TWO MINUTES FOR THOUGHTS: JANUARY 9TH, 2025
Jan 9, 2025It’s been a while, but the blog is back! With the holiday season now behind us, it’s time to get back behind the keyboard and bring you inside the world of the Hartford Wolf Pack once again.
The month of January is a busy one for the Pack. The club plays just four games at the XL Center all month, with two of them coming this weekend. That means nine of the team’s 13 games will be played on the road.
Onto the first blog of 2025!
1. For the second straight year, the Hartford Wolf Pack will have two representatives at the AHL All-Star Classic. On Wednesday, the league announced that forward Alex Belzile and goaltender Dylan Garand will represent the team on the Atlantic Division roster.
2. For the veteran Belzile, it’ll be his third AHL All-Star Classic experience. He was named to the 2019 and 2023 games while playing for the Laval Rocket. As of this writing, Belzile is tied for eighth in the AHL in scoring with 31 points (10 g, 21 a) and leads the Wolf Pack in both assists and points.
Belzile’s career-high is 54 points, set during the 2018-19 season with Laval, and is on pace to set a new career best this season.
3. This will be Garand’s first AHL All-Star appearance. The netminder is 10-4-2 on the season with a .929 save percentage, 2.17 goals-against average, and two shutouts. He sits top-ten in the AHL in wins, save percentage, goals-against average, and shutouts.
In his third season, Garand has jumped into the conversation as one of the league’s best goaltenders.
4. Much was made about the Wolf Pack’s struggles on the road to start the season. The club dropped their first seven games away from home, going 0-5-1-1. Since then, the Wolf Pack are 4-3-0-0, getting their record to 4-8-1-1 overall.
Head Coach Grant Potulny has said in recent media availabilities that if the Wolf Pack can play .500 hockey on the road while maintaining their strong play at home, they’ll be in a good spot.
Mission accomplished away from home over the last month.
5. What a first-career AHL start for Talyn Boyko on New Year’s Eve in Springfield. Boyko made 32 saves to collect his first career AHL shutout and victory, while also tacking on an assist in the first period.
His shutout was the third by a Wolf Pack goaltender this season. His assist was also the third by a Wolf Pack goaltender this season. Garand has Hartford’s other two shutouts, while Louis Domingue has two assists on the year.
6. Adam Sýkora recorded his first career multi-goal game in that 7-0 victory over the Thunderbirds on New Year’s Eve. The energetic forward is on pace to blow by his rookie year totals. Sýkora’s goal on Sunday in Bridgeport was his seventh of the season. He scored eight as a rookie.
He’s also got eleven assists on the season, just four away from last season’s total of 15. A 30-40 point campaign is well within reach for the 63rd overall pick in 2022 by the New York Rangers.
7. A 5-0 loss isn’t pretty on the scoreboard, but I thought the Wolf Pack played a solid road game on Saturday night against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. By my count, despite the score, the Wolf Pack had a slight edge in terms of scoring chances.
Potulny has often talked about the process being more important than the results during this part of the season, as the Wolf Pack look to build their game. Was it the result they wanted? No, of course not. That being said, if the Wolf Pack plays that way on the road, the bounces will go in their favor, and they’ll accomplish their goal of being .500 away from home.
8. I thought the response from the Wolf Pack on Sunday in Bridgeport was outstanding. Yes, the Islanders have struggled, but the Wolf Pack were on the second half of a back-to-back with travel.
Hartford’s ability to take the game over in the second period and basically put the Isles to sleep in the final frame was impressive. It was a strong way to end the weekend, and once again showed that even when the team has a frustrating game, they have the ability to bounce right back.
9. Nice to see Brennan Othmann back in the Wolf Pack’s lineup. Othmann made his return from an upper-body injury he suffered on Oct. 19 on Dec. 27. Since returning, Othmann has provided the Wolf Pack with a spark in the top six.
The offensive tools are apparent, but I’ve loved Othmann’s game without the puck too. Watch him defend, he’s a smart player in the right position and making the right plays.
Othmann has been a huge addition to the Wolf Pack’s lineup and will be a key force for the team down the stretch.
10. If you are a hockey fan in the city of Hartford, you are going to want to make your way down to the XL Center on Saturday night. The Wolf Pack will host the Lehigh Valley Phantoms at 7:00 p.m. as the club celebrates 50 years of professional hockey in Hartford. Numerous Hartford hockey alumni, from every era, will be in attendance.
Other alumni have also provided video tributes that will be played during the night, as a tip of the cap to the city’s storied hockey past.
Be in your seat by 6:45 p.m., you won’t want to miss the pregame ceremony!
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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.