AHL
Back in March, I said that, barring an exceptional shift in form, the Hartford Wolf Pack was destined for another spring without playoffs. A four-game losing streak that began in March seemed to be the last nail in the coffin. But returning captain Johnny Brudzinski led to a record 11 wins in 14 games to finish the regular season, which helped the Wolf Pack earn a playoff spot with games to spare.
It’s been a tough few seasons for Wolf Pack fans. In the midst of what initially appeared to be another failed season, discourse returned among Rangers fans addressing whether or not Hartford should be the Rangers’ affiliate site. A large number of high draft picks who failed to develop raised questions about the qualifications of development coaches in the organization. Some seem to think that sending leads to Hartford is like sending them to Siberia.
Midway through the season, it was difficult to say whether or not he was the final prospect banished to Siberia as second-round draft pick Will Coyle was having a season that benefited his development. He was one of the few players on the team to provide a goal threat, but the team was one of the lowest scoring players in the league. All this changed in the second half of the season.
the shift
After a brief call-up to the major leagues, Cuylle returned to the AHL and scored 24 points in 27 games to cap off the season, finishing the year with 45 points in 69 games and leading the team in goals with 25. There is no doubt that he has progressed this season and is still on track to make an impact as a six quarterback in the NHL one day.
Ryan Carpenter and Prusinski have been key factors in improving their offensive output as well – demotion from the NHL to Hartford probably isn’t a death sentence after all – and it would also be silly not to mention Zac Jones and his 31 points in 54 games, the package with a legitimate offensive threat from the front. the background.
The team finished the year with four goals or more in all but four of their last 14 matches, and had youthful scoring reinforcements such as Adam Edstrom, Bryce McConnell-Parker, Adam Sikora and Brett Berrard. In goal, Louis Domingue has been a terrific regular season finisher and will provide the Wolf Pack the confidence inexperienced teams need in goal.
floor on birds
Now the high-flying Wolf Pack are up against the clearly trouble-making Springfield Thunderbirds. They are responsible for five of the last eight Wolfpack losses. It’s not hard to see why, because they’re a good team with some solid prospects and strong AAAA players, like Martin Frk, Scott Perunovich, Adam Gaudette, Jake Neighbors, and Josh Leivo.
Joel Hoover is another name that some fans may also recognize; He powered Canada to a 2020 WJC U-20 gold medal and had a solid season, posting a save percentage of 0.924.
This is going to be a tough match for the Wolf Pack, but hey, it’s the playoffs and anything can happen. They go in as the most controversial AHL team and have every chance of winning this three-game series despite facing their own ghost team.
The Pack will host the Thunderbirds at XL Center on Friday ($2 beer and $1 beer should provide plenty of incentive) with a 1-1 tie at worst, as the Pack took Game 1 last night in dominating fashion. Let’s go wolfpack!
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Rated: AHL