Hartford Wolf Pack Weekly: Dylan Garand returns to Rangers AHL affiliate, named an All-Star
The Hartford Wolf Pack, the New York Rangers’ American Hockey League affiliate is holding onto the final playoff spot as the AHL season nears its midpoint. The sixth-place Wolf Pack (15-14-2-1, 33 points) hold the final playoff berth in the Atlantic Division. Hartford is tied for 11th in the Eastern Conference and tied for 21st in the AHL. The Wolf Pack have a four-point cushion over seventh-place Springfield. Lehigh Valley is fifth in the division, four points ahead of Hartford.
The Wolf Pack’s mixed results continued last weekend as they were shut out 5-0 by Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Saturday, then bounced back with a 5-1 victory against the last-place Bridgeport Islanders on Sunday. Benoit-Oliver Groulx leads the Wolf Pack with 11 goals after scoring two against Bridgeport. The Wolf Pack are 2-3-0-0 in their past five games and 5-5-0-0 in their past 10.
Wolf Pack news-n-notes
Dylan Garand returns, named to AHL All-Star Game
Garand returned to action Sunday against Bridgeport, stopping 29 of 30 shots to earn his 10th win of the season. After missing one game and being the backup Saturday, Garand looked like an All-Star on Sunday — and three days later, that’s what he became when he and forward Alex Belisle were named to the Atlantic Division team for the AHL All-Star Classic on Feb. 2-3. He is 10-4-2 with a .914 save percentage, 2.17 goals-against average, and two shutouts.
The 22-year-old goaltender’s stock is rising as he was also selected as the AHL’s Goaltender of the Month for December. He is the sixth goaltender in franchise history to receive this honor. Igor Shesterkin was the last Wolf Pack goaltender to get the honor — in December 2019. Other’s who’ve done it include Al Montoya and Jason LaBarbera.
Garand can become a restricted free agent this summer. The Rangers have Shesterkin, their starter, and Hugo Ollas signed for 2025-26. Depending on 38-year-old Jonathan Quick’s status and the direction the Rangers opt to take, Garand could find himself in New York as early as next season.
Adam Sykora heats up
Sykora, a 20-year-old forward, has three goals in his past three games and is five points shy of equaling his production for all of last season. He is third on the team with 62 shots on goal in 32 games, and has three or more in seven of the Wolf Pack’s past 11 games. Sykora is third on the team with 18 points (seven goals, 11 assists). His style of play is reliable and disciplined; his four penalty minutes are the fewest of anyone on the Wolf Pack who has played in at least 20 games.
Sykora can also play both special teams and scored his first power-play goal on Dec. 31. He’s developing well in his second full season with Hartford and could become a depth option for the Rangers not too far down the road.
Dylan Roobroeck producing offensive again
Roobroeck, the Wolf Pack’s lone first-year pro, has one goal and three assists in his past three games after snapping an eight-game point drought on Dec. 31. He has 14 points (six goals, eight assists) in 32 games, tying him for fifth on the team in points. He also got into his first fight as a pro, tangling with Billy Sweeney of the Providence Bruins on Dec. 28 after laying a huge hit on Matt Poitras.
Roobroeck is slowly but surely making the jump from juniors to the pros. In fact, he is closing in on Sykora’s rookie year production wise (23 points in 66 games). His growth figures to continue throughout the second half of the season.
Notes
- Alex Belzile’s two assists Sunday propelled the veteran’s point total to a team-leading 31 (10 goals, 21 assists). He is tied for eighth in the AHL for points.
- Matthew Robertson leads the defense corps with 15 points (one goal, 14 assists). He is six points from equaling last season’s total (21 points) and eight shy of his AHL-best points total (23 in 2022-23).
Upcoming games
All games can be watched on AHLTV and listened on Mixlr.
Friday, Jan. 10 at Lehigh Valley Phantoms (Flyers) at 7:05 p.m., PPL Center
- This is the fourth of six meetings in the season series. Hartford is 1-0-1-1.
- Lehigh Valley is 16-13-4-1 for 37 points. The Phantoms are fifth in the Atlantic Division and 10th in the Eastern Conference. They are on a three-game winning streak and are 7-3-0-0 in their last 10.
- Olle Lycksell (nine goals, 15 assists) and Samu Tuomaala (eight goals, 16 assists) share the team lead with 24 points. Jacob Gaucher is next with 23 points, including a team-high 14 goals.
Saturday, Jan. 11 vs. Lehigh Valley Phantoms (Flyers) at 7 p.m., XL Center
- This is the fifth of six meetings. Hartford will play the final game in the series on Feb. 8 in Allentown.
- Hartford’s lone win in the series was at the XL Center on Oct. 25 (4-3 in overtime).
Sunday, Jan. 12 vs. Springfield Thunderbirds (Blues) at 5 p.m., XL Center
- This is the seventh of 10 meetings in the season series. Hartford is 2-4-0-0.
- Springfield is 13-15-2-1 for 29 points. The Thunderbirds are seventh in the Atlantic Division and 13th in the Eastern Conference. They have lost three straight (0-3-0-0) and are 2-6-1-1 in their last 10.
- Matt Luft leads the Thunderbirds with 23 points (11 goals, 12 assists). Aleksanteri Kaskimaki is next with 22 (six goals, 16 assists).
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