Milligan named captain
In1993,whenformerPeterborough Petes assistant coach Bryan Helmer inked his first professional contract in the American Hockey League, he was thrilled to receive a $2,500 signing bonus.
Twenty-four years later, he’s one of the newest members of the AHL Hall of Fame.
The former Wellington Dukes defenceman — whose jersey No. 44 was retired in 2014 by the Junior A hockey club — was enshrined in the Class of 2017 with ceremonies held during the recent AHL All- Star Classic in Allentown, Pa.
Defensive coach for the Petes during the 2013-14 OHL season, Helmer, 44, now vice-president of hockey operations for the AHL Hershey Bears, spoke to Postmedia Network on Wednesday. Here’s the Q and A: “I remember before I played my first AHL game for Albany in Rochester against the Americans and I think I’d signed just a couple of days before. They gave me $2,500 to sign. I called my dad and told him. Then, I found out the other guys got $5,000 or $7,500 to sign. But, coming from Wellington and a Tier II junior team, I would’ve signed for anything.”
“I was very surprised. To be honest, I didn’t expect it. It caught me off guard. I got a little emotional when I told my family. It was a nice feeling.”
“The old Duke Dome was really special and the Wellington fans were so passionate. That place really rocked in the playoffs. It was great for me, at 17, I billeted with the Lavenders and they became like a second family to me. I still stay in touch with people in Wellington. And, having my jersey retired was pretty special too.” “I tell that to kids all the time. If you’re good enough and work hard enough and are passionate enough, you can get there. I was never drafted — in any league — but played 20 years of pro hockey. Sure, you need some luck, and I had some. But you’ve got to work hard to make your own luck.”
“I think it’s going to be great. Any time you can get a team going back to Canada, that’s great. I think they’ll do well. The fans will support the team. It’s good for the a.m., AA Qualifier @ CSS p.m., A Qualifier @ CDHS; AAA Qualifier @ SPSS p.m., Hockey, PHA Tyke organization to be closer to Ottawa and it’s a win-win for the league and Belleville. I hope to get up there a few times. It’ll be a lot like having a junior club again. The AHL does a really good job of getting players out and into the community.”
“When I got the opportunity to do this job, I was very happy. It was time to settle down. I grew up in a small town and my wife grew up in a small town. Hershey has that smalltown feel, but with big-city things to do.”
“I was fortunate enough to play with a lot of really good players. I was surrounded by some great human beings.”
retired as the AHL’s all-time career leader for games played (1,117) and points (564) by a defenceman. Peterborough’s Cam Milligan was named Monday as a co-captain of the University of Vermont men’s lacrosse team for the 2017 season. The senior attackman, a human development and family studies major at the university, joins fellow captains Ben Cox, Hayden Jenkins, Ian MacKay and James Leary in leading the squad. Milligan appeared in 16 games last season, logging 15 starts. He tallied 30 goals and 26 assists to finish with 56 points, which was second on the team. Milligan is a two-time America East All-Tournament Team honoree (201516) and also took home AllConference Second Team laurels in both 2015 and 2016. Earlier this month, he was recognized as a member of the Inside Lacrosse America East Preseason AllConference Team. In last season’s America East Semifinals against No. 14 Stony Brook, Milligan’s goal with 3:26 remaining ultimately proved to be the game-winner and propelled the Catamounts to their first appearance in the America East Championship. Milligan has registered 64 assists since joining the Cattamounts in 2015, sitting sixth in the UVM record book in that category. He needs just one more to tie Tim Shannehan (1988-91) for fifth in program history.