SHELTON Sure, there are days John Morlang probably has to look around to remember which league he's in.

On a yo-yo this season between the Bridgeport Sound Tigers and the Danbury Trashers, Morlang has been up to Bridgeport seven times on pro tryout contracts, and so far back to the UHL six times.

He even played a game in each league back on Dec. 1, skating for the Sound Tigers in the morning and the Trashers at night.

The dizzying turnaround might be worse if Morlang, 23, weren't chasing something: the dream of sticking around, of carving out a niche for himself in the AHL and moving up the chain toward major professional hockey.

Every time, I hope, Morlang said. Most times, Morlang could count injured forwards and figure out when he might be sent back up Route 25.

Although he's likely to stay here for a while, he might not get a full AHL contract this time, either. A 25-game pro tryout ( PTO, in the lingo) will carry Morlang through the end of the regular season, and Bridgeport is a longshot to make the playoffs. Still, every game Morlang plays for the Sound Tigers is a chance to show his abilities, to prove how his 6-foot-2 frame, his work ethic, can fit into an AHL lineup. I look at every game I play as an opportunity to impress two teams, Morlang said. I'm very thankful to the Islanders organization for giving me plenty of opportunities.

The PTO can give a young player, like Morlang, a chance he might not otherwise get if an AHL team

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had to make a long-term commitment. A team like Bridgeport, looking for young talent to fill out its roster, can get a long look at players as well.

That's what a PTO is for, Bridgeport coach Greg Cronin said. It gives you a relationship with a player you might sign down the road.

Probably the most successful Sound Tiger on that model was Jody Robinson. Coming out of Mercyhurst College, Robinson hooked on with Elmira of the UHL and played well in 2001-02. While playing there again in 2002-03, he got a look from Rochester, which earned him notice from Bridgeport.

The Sound Tigers signed him to a couple of pro tryout contracts late that season, when he was 24, and played him in 28 games.

(Those days) were pretty exciting, Robinson said. I kind of knew I had to work hard every chance, every day. I couldn't take a practice off. I needed to practice as hard as I played.

Robinson took no consolation that he had been on Bridgeport's radar even before they called him up for the first time; then-coach Steve Stirling had tried to bring him up in January, but Robinson was sick and had to wait two weeks.

Opportunities are what you make of them, Robinson said. That wasn't going to make me feel any more confident. In fact, I tried to use it as motivation to work that much harder.

The Islanders brought Robinson back to the Sound Tigers on an AHL contract last season, then gave him an NHL deal this year. At least one player in each of Bridgeport's four seasons has parlayed a PTO into a contract here. Others have caught the attention of another team and signed there, like Pat Leahy with the Boston Bruins after a good 2002 playoffs.

It can work for a veteran caught without a team, too. Brendan Yarema came to Bridgeport from Chicago in January. He played out his 25 games, scoring 17 points, and left for Milwaukee and a Calder Cup chase.

In January, Bridgeport signed Ed Campbell to a PTO after Milwaukee released him; he's since signed a full AHL deal and become the Sound Tigers' captain.

Finding that kind of security would be a bonus for Morlang, who has the bonus of a good situation in Danbury and a chance to contend for the UHL's Colonial Cup. Though Cronin said Morlang had been average the past few games before Wednesday's in Binghamton, N.Y., he credits Morlang with confidence, with a penchant for finishing checks, with energy. He's also strong on the cycle, Bridgeport's favored offensive system, and he has played all three forward positions.

He's trying to bring some visibility to himself, Cronin said. Maybe he gets a contract, from us or somebody else.

PTO success stories

The top Sound Tigers pro tryouts in each season who turned that into something more: 2001-02: Matt Higgins

Higgins arrived midseason, scoring 18 points in 19 games on his tryout. He signed an AHL deal for the rest of that Calder Cup finalist season and returned on an AHL deal the next season.

2002-03: Jody Robinson

Robinson signed PTOs for 28 games down the stretch. He earned an AHL contract the following season and an NHL contract this year. 2003-04: Ben Guite

Guite, an original Sound Tiger, returned to start the season on a PTO. He signed an AHL deal after the first 23 games.

2004-05: Ed Campbell

Campbell arrived as a veteran presence on the blue line after Keith Aldridge's shoulder injury. He signed an AHL contract a month after. A month after that, he became team captain.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Best pass I got all game. Jeff Hamilton, after a puck bounced off Justin Papineau to him in the right circle for the game-winner Friday night at Hartford