THE HART BEAT – VOLUME 1, ISSUE 24
By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack
HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack suffered two defeats last weekend, falling to a pair of division rivals.
The club will embark on their final three-in-three weekend with just six games remaining in the 2025-26 campaign.
The Week That Was:
Friday, Apr. 3, 2026 – at Bridgeport Islanders (2-4 L): The Wolf Pack fell behind 3-0 in the opening frame on Friday night in Bridgeport. That deficit proved to be too much to overcome.
Daylan Kuefler, Cam Thiesing, and Marshall Warren all struck for the Islanders, with Warren’s goal at 18:07 proving to be the game-winner.
Trey Fix-Wolansky got the Wolf Pack on the board 5:54 into the second period, then Bryce McConnell-Barker drew it to 3-2 just 2:56 into the final frame. Despite a good push, the Wolf Pack failed to equalize.
Matthew Highmore ended the intrigue at 18:47 of the third period, potting an empty net dagger.
The Wolf Pack outshot the Islanders 25-13 in the final 40 minutes but could not find a third goal on Henrik Tikkanen.
Saturday, Apr. 4, 2026 – Vs. Hershey Bears (1-8 L): The Wolf Pack surrendered a season-high eight goals at home on Saturday night, falling to the Bears.
Andrew Cristall scored 1:16 into the game, giving the Bears a lead they never lost. He then potted the eventual game-winning goal at 14:23, making it 2-0 Bears.
McConnell-Barker struck just ten seconds into the second period for the Wolf Pack, converting off a misplayed puck by netminder Mitch Gibson. The goal, which made it 2-1, was the fastest goal to start a period for the Wolf Pack this season.
Six unanswered goals from the Bears put the game out of reach. Four of those goals came in a span of 7:59.
Ilya Protas, Kyler Kupka, Bogdan Trineyev, and Dalton Smith all lit the lamp in the second period, with Protas kicking off the scoring at 3:37. Smith’s tally ended the stretch of goals at 11:36, and ended the night for goalie Callum Tung.
Trineyev made it 7-1 with his second goal of the night at 8:20 of the third period, then Cristall completed the hat trick at 16:25.
Protas recorded six points (1 g, 5 a) in the victory for the Bears.
The Week Ahead:
Friday, Apr. 10, 2026 – Vs. Providence Bruins (7:00 p.m.): The Wolf Pack and Bruins conclude their ten-game season series on Friday night in Hartford.
The Wolf Pack are 2-5-1-1 on the season against the Bruins, who hold a 7-2-0-0 record in the head-to-head matchup. The Wolf Pack are just 1-2-0-1 at home against the Bruins this season.
The Bruins have won each of the last two head-to-head matchups. They claimed a dramatic 3-2 regulation victory in Hartford on Mar. 4, then cruised to a 7-0 triumph on Mar. 14 at the Amica Mutual Pavilion.
The Wolf Pack’s last victory against the Bruins came on Feb. 22 in Providence by a final score of 5-2. Hartford’s lone home victory against the Bruins this season was a 5-1 decision on ‘Teddy Bear Toss Night’ on Jan. 10.
Saturday, Apr. 11, 2026 – at Springfield Thunderbirds (6:05 p.m.): The Wolf Pack and Thunderbirds meet for the eighth time this season. The sides will face off three times in the final five games of the season. They’ll play a home-and-home set on Apr. 17 in Hartford and Apr. 18 back in Springfield.
The Wolf Pack hold a slight edge in the head-to-head series with a record of 4-3-0-0 through seven games. The T-Birds are 3-3-1-0 in that span. Hartford holds a road record of 1-2-0-0 in three trips to the MassMutual Center this season.
The Thunderbirds have won each of the last two meetings against the Wolf Pack. They claimed a 7-4 victory in Western Massachusetts on Jan. 9, then won 4-1 on home ice on Jan. 31.
The Wolf Pack’s last victory against the Thunderbirds came back on Dec. 5 in Hartford by a final score of 5-2. The Wolf Pack’s lone victory in Springfield was on Oct. 25, 6-3.
Sunday, Apr. 12, 2026 – at Bridgeport Islanders (5:00 p.m.): The final ‘Battle of Connecticut’ at Total Mortgage Arena takes place on Sunday evening in the home finale for the Islanders, who will relocate to Hamilton, ON, for the 2026-27 season.
This is the eleventh of twelve meetings between the rivals this season.
The Islanders hold an edge in the season series, having won six of the first ten meetings (6-4-0-0). The Wolf Pack are 4-6-0-0 in the head-to-head series.
The Islanders won the most recent meeting, 4-2, last Friday night in Bridgeport. The Wolf Pack are 2-3-0-0 in five prior visits to Bridgeport this season.
Where To Watch & Listen:
You can watch all three Wolf Pack games this weekend on AHLTV on FloHockey here!
Alex Thomas will have the call of the action all weekend. ‘Wolf Pack Pregame’ starts 15 minutes prior to puck drop each day.
All three games can also be heard on Mixlr.
Quick Hits:
- F Trey Fix-Wolansky is currently fourth in the AHL in shots with 192 on the season. He is second in the Eastern Conference, trailing only Belleville’s Arthur Kaliyev (1st, 241).
- Former Wolf Pack F’s Gabe Perreault (Apr. 4 Vs. Detroit) and Will Cuylle (Apr. 5 Vs. Washington) each recorded their first career NHL hat tricks for the parent New York Rangers over the weekend.
- On Tuesday, the Wolf Pack recalled F Kyle Jackson from loan to the ECHL’s Bloomington Bison.
- Wolf Pack F Carey Terrance is currently day-to-day with an upper-body injury and missed Saturday’s game against Hershey.
- F Justin Dowling is week-to-week with a lower-body injury and also missed Saturday’s game against the Bears.
- Wolf Pack F Caige Sterzer made his professional debut in the club’s game against the Islanders on Apr. 3.
Join the Wolf Pack for the 2025-26 season! Single game tickets are on sale now! To buy, click here.
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THE HART BEAT – VOLUME 1, ISSUE 23
By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack
HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack earned two points over the weekend, turning in a pair of strong defensive efforts against the Charlotte Checkers.
With just eight games left in the season, the Wolf Pack are currently six points out of a playoff spot in the Atlantic Division.
The Week That Was:
Saturday, Mar. 28, 2026 – Vs. Charlotte Checkers (1-2 OTL): The Wolf Pack picked up a point on Saturday night but fell short in the first of a back-to-back set.
Brian Pinho opened the scoring for the visitors 8:17 into the game, striking shorthanded. MacKenzie Entwistle forced a turnover, cut to the net, and fired a shot that Callum Tung denied. The rebound bounced off Pinho and in, however, making it 1-0.
Just over two minutes later, Bryce McConnell-Barker tied the game 1-1. The second-year forward took a pass from Brody Lamb, worked just inside the right-wing circle, and snapped a shot that beat Cooper Black on the power play at 10:58.
Both Tung and Black were perfect from there, pushing the game to overtime with a 1-1 score.
In the final minute of the three-on-three frame, the Checkers found the second point. Pinho took a pass in the right-wing circle and beat Tung at 4:52 for his 14th goal of the season to end the game.
Sunday, Mar. 29, 2026 – Vs. Charlotte Checkers (1-2 SOL): The Checkers again drew first blood on Sunday afternoon, this time scoring on the power play.
Early in the second period, the Checkers went to a five-on-three power play. On the advantage, Ludvig Jansson snapped a shot from the slot that Jack Devine deflected by Spencer Martin at 3:19. The five-on-three goal was Devine’s 17th of the season.
Just over four minutes later, at 7:34, the Wolf Pack evened the affair with the only five-on-five goal of the weekend. Brandon Scanlin sifted a shot into traffic that beat a screened Louis Domingue for his fourth goal of the season.
Lamb picked up the primary assist on the goal, giving him four in four games against the Checkers this season.
For the second day in a row, the sides went to overtime tied 1-1. This time, the three-on-three session did not produce a winner. Martin made two saves for the Wolf Pack in overtime, helping to force a shootout.
In the shootout, however, only the Checkers found twine. In the top half of the second round, Pinho beat Martin to make it 1-0. Domingue then promptly denied Trey Fix-Wolansky and Brendan Brisson to give the Checkers the second point.
The Week Ahead:
Friday, Apr. 3, 2026 – at Bridgeport Islanders (7:00 p.m.): The ‘Battle of Connecticut’ resumes on Friday night in Bridgeport. This is the tenth of twelve meetings between the rivals this season. It is the fifth of six matchups at Total Mortgage Arena.
The Islanders have a slight edge in the head-to-head matchup, having won five of the first nine matchups. The Wolf Pack are 4-5-0-0 so far in the head-to-head series.
The Wolf Pack won the most recent meeting, 6-0, on Mar. 6 in Hartford. Fix-Wolansky and Brisson each scored twice in the victory, with Fix-Wolansky collecting four points (2 g, 2 a).
Martin made 22 saves in the victory, collecting his second shutout as a member of the Wolf Pack.
The sides combined for 212 penalty minutes, with Bridgeport being assessed 114 of those minutes.
In four prior meetings in Bridgeport, each team has posted a 2-2-0-0 record. The most recent meeting in Bridgeport was a 5-1 Islanders victory on Jan. 11. On that day, the Islanders scored five goals in the third period to erase a 1-0 deficit.
Saturday, Apr. 4, 2026 – Vs. Hershey Bears (6:00 p.m.): The Wolf Pack and Bears conclude their four-game season series on Saturday night in Hartford.
The Wolf Pack are 3-0-0-0 against the Bears this season and can sweep the series with a victory.
The Wolf Pack claimed a 3-2 overtime victory and a 5-4 overtime victory in Hershey on Jan. 14 and Jan. 20, respectively. Most recently, the Wolf Pack won 5-2 on home ice against the Bears on Mar. 7.
Fix-Wolansky and Carey Terrance scored twice in the victory on Mar. 7. Terrance’s two goals marked his first career multi-goal game in the AHL. His second goal, scored 1:28 into the second period, proved to be the game-winning goal.
Dylan Garand made 19 saves for the Wolf Pack to collect the victory on Mar. 7.
Where To Watch & Listen:
You can watch both Wolf Pack games this weekend on AHLTV on FloHockey here!
Alex Thomas will have the call of the action on both days. ‘Wolf Pack Pregame’ starts 15 minutes prior to puck drop each day.
Both games can also be heard on Mixlr.
Quick Hits:
- F Adam Sýkora scored his first career NHL goal for the parent New York Rangers in their 6-1 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Mar. 27. He recorded his second career goal two days later in the club’s 3-1 victory over the Florida Panthers.
- G Dylan Garand recorded his first career NHL victory against the Blackhawks. He made 27 saves in his second career start.
- Former Wolf Pack D Matthew Robertson scored the game-winning goal for the Rangers that night, while former Wolf Pack captain Jonny Brodzinski lit the lamp twice.
- The Wolf Pack surrendered zero five-on-five goals in their two games against the Checkers over the weekend.
- F Brody Lamb currently holds the longest active point streak among Wolf Pack players. He has recorded six points (2 g, 4 a) over the last six games. The streak is tied for the longest by a Wolf Pack player this season.
Join the Wolf Pack for the 2025-26 season! Single game tickets are on sale now! To buy, click here.
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THE HART BEAT – VOLUME 1, ISSUE 22
By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack
HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack return home from their five-game road trip with a 2-3-0-0 record. The club now turns their attention to a pair of home games against the Charlotte Checkers on Saturday and Sunday.
The Week That Was:
Saturday, Mar. 21, 2026 – at Toronto Marlies (3-6 L): Scott Morrow opened the scoring 4:39 into the game, giving the Wolf Pack the start they wanted in Toronto.
A pair of power play goals from Logan Shaw changed the complexion of the game, however. Shaw tied the game 1-1 12:13 into the first period, then potted a rebound just 37 seconds into the middle frame to give the Marlies a lead they never lost.
Luke Haymes made it 3-1 at 1:01, stuffing a shot by the right pad of Spencer Martin. Brody Lamb’s first career pro goal drew the Wolf Pack within one at 3:03, as he deflected home a Bryce McConnell-Barker centering pass. The goal extended Lamb’s point streak to three games at the time.
Ben King’s first goal as a Marlie at 12:21 would make it 4-2, however, and stand as the game-winning goal. Ryan Tverberg then potted a rebound from the left-wing circle at 13:08 to extend the lead to 5-2.
Landon Sim’s first career AHL goal came off a scramble in front at 8:39 of the final period. He poked home a loose puck to thwart any comeback hopes for the Wolf Pack.
Carey Terrance tipped home a Morrow shot at 18:57, making it 6-3. The goal completed Terrance’s first career three-point game (1 g, 2 a) as a pro.
Sunday, Mar. 22, 2026 – at Rochester Americans (3-6 L): The Wolf Pack jumped out to a 3-1 lead thanks to a great start on Sunday in Rochester.
Trey Fix-Wolansky opened the scoring 3:38 into the game, beating Devon Levi by the left pad. Konsta Helenius tied the game at 7:35, beating Martin through the five-hole, but the Wolf Pack quickly responded and restored their lead.
Anton Blidh buried a backdoor pass from Morrow at 9:02, making it 2-1. Lamb then potted his second goal of the weekend at 12:49, stuffing home a puck from the top of the crease via a pass from Morrow.
Helenius completed his hat-trick with two goals in a span of 45 seconds of game time. First, at 19:45 of the first period, Helenius buried a shot from the left-wing circle off a feed from Matteo Costantini.
Then, just 30 seconds into the second period, he tied the game while the sides played four-on-four. Helenius was sprung in on a breakaway by Anton Wahlberg, then beat Martin by the glove.
Jake Leschsyhyn gave the Amerks the lead for good at 13:29, potting a backdoor feed from Carson Meyer to make it 4-3.
Jagger Joshua made it 5-3 early in the third period, then Vsevolod Komarov hit the empty net at 16:58 to cement the two points for Rochester.
The Week Ahead:
Saturday, Mar. 28, 2026 – Vs. Charlotte Checkers (6:00 p.m.):
Sunday, Mar. 29, 2026 – Vs. Charlotte Checkers (3:00 p.m.): The Wolf Pack and Checkers conclude their eight-game season series this weekend at PeoplesBank Arena with a pair of tilts.
The Wolf Pack are 4-2-0-0 through the first six meetings this season. They are 3-1-0-0 in Charlotte and 1-1-0-0 in Hartford.
The club picked up a pair of 5-2 victories in Charlotte on Mar. 17 and 18 in the most recent two meetings. Trey Fix-Wolansky notched the game-winning goal on a four-on-three power play on the 17th, then an Adam Sýkora shorthanded marker stood as the game-winner the next night.
The sides have split two previous meetings in Hartford. The Wolf Pack claimed a 4-1 decision on Oct. 29, then the Checkers cruised to a 7-1 victory on Jan. 28.
Fix-Wolansky has both of Hartford’s power play goals in the season series, while Dylan Garand is 4-1-0 in net this season against Charlotte.
Where To Watch & Listen:
You can watch both Wolf Pack games this weekend on AHLTV on FloHockey here!
Alex Thomas will have the call of the action on both days. ‘Wolf Pack Pregame’ starts 15 minutes prior to puck drop each day.
Both games can also be heard on Mixlr.
Quick Hits:
- Wolf Pack G Dylan Garand made his NHL debut with the parent New York Rangers on Sunday afternoon against the Winnipeg Jets. Garand made 35 saves on 37 shots in a 3-2 shootout loss.
- F Adam Sýkora was recalled by the Rangers on Tuesday morning and made his NHL debut on Wednesday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs. He became the third Wolf Pack player to make his NHL debut this season.
- Sýkora was one of eight Wolf Pack alumni in the Rangers lineup on Wednesday night in Toronto. Garand was also dressed as the backup netminder, bringing the total to nine dressed Wolf Pack alumni for New York. Former Wolf Pack F Bo Groulx also played in the game for the Maple Leafs.
- Sýkora appeared in his 200th career AHL game on Mar. 21 at Toronto.
- Also on Tuesday, the Rangers assigned D Connor Mackey to the Wolf Pack.
- On Monday, the Wolf Pack loaned D Case McCarthy to the ECHL’s Worcester Railers.
- Earlier today, the Wolf Pack inked F Caige Sterzer to a one-year AHL contract for the 2026-27 season. Sterzer will finish the 2025-26 season in Hartford on an amateur tryout agreement (ATO).
- F Brody Lamb currently holds the longest active point streak among Wolf Pack players. He has recorded four points (2 g, 2 a) over the last four games.
Join the Wolf Pack for the 2025-26 season! Single game tickets are on sale now! To buy, click here.
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THE HART BEAT – VOLUME 1, ISSUE 21
By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack
HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack conclude their five-game road trip this weekend with a pair of visits to North Division opponents.
The Pack are coming off two massive wins in Charlotte earlier this week and now sit just two points out of a playoff spot as of Mar. 19.
The Week That Was:
Friday, Mar. 13, 2026 – Vs. Cleveland Monsters (1-3 L): Guillaume Richard and Brendan Brisson traded goals in the first period on Friday night at PeoplesBank Arena, sending the sides to the second period deadlocked 1-1.
Richard struck 19:30 into the second period, firing a shot from the left-wing wall that clipped a body and beat Dylan Garand to give the Monsters a 2-1 lead.
The Wolf Pack pushed hard in the third period, but a Jack Williams empty net goal cemented the victory at 19:52 of the third period.
The victory concluded a four-game season series between the Wolf Pack and Monsters with each team picking up two regulation victories.
Saturday, Mar. 14, 2026 – at Providence Bruins (0-7 L): The Wolf Pack dropped their third straight game on Saturday night, 7-0 at the hands of the Bruins in the Rhode Island capital.
Ty Gallagher opened the scoring 10:06 into the game, giving the Bruins a lead they never lost. The rookie defenseman would also score at 10:50 of the second period and 3:04 of the third period to complete his first career hat-trick.
Six of the seven Bruin goals came off the stick of defensemen, with Gallagher scoring three and Victor Söderström scoring two. Michael Callahan had the other goal by a defenseman, striking 56 seconds into the third period.
Matěj Blümel’s power play strike 12:26 into the second period was the lone Bruin goal off the stick of a forward in the victory.
Tuesday, Mar. 17, 2026 – at Charlotte Checkers (5-2 W): Trey Fix-Wolansky scored twice as the Wolf Pack snapped their three-game losing streak in style with a 5-2 win in Charlotte on St. Patrick’s Day.
Fix-Wolansky opened the scoring 12:30 into the game, then made it 3-0 12:48 into the second period with a four-on-three power play strike that would stand as the game-winning goal. Aidan Thompson also scored in the second period, striking from the top of the right-wing circle at 4:59 of the middle frame.
Jack Studnicka scored twice in the third period, cutting the Wolf Pack’s lead to 3-2. Studnicka scored five-on-five at 1:07, then potted a shorthanded goal at 8:25.
Two goals in 52 seconds allowed the Wolf Pack to run away with two points. Connor Mackey beat Cooper Black by the glove off an offensive zone faceoff win at 13:03, then Carey Terrance backhanded a rebound home at 13:55 to make it 5-2.
Wednesday, Mar. 18, 2026 – at Charlotte Checkers (5-2 W): The Wolf Pack completed the back-to-back sweep with another 5-2 victory on Wednesday night.
This time, the club jumped out to a 5-0 lead by the 9:57 mark of the second period.
Bryce McConnell-Barker opened the scoring 1:41 into the game, striking from the slot for his ninth goal of the season. Dylan Roobroeck then made it 2-0 at 12:09, sniping a shot from the left-wing side.
Adam Sýkora made it 3-0 at 17:49, tucking a puck by the right pad of Louis Domingue for a shorthanded tally that would stand as the game-winning goal.
Roobroeck struck for the second time at 1:08 of the second period, then Jackson Dorrington made it 5-0 with a shot from the point at 9:57.
Jack Devine got the Checkers on the board 14:50 into the second period, then Noah Gregor got it to 5-2 late in the third, but it was too little, too late for the home side.
The Week Ahead:
Saturday, Mar. 21, 2026 – at Toronto Marlies (4:00 p.m.): The Wolf Pack and Marlies conclude their two-game season series in Toronto on Saturday afternoon.
The Marlies claimed a 4-1 victory over the Wolf Pack on Jan. 24 at PeoplesBank Arena. Vinni Lettieri opened the scoring 3:10 into the game, giving the Marlies a lead they never lost. Cédric Paré made it 2-0 at 9:30, striking on the power play.
Brisson got the Wolf Pack on the board 17:47 into the first period, but two goals in a span of 19 seconds early in the second period allowed the Marlies to pull away.
Matthew Barbolini made it 3-1 at 2:24, then Ryan Tverberg scored on a wraparound at 2:43.
Despite losing 4-1, the Wolf Pack outshot the Marlies 38-24 in the game.
The Wolf Pack have lost each of the last three games against the Marlies, going 0-2-1-0 in the process. Their last victory was a 2-1 win on home ice on Apr. 5, 2023.
The Wolf Pack have lost six straight games in Toronto. Their last victory in Toronto came on Dec. 3, 2016, by a final score of 3-2. Boo Nieves scored the game-winning goal for the Wolf Pack that night.
Sunday, Mar. 22, 2026 – at Rochester Americans (3:05 p.m.): The Americans took a 4-3 overtime victory at PeoplesBank Arena on Nov. 14 in the first of two meetings this season.
The Wolf Pack led 3-1 after one thanks to goals from Blake Hillman, Anton Blidh, and Jaroslav Chmelař. Trevor Kuntar got the Americans within a goal at 11:43 of the second period, then tied the game at 17:05 of the third period with a power play strike.
Riley Fiddler-Schultz then completed the comeback 1:05 into overtime, scoring his third goal of the season.
The Wolf Pack are 0-4-2-0 in their last six games against the Americans. Hartford’s last victory over the Americans came on Jan. 21, 2023, on home ice by a score of 4-1. Cristiano DiGiacinto scored the game-winning goal, making it 2-0 17:53 into the game.
The Wolf Pack have lost each of their last six games in Rochester, going 0-6-0-0. Their last victory was a 5-1 verdict on Dec. 22, 2018.
Where To Watch & Listen:
You can watch both Wolf Pack games this weekend on AHLTV on FloHockey here!
Alex Thomas will have the call of the action on both days. ‘Wolf Pack Pregame’ starts 15 minutes prior to puck drop each day.
Both games can also be heard on Mixlr.
Quick Hits:
- With their victory on Wednesday night in Charlotte, the Wolf Pack went 3-1-0-0 at Bojangles Coliseum this season. It is the first time in franchise history that the club has had a winning record in a regular season series in Charlotte.
- With his two goals on Tuesday night, Fix-Wolansky is now tied for eighth in the AHL in goals with 25 on the season. He is tied with four other skaters.
- The Wolf Pack are now 14-14-1-1 on the road this season. They are 2-1-0-0 on their current five-game road trip.
- The Wolf Pack’s penalty kill went seven-for-seven with a shorthanded goal in Charlotte. The club is now 82% on the penalty kill this season, good for 15th in the AHL.
Join the Wolf Pack for the 2025-26 season! Single game tickets are on sale now! To buy, click here.
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 are the top player-development affiliate of the NHL’s New York Rangers and play at PeoplesBank Arena. The Wolf Pack has been home to some of the Rangers newest faces including Igor Shesterkin, Will Cuylle, and Matt Rempe. Follow the Wolf Pack on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.
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