TWO MINUTES FOR THOUGHTS: JANUARY 5TH, 2023
Jan 5, 2023
Happy New Year, Wolf Pack fans! Hello from the bus, where the Pack are on the road to Utica to kick off a four-game road trip that will see them visit the Comets, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, and Charlotte Checkers. It’s a weeklong trip that the club hopes will allow them to start 2023 off on the right note.
The club has only played one game, a 2-1 shootout loss to the Springfield Thunderbirds, since we last spoke. As a result, we’re going to try something different this week. To start 2023, we’ll go with a quick hits edition of the blog!
Onto the blog!
Hartford’s performance against the Thunderbirds probably deserved a better ending. Deserve has nothing to do with it, though. Credit Springfield’s Joel Hofer, who was terrific in making 30 saves for the win. Despite going 0-2-0-1 in the three games in nine days against the T-Birds, Hartford can probably make the case they deserved at least one win, maybe two. That’s how it goes sometimes. The good news? The team is still playing good hockey at five-on-five.
This four-game road trip features the club’s only trip to Utica this season. Last year, the Wolf Pack scored a 2-1 win in their only visit to the Adirondack Bank Center on January 8th. The club will also make their second of three visits to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, where they are 1-0-0-0 this season. Hartford took a 3-1 decision there on November 11th.
The final two games of this trip are in Charlotte. You don’t need me to tell you about the building dubbed ‘Fort Never Win’ by Wolf Pack fans. Hartford has won just once in franchise history in Charlotte, a 4-3 overtime win on April 10th, 2022. In fact, Hartford has never won in regulation in Charlotte, and has a record of 1-16-1-1 all-time at the Bojangles Coliseum.
Despite having just one win in five meetings against the Checkers this season, the Wolf Pack have been in every game. The club’s record against Charlotte in 2022-23 is 1-1-1-2. Four of the five meetings have gone to extra time, with the sides splitting a pair of three-on-three overtime decisions on October 15th (Charlotte) and October 29th (Hartford). The Checkers also won a pair of shootouts on November 12th and 16th. The difference between these two teams has been razor thin all year. One has to think Hartford is due for some victories in this series.
Congratulations to Wolf Pack defenseman Zach Giuttari, who played his 100th career AHL game on Saturday night. Giuttari has been a steady member of the club’s defensive group since turning pro and signing with the team. Currently, he’s forming a successful pair with rookie defenseman Brandon Scanlin.
Speaking of milestones, veteran forward Turner Elson will play the 500th game of his AHL career tomorrow night in Utica. Elson spent the last five seasons of his career with the Grand Rapids Griffins, but has also played with the San Antonio Rampage, Stockton Heat, Adirondack Flames, and Abbotsford Heat. He already scored the 100th goal of his AHL career with the Wolf Pack this season and will hit a second major milestone with the club on this road trip. Elson has been a great addition for Hartford, providing a steady two-way game. Off the ice, Elson is a strong leader who will be instrumental to any second half success the team enjoys.
Alex Whelan made his return from a lower-body injury on Saturday night. As a result, the Wolf Pack loaned forward Zach Jordan back to ECHL Jacksonville. The club also made a trade on Saturday, acquiring forward Ben Tardif for AHL Colorado in exchange for defenseman Luke Martin. Tardif will be on the trip with Hartford and is wearing number 9.
Speaking of injuries, coach Kris Knoblauch recently told the local media that forward Tim Gettinger could return to the lineup in January. He’s been out since late November.
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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.