The Wolf Pack gearing up for a new season

New York Rangers prospect Patrick Newell #13 of the Hartford Wolf Pack . (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)

In what will undoubtedly be the strangest season in AHL history, the New York Rangers’ top developmental team, the Hartford Wolf Pack, kicks off the 2021 campaign Sunday against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.

What’s strange? Hartford will play its entire 24 game schedule against two other teams, the Sound Tigers and the Providence Bruins. That’s because in the realigned American Hockey League, the Pack’s Atlantic Division ended up with only three teams. Compare that to the Pacific and North Divisions with seven team, the Central Division with six and the Canadian Division with five. Three of the former Atlantic Division teams ended up in the North Division while Charlotte and Springfield opted out of the season.

No matter the competition, it is huge news that the AHL is even playing. Considering that the league generates almost all of its revenue from ticket sales and concessions, they will be taking a massive financial hit this season and the teams’ parent organizations stepped up to fund the season. Besides Charlotte and Springfield, Milwaukee also opted to not play this season.

The Wolf Pack roster

The Hartford roster will be an interesting mix of players with a number of Canadian juniors players still with the team until their CHL leagues approve play. They include goalie Dyland Garand, Defenseman Braden Schneider and forward Will Cuylle. Due to the pandemic, those players are free to play in the AHL without signing professional contracts. As soon as there are approvals, the trio will ead back to Canada just as defense prospect Matthew Robertson did last week.

Here is the roster. Players under contract to the Rangers are in bold. Players not under contract to the Rangers are the three Canadian Juniors players and players under contract to the Wolf Pack.

Goalies

Dylan Garand
Adam Huska
Tyler Wall

Defense

Brandon Crawley, LD
Mason Geertsen, LD
Zach Giuttari, RD
Vincent LoVerde, RD
Darren Raddysh, RD
Tarmo Reunanen, LD
Braden Schneider, RD
Patrick Sieloff, LD
Jeff Taylor, LD

Forwards

Morgan Barron, LW-C

Jonny Brodzinski, RW

Will Cuylle, LW

Ryan Dmowski, LW

Jake Elmer, RW

Gabriel Fontaine, C

Tim Gettinger, LW-C

Anthony Greco, RW-LW

Patrick Khodorenko, C

Patrick Newell, RW

Mike O’Leary, C

Justin Richards, C

Austin Rueschhoff, C anddkdkld;k;dlk;dkl;dkldl;kld

Ty Ronning, RW

Paul Thompson, RW

Alex Whalen, RW