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New York Rangers: No help from the Wolf Pack

By Steve Paulus

BRIDGEPORT, CT - JANUARY 12: Lias Andersson #28 of the Hartford Wolf Pack brings brings the puck up ice during a game against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers at the Webster Bank Arena on January 12, 2019 in Bridgeport, Connecticut. (Photo by Gregory Vasil/Getty Images)
BRIDGEPORT, CT - JANUARY 12: Lias Andersson #28 of the Hartford Wolf Pack brings brings the puck up ice during a game against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers at the Webster Bank Arena on January 12, 2019 in Bridgeport, Connecticut. (Photo by Gregory Vasil/Getty Images) /
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BRIDGEPORT, CT – DECEMBER 5: Libor Hajek #43 of the Hartford Wolf Pack skates during a brief stoppage in play during a game against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers at the Webster Bank Arena on December 5, 2018 in Bridgeport, Connecticut. (Photo by Gregory Vasil/Getty Images)
BRIDGEPORT, CT – DECEMBER 5: Libor Hajek #43 of the Hartford Wolf Pack skates during a brief stoppage in play during a game against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers at the Webster Bank Arena on December 5, 2018 in Bridgeport, Connecticut. (Photo by Gregory Vasil/Getty Images) /

The roster

The typical AHL roster is made up of prospects getting professional experience along with veterans who are destined to be lifelong minor leaguers.  The Wolf Pack roster is no different. On defense, the prospects include Libor Hajek, Lindgren, Sean Day and Brandon Crawley.   There are older prospects whose odds of making it to the NHL are dropping including Rob O’Gara, John Gilmour and Chris Bigras.

The two goaltenders are NHL veteran Dustin Tokarski and former Predator Marek Mazanec.  While adequate, neither should be seeing any quality time in the NHL anytime soon.

On the forward lines the top prospects include Andersson, Gettinger, Fogarty , Lettieri, Dawson Leedahl, Ryan Gropp and Gabriel Fontaine.  The veterans filling out the roster include Peter Holland, Connor Brickley, Beleskey, Bobby Butler and Shawn O’Donnell.  Finally, there’s Ville Meskanen, a prospect from Finland who is getting acclimated to North America and could see time on Broadway in the future.

The Rangers are always looking to improve the Wolf Pack roster.  Two weeks ago they swapped the Wolf Pack’s top scorer last season, Cole Schneider, to Nashville for veteran forward Connor Brickley.  Brickley is two years younger than the 28-year old  Schneider and has more NHL experience.

The problem

The Hartford Wolf Pack have the same problem with the parent team, a lack of talent.  Their leading scorer is former Anaheim first round pick Peter Holland, who saw action with the Rangers last season. He is the fourth highest scorer in the league with 44 points in 43 games.  On a points per game basis the 28-year old is 25th in the league.  The next best on the team is Vinni Lettieri who is 52nd in the league.

But it’s not the offense that is the problem.  The big issue is team defense.  The Wolf Pack have been in the bottom four in goals allowed for the last two seasons and this season they are in 26th place, allowing an average of 3.63 goals per game. The Wolf Park are suffering from one of the Rangers biggest issues, the lack of development of defensemen.

The only defenseman drafted by the Rangers who came up through their minor league system and made it to the Rangers in the last eight years was Brady Skjei who spent one year with the Wolf Pack before graduating to the NHL in 2016.  Before him, you have to go back to Michael Sauer who made the Rangers in 2010 after three full seasons in Hartford.

The players who manned the blueline for the most games in Hartford over the last few years include John Gilmour, Ryan Sproul, Ryan Graves, Chris Summers, Mat Bodie and Tommy Hughes.  Most are marginal pros who don’t appear to have a future in the NHL.

Things are looking up for the Rangers.  Neal Pionk played 48 games in Hartford last season before his promotion.  John Gilmour is in his third year with the Pack and played 28 games in New York last season.  Ryan Lindgren and Libor Hajek are getting valuable experience before their inevitable promotion to the big leagues.

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In the next few years, Hartford should see an influx of young talent, the primary benefit of a boatload of draft picks.  With Hartford adapting the David Quinn system the hope will be that the Wolf Pack will grow into a seamless feeder system for the Rangers. That is most important to the future of the New York Rangers.  The challenge for Drury and McCambridge will be to build a winning culture as well.

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