BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings
HARTFORD, CT – Whenever it is that the Hartford Wolf Pack actually reconvene, the team will need to name a new team captain.
Last year’s Pack captain, the team’s 13th in their history, Steven Fogarty, has departed the franchise and signed a one-year, two-way deal with the Buffalo Sabres which will pay him $750K to play in Buffalo and $250K to play with the Rochester Americans in the AHL.
Fogarty’s career numbers while playing in Hartford include 252 games played and where he tallied 50 goals and 80 assists (130 points). Last year, Fogarty played through injuries and illness. In 54 games, the Captain contributed 13 goals and 37 points while playing five-on-five and on the first PK unit. He was the strongest captain the team has had since the recently retired, Ryan Bourque, and the first one not to be traded in five years.
He improved his plus/minus from a garish minus-21 to a plus-two.
Fogarty was originally drafted by the Rangers in 2011. He was a third-round selection (72nd overall) out of Edina (MN) H.S. playing under the tutelage of former Ranger defenseman, Curt Giles.
He had a spectacular junior year with BCHL Penticton Vees (BCHL), winning the league’s regular season and playoff title. He also won then Page Cup, the top prize in Canadian Junior A hockey.
The team was selected to be part of the 2020 BC Hall-of-Fame Class, but the ceremony over the summer was canceled.
Fogarty also had a solid four-year NCAA Division-I career at the University of Notre Dame with 65 points in 150 games and was the Irish captain in his junior and senior years.
