Rangers farmhands Dylan Garand, Alex Belzile chosen for AHL All-Star Classic
Dylan Garand and Alex Belzile were selected Wednesday to represent the Hartford Wolf Pack, the New York Rangers’ top farm team, on the Atlantic Division roster for the American Hockey League All-Star Classic. It’s scheduled for Feb. 2-3 at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, California — home of the Coachella Valley Firebirds, the AHL affiliate of the Seattle Kraken.
Garand, a 22-year-old goalie drafted by the Rangers in the fourth round (No. 103) of the 2020 NHL Draft, has appeared in 16 games with the Wolf Pack this season. He is 10-4-2 with a .929 save percentage, 2.17 goals-against average, and two shutouts.
The native of Victoria, British Columbia, is having his best season since turning pro. Garand is seventh in the AHL in wins, sixth in save percentage, eighth in GAA and tied for eighth in shutouts.
Garand was named AHL goaltender of the month for December. He was 4-2-0 in six starts with a microscopic 1.35 GAA, .958 save percentage and a pair of shutouts. The last Hartford goalie to be named goaltender of the month in the AHL was Igor Shesterkin in October 2019.
In four AHL seasons, all with the Wolf Pack, Garand is 39-36-10 with a .902 save percentage, 2.87 goals-against average, and seven shutouts in 89 games. This is his first AHL All-Star selection.
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Free agent signed by Rangers 2 seasons ago selected as AHL All-Star
Alex Belzile — photo courtesy of Hartford Wolf Pack
Belzile, a 33-year-old forward, has a team-leading 31 points (10 goals, 21 assists) in 29 games with the Wolf Pack (15-14-2-1) this season, tying him for eighth place in the AHL scoring race. He led Hartford last season, his first with the Wolf Pack, with 50 points (19 goals, 31 assists) in 61 games.
He has played in 90 games for Hartford and has 81 points (29 goals, 51 assists).
The native of St. Eloi, Quebec, is appearing in his second AHL All-Star Classic. He represented the Laval Rocket, the Montreal Canadiens’ top minor-league affiliate, in 2019, a season when he had a career-high 54 points (19 goals, 35 assists) in 74 games.
Belzile has played 44 NHL games, all with the Canadiens from 2020-21 through 2022-23, putting up 15 points (six goals, nine assists). The Rangers signed him as a free agent on July 1, 2023, after he had 14 points (six goals, eight assists) in 31 games for Montreal in 2022-23. The Canadiens had signed him as an undrafted free agent on May 24, 2019.
Belzile and Garand join a lengthy list of familiar Rangers names who’ve been selected to represent the Wolf Pack in the AHL All-Star Classic. They include forward Brennan Othmann (2023-24), defenseman Zac Jones (2022-23), Shesterkin (2019-20), defenseman Ryan Graves (2015-16), forward J.T. Miller (2012-13), forward Artem Anisimov (2008-09), defenseman Dan Girardi and forward Ryan Callahan (2006-07), goalie Al Montoya (2005-06), defenseman Fedor Tyutin (2003-04), forward Derek Armstrong (1998-99, 1999-2000, 2000-01), and forward Ken Gernander (1998-99, 1999-2000).
The AHL All-Star Skills Competition will take place on Feb. 2, with the All-Star Challenge set for Feb. 3.
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