THE HART BEAT - VOLUME 1, ISSUE 11
Jan 8, 2026HARTFORD, CT – The holiday break has come and gone. The ball has dropped and the new year has begun. 2026 is here, and with it comes a new sense of hope for the Hartford Wolf Pack.
The club enters 2026 sitting outside of a playoff spot, but a key weekend awaits that could springboard the club to a run up the standings.
The Week That Was:
Friday, Jan. 2, 2026 – Vs. Providence Bruins (1-4 L): The Wolf Pack dropped their first game of 2026, 4-1, on Friday night. Despite the final score, there were plenty of positives in the result.
Matěj Blümel opened the scoring 17:01 into the first period, ripping home a shot from the slot after a turnover by the Wolf Pack in their own zone.
Brennan Othmann evened the tilt 9:13 into the middle frame, taking a feed from Trey Fix-Wolansky on the right-wing side and beating Michael DiPietro.
Dans Locmelis buried a rebound at 18:06, however, giving the Bruins the lead for good.
Despite a late push from the Wolf Pack, Georgii Merkulov and Locmelis each hit the empty net to allow the Bruins to pull away.
Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026 – at Bridgeport Islanders (4-1 W): Carey Terrance tipped home his third goal of the season 3:13 into the game on Saturday night, giving the Wolf Pack a lead they never lost in the ‘Battle of Connecticut’.
Fix-Wolansky blasted a shot from the right-wing circle by Marcus Högberg at 18:51, making it 2-0. Fix-Wolansky’s tenth goal of the season turned out to be the game-winning strike.
Brendan Brisson extended the lead to 3-0 1:26 into the second period, firing a one-timer from just inside the left-wing circle on Hartford’s first power play of the game.
Daylan Kuefler scored a five-on-five goal at 9:34 of the second period to make it 3-1, but Dylan Roobroeck struck on the power play at 16:41 of the third period to cement the two points for the Wolf Pack.
The Wolf Pack went two-for-three on the power play and four-for-four on the penalty kill in the victory.
The Week Ahead:
Friday, Jan. 9, 2026 – at Springfield Thunderbirds (7:05 p.m.): The Wolf Pack and Thunderbirds meet in the ‘I-91 Rivalry, presented by Braman Pest’ on Friday night at the MassMutual Center.
It is the sixth of ten meetings between the foes this season, and the second of five meetings in Western Massachusetts.
The Wolf Pack are 4-1-0-0 against the Thunderbirds this season, while the T-Birds are 1-3-1-0 in the head-to-head series.
The Wolf Pack won the most recent meeting, 5-2, on Dec. 5 at PeoplesBank Arena. The club is also 1-0-0-0 at the MassMutual Center, having beaten the Thunderbirds 6-3 on Oct. 25.
Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026 – Vs. Providence Bruins (7:30 p.m.): The Wolf Pack and Bruins meet for the fourth time this season on Saturday night. It is the second of five meetings in Hartford between the foes.
The Bruins have won each of the first three matchups, with the Wolf Pack posting a record of 0-2-1-0.
The Bruins claimed a 4-1 victory in the most recent meeting on Jan. 2. Over the last two seasons, the Bruins are 10-3-0-0 against the Wolf Pack. The Wolf Pack are 3-9-1-0 in that span.
Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026 – at Bridgeport Islanders (3:00 p.m.): The ‘Battle of Connecticut’ rages on this Sunday in Bridgeport. It is the sixth of 12 meetings between the rivals this season, and the fourth of six at Total Mortgage Arena.
The Islanders hold a slight edge in the season series, having won three of the first five showdowns. The Wolf Pack are 2-3-0-0 during that span.
The road team has won four of the first five head-to-head meetings. The lone victory for a home team in this head-to-head series came on Dec. 6, when the Islanders beat the Wolf Pack 6-2 at Total Mortgage Arena.
A 4-1 Wolf Pack victory was the most recent result on Jan. 3. The Wolf Pack have won each of the last two matchups in Bridgeport, outscoring the Islanders 9-3 in the process.
Where To Watch & Listen:
You can watch all three Wolf Pack games this weekend on AHLTV on FloHockey here!
Alex Thomas will have the call of all three games, with ‘Wolf Pack Pregame’ starting 15 minutes prior to puck drop each night.
All three Wolf Pack games this weekend can also be heard on Mixlr.
Quick Hits:
- The Wolf Pack and Islanders combined for 92 penalty minutes on Saturday at Total Mortgage Arena. Hartford’s 52 penalty minutes were a season-high.
- On Tuesday, the parent New York Rangers recalled goaltender Spencer Martin and defenseman Scott Morrow from the Wolf Pack. The Rangers also assigned forward Brett Berard to the Wolf Pack.
- Also on Tuesday, the Rangers reassigned goaltender Callum Tung to the Wolf Pack from the ECHL’s Bloomington Bison. The Wolf Pack loaned forward Sullivan Mack to the Bison.
- The Wolf Pack went two-for-three on the power play on Saturday night. It marked the third time this season that the Wolf Pack scored twice on the power play in a single game.
- The Wolf Pack are 6-6-1-1 on the road this season.
- The club is 10-2-3-0 when scoring three or more goals in a game this season. They are 1-13-1-1 when scoring two or fewer goals in a game.
Join the Wolf Pack for the 2025-26 season! Single game tickets are on sale now! To buy, click here.
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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 PeoplesBank Arena. The Wolf Pack has been home to some of the Rangers newest faces including Igor Shesterkin, Will Cuylle, and Matt Rempe. Follow the Wolf Pack on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.