Hartford Wolf Pack Weekly: Brennan Othmann Finds Scoring Touch
The Hartford Wolf Pack are trending in the wrong direction, after they lost three of their past four games.
Last week featured mixed results. The New York Rangers AHL affiilliate was shut out for the second time this season, when they lost 3-0 to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Wednesday. Hartford responded with a 2-1 win over Utica on Friday. But unable to carry that momentum forward, the Wolf Pack dropped a 7-2 decision to Syracuse on Saturday, allowing a season high in goals against (the previous high was six against Bridgeport on Dec. 6).
The Wolf Pack are tied for sixth (9-12-4-0, 22 points) with Bridgeport in the Atlantic Division. They play two games this week before heading into AHL holiday break.
Hartford Wolf Pack News-n-Notes
Brennan Othmann Finds Scoring Touch
Third-year pro Brennan Othmann is heating up for the Wolf Pack. After slow start and mired in a scoring drought prior to his first goal this season on Nov. 26, Othmann has four goals in his past seven games, including on consecutive nights last weekend.
The 22-year-old forward scored Hartford’s first short-handed goal of the season Friday, after netting his first power-play goal on Dec. 6.
It’s been a rough season for the 2021 first-round pick. Othmann struggled during the preseason when there was an NHL job to be won in New York. And his play in the AHL hasn’t cut it.
Not surprisingly, there are many Othamnn trade rumors out there. But he remains a key cog for the Wolf Pack. His 10 points (four goals, six assists) in 19 games are tied for seventh on the team with Bryce McConnell-Barker. Hartford needs steady production from Othmann, who recorded 20 points (12 goals, eight assists) in 27 games for them last season 2024-25, and was second on the Wolf Pack with 21 goals in 2023-24.
Adam Sýkora Providing Strong Two-Way Play
Adam Sýkora continues to provide a reliable game at both ends of the ice for Hartford. The second-round pick (No. 63 overall) in the 2022 NHL Draft by the Rangers has five goals through 25 games, and is on pace to surpass his professional career high of nine set last season. More importantly, he continues to be a trusted forward defensively.
The 21-year-old is a force on the penalty kill. He scored a short-handed goal this past weekend, and is smart, disruptive player defensively. At even strength, Sýkora is reliable and adept at forcing turnovers, helping Hartford in its transition game.
He’s also more physical this season, despite being somewhat undersized (5-foot-10, 179 pounds). Sykora does not back down from opponents and has shows plenty of feistiness in his game.
His potential fit in the NHL clearly is in a bottom-six role, though he needs to add some size before the Rangers give serious thought to recalling him.
Roster Updates
- Center Justin Dowling is day to day with an upper-body injury. He left in the first period of the game Friday and did not return.
- Hartford called up forward Kyle Jackson from Bloomington of the ECHL on Monday. Jackson appeared in 23 games with the Bison, recording a team-high 30 points (11 goals, 19 assists), second most in the league.
Upcoming Games
All games can be viewed on AHLTV and heard on Mixlr.
Friday, December 19 vs Syracuse Crunch (Lightning) at 7:00pm, PeoplesBank Arena
- This is the second and final meeting in the season series. Hartford lost the first game, 7-2 on Dec. 13.
- Syracuse is 15-9-1-0 (31 points), tied for second in the North Division (with Rochester) and tied for fourth in the Eastern Conference (with Rochester).
- Jakob Pelletier leads the Crunch with 31 points (15 goals, 16 assists) and is tied for the AHL scoring lead. Next on the Crunch is Nick Abruzzese with 24 points (six goals, 18 assists), who is tied for 13th in the league’s scoring race.
Saturday, December 20 vs Lehigh Valley Phantoms (Flyers) at 7:05pm, PPL Center
- This is the fourth of six meetings in the season series. Hartford is 0-1-2-0 against Lehigh Valley.
- Lehigh Valley is 13-9-1-2 (29 points), third in the Atlantic Division and sixth in the Eastern Conference.
- Alex Bump leads the Phantoms with 19 points (six goals, 13 assists). Next is Anthony Richard with 18 points (eight goals, 10 assists).
