Hartford Wolf Pack Weekly: Juuso Pärssinen again returns from injury
Losers in six consecutive games (0-5-0-1), the Hartford Wolf Pack are free falling. They were swept by the Providence Bruins last week, losing 3-1 on Friday, followed by a 2-1 shootout loss on Saturday.
Scoring, an issue all season, is an even more massive struggle in the past six games. The Wolf Pack scored eight goals in the losing streak, and just one in five of their past six games.
The New York Rangers AHL affiliate is seven points out of a playoff spot, and its postseason hopes are fading fast. The Wolf Pack are tied for seventh (16-23-4-2, 38 points) with Springfield in the Atlantic Division. They will play a pair of games this weekend against the Charlotte Checkers.
The Wolf Pack added veterans Anton Blidh and Spencer Martin on Feb. 5, when the Rangers assigned them to Hartford for the NHL Olympic break. Hartford also signed Travis Dermott to a Professional Tryout (PTO) to bolster the blue line. The 29-year-old has more than 300 games of NHL experience, and was a free agent following offseason shoulder surgery.
Hartford Wolf Pack News-n-Notes
Juuso Pärssinen returns from injury, again
Juuso Parssinen returned to the Wolf Pack lineup last weekend and played consecutive AHL games for the first time this season. The 25-year-old forward played four games with Hartford this season since the Rangers placed him on waivers and assigned him to the minors on Nov. 26.
He was hurt in his Hartford debut Nov. 28, and missed 19 games with an upper-body injury. Upon his return on Jan. 23, Pärssinen scored his first AHL goal of the season. However, he was injured again in the second period and did not return to that contest.
After missing an additional four games, Pärssinen returned last Friday and played on back-to-back nights. He was inserted on the Wolf Pack’s second line, centering Brendan Brisson/Brett Berard (they were swapped in back-to-back games) and Trey Fix-Wolansky.
Parssinen was pointless in both games against Providence, recording one shot on goal Friday before going without one Saturday, and failing to score on his shootout attempt.
Though a disappointment with the Rangers earlier this season, Parssinen does have 151 games of NHL experience and some higher-end skill. So, coach Grant Potulny should lean on the forward, considering the Wolf Pack are lacking in each of those areas.
Derrick Pouliot picking up points amid defensive struggles
Derrick Pouliot, a 12th year pro with 680 games of experience (226 NHL, 454 AHL), has seven assists in his last 11 games. The 32-year-old leads Hartford’s defensemen with 22 assists and 23 points. As quarterback of the first power-play unit, Pouliot leads the team in power play assists with seven. Despite having a down year offensively, he recorded points in 19 of 44 games, including three multiple point performances (one goal and two assists on Nov. 21, two assists on Dec. 27 and Jan 23.).
Defensively, Pouliot struggles far too often in his own end. He’s minus-13, worst among defensemen and fourth lowest on the team. In fact, he posted a minus rating in 17 games despite scoring in eight of those. Too often, opponents find a way around Pouliot to generate scoring chances. For instance on Jan. 30 against Bridgeport, former Rangers forward Julien Gauthier scored when Pouliot misread the play and led to a partial breakaway. On Jan. 28 against Charlotte, the Checkers were flying with the puck and Pouliot was ineffective for two goals against.
Rangers Night a big hit with Wolf Pack fans
Nick Fotiu signs autographs at Rangers Night — photo courtesy Hartford Wolf Pack
The Wolf Pack hosted “Rangers Night” at PeoplesBank Arena on Saturday. Three former Blueshirts from several different generations — Nick Fotiu, Tom Laidlaw, and Cristoval “Boo” Nieves — did a meet-and-greet with fans. The night also featured Rangers trivia, giveaways, and recorded organ music from the Garden.
Unfortunately, former Rangers general manager Neil Smith, the architect of the 1994 Stanley Cup champions, was unable to attend, despite scheduled to do so.
The 7,186 fans in attendance also experienced a throwback hockey game between the Wolf Pack and Bruins. Similar to the Rangers – Bruins in their Original Six rivalry, this one was a physical clash Saturday. The first period alone had 46 penalty minutes, including two fights, a near goalie fight, and several scrums.
It took all of 29 seconds before Hartford’s Connor Mackey dropped the gloves with Joey Abate to get the hostilities underway. Similarly, the second period began with Jaroslav Chmelar throwing down with Riley Tufte after just 12 seconds.
Despite a poor reacord overall, the Wolf Pack continue to draw fans regularly, as they average 5,348 per game. They are drawing similar numbers in comparison to 2024-25 (5,590) and 2023-24 (5,456). Upcoming promotions include Star Wars, Emo, Soccer, 90s, Sensory Inclusivity, and Fan Appreciation nights.
Upcoming Games
All games can be viewed on AHLTV and heard on Mixlr.
Saturday, February 14 vs Charlotte Checkers (Panthers) at 4:00pm, Bojangles Coliseum
- This is the third of eight meetings in the season series. Hartford is 1-1-0-0 against Charlotte.
- Charlotte is 26-15-3-0 (55 points), third in the Atlantic Division and fifth in the Eastern Conference.
- Wilmer Skoog leads the Checkers with 30 points (17 goals, 13 assists). Ben Steeves (16 goals, 13 assists) and Jack Devine (12 goals, 17 assists) are tied for second in scoring with 29 points apiece.
Sunday, February 15 vs Charlotte Checkers (Panthers) at 4:00pm, Bojangles Coliseum
- This is the fourth of eight meetings in the season series. The Wolf Pack will return to Charlotte on Feb. 17 and 18.
- Hartford is 9-11-1-1 on the road.
