HARTFORD WOLF PACK SEASON PREVIEW 2022-23
By: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings
HARTFORD, CT – Hartford Wolf Pack training camp is completed. The pre-season games are over, and the NHL waiver wire moves have all been made. Now, the real fun begins as the 26th edition of the Hartford Wolf Pack begins as they embark on a season-opening road trip to the Queen City and have a two-game set to commence the unified 72-game AHL regular season with the Charlotte Checkers to erase the sting of last year’s 8-20-2 ending.
“I always have preferred starting on the road and not at home. There’s so much pressure and excitement when you play at home. It adds that pressure on you. It’s better to go on the road and be together, traveling and doing some (early) team building,” Wolf Pack Head Coach Kris Knoblauch said as he was preparing to leave for Charlotte.
The team received its last forward from New York, Julien Gauthier, late Monday. He started his career in Charlotte when they were the AHL home for the Carolina Hurricanes. He had his best season with 27 goals in 75 games in their Calder Cup championship season in 2018-19. He was a former 1st-round pick (19th overall) in 2016. He played 184 games with the Checkers and has 96 NHL games to his credit.
His tenure is likely to be short as he will be looking for a fresh opportunity elsewhere.
“The Rangers shopped him around a few weeks ago, and now he’s gone through waivers. (He’s) got to have a good start to get interest,” said a knowledgeable hockey source. Gauthier reported and will sport the #77 on his jersey.
That bumped Alex Whelan (Quinnipiac University) off the roster and down to the team’s ECHL affiliate, the Jacksonville Icemen.
“He’s a heckva hockey player, he was so dominant when he played in Charlotte at the beginning of his career and he brings physicality and goal scoring to our team. Nothing is ever long term in the American (Hockey) League. He’s with us now and were gonna help him out as much as possible and get the best we can while he is here and he is committed to playing hard for the Wolf Pack as much as possible to get back to the NHL, “ remarked Knoblauch.
Head coach Kris Knoblauch enters the fourth season with no post-season action and the team’s eighth consecutive season after Hartford making it their first 14 straight years. The team thoroughly purged its lineup with a whole new cast of characters. The emphasis is on character players and bridging the rock cliff divide last year in scoring between the top six and bottom six of their lineup.
“Having good veterans to help you win hockey games and help out our younger players improve is always important. It’s early in the year, but I’ve been impressed with the leadership of the new parts we brought in. Turner (Elson) and (Andy) Zelinski have done very well for us and have been great additions, and we’ll find out more this weekend, but they have helped our leadership tremendously,” said Knoblauch.
Making sure players get the playing time they need was a major consideration in keeping those in Hartford and dispatching others to Jacksonville.
“We want players to be playing, not sitting around here,” Knoblauch said emphatically.
One top-end prospect he wanted here last year and will be here after a pandemic season introduction two years ago is Will Cullye. He played center then, though now he is ticketed for the left wing at the start of the season.
“He’ll move up and down our lineup. For now he’s playing the left side with Jonny Brodzinski. He’s already on the second unit powerplay and will get some experience penalty killing, and we’ll hope he grows. He had a good camp in New York. We’re just hoping he’ll develop into even a better hockey player here,” Knoblauch said.
Last year’s Hobey Baker winner, Bobby Trivigno, had a very strong training camp on both sides of the puck. Along with Cullye, he leads a rookie group including draftees Matt Rempe (Seattle-WHL) and Ryder Korczak (Moose Jaw-WHL).
“He’s gonna play more games for one thing. He’ll learn the type of hockey he’ll need to play. He’s a very good hockey player, who had very good collegiate career. Now he has to transfer that to the pro level. There has so much potential here. He will likely be key contributor for us.”
Another who will be looked at to take a big step forward will be second-year pro, Lauri Pajuniemi. He was not happy at the end of last season. He performed well in camp and in both pre-season games and is expected to be a catalyst on the second power play unit playing on his off-wing.
“He’ll have to do a lot of work to be recalled. He can shoot, but we’ll be using him with Jonny Brodzinski and Julien Gauthier on the powerplay. Shooting is a big part of his game and he has a hard shot and being around the net will allow him to score more goals. For his game to get better he has less room and less time you can’t hold onto the puck too long and we have identified that in his game.”
He has been working on a line with Elson and Fritz, but that is not cemented in stone. They have looked good in practice, scored some goals, and have shown some good chemistry.”
A pair of Swedes will dot the lineup at center. They are draftees Karl Henriksson and free agent signee, Gustav Rydahl.
“They’re two different types of players in their development stage. Rydahl has played pro for quite some time now. I think to make the jump, they (the Rangers) hope he can continue to get better and learn the North American game better in Hartford. The organization was happy with his play at camp, though he’s not quite ready yet, or they couldn’t find a spot for him at this point. Karl is real prospect with lots of upside potential, and where he’s gonna fit in our lineup.”
Patrick Khordorenko is back playing on the last year of his Entry Level Contract as is the resigned Austin Rueschhoff.
“Patrick played very well and was probably our best forward the last six weeks of the season. He’s a depth player at center for us right now. Austin has the size and everybody is looking for a player with the size who can score. When he plays his best, he’s playing physical. He went on a tear in January where he had six goals in five games. He can certainly deliver and has the potential to breakout.”
Captain Jonny Brodzinki and now veteran forward Tim Gettinger will lead the 25 members of the Wolf Pack. Paired together on the #1-line last year, they will be split up on the first two lines to start the season. Tanner Fritz will be called upon to play his usual swing role at forward.
“Jonny was so good for us and then he went up to New York. Tim was injured for us in the second half. When he played, he was spot on. I have no worries in play from either player.”
The defense will have a whole new set of players with off-season signings in Andy Welinski from the (AHL) Stockton Heat (Calgary Flames) and Ty Emberson of the (AHL) Tucson Roadrunners (Phoenix Coyotes). Returning are Matt Robertson and Zach Giuttari (Loomis Chafee), Hunter Skinner, and late-season addition Brandon Scanlin as the only holdovers from last season. The defense has always been seen as an organizational surplus, and the team will carry eight d-men to start the regular season.
“We have a lot of returning players coming back entering their second season. You’re anticipating and always think they’re ready to take that next step up; that’s not always the case; some do, and some don’t, but I think these guys are ready to do that. We have a lot more experience on defense than at forward, and they have to learn to play together and be themselves.
Tim Theocharidis, who almost played his way on the lineup like Mason Geersten did two years ago, was sent to Jacksonville. However, the former ASU product was on an ECHL contract, not an AHL deal.
In net, Louie Domingue, who buried them last year in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, is guarding their cage now. Knoblauch is enthusiastic about starting with him and hopefully will have a better relationship with him than he had with the talented but mercurial Keith Kinkaid and the ineffectual Tyler Wall, who are both now in Providence and South Carolina (ECHL), respectively.
“Very sociable guy, and everybody likes to be around. He has spent time on the ice with (other) goalies helping them out with certain things. Our starter on opening night is still to be diagnosed.
Dylan Garand, the young prodigy out of Kamloops (WHL) who was signed mid-season last year to his ELC deal, will be a work in progress for the undersized but proficient goalie at the bottom end of the height scale wanted in pro hockey.
“I just spoke to him, and he says ‘I’m the same height as Igor Shesterkin.’ So, if Igor can pull of his play (Vezina winner) never underestimate an undersized goalie,” remarked Knoblauch.
Swedish player Olof Lindbom, the third goalie, will start the season with the Pack. Depending on playing time, he could be sent back to Sweden or to an unaffiliated ECHL team, or a loan deal worked.
“He is gonna stay here in North America in Jacksonville or Hartford; that is still to be determined. He is technically sound and a very strong goalie. It’s very different in North America there is more traffic in front and a lot more small details to work on. We think very highly of him.”
NOTES:
Defenseman Ben Harpur, 27, is the latest to join the Wolf Pack as a late addition after splitting the 2021-22 season between the Nashville Predators and Milwaukee Admirals. With the Predators, Harpur appeared in 19 games and registered an assist. While with the Admirals, Harpur skated in six games and recorded five penalty minutes.
He has played in 176 career AHL games, scoring 56 points (7 goals, 49 assists) with the Admirals, Toronto Marlies, Belleville Senators, and Binghamton Senators. Harpur also served as an Alternate Captain for the Binghamton Senators during the 2017-18 season.
Harpur was selected in the fourth round (108th overall) by the Ottawa Senators in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. Harpur has appeared in 156 career NHL games with the Senators and Predators, where he registered 15 points (1 goal and 14 assists). He scored his first and only NHL goal on December 1st, 2018, against the San Jose Sharks.
Vitali Kravtsov sustained an upper-body injury in the Rangers opening night 3-1-win Tuesday over the Tampa Bay Lightning. He was out of the lineup in the 7-3 win over the Minnesota Wild and will not affect the Pack line-up.
Talyn Boyko, the 18-year-old goalie, after being released from his ATO in Hartford and being reassigned to Jacksonville before heading back to Kelowna (WHL) as per the NHL-CHL agreement, signed his three-year ELC deal with the Rangers for $850K-NHL/$77,750K-AHL.
Ranger newcomer draftee, Ryder Korczak, saw his older brother Kaedan get assigned to the Henderson Silver Knights by Vegas along with Peter DiLiberatore (Quinnipiac University-ECACHL).
The Wolf Pack will have a new skills development coach. Colin Downey replaces Casey Torres, who was replaced by Jamie Tardif as the assistant coach this year. Torres departure was handled very quietly and efficiently. It’s not clear if it was mutual, his or the Pack’s choice.
Downey played collegiately at D3 Bowdoin College (NESCAC) in Maine and then professionally in Europe for eight years in France with Tours, HC Cholet, HC Mulhouse, Mont Blanc, and HC Courbevoie between France Division 2 and the French Elite League in the Magnus league.
Ex-Pack Pierre-Cédric Labrie gets a contract upgrade from a two-year AHL deal from Syracuse to a one-year, two-way deal with Tampa Bay at $770,800K-NHL/$100,000K-AHL. He was put on waivers to return to Syracuse with a few more dollars in his bank account. Syracuse announced they and the Lightning have extended their affiliation agreement another five years to 2026-27.
Rangers draftee Bryce McConnell-Barker was named captain of his OHL team, the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. Brennan Othmann is named winner of the Lars-Erik Sjoberg Award as the best rookie in the Rangers’ camp and was reassigned to Flint (OHL) last week.
Bridgeport Islanders made their last cuts sending to the Worcester Railers (ECHL) Ken Appleby, Trevor Cosgrove, Blade Jenkins, Connor McCarthy, Reece Newkirk, and Henrik Tikkanen.
Former goalie C.J. Motte is sent from the Iowa Wild camp as the last cut to the Iowa Heartlanders (ECHL) camp.
Richard Pánik heads off to Lausanne HC (Switzerland-LNA) on a loan basis.
Matthias Samuelsson (no relation to Ulf) is the son of former New Haven Nighthawk Kjell. He signs a one-year ELC contract extension with Buffalo. Adam Samuelsson, the youngest son of Ulf. He leaves Idaho (ECHL) camp just before it starts. No new destination was announced.
Goalie Jon Gillies (Salisbury School) was sent to Tucson (AHL). Last year he played with four teams, two AHL, and two NHL. Ethan Cardwell, the nephew of ex-New Haven Knight Matt, is sent back to Barrie Colts (OHL) from the San Jose Barracuda camp.
Last season’s Pack player, Zach Berzolla, was one of the last cuts in Rochester. He was assigned to Cincinnati (ECHL). Undrafted Tye McSorley, the nephew of former Nighthawk Chris and Springfield coach and ex-Ranger his other uncle Marty, is with Greenville (ECHL) camp.
Chris’s son, Aidan, is playing pro hockey in Switzerland with HC Pegassona-Ceregio (Switzerland Division-1). Father Chris is looking for work as he was just fired as the head coach of HC Lugano.
Ex-Pack Lewis-Zerter Gossage (Kent School) is heading from Maine (ECHL) back over to Germany to Eisbären Berlin (Germany-DEL) and has been loaned out Lausitzer Füchse (Germany DEL-2).
Our NHL source out West reports things in the Western Conference of the AHL are looking good. “San Jose has got a great new place and Coachella Valley seems on target and having the good weather allows you to hit construction timelines. It’s looking good out there (West).” When discussing the NHL’s new setup in the ASU arena in Phoenix, the source said, “It’s beautiful and brand new however it’s still a college rink, but I’ll try to avoid it if I can.”
