Hartford Wolf Pack Weekly: Leadership group named for new AHL season
With the 2025-26 AHL season underway, the Hartford Wolf Pack officially named their letter-wearing leadership group Thursday.
Defenseman Casey Fitzgerald is Hartford’s captain for the second straight season. He was originally named the 15th captain in franchise history on Nov. 6, 2024.
Forwards Justin Dowling and Anton Blidh are alternate captains, as is defenseman Connor Mackey.
Those four players combine for 342 games of NHL experience. Mackey’s currently with the New York Rangers following an injury sustained by defenseman Carson Soucy. Mackey was a healthy scratch Tuesday when the Edmonton Oilers shut out the Rangers 2-0.
Hartford Wolf Pack news and insights
Hartford opened the season with a 2-1 road loss to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton last Saturday. Trey Fix-Wolansky recorded Hartford’s first goal of the season, and his first as a member of the Wolf Pack. Gabe Perreault recorded his first pro point with the primary assist.
The Rangers AHL affiliate looks for payback this weekend, when they host the Penguins in their home opener at the newly renovated PeoplesBank Arena.
Dylan Garand starts pivotal season strong
Re-signed by the Rangers to a 1-year, two-way deal this past summer, 23-year old Dylan Garand was sound in his first career AHL opening-night start. He stopped 26 of 28 shots, and played a big part to shut down the Penguins on each of their four power-play opportunities. He stopped 10 of 11 shots in the third period, but did allow the go-ahead goal, as well.
This is an important season for Garand. It’s his fourth pro season with Hartford, yet his first as the unquestioned No. 1 goalie. Garand split the goaltending duties with Louis Domingue for three seasons, even when he was an AHL All-Star in 2024-25.
Garand’s trying to show the Rangers that he’s capable of being Igor Shesterkin’s backup on Broadway next season, should Jonathan Quick retire at the end of this campaign.
Solid penalty kill key for Hartford
The Wolf Pack’s penalty kill, which finished 23rd out of 32 teams in the AHL last season (80 percent), was a perfect 4-for-4 against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Garand played a big role in that success, stopping all five power-play shots. But his teammates blocked several shot attempts and overall played a structured style on the PK.
Discipline will be key this season for Hartford. They were short-handed 270 times a year ago, tied for fourth most in the AHL, and far too many for coach Grant Potulny’s liking.
Top Rangers prospects part of Hartford’s opening-night roster
There’s a lot more talent on Hartford’s roster this season, compared to 2024-25, when the Wolf Pack failed to reach the Calder Cup Playoffs. Several top Rangers prospects, like Perreault and defenseman Scott Morrow, are newcomers to Hartford this season, considerablyupping the talent level.
On opening night, Hartford’s top forward line combination featured Perreault, Dowling, and Fix-Wolansky. It’s a solid call to get the 20-year-old on a line with players that have NHL experience. This line played well, producing Hartford’s lone goal, and totaling six shots on goal.
The second line featured three Rangers prospects, each of whom has pro experience. Othmann and Brett Berard flanked center Dylan Roobroeck, who led Hartford with 20 goals last season. In 2023-24, Othmann recorded 49 points (21 goals, 28 assists) while Berard had 48 points, including a team-high 25 goals. Last season, Othmann and Berard spent quite a bit of time in the NHL with the Rangers. Berard had 10 points (six goals, four assists) in 35 with them. This group combined for five shots last weekend, and Othmann recorded a secondary assist.
In the bottom six, Hartford’s third line had newcomer Carey Terrance centering for Blidh and Brendan Brisson. The fourth line was Adam Sýkora, Bryce McConnell-Barker, and Jaroslav Chmelař. There’s some good depth there in the bottom six.
On defense, Hartford’s top pairing featured veterans Derrick Pouliot and Fitzgerald. Since Mackey and Morrow made up the second pair, and each is currently with the Rangers, Potulny must come up with new groupings this weekend. The final pairing had Jackson Dorrington partnering with Blake Hillman.
Assuming Morrow returns to Hartford sooner rather than later, he’s the defenseman to watch most closely this season. Expect him to play 20 minutes a night and quarterback the top power-play unit. Dorrington is another prospect worth keeping an eye on. He should get a lot of run, as well, especially on the penalty kill.
Upcoming Games
All games can be viewed on AHLTV and heard on Mixlr.
Friday, October 17 vs Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (Pittsburgh) at 7:00pm, PeoplesBank Arena
- This is the second of six meetings in the season series. Hartford lost the season opener last weekend.
- Wilkes-Barre/Scranton is 2-0-0-0. The Penguins also defeated Lehigh Valley 4-1 last Sunday.
- Tristan Broz leads the Penguins with three points (two goals, one assist).
Saturday, October 18 vs Providence Bruins (Boston) at 7:05pm, Amica Mutual Pavillion
- This is the first of 10 meetings in the season series. Hartford lost seven of 10 games (3-7-0-0) against Providence last season.
- Providence is 2-0-0-0. They Bruins defeated Bridgeport 3-2, followed by a 6-3 win against Charlotte last week.
- Fabian Lysell (three goals, one assist), Matthew Poitras (four assists), Georgii Merkulov and Alex Steeves (one goal, three assists each) lead the Bruins in scoring.
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