Callum Tung is doing his best to show the New York Rangers that they have two legit goalie prospects playing in the minor leagues, taking advantage of a recent call-up to Hartford of the American Hockey League with two quality starts the past few days.
Tung started the season with Bloomington in the ECHL, before his promotion this week to Hartford, after an upper-body issue sidelined No. 1 netminder Dylan Garand , New York's top goalie prospect, for one game. The former UConn star won each of his first two AHL starts, allowing two goals in each game, helping lift Hartford out of its early-season malaise. The Wolf Pack lost seven straight (0-3-4) before Tung's arrival in Connecticut's capital city.
"Having the experience last year, coming in at the end of the season with UConn, and just getting a couple of games (with Hartford), getting to know the guys, helped me ease into my transition much easier," Tung explained after a 5-2 win over Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Friday. "The first two games have been a blast, and I'm just happy to help the team win."
Tung, who turns 22 on Sunday, was outstanding against WBS. He finished with 31 saves, but 21 of those came in the first period, when Hartford was outshot 22-6 and nearly run out of its own building. Instead, the score was tied 1-1 at the first intermission, and the Wolf Pack steadied themselves the rest of the way, scoring twice in each of the second and third periods.
"I wasn't real pleased with our start. I thought Callum Tung did an incredible job allowing us to get to our game," Hartford coach Grant Potulny stated.
On Tuesday, Tung made 21 saves to help Hartford rally from down 2-0 in the third period and win 3-2 in overtime.
"Tonight, and on Tuesday, he made the game easy on himself by any pucks that came to him, stayed with him," Potulny explained. "There wasn't pucks coming out. He controlled rebounds, fought to see pucks, and I thought he played a very good game."
Photo courtesy Hartford Wolf Pack
The British Columbia native signed with the Rangers as a free agent last spring after one season, albeit a very successful one, splitting the goaltending duties at UConn with Florida Panthers prospect Tyler Muszelik.
Tung was named to the Hockey East All-Rookie Team and helped the Huskies reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time in the school's history. Coach Mike Cavanaugh chose him to start each of their two games in the regionals. Tung didn't disappoint, making 21 saves in a 4-1 win over Quinnipiac and 38 saves in a heartbreaking 3-2 overtime loss to Penn State in the Elite Eight.
The 6-foot-3, 209-pound goalie then appeared in two games with Hartford on an ATO, posting a win and a loss with a 2.28 goals-against average. In the ECHL this season, Tung is 4-1-2 in seven starts, with a 2.47 GAA and .921 save percentage.
"In half a year from where he came from his first two games here last year, to what he's done over the summer, to what he did in Bloomington, to what he's shown here now in two games, he's had a ton of growth as a player," Potulny noted.
Garand appears healthy again and was the backup goalie Friday, so it's unclear what the immediate future holds for Tung. Talyn Boyko was Garand's backup earlier this season, but the Rangers loaned him to KalPa in Finland's Liiga on Saturday. The Rangers signed veteran Spencer Martin recently, as well.
If Garand is good to go, the best plan likely is to have Tung played regularly in the ECHL, with Martin sharing the net with Garand in Hartford. Even so, Tung's on the Rangers radar after these two strong outing in the American Hockey League this past week.
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