For next season, they are not talking about expanded rosters but “taxi squads”. The issue with expanded rosters are basically cap related. There is no cap to worry about in the playoffs, but the regular season is a different ball of wax.

According to early reports, these taxis squads would consist of 5 skaters and 1 goalie. The caveat, is they would have to be on an AHL salary (under the $1.075 million threshold you are allowed to bury in the AHL without a cap penalty).

RELATED: NHL likely to shorten camp, invites, and add taxi squads

New York Rangers Return to Play expanded roster

Let’s first look at who the extra skaters were the Rangers brought with them to the bubble last season.

Forwards: Steven Fogarty (gone), Tim Gettinger, Vitali Kravtsov (on loan), Vinni Lettieri (gone), Gregg McKegg (gone), and Danny O’Regan.

Defense: Brandon Crawley, Libor Hajek, and Darren Raddysh

It’s very possible that Gettinger, Hajek, and Crawley could be on the taxi squad but let’s dive into it further.

Yesterday, I wrote about whom the Rangers should bring to training camp. There are certainly going to be battles for roster spots. At the moment, Anthony Bitetto is listed as the 7th defenseman, which is unlikely to remain that way. I see Hajek or Reunanen taking the 7th defense spot.

Also, Colin Blackwell is one of the forwards on the team roster on the Rangers website. That will not be the case as Alexis Lafreniere will make the team.

Predicting the New York Rangers Taxi Squad

When constructing the taxi squad, it makes sense to go with an actual unit. Three forwards, two defenseman, and one goalie. All have to meet that criteria of being either under the allowed salary limit or on a two-way contract.

Here’s who I see being on the New York Rangers taxi squad:

• Forward, Colin Blackwell
• Forward, Tim Gettinger
• Forward, Danny O’Regan
• Defense, Brandon Crawley (or Libor Hajek if Reunanen beats him out)
• Defense, Anthony Bitetto
• Goalie, Keith Kinkaid

I know, the first thing some of you are saying is why not players like K’Andre Miller, Morgan Barron, and Tarmo Reunanen? While they all have two-way deals, it would be better if they were actually playing in order to develop. Also, with Miller and Barron they have bonus clauses tied to their ELC’s that would already stress the cap.

RELATED: Understanding the Rangers cap situation and those pesky performance bonuses

Get to know the Rangers new “Black Aces”

The term “Black Aces” was made popular during the 1994 NYR Cup winning season. Nick Kypreos was a member of that squad and talked fondly about always being ready when the team needed him. Kyper discussed this on the latest episode of the Forever Blueshirts Radio podcast.

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST HERE

On this new edition, I added two centers in Blackwell and O’Regan. The 27 year-old Blackwell was signed this offseason and played for the Nashville Predators last year. In 27 games, he potted three goals and 10 points. O’Regan is 26 years-old and has 22 games of NHL experience with 5 points. He has been in the AHL for the last two seasons.

Two more members of the Wolf Pack were added with Brandon Crawley (D) and Tim Gettinger (F). The 23 year-old Crawley is a NJ native that has offensive upside and played one exhibition game for the Rangers. Gettinger is 22 years-old and has played 6 games with the Blueshirts, including 2 last season.

Finally, we go with two more players signed this offseason in goaltender Keith Kinkaid and defenseman Anthony Bitetto. Kinkaid is the elder statesman of the group at 31 year of age and was signed to a 2 year deal in order to be exposed in the Seattle expansion draft in 2021.

Bitetto is the most seasoned skater of this group with 183 NHL games including 51 with the Winnipeg Jets last year. The 30 year-old rearguard and Long Island native would also be the most likely call up on defense if there’s a significant injury.

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Rangers Phase 3 Training Camp roster

The other surprise was the inclusion of Micheal Haley who is on IR with an abdomen injury. The Rangers also added Hartford Wolf Pack forward, Danny O’Regan and defenseman, Brandon Crawley who I fully expected to get an invite.

Adam Huska was also added as the fourth net minder which will help in conducting scrimmages. Last month, David Quinn said he was going to hold a very competitive camp and that there would be a lot of scrimmages in order to replicate as many in game one-on-one battles as possible.

All and all, the Rangers have 29 skaters and 4 goalies in for Phase 3. It is expected all players eligible to be included in the 28 skaters limit will head to the East hub city in Toronto.

K’Andre Miller is not eligible for Phase 4 as his ELC was signed for next season. That means the remaining 9 will blue-liners will make the trip.

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Projecting the Rangers expanded roster on defense

When the action starts, you can expect the same lineup on defense as it was when they played the Colorado Avalanche before the pause.

• Brendan Smith and Jacob Trouba
• Marc Staal and Tony DeAngelo
• Ryan Lindgren and Adam Fox

After trading Brady Skjei at the deadline, the Rangers moved Brendan Smith back to defense and did not carry a 7th defenseman. Instead they opted to carry three goalies and two extra forwards.

Now the Rangers will take those 20 skaters and add eight more for the playoffs. Let’s focus on defense where I expect the Rangers to carry at least three if not four additional rearguards.

Libor Hajek will be the 7th defenseman

Libor Hajek, now 22 years-old made quite an impression during the 2018-19 season where he played 5 games and scored a great goal before having his season end early due to a separated shoulder.

Coming into this campaign, Libor made the team out of camp and was partnered on left defense with Adam Fox. The two rookies had some puck management issues and were separated with Hajek finding himself playing mostly with Jacob Trouba.

In 28 games this season he tallied 5 assists but struggled at times. He was eventually sent down to Hartford to continue his development. He picked up 3 points playing for the Wolf Pack in 23 games.

That early season stint and familiarity with David Quinn’s system makes him a shoe-in for the 7th defense spot. It’s one I believe Hajek will be ready for.

Darren Raddysh’s gutsy play will earn him a spot

Darren Raddysh, the Wolf Pack’s reliable defenseman put up 28 points in 62 games this season. Night in and night out, he was strong and consistent for the Pack blue-line. He is also a right-handed shot and the Rangers will need that just in case injuries mount on the right-side.

The 24 year-old competes and that is all you can ask for when it comes to emergency defenseman. He stands a good chance of putting up a solid showing and making this roster out of camp.

Brandon Crawley has offensive promise to make the roster

The 23 year-old Crawley is a lefty shooting blue-liner who isn’t afraid to join the play. Although limited to just preseason action he has the poise to step in and step up.

This season he started with Maine in the ECHL but worked his way back. “I dealt with some injuries and setbacks,” Crawley told us in an exclusive interview back in June. “When I was put in that situation, I was forced to think of how to handle this…how to get better“. And that’s what Crawley did and is in a good position to earn a spot on this roster for the playoffs.

Author’s note: Article originally included Mason Geertsen as a long shot but he is on an AHL only deal.

London calling

“I didn’t have the intention of going the OHL route but I joined them for the mini-camp and Mark and Dale Hunter asked me to join the team”. Crawley’s parents supported him in his decision. For an American prospect it’s not the most conventional route, but the coaching staff and the facilities especially gave Crawley the feeling this was the right fit and the best platform to chase his dream. “The organization is just well-run and first class, all the way from the owners to the coaches, the trainers and players.”

Hockey Friendships

Crawley and Mitch Marner are good friends and have known each other since they were 11-12 years old. They’ve won a championship together and even years later they still talk and share the same jokes and the experiences which makes him look back and realize it was the right decision. The year Crawley won the Memorial Cup, he played with NHL-ers Christian Dvorak, Matthew Tkachuk, Victor Mete, Robert Thomas and also former Rangers prospect Daniel Bernhardt who unfortunately had to retire from hockey due to medical reasons.

“It was truly amazing and I am blessed to have been given the opportunity to be a part of that team. When you are a teenager you don’t realize it at the time, but your decisions affect your future”, Crawley continued. Buying into the philosophy, and the coaching staff giving people the confidence to perform in the role that best suits them is what helped Crawley go from a free agent, to being drafted in his 3rd year of eligibility.

Draft and pro hockey

Crawley entered the 2015 draft after interviewing with several teams and Crawley was ranked 102nd. He expected to be a later round pick, knowing teams had shown interest in him. “It was definitely a disappointing time when you get passed over and something you never forgot, but you can’t let it affect you on the ice. I kept working and am fortunate it worked out and led to being drafted 2 years later“.

It is not something they talked about a lot in London. The end goal for junior players isn’t to get drafted. The end goal is to set yourself up to potentially have a career in hockey after playing juniors. Crawley played top minutes the year they won the Memorial Cup and several teammates got drafted. Crawley expands on the philosophy he picked up with the London Knights: “If you get the process right, the results will come. It’s about doing the right things, putting in the work and eventually you build towards your own success“.

Going into the 2017 draft, Crawley met with a handful of teams again and this time his name came up when the Rangers picked him in the 4th round. “To be drafted by the team playing basically in my backyard that I grew up watching, and inspired me as a kid to play hockey, was extremely special. It will always be a special day and memory I cherish.” He did not attend the draft because one of his closest friends was getting married. Crawley looks back and says it’s a cool day and he was rewarded for what he worked so hard for. It’s not about where you start, but where you want to finish.

Making the jump to professional hockey

Crawley grew up in the area, and knew what to expect of New York City of course. The prospect development camp was a great experience for the then 20-year old. Meeting guys like Brian Leetch and Chris Drury, who I grew up idolizing and used to watch them play every night, it was awesome. Crawley says it gives prospects a great insight into what the organization wants, and it was a really special experience for him. He signed his entry level contract straight out of the draft and as a 20-year old he could transition to the AHL immediately.

That transition didn’t come easy and it’s often overlooked by people. “The biggest challenge was understanding that it’s a job. It’s not like playing hockey with your friends. In the AHL you play against people with families, who have to perform to pay their mortgage. There is just a lot more at stake“, Crawley explained. The need to perform every day, to adjust to the higher pace, stronger and older opponents, makes it a big jump.

Chris Kreider a Leader

Crawley praises Ben Prentiss who is an important part of a lot of player’s development. Another one is Chris Kreider who Crawley has played with in pre-season and training camp several years. “Chris (Kreider) has a big influence on young guys. He is very competitive but at the same time humble and patient with the prospects. He takes his time and he’s a special guy to this organization“. There are a lot of different adjustments you learn over time, and even seasoned NHL veterans say this. It’s about creating a routine that works for you, so you listen to 10-15 players and try to learn from all of them, to see which benefits your development.

To Maine and back

This season Crawley started in the ECHL with the Maine Mariners and for Crawley it was a valuable experience, and it showed him a big difference between the two, “The biggest difference is the mentality. In the AHL, everyone is on the same page. They want to work out, get better, develop. In the ECHL players have a different outlook. They play it because they love the game“. Crawley had different resources to utilize, and learned that the player is responsible for his development. There were a lot of lessons to be learned, and Crawley finished the season in the AHL after the trade deadline. “I dealt with some injuries and setbacks. When I was put in that situation, I was forced to think of how to handle this…How to get better“.

Playing at Madison Square Garden

Crawley has played 4 pre-season games for the Rangers and growing up in the NJ/NY area, his family and friends attended those games. “It’s such a special opportunity for me, playing in my backyard basically, with everyone I know in attendance. Those are coveted opportunities that will stay with you“. Crawley scored for the Rangers at the Prudential Center in 2017, which means Crawley played in the 2 arenas closest to home.

Crawley was given number 73 by the Rangers, which was random, but as a kid Crawley was given number 14. He is very adament though about the jersey number. “You have to earn the privilege to pick your number so until I do, I will use the number I am given. It takes a ton of work, patience and time to get there“. Crawley understands the significance of how special it is to play professional hockey. As a kid, it was all about having fun. He reflects on his successes as much as his mistakes. He considers himself very fortunate to have been given the opportunity as a kid, and eventually get to where he is right now.

Crawley’s entry level contact expires this summer, and with the NHL season continuing Crawley is a very likely addition to the expanded roster. The Rangers have told the Wolf Pack players to stay in shape and be prepared for a call to join the roster.

Author’s Note: As always, I want to thank the player, Brandon Crawley in this case, for sitting down with me and telling me his story and giving me the opportunity to share it with our readers

Here are the latest rumblings around Rangerstown.

Girardi Retires

Dan Girardi, who was a mainstay on the Rangers blueline for parts of 11 seasons has announced his retirement from the NHL.

Girardi was known as a player always willing to give up his body and be physical on the puck. The Welland, Ontario native ranks first all-time in hits and blocked shots. In addition, Girardi was a large part of the Rangers success at the beginning of the decade and has played the most playoff games of any skater in team history.

Dan Girardi went undrafted and was signed by the Rangers as a free agent. Girardi gave everything he had whenever he stepped on the ice and embodied what it meant to be a Ranger. Best of luck, G!

Tony D Signs Contract

The Rangers announced that defenseman Tony DeAngelo has signed his contract.

DeAngelo’s contract carries the same AAV as Brendan Lemieux, as the Rangers have now signed all of their RFAs.

Rangers Trim Training Camp Roster

The Rangers have made the next round of cuts as four players have been sent to Hartford. Defensemen Brandon Crawley, Vincent LoVerde, and Darren Raddysh, as well as forward Jake Elmer, will all join the Wolf Pack when Hartford starts their camp next week.

The Rangers officially kicked off the 2019-20 season with their first game of the preseason against their Hudson River rivals. The team from New Jersey came out victorious, but there were many bright spots for the Blueshirts.

Kaapo Kakko – You could see just what made the Finnish teenager such a hot commodity during the 2019 NHL Draft. He used his size, skill, and awareness throughout his MSG debut. Kakko tallied an assist on the first Rangers goal, a blast from Artemi Panarin, to go along with four shots on goal.

Artemi Panarin – The Russian sniper showed off his fantastic shot when he hammered the one-timer from Jacob Trouba during a second-period power play. Panarin would be forced to leave the game early with what was called a groin strain by the Rangers. We will see how long this keeps Panarin out but his first impression on the ice certainly was as advertised.

Michael Haley – Now in his second tour of duty with the Blueshirts, the veteran tough guy had himself a solid showing as well. Haley was hard on the forecheck, dropped the gloves after delivering a heavy hit to Connor Carrick in the first period, and scored a tap-in goal after some great work from Greg McKegg behind the Devils net. I don’t think Haley will be on the team’s opening night roster, but nights like this one will certainly help his chances.

Lias Andersson – Prior to tonight’s contest, reports on the Swedish forward were nothing but positive from the Rangers coaching staff. Andersson showed the MSG faithful exactly why he’s been praised by his head coach so early into training camp.

Throughout the game, Andersson used his body to protect the puck, was relentless on the forecheck, and got to the dirty areas, which is how he picked up his first goal of the preseason. Andersson cleaned up the rebound of Vitali Kravtsov’s side of the net shot from just outside the top of the crease. Andersson will be looking to take the next step in his development this year, and tonight was a good first step.

Brendan Smith – The most apparent sore spot in this one was the play of the veteran defenseman from Mimico, Ontario. Smith had the second least TOI – only trailing linemate Brandon Crawley – and he was noticeable for mostly the wrong reasons. He wasn’t able to successfully defend Maltsev after Crawley turned the puck over before the second NJ goal, and he had a giveaway as well. Smith did record five shots on net, but his defensive play is what needs to improve dramatically if he has any chance of breaking camp as a part of David Quinn’s roster.

Igor Shesterkin – The highly touted ”Czar Igor” made his MSG debut over the final 29 or so minutes of tonight’s contest and looked solid in net. Shesterkin made 12 saves on 13 shots after Alexandar Georgiev stopped just eight of the 11 shots he faced. Shesterkin made a handful of solid stops, including this one which got an ”I-GOR” chant from the MSG crowd. Shesterkin will likely start the season with Hartford, but he certainly made an excellent first impression at MSG.

Next Game: The Rangers are back in action on Friday night when they face the Devils at the Prudential Center. Puck drops at 7!

LETS GO RANGERS!!

The trade deadline for the Hartford Wolf Pack was quiet. The New York Rangers did not tinker with the AHL roster, except with one addition. Going forward the rest of the season, the group is expected to remain the same until we reach April. As we enter this week, Hartford is still far from the final playoff spot in the Atlantic Division.

Hartford has a busy week ahead with three games on tap to end February and begin March. Coming into Wednesday’s contest, Hartford is tied for seventh in the Atlantic Division with the Springfield Thunderbirds. Hartford has a record of 23-25-6-3.

Standings Update & Positioning

The Wolf Pack are nine points out from a playoff spot. On the plus side, the Pack has won a string of games as of late and has kept up with the bottom tier teams. Hartford is now tied for seventh and is able to reach as high as sixth depending on the outcome of other games this week.

If Hartford continues to pick up points, they have to act fast if they want to jump up in the standings. Here are a few teams that Hartford could jump or be within reach of with the scenario of a Hartford win plus these teams losing:

• 7th- Springfield Thunderbirds – Tied
• 6th- Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins – four points ahead
• 5th- Lehigh Valley Phantoms – Five points ahead

These are teams Hartford can creep up to in the standings. In fact, the next two weeks feature multiple games against Springfield and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

After this weekend is complete, we will go from there and revisit the standings if it is worth to do so.

You can check the 2019 AHL Playoff Primer here as this is updated daily.

Information To Know

In addition to the trade deadline passing on Monday in the National Hockey League, there was another deadline that loomed in the AHL at 3pm.

The Rangers have elected to not assign any prospect to Hartford before the deadline. That means players such as Lias Andersson, Boo Nieves, and Connor Brickley will not be able to return to Hartford for the remainder of this season.

Normally teams will assign prospects to their minor league teams as a paper transaction. Then the following day, call them back up. This tells a story of how New York is not expecting Hartford to make the postseason.

Another deadline of note is the AHL’s trade and loan deadline. The deadline is strictly for players on AHL contracts, and I do not expect movement from Hartford here.

Farm Report: Injuries, Contracts, Roster Movements

This week featured a bit of news regarding multiple aspects of Hartford’s roster.

• Two Players Return Next Season
  • On Monday, the Rangers announced contract extensions for Steven Fogarty and Boo Nieves. I expect at least one of them to be in Hartford next season. Well deserved by both forwards.
• Transactions
  • Defenseman Matt Finn has been released from his PTO.
  • Defenseman Julius Bergman joins Hartford as he was acquired in the trade involving former Ranger, Adam McQuaid.
• Injury Updates
  • Ville Meskanen was injured in the opening shift of Saturday’s game, and he did not play on Sunday. I suspect a lower-body injury, around his knee and foot area. He was limping off the ice after a collision with a Providence player along the boards.
  • Brandon Crawley is still out for a brief period with an upper-body injury.

Steven Fogarty Impresses

The Rangers prospect found his offensive touch again. Sunday’s game against Providence was the Steven Fogarty show, as the forward notched a hat trick plus one assist. Check out his goals here.

In addition to two of the goals being shorthanded, Fogarty is now the third player in franchise history to register two shorthanded goals in the same game.

The prospect is on a six-game point streak and has points in seven of his last eight games (7 goals, 6 assists for 13 points). The hot hand continues as we enter into this week’s games. Impressive playing by the forward in the last few weeks.

One Timers

• Vinni Lettieri has points in seven straight games (5 goals, 5 assists for 10 points). Check out his shorthanded beauty here.

• John Gilmour and Steven Fogarty are tied for points on the team at 39.
• Matt Beleskey hasn’t recorded a point in his last four games. In addition, the veteran has not scored a goal in 19 games. He is looking to break that spell.
• Sean Day continues to produce points. He has points in four of his last five games (2 goals, 3 assists for 5 points).
• Ty Ronning has goals in back to back games.

• Hartford has three shorthanded goals in the last two games.

Upcoming Games

Wednesday, February 27th vs Hershey Bears (Washington) at 7pm, XL Center

• This is the third of six meetings against the Hershey Bears. This is the first time Hershey is in Hartford this season.
• Hershey’s 16 game winning streak ended on Sunday against Bridgeport as the Sound Tigers won 5-1. The Bears were on a 16-0-0-1 streak before the regulation loss.
• Hartford is 0-1-1 in the season series against Hershey. The first meeting ended in a shootout loss on November 4th and the second meeting was a 6-3 defeat on December 8th.
• Hershey is third in the Atlantic Division with a record of 31-21-0-3 for 65 points.

Friday, March 1st vs Springfield Thunderbirds (Florida) at 7:05 pm, Mass Mutual Center

• This is the eighth of ten meetings in the season series. Hartford is 3-4 against Springfield entering the contest.
• Springfield has stumbled this season, going from one of the top teams to now a tie with Hartford for last. The Thunderbirds are 2-7-0-1 in the last ten games.
• Depending on the outcome of Wednesday’s game between Hartford and Hershey, the Pack may be ahead of Springfield entering Friday’s game.
• This is the third meeting in Springfield. Hartford is 1-1 this season at the Mass Mutual Center.
• The Thunderbirds record is 22-23-6-5 for 55 points.

Saturday, March 2nd vs Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (Pittsburgh) at 7:30 pm, XL Center

• This is the fifth of six meetings against the Penguins. Hartford is 1-2-1 in the season series.
• The Penguins are 26-22-5-2 for 59 points and is ahead of Hartford by four points. The Penguins are sixth in the Atlantic Division.
• The Penguins are 4-4-1-1 in their last ten meetings.

The Wolf Pack continue their skid as they enter the early stages of February. The group has lost seven straight and is 29th in the American Hockey League. Ouch. Who would have thought the group would creep this low? I did not, considering the roster that was provided. As we enter this week, with four games on tap, Hartford is 19-23-3-2 for 43 points. That ranks them eighth in the Atlantic Division.

Hartford Falls After Trading Away Captain

The group is 1-7 since the captain, Cole Schneider, departed from the organization through a trade. Since the trade, the Wolf Pack have not looked the same. When you trade away one of the team’s better forwards, second in points at the time, usually the gamble may not be worth it. Well, we have the results after the trade, and the Pack’s plan has seemingly backfired.

I am not knocking on Connor Brickley because he’s a different type of player. We are comparing apples to oranges here. Chris Drury wanted grit and, unfortunately, Milwaukee won the trade, value wise. Perhaps the organization could have moved another forward for Connor Brickley.

The players and Keith McCambridge had some interesting commentary on the trade. Remarks from the group on Howlings.net regarding the trade raises eyebrows.

“I told them he was a part of our family starting from September and you hope till early June (Calder Cup Final time) you’re together as a family. I really like this group. They get along well together, and a piece of our family was taken away. I always speak from the heart to the team,” McCambridge said.

McCambridge was channeling his captain’s player role, not so much being their head coach

“I liked Cole a lot. He was a good man. I like what he represented. Now, we have to pick up the slack in a leadership void and what he brought (to the team) on the ice as well.”

Keith McCambridge

From a coach’s perspective, McCambridge sounds as if he lost one of the best forwards in the locker room, despite bumping him to the third or fourth line to kickstart his offense, which seemed to have worked.

“We’re bummed out for sure. That is the tough part of the business, and we signed up for it, and we all know the possibilities,” Holland said. “Our lives can be tossed into a blender and get traded away.”

Peter Holland

Was this the right move for the Wolf Pack? Probably not, but I will let you decide.

John Gilmour Continues To Prosper

The 25-year-old defenseman continues to make strides in Hartford. His contract is up this summer and I expect him to return. Offensively, he has found a spark and ran away with it as his offensive game continues to shine. The prospect has 36 points in 47 games played. Last season in 44 outings, he collected 26 points and in the 2016-17 season, he had 25 points. If the defenseman stays in Hartford for a majority of the season, we could see him reach as high as the 50-point range, which, for a defenseman, would be impressive.

John Gilmour is the best defenseman on the ice for the Pack on both ends of the ice. His speed allows him to easily transition from defense to offense and be able to block lanes when the opponent establishes play in Hartford’s zone. If the Rangers are looking for a call up on the blue line, I expect John Gilmour to get the call.

Injury Updates

Hartford is dealing with a few injuries or illnesses. As a result, players such as Sean Day and Zach Tolkinen are being given opportunities to play.

• Matt Beleskey – Illness. He should return shortly.
• Brandon Crawley – Injured. Time table for return is unknown.

Rangers Prospects In Hockey East Updates

Goaltender Tyler Wall was named Hockey East’s defensive player of the week. Congrats to the Rangers prospect for his award!

Closer to home, University of Connecticut’s goaltender, and Rangers prospect, Adam Huska is the starting goalie for the university. Despite a record of 5-11-2 with a 3.16 goals against average, he is still continuing to develop. The team in front of him has struggled this season as the group is led mainly by young freshmen. The University of Connecticut is 7-17-2, but is just 2-12-2 in Hockey East play.

Upcoming Games

The Pack has a busy week coming up. Perhaps the losing streak could get snapped this week.

Tuesday, February 5th vs Bridgeport Sound Tigers (Islanders) at 7 pm, XL Center

• This is the final meeting in Hartford between the clubs. This is the ninth of ten meetings in the season series. The series finishes up next Saturday in Bridgeport.
• Hartford is 4-3-1 against Bridgeport. Last season the group was 3-6-1.
• The Sound Tigers are second in the Atlantic Division with 56 points. They are 25-17-4-2 and have won four of their last ten outings.

Friday, February 8th vs Syracuse Crunch (Tampa Bay) at 7:15 pm, XL Center

• This is the first meeting between the clubs. This is a two-game season series. Hartford is in Syracuse on March 16th. Last season, the Pack split the season series with the Crunch.
• Syracuse is 27-13-2-1 for 57 points, second in the North Division. The Crunch enter the week winning six straight.
• Hartford is 12-9-2 at home, while Syracuse is 10-8-2 on the road.

Saturday, February 9th vs Lehigh Valley Phantoms (Philadelphia) at 7:05 pm, PPL Center

• Saturday begins back to back games in Allentown against the Phantoms. This game will be the fourth of six meetings in the season series. The last three meetings will be in Allentown.
• Hartford is 2-1 against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms entering the contest. Last season, the Pack won all six games against the Phantoms.
• The Phantoms are fourth in the Atlantic Division with 55 points. They are 25-17-3-2, and is 5-5 in their last ten outings.

Sunday, February 10th vs Lehigh Valley Phantoms (Philadelphia) at 3:05 pm, PPL Center

• This is the fifth of six meetings on the season series.
• Hartford will return to Allentown on April 13th to finish the season series during the final week of the season.

It’s go time. The regular season for the Wolf Pack begins on Friday night. The club has finalized their roster, which has the potential to make noise in the American Hockey League. I’m excited about this season since the organization has stocked up for the farm and the youth movement has begun in the big club.

Preseason Outcome

Hartford defeated Bridgeport by the final of 2-1. Shawn St. Amant registered both goals for the Pack. Brandon Halverson started in net and stopped 21 of 22 shots.

“I really liked our compete to loose pucks,” Wolf Pack head coach Keith McCambridge said. “We did a good job using our speed in the offensive zone to generate second and third opportunities.”

The Pack looked impressive in the outing as they had multiple chances and good transition. The players were playing with energy and precision from puck drop to the final buzzer and the Pack outshot Bridgeport 43 to 22.

Finalized Roster

The Pack have two goalies, eight defensemen, and 14 forwards.

Goalies: Marek Mazanec, and Dustin Tokarski.

Defense: Chris Bigras, Sean Day, John Gilmour, Libor Hajek, Ryan Lindgren, Rob O’Gara, Brandon Crawley, and Vince Pedrie.

Forwards: Lias Andersson, Bobby Butler, Steven Fogarty, Gabriel Fontaine, Tim Gettinger, Ryan Gropp, Peter Holland, Dawson Leedahl, Michael Lindqvist, Ville Meskanen, Shawn O’Donnell, Ty Ronning, Shawn St. Amant, and Cole Schneider.

Lines will be determined later in the week when they approach Friday’s game.

Who’s Cut?

The following players were sent down to Maine of the ECHL.

Goalies (3): Brandon Halverson, Chris Nell, and Connor LaCouvee

Defenseman (2): Derek Pratt and Scott Savage.

Forwards (6): Drew Melanson, Jason Salvaggio, Riley Bourbonnais, Alex Kile, Mike Marnell, and Brady Vail.

Upcoming Games

Week one of the AHL season features two home games for the Wolf Pack, and the first road game will be in the following week.

Friday, October 5th vs Providence Bruins (Boston) at 7:15 pm, XL Center

• Hartford’s opening night.
• Providence has lost a few powerful players in the off-season from free agency.
• The first of ten games against the Bruins.  There are 20 points on the table in the season series.
• The Pack play Providence three times in October.

Sunday, October 7th vs Laval Rocket (Montreal) at 3:00 pm, XL Center

• Hartford plays Laval twice, one home and one away.
• The Rocket struggled last season. The organization lost ten games to finish the 2017-18 season for 58 points. They had the least amount of points in the league.
• The Pack will finish the season series within a ten-game span. The next outing will be on Wednesday, October 17th in Laval.
• The Pack went 0-1-1 in the season series last year.

Watch and Listen

You can listen to the Pack on the iHeartRadio app on your mobile device. On the desktop, you can listen through here. The Pack is on News Radio 1410 WPOP Hartford.

To watch, there is a cheap way! Follow the action on AHL TV. Hartford’s package to watch every game is $59.99. For home or away games with Hartford, the pricing drops to $39.99. There is also a monthly pass of $19.99 or a daily pass for $6.99.

AHL Rule Changes

There are minor tweaks this season for the AHL. However, the biggest change is when a team takes a penalty. This raises the stakes higher.

76.2 – Apparently a late addition: When a penalty leads to a power play, they will still face off in the defensive end of the penalized team. But now, the team going on the power play will get to pick at which dot they’ll face off, and the defending team won’t get to change after that. (Even if that draw comes to the neutral zone, whether because the team going on the power play iced the puck, or because its defensemen joined a scrum below the dots, the team going on the power play still gets to pick the dot.)

The Pack has to be smart when taking penalties. Otherwise, this could bite them in critical moments in the game. This is being tried in the AHL, and if successful, it could be in the NHL down the road.

In a game that saw the Rangers and Islanders deadlocked on the scoreboard for the majority of play, Islanders forward Anthony Beauvillier netted the winner just 53 seconds into overtime, handing the Rangers a 4-3 loss.

KZB – The line of Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad and Pavel Buchnevich provided all of the offense for David Quinn’s Blueshirts in this one. Buchnevich netted a powerplay goal with under a minute to go in the first period, corraling a Zibanejad saucer pass and beating Robin Lehner with a knuckle puck that tied the game at one.

https://twitter.com/4BNYRGameday/status/1045099021013069824

Zibanejad would add the other two Rangers goals on the night, both of which gave the Blueshirts a short-lived lead. After Buchnevich creates a neutral zone turnover coming off of the bench, Buchnevich dropped the puck for defenseman Adam McQuaid. The veteran blue-liner had his shot stopped but the rebound was laying there for Mika Zibanejad to slide into the net to give the Rangers a 2-1 lead in the second period.

https://twitter.com/4BNYRGameday/status/1045107261159419905

For an encore, Mika scored one of his patented power play goals. After winning the faceoff from Valteri Filpulla, Zibanejad took Kevin Shattenkirk’s pass and wired a wrist shot over the short side shoulder of Robin Lehner. Chris Kreider didn’t get on the scoresheet, but he was involved in the game, most notably setting the screen for Zibanejad’s PPG. This line has been clicking all preseason, and that certainly bodes well heading into the October 4th season opener.

The Kids Are All Right – Shifting gears to some of the younger Rangers, Lias Andersson and Filip Chytil saw a lot of ice time in this one and were noticeable with their work ethic throughout the game. Chytil had a phenomenal no-look pass to Chris Kreider, but the redirect towards Robin Lehner was stopped by the Swedish netminder. Both Andersson and Chytil, who was taken in the first round of the 2017 NHL draft, saw time on the power play and the penalty kill. The biggest differentiator between the two would be in the faceoff circle; Chytil won just one of his six faceoffs while Andersson won nine of the 14 draws he took. Chytil did see some time on the wing during the third period, perhaps foreshadowing that the 19-year-old could end up playing on the wing to start the season.

As for the rest of the Rangers’ youngsters, Vinni Lettieri and Tim Gettinger were most noticeable in the physical side of the game, as the two combined for seven hits and just one shot on net. Defenseman Brandon Crawley got involved physically as well, showing he isn’t afraid to mix things up after the whistle in defense of his goaltender. Neal Pionk had himself a quiet night, recording a shot on net and a blocked shot.

Finally, forward Brett Howden saw some power play time as well but wasn’t able to hit the net on his one shot attempt at the Isles’ net. With the logjam at the center position, Howden would likely be one of the first call-ups from Hartford. Could he stick around as an extra forward? Maybe; but it would be better for his development if he played big minutes in Hartford rather than sitting in the press box at MSG.

Henrik Lundqvist – The Rangers netminder had a much better outing this time around despite letting up four goals. Two Ryan Pulock, multi-screen point shots and a tic-tac-toe goal that Calder Trophy winner Mathew Barzal started in the neutral zone would be difficult shots to stop for any goaltender. Anthony Beauvillier went past a tired Filip Chytil and snuck a wrist shot between the legs of Lundqvist, who could’ve gotten down a little quicker in my eyes, to seal the Rangers fate.

Next Game: The Rangers finish out the 2018 preseason on Thursday night in Philadelphia. Puck drops at 7!

LETS GO RANGERS!!