TWO MINUTES FOR THOUGHTS: APRIL 10TH, 2025
Apr 10, 2025Just four games remain for the Hartford Wolf Pack. When the schedule reaches Game 72, the season will conclude, and the Wolf Pack will head their separate ways for a longer than anticipated off-season. Despite the disappointment of missing the playoffs, there are plenty of things to watch for in the team’s final four games.
This is where the 2025-26 season begins.
Onto the blog!
1. The last six games the Wolf Pack have played are a remainder of how razor thin the line is in professional hockey. All six games have been one goal affairs, and all six games were effectively a coin toss.
The club is 2-2-2-0 during this stretch, and a play or two away from having an extra few points in the standings. This stretch has been a reminder of how truly tight the Atlantic Division is from top to bottom.
2. Nice to see Talyn Boyko pick up his second career victory on Wednesday night in Bridgeport. Boyko made 26 saves to move to 2-1-0 in three appearances with the Wolf Pack this season. His best work came in the third period, when the Isles outshot Hartford 8-4 and Boyko made seven saves to preserve the victory.
3. Connor Mackey continued a stretch of very productive hockey with an assist on the game-winning goal on Wednesday night. The helper was Mackey’s 17th of the season and his sixth point (1 g, 5 a) in his last eight games. The veteran is under contract for next season and could be a key defensive cog for the Wolf Pack in 2025-26.
4. 19-year-old Nathan Aspinall made his professional debut in the victory over the Islanders, picking up a shot on goal. This is a great experience for the fifth round pick in last June’s NHL Entry Draft. Aspinall, because of his age, can’t start the season in the AHL next season. He’ll need to return to the Flint Firebirds of the OHL.
That said, the games Aspinall gets this spring will be a great learning experience as he continues to develop as a prospect.
5. Speaking of development, Dylan Roobroeck has had a terrific rookie season. After adjusting to life as a professional hockey player in the first half of the season, Roobroeck has been one of the club’s most productive forwards in the campaign’s second half.
He picked up his third career multi-goal game on Wednesday night and recorded his second career game-winning goal.
6. With his two goals on Wednesday, Roobroeck is now tied with Alex Belzile for the team lead in goals with 18. His 18 goals puts him tied for 12th among rookies in the AHL and tied for ninth among skaters aged 21 and younger. The sixth round pick in 2023 has had a strong season for the Wolf Pack and is lined up to be a huge part of the offense next season.
7. It was good to see the Wolf Pack finally get some bounces to go in their favor on Wednesday night. Jaroslav Chmelař’s power drive to the net in the first period resulted in a shot off the crossbar, but the puck bounced off the backside of Tristan Lennox and in to make it 1-0.
Roobroeck’s second goal of the night came off a Belzile shot that missed the net, clipped the end boards and went off the left skate of the rookie and in.
Considering all of the bad bounces against the Wolf Pack this season, it was nice to see them finally get a little puck luck in a game.
8. Roobroeck and Belzile both have 18 goals, while Anton Blidh has 17. One of them will need to hit the 20 goal mark to keep the streak alive for the Wolf Pack. In every full-length season (excluding 2020-21), the club has had someone score 20 goals. No one is there yet with four games remaining, but Roobroeck, Belzile, and Blidh represent the best chance to keep the streak alive.
9. Blake Hillman is signed for the 2025-26 season, and that’s great news. Hillman is a well-liked presence in the locker room and is part of the leadership group. His versatility has allowed him to play both forward and defense this season. He’s a Swiss Army knife for Grant Potulny.
Hillman’s work ethic and ability to help anywhere in the lineup made him an appealing player to bring back. He’ll skate in his fourth season for the Wolf Pack next fall.
10. Blidh is also back under contract. He signed a two-year, two-way deal with the parent New York Rangers on Wednesday. Blidh is enjoying a career year, having scored 17 goals and 31 points (17 g, 14 a). A hard-nosed player, Blidh is also well-liked in the room and part of the leadership group.
He plays a hard, physical style that is a perfect for the Atlantic Division. He too has proven he can play anywhere in the lineup and gives Potulny a nice piece to work with next season.
The deals for both Hillman and Blidh are well-deserved. Consider this broadcaster thrilled to have two great people back for the 2025-26 season.
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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 the XL Center. The Wolf Pack has been home to some of the Rangers newest faces including Igor Shesterkin, Filip Chytil, and Ryan Lindgren. Follow the Wolf Pack on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.