THE HART BEAT - VOLUME 1, ISSUE 27
Jul 29, 2026HARTFORD, CT – Sports is the ultimate uncertainty. You simply never know what is going to happen on a given night. Hockey might be the most uncertain of sports. That said, there is one certainty in this sport, especially in the American Hockey League.
That certainty is change. Every single summer, all 32 teams around the AHL undergo change to their roster. Sometimes the change is minor. Other times, like this summer in Hartford, there is a lot of potential turnover. That’s professional sports.
The Hartford Wolf Pack and New York Rangers have both been quite busy this summer with transactions. Both clubs will look different when they take the ice this fall.
In our final summer edition of ‘The Hart Beat’, and the final installment of ‘Volume 1’, we take a stab at tying up all of the summer activity to this point for the Hartford Wolf Pack.
Meet the New Boss:
The changes began in Hartford on Jun. 5 when the Rangers named Jay Leach the ninth coach in franchise history. Leach spent the last five seasons in the NHL, serving as an Assistant Coach with the Seattle Kraken (2021-22 – 2023-24) and Boston Bruins (2024-25 – 2025-26).
Wolf Pack fans will remember Leach from his time in Providence, where he was both an Assistant Coach (2016-17) and Head Coach (2017-18 – 2020-21). With the Bruins, Leach posted a 136-77-16-10 record and led the Bruins to the Calder Cup Playoffs in both seasons where the postseason tournament occurred.
Prior to COVID-19 cancelling the remainder of the 2019-20 season, Leach had the Bruins on top of the Atlantic Division with a record of 38-18-3-3.
The next task for the club’s new bench boss will be to fill out his staff over the coming weeks.
Old Faces in New Places:
Significant roster turnover will happen in Hartford this fall as a number of players departed via trade and free agency.
On the trade front, forward Brett Berard was sent to the Montréal Canadiens in exchange for defenseman William Trudeau on Jun. 26. Additionally, forward Kalle Väisänen was traded to the Boston Bruins on Jul. 1.
On the free agent front, forward Trey Fix-Wolansky signed a one-year deal with the Vancouver Canucks on Jul. 1 after leading the Wolf Pack in scoring a season ago. Also on Jul. 1, veteran defenseman Connor Mackey inked a contract with his hometown Chicago Blackhawks.
Speaking of signing with his hometown team, Brandon Scanlin did just that on Jul. 23. He inked a one-year AHL contract with the Hamilton Hammers.
The change on the blueline also saw the captain, Casey Fitzgerald, depart. He signed a one-year deal with the Florida Panthers.
Defenseman Chris Ortiz (Providence) and forward Sullivan Mack (Manitoba) both inked AHL deals elsewhere, while goaltender Hugo Ollas (Sweden) and defensemen Blake Hillman (Italy) and Case McCarthy (Norway) signed overseas.
The Next Wave:
Players heading out means players coming in.
The Wolf Pack were quite busy in free agency, inking seven AHL contracts.
Forward Zakary Karpa and defenseman Cooper Moore were retained on one-year deals, returning after solid rookie seasons.
Goaltender Gabriel Carriere, defensemen Ethan Frisch and Anthony Kehrer, and forwards Justin Nachbaur and Lucas Vanroboys were all signed to one-year contracts after free agency began.
They’ll join forward Caige Sterzer, who signed with the club in March after his collegiate career.
All eight players under AHL contract for the 2026-27 season have experience in the league, giving the Wolf Pack added depth for the grind of a 72-game campaign.
Defensively, Trudeau was acquired via trade from the Canadiens. He’s played in 260 career AHL games with the Laval Rocket and contributed 20 points (8 g, 12 a) a season ago.
His Laval teammate, Marc Del Gaizo, signed a two-year deal with the Rangers on Jul. 1. Del Gaizo scored 27 points (9 g, 18 a) in 63 games a season ago with the Rocket and is a veteran of 355 pro games.
Dennis Cholowski, who split the 2025-26 season between the New Jersey Devils and Utica Comets, signed a two-year deal with the Rangers on Jul. 2. Cholowski is another veteran defenseman who scored a career-high 38 points (1 g, 37 a) in 2022-23 with the Bridgeport Islanders. He had five assists in 13 AHL games a season ago.
Up front, Glenn Gawdin inked a two-year contract on Jul. 2. Gawdin scored 51 points (16 g, 35 a) in 71 games with the Ontario Reign a season ago. He has hit the 50 point mark in four of the last five AHL seasons, including each of the last three.
Should any of Trudeau, Cholowski, Del Gaizo, and Gawdin find their way to Hartford, they’d all have the potential to be key pieces for the club.
As always in the AHL, there will be a new crop of young players entering the fray. Forwards Nathan Aspinall (33 g, 61 a, 94 pts in 65 OHL GP), Jacob Battaglia (26 g, 22 a, 48 pts in 64 OHL GP), Cole Beaudoin (33 g, 55 a, 88 pts in 54 OHL GP), Liam Greentree (38 g, 36 a, 74 pts in 52 OHL GP), and Brody Lamb (30 pts in 35 NCAA GP, 9 pts in 15 AHL GP) are among the options to potentially start their rookie season with the Wolf Pack.
Beaudoin was acquired via trade from the Utah Mammoth on Jul. 1.
Quick Hits:
- AHL teams are allowed to dress six veteran players per game during the 2026-27 season, not including goaltenders. A veteran in the AHL is a player age 26 or older who has played in 261 or more professional games.
- Current players under contract with the Rangers or Wolf Pack who played in the AHL during the 2025-26 season and would count as a vet in 2026-27: Justin Dowling, Anton Blidh, Glenn Gawdin, Dennis Cholowski, and Marc Del Gaizo.
- Scanlin was the longest-tenured Wolf Pack player following the 2025-26 season. He appeared in 255 games over parts of five seasons with the club. That is tied for the tenth most all-time with forward Dane Byers.
- Defenseman Blake Hillman signed a one-year deal with HC Bolzano in Italy on Jul. 20. There, he will be reunited with former Wolf Pack teammates Cristiano DiGiacinto and Turner Elson. Former Wolf Pack forward Cole Schneider is also on the club.
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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.