Cuylle Is Ahead Of The Curve

Don't look now but New York Rangers 2020-2nd round (60th overall) draft pick, forward Will Cuylle, leads their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate Hartford Wolf Pack in goal-scoring, and he's also tied for third on the team with 12 points (seven goals, five assists) through the team's opening 27 games of the season.

While it hasn't been the greatest of starts to 2022-23 for the Wolf Pack (10-12-5) as they sit in last place in the ever-challenging eight-team Atlantic Division heading into the AHL's brief break for the holidays, perhaps Rangers management and fans alike can take solace in Cuylle's progress as he begins his first full season at the professional level.

"I think we've had our ups and downs this year, for sure," Cuylle said after a win in Hershey last month. "I think we're just [trying to] build more and more every game."

The Wolf Pack have struggled to score goals as a team so far this season, with their 69 goals scored tied for dead last in the AHL, but it hasn't stopped Cuylle from making plays and creating offense for his team - especially of late as he tallied five points (three goals, two assists) in his last six games entering this past weekend's games - including a pair of multi-point performances. The 6-foot-3 forward also began the season with points in four of his first five games (two goals, two assists).

Part of Cuylle's ability to make an impact so early as a rookie stems from the fact that this season wasn't his first taste of the AHL despite spending the entirety of last season in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). He had an advantage on other first year players in that he actually appeared in 18 games with the Wolf Pack during the AHL's pandemic shortened 2020-21 season.

"That was a huge... about four months for me," Cuylle recalled, adding, "Obviously, with the OHL being canceled having the chance to come here was a great opportunity."

The time spent with the AHL club playing pro games, practicing with pro hockey players and getting a taste of daily life at the pro level really gave Cuylle a sense of what he needed to do to take his game to the next level.

"I felt like I learned so much. When I went back to junior I was I felt like I was much better player," he told InsideAHLHockey.com.

Wolf Pack head coach Kris Knoblach agreed with Cuylle's sentiment about the value of his time in the AHL giving him a headstart on what to expect at the pro level.

"There's a big transition for any player coming from junior or college where everything is looked after - your housing, your meals. And now there's, you know, there's the off- ice element, which is a huge adjustment for new, young players coming in," Knoblach explained, adding that in Cuylle's case he was ahead of the game in that regard due to getting some AHL experience two years ago.

"Since then, he has matured a lot. We were very happy with him, but he was only 18 years old playing. I think going back and playing another year [of] junior, becoming a goal scorer, being the guy on his team - I think that really helped with his confidence. And you can see it the way he's playing this year, he's not scared to make plays, he's not just chipping the puck."

It's clear the Rangers are happy with where Cuylle's development is trending right now, and they want that trend to continue as he continues to play big minutes in the Wolf Pack's top-six in all situations.

"I think just keep playing my game, you know, try to be a physical, power forward," Cuylle told InsideAHLHockey.com on what the messaging from the Rangers management/staff has been with him thus far. "I've been being a bit more active on the penalty kill, too, as well. So it's definitely something I think I can add to my game and have as a really strong attribute as well."