After a disappointing — but not surprising — playoff elimination to the Hershey Bears in the Atlantic Division Finals to end the their 2023-2024 season, it was clear the Hartford Wolf Pack offseason would be full of changes. The first of which happened before free agency opened when they named Grant Potulny the new head coach.
Combine that with a pretty big player turnover, and we head into the Wolf Pack 2024-2025 season with a lot to keep an eye on. The city of Hartford will also be celebrating 50 years of hockey this season, and the Wolf Pack may want to give them a lot to look forward to.
Note from Dave: Please welcome Hope (@mikazibanejads) to the BSB staff. She’s a Hartford Wolf Pack and prospect guru, and is a fantastic addition to the team. Be sure to give her a follow on Twitter.
The Wolf Pack started their training camp on September 29th with a lineup that consisted mostly of professional try-out guys who were bound for the ECHL. By their second preseason game and after multiple reassignments made by the Rangers, they had a good majority of their regular lineup guys back.
In three preseason games, Hartford went 2-0-0-1, with their only loss coming from a shootout in game one. Opening night rosters were due at 5PM on Thursday, the Wolf Pack announced theirs on Friday afternoon.
The Wolf Pack 2024-2025 season opens today against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms with a roster of 15 forwards, 7 defensemen and 2 goalies.
On paper, it’s one of the most balanced rosters the team has had in quite a while. Last season, they relied on a strong veteran presence with the addition of a number of rookies who joined the team. This year, they have some seasoned veterans mixed in with guys with a variety of professional experience, and their young guys.
This roster makeup makes the most sense for the style of hockey that Potulny wants them to play, which is similar to that of the Rangers, with a focus on playing fast. Potulny specified that he wants the team to make quick decisions with and without the puck; he wants the team to take risks to score and not play it too safe.
One of the biggest issues the Wolf Pack faced last season was after Knoblauch left. The team went through a tough stretch; there wasn’t much of an identity in the style of play Smith used, outside of trying without success to replicate what the team had done at the beginning of the season. Going into the season with a new coach and a concrete plan will benefit a team that is trending younger than it has in the past, and while there might be growing pains, it should lead to better long term results for the team.
This season, we will see some new faces on the ice. We saw the Rangers and Wolf Pack sign forwards Benoit-Olivier Groulx, Nate Sucese, and Blake McLaughin, as well as defenseman Casey Fitzgerald this past offseason. We also saw them bring in NHL veteran forward Adam Erne on a professional tryout with the Rangers. After being cut from their training camp, he signed a PTO with the Wolf Pack, which will allow him to play 25 games with the team.
Beyond that, a handful of players signed amateur tryouts with Hartford at the end of last year in order to be able to play a few games before their contracts officially began this season. Dylan Roobroeck, Jaroslav Chmelař, and Ryan Siedem fall under this category of players. Bryce McConnell-Barker, who signed his entry-level contract in 2023, is the only player outside of those previously named that isn’t considered a returning player.
A remarkable 15 players are returning to the Wolf Pack this season. This includes the team’s top three scorers in Brett Berard (led the team in goals), Alex Belzile (led the team in points), and Brennan Othmann (2nd on the team in points & goals). Hartford will also have the same goalie tandem in net of Dylan Garand and Louis Domingue, so despite the team being on the younger side, they are somewhat familiar with each other already, which should help them heading into the 2024-2025 season.
Of the returning players, one of the biggest question marks is Ben Harpur, who missed all but 7 games last season after having pectoral surgery from the injury he suffered in Hartford’s November 3rd, 2023 game. He was one of many Wolf Pack players who missed time last season with injuries, so it should be a positive to see them get back to playing after having the summer off to heal.
The Wolf Pack had a great start to last season, but adversity struck and it almost cost them their chance at the Calder Cup Playoffs. This season, they have a chance to take off running and keep the momentum going. The big question this year is if a new coach will bring the team more success, or if there are some growing pains in a league where even one bad weekend can cost you.
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