Brett Westgarth goes to AHL

Though not a single Tiger scored three goals in a game this season, the men's hockey team completed a collective hat trick when the American Hockey League's Syracuse Crunch signed senior defenseman Brett Westgarth.

Westgarth was the third Princeton player to sign with an AHL club in the three weeks since Princeton was eliminated from the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference Hockey League playoffs.

The Crunch, the top minor-league affiliate of the National Hockey League's Columbus Blue Jackets, announced Tuesday that Westgarth signed an amateur tryout deal with the club. He will skate with Syracuse for the team's five remaining regular season games, giving him the chance to play his way onto next season's permanent roster.

Westgarth called his signing with the Crunch "out of the blue," especially considering that he already had other plans for his post-Princeton career.

"I was going to go play for [the Trenton Titans of the East Coast Hockey League] at the end of the year because it's close to school," Westgarth said.

The chance to play in the AHL, North America's best pro hockey league besides the NHL, was too good for him to pass up, though. Westgarth is already practicing with the team and was scheduled to make his pro debut last night against the Grand Rapids Griffins.

"I'm a little nervous, a little excited, everything like that," Westgarth said before the contest. "It's been a little while since I've played a game. I'm pretty excited mostly."

Like many others making the transition from college to pro hockey, Westgarth has already noted that the skill level of his AHL teammates is considerably higher than he's used to.

"I haven't been in a game yet, but everybody here is really good," Westgarth said. "They can all make passes, they can all score. It's just a step up."

Westgarth's younger brother Kevin, a senior forward for the men's hockey team, was signed by the NHL's Los Angeles Kings March 16 and is currently skating for their AHL affiliate in Manchester, N.H. A second former teammate, senior forward Darroll Powe, has been playing for the AHL's Philadelphia Phantoms since his signing March 21. Though his little bro beat him to the big leagues by three weeks, Westgarth isn't jealous and is just happy to get his shot as well.

"I'm fine with it, I feel good for him," Westgarth said, adding that their parents are also very proud of both their sons. "It must feel good [for them] after getting up for all those early morning practices."

Tiger head coach Guy Gadowsky must feel pretty good, too, having three of his top players from the Class of 2007 move up to play at such a high level of hockey.

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"It's very special to have three guys jump right into the American Hockey League," Gadowsky said. "It speaks a lot about the work ethic of that class. They were a huge part of the improvements that this program has made."

Gadowsky suggested that former Philadelphia Flyers and current Blue Jackets head coach Ken Hitchcock — who worked with the Tigers as a volunteer assistant coach during the NHL lockout in 2004 — may have gotten the organization interested in Westgarth.

"I really believe Ken Hitchcock had something to do with it," Gadowsky said. "He saw [Westgarth] at the Flyers camp and saw him here. [The Blue Jackets] have been watching him throughout the year and wanted to give him an opportunity."

It's an opportunity that Westgarth relishes, and Gadowsky is confident that his stalwart former defenseman will take full advantage of it.

"I think he very much can play in that league," Gadowsky said. "I'm as curious as anybody to see how he fares."

As the Crunch have already been eliminated from the AHL playoff race, Westgarth will settle for making the most out of the handful of games left in the regular season. None of those matchups, however, will pit him against ex-teammate Powe or brother Kevin. Gadowsky calls this unfortunate, saying what every Princeton hockey fan — familiar with the brothers' propensity for brawling — is surely thinking.

"I look forward to seeing the first Westgarth vs. Westgarth fight," Gadowsky said.