TWO MINUTES FOR THOUGHTS: OCTOBER 27TH, 2022
Oct 27, 2022
Hello, Wolf Pack fans. Welcome to another edition of ‘Two Minutes for Thoughts’! We’ve reached the first weekend of the season with two home games at the XL Center, and personally I could not be more excited. The Pack play host to the Hershey Bears on Friday night at 7:00 p.m. and then the Charlotte Checkers on Saturday night, also at 7:00 p.m.
There will be plenty of excitement in the building all weekend long, and if you’re like me you can hardly wait for puck drop tomorrow night. We’ve got your appetizer today with the blogs, let’s not waste anymore time and get right into it, shall we?
Harpur Signs with Rangers, Gauthier to NY
It’s been busy two days in Hartford when it comes to transactions. On Wednesday morning, Julien Gauthier got the call that he’s returning to the NHL with the Rangers. Gauthier had two goals in four games with the Wolf Pack this season and has been a consistent offensive threat every time he has jumped over the boards.
We said it in last week’s blog, but Gauthier is a true weapon in the AHL and certainly looked like a 20-25 goal scorer during the first two weekends of the season. It was nice to see him in the lineup on Long Island Wednesday night, where he played a shade over ten minutes and fired two shots on goal.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, Ben Harpur got his PTO turned into a one-year, NHL contract with the Rangers. Harpur has played in all four games with the Pack this season and provided a calming influence on a young back end. He’s been steady for coach Kris Knoblauch and will be a key piece of the Hartford blueline for as long as he remains with the club. Congratulations to Ben on signing an NHL deal!
A Look Ahead
Let’s start here: Thank you, Wolf Pack fans! Over 5,000 of you were in the building on Saturday night and made the atmosphere electric. That was a great showing from the Hartford faithful, especially as the Pack found a way to battle back from a 3-0 deficit to get the game to a shootout.
This weekend, the club is back for two home games. First is a date with the Hershey Bears on Friday night. This was a season series that treated the Pack well last season, as they went 5-1-0-0 in six games. That includes a perfect 3-0-0-0 mark at home. On Saturday, the Checkers come to town for the first of four visits this season. Although Hartford lost the first two meetings on October 14th and 15th, the Pack did earn a point in the season opener and played well but ran into a hot goaltender in the second meeting.
Off the ice, there is plenty happening for both dates this weekend. On Friday we have the first $2 beers and $1 hot dog night of the season! As a reminder, this deal is available for EVERY Friday night home game this season. It’s also ‘College Night’, where college students can earn some serious savings by signing up here.
On Saturday night, United States Women’s National Soccer Team Star Kristine Lilly will be at the XL Center taking pictures and signing autographs pregame and will be dropping the ceremonial faceoff. In addition, the first 1,500 fans will receive an exclusive Kristine Lilly poster courtesy of CT-DOT.
Also on Saturday night, we’ll be hosting our first Pucks N’ Paws night of the season. Each Pucks N’ Paws package includes two (2) game tickets, one (1) canine ticket, and one (1) Wolf Pack branded dog leash. You can also join some of your favorite Wolf Pack players on the ice postgame for our first postgame skate of 2022-23!
This N’ That
The Wolf Pack’s 0-2-1-1 start may not look great on paper, but there are positives to take out of the first four games of the season. The club has managed to get points in two of their first four games and ran into a little bad luck in the form of hot goaltenders in each of their regulation losses. Eventually, some of the chances Hartford has been creating will find the back of the net.
Stick taps to Ryder Korczak, who made his professional debut in Bridgeport on Sunday afternoon. Korczak joins Matt Rempe in making his pro debut this season, while both Karl Henriksson and Gustav Rydahl have made their AHL debuts early this season.
One thing really clicking early this season for the Wolf Pack? The powerplay. Hartford sits eleventh in the AHL with a 26.7% success rate thus far. The club is 4-for-15 on the powerplay and has had four different players light the lamp. The powerplay should be an asset all season long for this team.
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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.