Hartford Wolf Pack bring back defenseman Zach Berzolla

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hartford wolf pack
St. Cloud State's Sam Hentges tries to get past Zach Berzolla of Colorado College during the first period of the Saturday, Feb. 9, game at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud. Scsu Hock 1

On Thursday, the New York Rangers AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack, announced they were bringing Zach Berzolla back into the organization. For those needing a refresher, the undrafted defenseman was a member of the Wolf Pack in 2021-22 after a solid career at Colorado College.

Although Berzolla has never skated in the NHL, he has registered 58 points with 179 penalty minutes in 122 games in the ECHL since 2021.

Last year the Wolf Pack employed 13 different defensemen throughout the season, meaning Berzolla has a good chance to play more games with the team in 2023-24. Even though he only played eight contests during his previous stint with the team, he also played four games with the Rochester Americans last year, giving him 12 career games in the AHL.

Moreover, the Wolf Pack could lose a handful of players like Zac Jones and Libor Hajek to callups during the season, so bringing back Berzolla is a solid backup plan for the minor league team. Ultimately, general manager Ryan Martin must ensure he has reinforcements to keep Hartford in contention.

Editor’s Note: Libor Hajek did not receive a qualifying offer from the New York Rangers and is an unrestricted free agent

By Ryan Gagne

Some of Ryan Gagne's all-time favorite goalies have been Mike Richter, Henrik Lundqvist, and Igor Shesterkin. As a Yankees... More about Ryan Gagne

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