behind Brabham Cup winner, San Diego). The Wranglers would take on the Idaho Steelheads in the best-of-five Pacific Division Semifinals and despite overtaking Idaho in the first two games, the Steelheads would take the remaining three on their way to their first Kelly Cup championship.

Entering the 2004-05 season, Gulutzan and the Wranglers were expected to compete again for the division crown, but instead the team suffered what would be its worst season in franchise history. Due to the 2004-05 NHL Lockout, local media believed that the team would become stronger as many Calgary Flames players decided to play for the team's affiliate in Lowell, sending multiple top prospects and former NHLers to the team including goaltender Sébastien Centomo. The 2004-05 Wranglers would end up being more remembered for their discipline (or lack there of) as forward Adam Huxley would set a team record for penalties in minutes and Centomo would become better known for fighting than stopping the puck. Wranglers fans would show their disdain through chants and signs that called for the dismissal of Gulutzan as head coach. The Wranglers would finish the season a disappointing 31-33-8 (70 points) and stand in seventh place in the West Division failing to capture a playoff spot, the only time in franchise history.

Rise to Prominence
Before the 2005-06 season, Wranglers captain Jason McBain announced his retirement and the team's captaincy was given to his brother Mike as the Wranglers looked to shake off the rusty performance that was their sophomore season. The Wranglers started the season on a rocket pace losing only four games in the first three months of the season. This included the Wranglers besting their home mark to start a season, as the Wranglers did not lose at home in regulation until January 3, 2006, as the Reading Royals defeated the Wranglers 3–2. Before the loss to Reading, the Wranglers had gone 12-0-2 during the time. Along with the fourteen game unbeaten streak at home to start the season, the Wranglers also tied league record for most consecutive road wins with ten from November 22, 2005 to December 31, 2005. One of the most memorable moments during the 2005-06 season came during the Wranglers' 5–2 November 8 win as head coach Glen Gulutzan challenged Fresno's head coach Matt Thomas to a fight because Fresno goons Brad Both and Fraser Clair instigated fights with Wranglers rookies Tim Hambly and Lee Green with 11 seconds left in the game. Several Wranglers would set team records following the 2005-06 season, including goaltender Marc Magliarditi who set the team records for most games played by a goaltender (51) and most wins by a goaltender (34). Centre Matt Dzieduszycki set the team record for most points in a season with 78 and Dan Tudin set team records for highest plus/minus with +38, shots on goal with 256 and shorthanded goals with 7.

The Wranglers would end the season with their best statistical record as they finished 53-13-6 (112 points) and finished only one point behind the Alaska Aces for the West Division title and the Henry Brabham Cup. The 53 wins in 2005-06 were the most in franchise history and the 20-win turnaround led to head coach Glen Gulutzan being awarded the John Brophy Award as the league's top coach. The Wranglers would take on the Idaho Steelheads in the best-of-seven West Division semifinals. The Wranglers found themselves trailing Idaho three games to one, but pulled off what only one team in the ECHL's history were able to do, and came back to win games five, six and seven. The Wranglers would take on the Alaska Aces in the West Division finals, ultimately falling in six games.

Seeking to improve on a great year, the Wranglers were placed in the National Conference's Pacific Division following a league wide realignment. The Wranglers would have their best chance to capture their first banner as they would not have to compete with Alaska or Idaho for the division title. The Wranglers would have to start the season without veterans goaltender Marc Magliarditi and Mike McBain, but were still had a good start, earning points in all of their first eight games, going 3-0-5. The Wranglers relied heavily on new goaltender Mike McKenna and returning stars Shawn Limpright and Marco Peluso for leadership during the time in which the team lost its most veteran players. Magliarditi himself would retire from the team in the middle of the season, leaving as the franchise's career leader in minutes played (8517), games played by a goaltender (146), wins (83) and shutouts (7).Despite injuries and being left with only one player from the inaugural 2003-04 franchise, the Wranglers paced themselves to their first ever banner, winning the Pacific Division title on April 4, 2007 with a 4 – 2 victory on the road against the Long Beach Ice Dogs at Long Beach Arena. Three days later the Wranglers clinched the Brabham Cup title when they defeated the Stockton Thunder 2 – 1 on the last game of the season, just edging out heated rival, the Alaska Aces by one-point, remenisent of the Brabham Cup race the two teams had just one year before.

The Wranglers finished the 2006-07 regular season with a 46-12-14 record (106 points) and set the league record for fewest road defeats in a single season with 5. Wranglers rookie goalie Mike McKenna would finish second in the race for the Reebok Goaltender of the Year award, finishing behind Adam Berkhoel of the Dayton Bombers, and set single season team records in shutouts (5) and lowest goals against average (2.21). The Wranglers also entered the Kelly Cup playoffs on a 13-game winning streak when they took on the 8th-seeded Phoenix Roadrunners in the National Conference quarterfinals. The Wranglers would sweep the 'Runners in four games and take on the Idaho Steelheads in the National Conference semifinals. The Wranglers would win game one of the series to extend their league record winning streak to 18 games, tying the 1991 Peoria Rivermen of the International Hockey League for the longest winning streak in professional hockey history. The streak would end in game two and Idaho would eventually take the series from the Wranglers in six games on the way to their second Kelly Cup title in four years.

5 Years in Las Vegas, the Kelly Cup Finals and After
As the Wranglers were set to begin their fifth season in the ECHL many changes had come around the team. After coming out of nowhere to fill in for Wranglers legend Marc Magliarditi, Mike McKenna left Las Vegas, signing with the Portland Pirates of the AHL and Mike McBain was not expected to play much of the season before he retired. In turn, Gulutzan signed rookie goaltenders Daniel Manzato and Kevin LaLande, as well as signing twins and former NHLers Chris and Peter Ferraro. Two games into the season, Mike McBain announced his retirement and Peter Ferraro was named as his replacement as captain. Despite having two untested goaltenders and a team that didn't have a single original Wrangler, the team shot out of a cannon during the early part of the season, going 15-2-0 after two months into the season. By mid-season, the Wranglers were comfortably settled into first place in the Pacific Division and coach Gulutzan was named head coach of the National Conference All-Stars for the third straight year, tying the league record for most appearances at the ECHL All-Star Game by a coach. The Wranglers clinched their second straight Pacific Division crown and National Conference regular season championship on March 26, 2008 with a 3 – 2 overtime victory on the road against the Utah Grizzlies. The win also made the Wranglers the first team in ECHL history to have three consecutive seasons with at least 100 points.

The Wranglers would finish the season 46-13-12 (106 points) good enough for first place in the Pacific Division and the number one overall seed in the National Conference playoffs. Right Winger Peter Ferraro would set the team's single season goal mark with 36. The Wranglers would take on the Stockton Thunder in the National Conference quarterfinals in a series that was tighter than expected. Stockton had played the entire season with most of their players being called up to the Springfield Falcons of the AHL or were reassigned by Stockton's parent club, the Edmonton Oilers and barely limped into the final playoff spot in the National Conference. At the beginning of the series most of the players that had been called up by Springfield or Edmonton were returned to the team with high level experience and pushed the Wranglers to the edge, but Las Vegas was able to recover and take the series in six games. The Wranglers next opponent would be their heated rival, the Alaska Aces in the National Conference semifinals. The Wranglers set the tone for the series, throttling Alaska 8 – 0 in game one of the series. Alaska was unable to recover and the Wranglers would take the series in five games. With only four wins away from the Kelly Cup finals, Las Vegas took on the cinderella 6th-seed Utah Grizzlies. Utah proved tough for Las Vegas, taking the Wranglers to overtime in games two and three, before falling to the Wranglers in a four-game sweep as Las Vegas won it's first Bruce Taylor Trophy as the National Conference playoff champions. The Wranglers would meet 2007-08 Brabham Cup champion Cincinnati Cyclones in the Kelly Cup finals. The two teams proved formidable opponents as the split the first four games, before Cincinnati stole momentum defeating the Wranglers in Las Vegas in Game 5 and ultimately taking the Kelly Cup in six games.

Following their successful 2007-08 campaign, the Wranglers were forced to rebuild again as the team was only able to resign nine players from the previous team. At the beginning of the season, former Wranglers captain and defenceman Mike McBain was named as the team's assistant coach, filling in for former assistant Brent Bilodeau who left the team after three seasons to become head coach of the Wichita Thunder of the Central Hockey League. The 2008-09 team was crippled by injuries and inexperienced players. Despite this and the sudden folding of division rival Fresno, the Wranglers were able to produce a competitive team that finished 34-31-8 (76 points; .521 win %) and mere percentage points behind division champion, Ontario. The Wranglers reached a new level of intensity in their rivalry with the Alaska Aces during the second period of their game on March 25, 2009 in Las Vegas. Alaska's Matt Stefanishion collided with Las Vegas' Chris Ferraro, breaking Ferraro's leg and effectively ending his season and possibly his career. Ferraro's twin brother, Peter became enraged and started a brawl that would involve nine players. During the melee, Peter Ferraro received a game misconduct penalty for spearing, as did Las Vegas' Tim Spencer for kicking. In the aftermath, the Aces were given a five minute 5-on-3 power play in which they scored three times before the teams were at even strength. A few days after the game, the ECHL suspended Peter Ferraro for the rest of the regular season and the entirety of the 2009 Kelly Cup Playoffs for his actions during the game which included the spearing incident and was released by the team a week later. Wranglers career scoring leader, Shawn Limpright, was named the captain for the rest of the season.

The Wranglers would enter the playoffs at the 2nd seed in the Pacific Division and take on the 3rd seed Bakersfield Condors in the best-of-seven Pacific Division semifinals. The Wranglers and Condors would trade blows in the first four games, before Bakersfield took a 3 games to 2 lead heading back for games 6 and 7 in Las Vegas. The Wranglers would outscore Bakersfield 8–2 in the last two games to take the series in seven games. The Wranglers would head to the Pacific Division finals to face the division's 4th-seed Stockton Thunder, who were coached by Gulutzan's rival Matt Thomas to an upset of division champion Ontario. As with the previous series with Bakersfield, the first four games were split by the two teams and Las Vegas took a 3 to 2 games lead heading back to Las Vegas. Stockton extended the series to a seventh game by defeating the Wranglers 3 – 1, but the Wranglers finished off the Thunder in game 7, 5 –1. For the second straight year the Wranglers had reached the National Conference finals, but this time they were to take on the National Conference regular season champion Alaska Aces. Exhausted and injured from two straight seven game series, the Wranglers were unable to retain the Bruce Taylor Trophy, being swept by Alaska in four games.

Gulutzan Leaves
Following an unlikely return to the National Conference finals, the first head coach and general manager of the Las Vegas Wranglers, Glen Gulutzan, left the team to become the head coach of the expansion Texas Stars of the AHL. For the first time in seven years, Wranglers owner Charles Davenport was forced to look for a head coach, but stated that Gulutzan's move to the AHL was "long overdue." Gulutzan had been offered assistant coaching jobs in the AHL for the past few years, but the offer to coach Texas was his first head coaching offer in the AHL. Davenport is actively searching for Gulutzan’s replacement and hopes to fill the position within one month. Gulutzan said he would make some recommendations to help Davenport’s search.

Notable Promotions
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.

Logo
The Wranglers logo features a cowboy riding a bull and holding a hockey stick with Las Vegas Wranglers script below the bull. The cowboy and bull are both black and white and are outlined in silver. The script consists of "Las Vegas" in silver cursive, while "Wranglers" is in white with silver accents. Prior to the WCHL-ECHL merger, the Wranglers logo was an outline of a cowboy's face streaking to the left with a black cowboy hat and red and yellow outlines. A script underneath the logo featured "Las Vegas" in black above "Wranglers" in yellow with a red outline.

Jerseys
The Wranglers current colors are black, red, white and silver and can be seen on both the home and road jerseys, which were adopted prior to the 2007-08 season. The black and white jerseys feature a crest with a poker chip logo on the front. The outer circle of the crest reads “Las Vegas Wranglers”, while the middle of the crest leaves room for the player’s individual jersey number and the sleeves sport the poker chip hockey puck logo. The team has two alternate jerseys which have been used since the team's inaugural season in 2003. The red alternate jersey, which had been the team's road jersey from 2003-07, has black shoulders and three black stripes, one across each arm and one across the waist and a crest on the front of the jersey that includes "Las Vegas" in white cursive over a poker chip/hockey puck logo. The second alternate is black with red shoulders and five red stripes, one across each elbow, one across each arm and one across the waist. The jersey also features red die along the bottom of the jersey and between the red stripes on each arm. The jersey's crest includes script that says "VEGAS" with each letter in an individual circle in front of a red hockey stick with the poker chip/hockey puck logo on the blade of the stick.

The Wranglers previous home jersey, which was used from 2003-07, was white with a previously unreleased Wranglers logo on the chest and is trimmed with black and red on the sleeves and waist.

Mascot
The Wranglers' current mascot is "The Duke", a 7-foot 3-inch (2.21 m) green bull that was based on the Philly Phanatic and has been the team's mascot since its inaugural season in 2003. The Duke keeps the crowd excited, signs autographs, participates in entertainment during intermissions and player introductions at the beginning of the game. The Duke is also a regular at other events around the city including races at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway and making appearances with players at local elementary schools. The Duke has attended three ECHL All-Star Games as the league's favorite mascot.

Alaska Aces
Possibly the Wranglers' strongest rivalry is with the Alaska Aces. The Aces and Wranglers are the two winningest franchises in ECHL history and the two have combined for six division titles, two Brabham Cups and three Kelly Cup Finals appearances. 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 Aces would also eliminate the Wranglers in six games in the 2006 West Division Finals on way to their first Kelly Cup. The Wranglers would return the favor in 2008 National Conference Semifinals by defeating the Aces in five games on way to their appearance in the Kelly Cup Finals. The Aces and Wranglers met for the third time in the playoffs in the 2009 National Conference Finals, with the Aces sweeping the Wranglers in four games.

The Aces-Wranglers rivalry has quickly become one of the biggest for both teams and for the league itself. Three games are usually played in four days (usually Wednesday, Friday and Saturday), allowing for many Aces fans to come to Las Vegas for a hockey weekend. The rivalry has known to become quite violent as the case of a game in March 2009. During the second period of Aces-Wranglers game on March 25, 2009 in Las Vegas, when Alaska's Matt Stefanishion collided with Las Vegas' Chris Ferraro, breaking Ferraro's leg and effectively ending his season and possibly his career. Ferraro's twin brother, Peter became enraged and started a brawl that would involve nine players. During the melee, Peter Ferraro received a game misconduct penalty for spearing, as did Las Vegas' Tim Spencer for kicking. In the aftermath, the Aces were given a five minute 5-on-3 power play in which they scored three times before the teams were at even strength. A few days after the game, the ECHL suspended Peter Ferraro for the rest of the regular season and the entirety of the 2009 Kelly Cup Playoffs for his actions during the game which included the spearing incident.

Other Rivals
The Las Vegas Wranglers have many other significant rivalries which include those with the Bakersfield Condors, Idaho Steelheads Ontario Reign, Stockton Thunder 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 rivalries with the Condors 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.

With the Texas Wildcatters relocating to Ontario, CA, the Wranglers saw themselves with their newest rival in the form of the Ontairo Reign. The Reign, are 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. In 2009, Ontario became the first team other than the Wranglers to win the Pacific Division title since Las Vegas returned to the division in 2006.

Defunct Rivalries
Former rivals of the Wranglers included the Fresno Falcons, Long Beach Ice Dogs, Phoenix Roadrunners, San Diego Gulls and Toledo Storm. The rivalry with Long Beach, Phoenix 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 and the rivalry with Fresno came from the two team's normal positioning near the top of the division standings.

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.

Season-by-Season Record
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Overtime/shootout losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes

Records as of end of the 2008-09 ECHL season.

Scoring Leaders
These are the top-ten point-scorers in franchise history. Figures are updated after each completed ECHL regular season. Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games Played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game; * = current Wranglers player

Top Performances

 * 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)

Notable Players
Many former Wranglers have either played in the National Hockey League before or after their careers as Wranglers. These include Brent Krahn (2003-04), Chris Ferraro (2007-09), Peter Ferraro (2007-09), Adam Pardy (2005-06), Dany Sabourin (2003-04), Tyler Sloan (2005-06) and Billy Tibbetts (2004-05). Former Wranglers that would finish their careers with the Wranglers include Marc "Mags" Magliarditi (2003-07), Jason McBain (2003-05) and Mike McBain (2003-08).

Team Captains

 * Jason McBain, 2003–05
 * Mike McBain, 2005–07
 * Peter Ferraro, 2007–09
 * Shawn Limpright, 2009–present

Head Coaches
Glen Gulutzan, 2003-09

Awards and Honors
Henry Brabham Cup

ECHL regular season champion
 * 2006-07

Bruce Taylor Trophy

National Conference playoff champion
 * 2007-08

Pacific Division Titles
 * 2006-07, 2007-08

John Brophy Award

ECHL Coach of the year
 * Glen Gulutzan: 2005-06

Excellence in Media Relations
 * Josh Fisher: 2006-07

Ticket Department of the Year
 * 2005-06

Ticket Executive of the Year
 * Danielle Lucero: 2005-06