Don't Mess With The Metro

After a dreadful 2016-17 season the Hartford Wolf Pack have started their road to recovery, and we’re hoping this will go a little better than Johnny Manziel’s (No disrespect to Money Manziel it’ll happen one day brother). After a quite terrifying 54 point season the Wolfpack politely asked Head Coach Ken Gernander to get as far away from central Connecticut as possible, promoted Assistant Coach Keith McCambridge to Head Coach, watched leading goal scorer Nicklas Jensen leave for Finland, and left Goalie Magnus Hellberg packing for the next flight to China. All while new GM Chris Drury added an abundance of College Free Agents in an attempt to inject young talent into a roster that has only qualified for the Calder Cup playoffs once in the last 5 seasons.

After a season that can best be described as well uhh... to put it bluntly, pathetic the Wolf Pack will look to lean on a Young, yet uberly talented defense and goalie tandem. While the oldest player among them (as it looks as of July 7th) is Steven Kampfer at 28 the average age of the Wolf Pack’s defense and goalies will be just 22 years old. While the forwards should be mix of Young Ranger prospects and older established AHL veterans.

Looking forward to next season for the pack a pair of former 2nd round picks, Goalie Brandon Halverson and Forward Ryan Gropp will look to jump right into key roles for the squad. Robin Kovacs-2015 3rd round pick-will look to improve on a fairly disappointing first AHL season, where he put up a underwhelming 12 points. 2 players that will have a decision on their hands come training camp will be Sean Day and Sergey Zborovskiy, the 2 top defenseman in the Rangers system both are AHL eligible however each could return to the CHL where they both have remaining eligibility. Day, once a top prospect granted “exceptional status” has voiced his eager to play pro hockey next season while Sergey’s aspirations have not yet been reported, although after leading the WHL in +/- (a fairly abused and team-based stat) Regina surely would love to have him back. An underrated player to watch would be 2016 7th round pick Ty Ronning. A small shifty skilled forward-similar to the Rangers own Mats Zuccarello-fell in the draft due to height concerns but on a PTO with Hartford to end last season put up 5 points in 12 games. Although Ty could also head back to Vancouver in the WHL it is likely if the pack offer him playing time he could be seen in Hartford next season and could be a player to watch on the Pack’s retooled roster.

This year is crucial for the Wolf Pack as they need to get back on track. In addition, it’s also important for the future success of the Rangers that their prospects get professional experience while developing their games and gaining opportunities to gel with possible future teammates. In the coming years Robin Kovacs, Ryan Gropp, Sean Day, Brandon Halverson, Neal Pionk and many others are expected to suit up for the Blueshirts on the Madison Square Garden ice. The Rangers need these players developing while in Hartford and playing as many games as they can, the Wolf Pack qualifying for the Calder Cup playoffs allows for additional experience, practice and most of all playing time for these prospects as they develop their game and prepare for the NHL. 

Breaking down the Past 10 Stanley Cup winners, 7 qualified for the Calder Cup playoffs the previous season. The exceptions: the last 2 cups of the Blackhawks “3 in 6” (*Hockey Twitter cringes*) and the 2010-11 Boston Bruins. Meanwhile each team has had a key contributor develop with their AHL affiliate, whether it’s the most recent champions the Penguins and Conn Smythe snub Jake Guentzel or Jennings Trophy winner Corey Crawford collecting 2 cups in 3 seasons after watching the Blackhawks win their first of 3 in 2010 from an AHL Locker Room.

Although having a successful AHL team by no means guarantees success for the parent club, with the rangers going all in on their “rebuild on the fly” strategy of roster construction letting “the kids” develop in Hartford so they can step in and produce when called upon will be crucial for the future success of the Rangers organization as a whole. Having replacements from within the organization for key guys however they go long term or short term whether it be free agency, trade, retirement or even injury is a necessity for any team trying to the greatest trophy in all of sports, the Stanley Cup. If the Rangers want to be that team carrying the cup in June, they’ll need Hartford to take one giant leap forward.

Follow Matt on twitter @Anttiup32