Welcome IAH's Hartford Correspondent Ricky Milliner
Edited by -> @mustang_sallie
HARTFORD - The Hartford Wolf Pack kick start their 22nd season in the American Hockey League on Friday at home against the Providence Bruins. After failing to make post season appearances in the last three seasons, fans of the Wolf Pack can be optimistic that this season’s roster may break that streak.
The New York Rangers have restructured and focused on rebuilding the organization with abundance of prospects.
Hartford’s roster consists of a solid mix of talented prospects and veterans. Peter Holland and Cole Schneider are returning veterans for the Pack, and both had solid seasons last year. Bobby Butler, a notable AHL veteran, joins Hartford as well.
Last season, defenseman John Gilmour earned himself a lengthy call up to the Rangers and proved he can produce at the NHL level. Lias Andersson came from overseas and showed sparks of offensive talent that gave the Wolf Pack an edge. Gabriel Fontaine and Ryan Gropp are coming off of good rookie seasons in the AHL, despite going through their own ups and downs throughout the season.
New additions Rob O’Gara, Libor Hajek and Ryan Lindgren will enhance the roster as each player has potential to be vital throughout the season. Rob O’Gara has experience in both the NHL and AHL. Ryan Lindgren played in ten games with the Wolf Pack last season and was impressive. His playing style looks similar to Brady Skjei when he was in Hartford.
Looking at the upcoming season, the Pack will have a chance to make noise if they capitalize their success against divisional rivalry games. There are 60 points up for grabs when they play Providence, Bridgeport, and Springfield. The Pack must win each season series and compete at a high level in each game.
They must also win the season series against Charlotte. The Checkers entered the Eastern Division last season in a dominant fashion and took their opponents by surprise. The Pack struggled against the Checkers, going winless in four games at the Bojangles coliseum. If the Pack wants to be competitive in the rankings, they must play better against the Checkers.
Hartford fans can be confident that this season’s roster is an improvement from last year. The goaltending in place, Marek Mazanec and Dustin Tokarski, are strong experienced goalies. The offense has a powerful punch and can measure up well against other teams. The defense is young, but is talented with experience.
The rebuilding process for the Rangers has greatly helped Hartford, which puts them in a position to be competitive in the division.
