By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack
PROVIDENCE, RI – The Hartford Wolf Pack’s 2023-24 season has arrived. The Pack begin their 27th season of American Hockey League action in Providence against the rival Bruins tonight. The club has opened a campaign in Providence for the second time in franchise history.
The puck drop is set for 7:05 p.m.; coverage is available on AHLTV and Mixlr.
Tale of The Tape:
The Wolf Pack and Bruins met ten times during the 2022-23 season, with Hartford winning six of the ten meetings. The Wolf Pack held a 6-3-1-0 edge, collecting points in seven of the ten matchups. The Bruins also collected points in seven of ten meetings, posting a record of 4-3-3-0.
Four of the ten contests between these rivals went to overtime a season ago, with the Wolf Pack winning each of the final three. Will Cuylle, Zac Jones, and Jonny Brodzinski scored the overtime tallies for the Wolf Pack.
The Wolf Pack enjoyed quite a bit of success on the road against the Bruins last season. Hartford won three of five visits in the regular season, posting a 3-1-1-0 record. The Wolf Pack’s lone regulation victory in the building came on April 8th and was the game in which the club clinched their first Calder Cup Playoff berth since 2015.
If ten regular-season meetings weren’t enough, the Wolf Pack and Bruins also collided in the Calder Cup Playoffs. The sides met in a best-of-five series in the Atlantic Division Semifinals, won 3-1 by the Wolf Pack. Hartford won both of the games in Providence, ending the season with a 5-1-1-0 record in seven visits to the Amica Mutual Pavilion.
The Wolf Pack and Bruins will meet ten more times this season. This is the only meeting in the month of October. November brings three matchups, including the first of five at the XL Center on Saturday, November 11th. They’ll also do battle on Sunday, November 12th, in Providence, and Wednesday, November 22nd, in Hartford.
Wolf Pack Outlook:
The Wolf Pack are confident heading into the 2023-24 season.
There is a strong belief among both the returning players and the newcomers that this club can build off its impressive 2022-23 season and make another deep run into the postseason.
Among the key returning players, forward Jonny Brodzinski is looking for his third consecutive season of point-per-game offense in the AHL. He led the Wolf Pack with 48 points (21 g, 27 a) in just 47 games a season ago. Anton Blidh, re-signed to a two-year deal, returns after scoring eleven points (7 g, 4 a) in just 17 games following his acquisition on March 3rd, 2023. Turner Elson, who tied his career-high with 24 assists last season, is also back for another run.
The club made numerous additions over the summer as well. Forward Riley Nash, slated to play his 900th professional game on Saturday night, brings both production and experience. He led the Charlotte Checkers with 59 points (24 g, 35 a) in 66 games a season ago. Alex Belzile, former captain of the Laval Rocket, also joins the Pack this fall. He scored 26 points (14 g, 12 a) in 31 games with the Rocket a season ago while also appearing in 31 games with the Montréal Canadiens.
Both Louis Domingue (22-12-8) and Dylan Garand (13-14-3) return for their second seasons with the club in net.
This is the first of two games this weekend for the Wolf Pack. Tomorrow night, the Pack will be the guests at the MassMutual Center for the season opener for the Springfield Thunderbirds.
Bruins Outlook:
The Bruins enter the 2023-24 season after an extremely successful 2022-23 regular season. The Bruins won the Atlantic Division Regular Season Title on the final day of the regular season, finishing one point ahead of the eventual Calder Cup Champion Hershey Bears. The Bruins went 44-18-8-2 for 98 points.
Georgii Merkulov, named to the AHL’s All-Rookie Team, returns for a second season with the Bruins. He led the club in scoring with 55 points (24 g, 31 a) in 67 games a season ago. Justin Brazeau, who finished third on the team in scoring with 45 points (16 g, 29 a), also returns.
The club saw key veterans like Vinni Lettieri and Connor Carrick depart via free agency but made some major additions. Forward Anthony Richard is slated to make his Bruins debut tonight after a career year with the Rocket in 2022-23. Richard scored 67 points (30 g, 37 a) in 60 games, leading the club in scoring by 19 points. He also dressed in 13 NHL contests with the Canadiens.
Defenseman Parker Wotherspoon will also likely debut with the club tonight. Wotherspoon spent the past nine seasons with the Bridgeport Islanders and also skated in 12 NHL games with New York last season. Brandon Bussi, named to the AHL’s All-Rookie Team in net after going 22-5-4, is also back for a second season.
The Bruins will be off tomorrow. On Sunday, they’ll return to action when they visit the Springfield Thunderbirds for a 3:05 p.m. puck drop.
Game Information:
Play-by-play voice of the Wolf Pack Alex Thomas will have an extended edition of ‘Wolf Pack Pregame’ starting live at 6:40 p.m. on both AHLTV and Mixlr.
AHLTV is holding a ‘Freeview’ weekend all weekend long! You can watch the Wolf Pack’s games on both October 13th and 14th for FREE by signing up now at ahltv.com.
The Wolf Pack returns to the XL Center for the 2023 Home Opener next Friday night, October 20th! The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins are in town, and the puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. The first 5,000 fans into the building will receive a Wolf Pack rally towel courtesy of Carvel and CM Concessions. $2 beer and $2 hot dogs will also be available until the end of the first intermission.
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ABOUT THE HARTFORD WOLF PACK: The Hartford Wolf Pack has been a premier franchise in the American Hockey League since the team’s inception in 1997. The Wolf Pack is the top player-development affiliate of the NHL’s New York Rangers and plays at the XL Center. The Wolf Pack has been home to some of the Rangers’ newest faces, including Igor Shesterkin, Filip Chytil, and Ryan Lindgren. Follow the Wolf Pack on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.
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