By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack
HARTFORD, CT – New York Rangers President and General Manager Chris Drury announced today that the club has named Brendan Burke as the Goaltending Coach of the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack.
Burke will replace Jeff Malcolm, who served as the Wolf Pack’s Goaltending Coach for each of the past three seasons. Malcolm has been named Goaltending Coach for the Rangers.
Additionally, the Rangers have named Paul Mara an Assistant Coach on the staff of Grant Potulny.
Mara and Jamie Tardif will serve as the Assistant Coaches to Potulny, who was named the eighth Head Coach in Hartford Wolf Pack history on June 27, 2024.
Burke, 29, has spent the last two seasons as the Goaltending Coach for the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks. Before that, Burke played four seasons at the University of Alberta, amassing a 37-8-0 record with a .916 save percentage, 2.08 goals against average, and eight shutouts in 52 appearances.
Burke helped guide the Golden Bears to a USports University Cup Championship in 2017-18, leading the league in goals-against average with a 2.03 mark that season.
He also played five seasons in the WHL, suiting up for both the Winterhawks and Calgary Hitmen. The native of Scottsdale, AZ, posted an 88-31-11 record with a .906 save percentage, 2.83 goals against average, and 10 shutouts during that time.
Burke also won the 2016 OHL Championship and Memorial Cup with the London Knights in his one season in the league. He went 10-4-0 in 19 appearances with the Knights in 2015-16.
Mara, 44, initially joined the Rangers on Aug. 25, 2023, as a Player Development Assistant and was named an interim Assistant Coach on Dec. 5, 2023.
Before joining the Rangers, Mara spent five seasons as the Head Coach of the NWHL & PHF’s Boston Pride. He led the Pride to two Isobel Cup Championships, winning the title in 2021 and 2022. He also led the club to a regular season championship in 2019-20.
Mara served as an Assistant Coach for the U.S. Women’s National Team at the 2018 Winter Olympics, where they won the gold medal. It was Team USA’s second gold medal (1998) at the Winter Olympics in Women’s ice hockey.
Prior to coaching, Mara played in 734 career NHL games throughout 12 seasons with the Montréal Canadiens, Anaheim Ducks, New York Rangers, Boston Bruins, Phoenix Coyotes, and Tampa Bay Lightning. He scored 253 career points (64 g, 189 a).
In addition, Mara dressed in 36 career AHL games with the Houston Aeros during the 2012-13 season, tallying eleven points (1 g, 10 a).
The Wolf Pack will open the home portion of their 2024-25 schedule on Friday, Oct. 18, at the XL Center against the Springfield Thunderbirds! The puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m.
Full-season tickets, 20-game plans, 12-game plans, and flex plans for the 2024-25 season are on sale now! Visit www.hartfordwolfpack.com or call 860-722-9425 for more details!
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