The Hartford Wolf Pack Weekly Report
By Alex Pflaum
Let's begin by looking back at the 2016 2017 Wolf Pack season.
1. 2016 - 2017 Season Recap: To say that the 2016 2017 Hartford Wolf Pack season was one to forget is probably the understatement of this past AHL season. For the 2nd straight season and the 3rd Time in 4 Seasons the Pack failed to qualify for the Calder Cup Playoffs. The Wolf Pack ultimately finished with the worst record in franchise history with a
24W-46L-4 OTL- and 2SOL record to finish at the bottom of the AHL Standings. Following the extreme disappointment of finishing dead last in the AHL the Pack Front Office along with the NY Rangers Front Office decided it was time for changes in Hartford starting from the Front office down to the Coaching Staff and the Players.
I will now introduce you to the New Members of the Wolf Pack Front Office Staff and the New Coaching Staff of the
Hartford Wolf Pack: (I will also include a Grade from A+ to F for each position from Front Office to Coaches to Players)
2. Front Office Additions -
On May 16th 2017 The Wolf Pack along with the NY Rangers announced that Trumbull CT native and former NYR Captain Chris Drury would be taking over the role as the New GM of the Wolf Pack. Drury was taking over the reins from longtime Wolf Pack GM Jim Schoenfeld who along with former Wolf Pack coach Ken Gernander with both relieved of their Jobs after this past season. Along with Drury the Wolf Pack will welcome back Pat Boller for his 11th Season as the assistant GM for Hartford.
Grade - B.
Next to Preview are the New Coaches who will be behind the Wolf Pack bench for the 76 Game AHL Season:
3. Following the Firing of longtime Head Coach Ken Gernander it didn't take long for the new Pack GM to hire the 6th Head Coach in the History of the Wolf Pack. The Man chosen to coach our young prospects down on the farm in Hartford for the 2017 - 2018 Season... Keith McCambridge.
After serving just one season as an assistant coach for Hartford, McCambridge was promoted to the head coaching position. Prior to joining the Wolf Pack staff last year Coach McCambridge served for the previous 5 Seasons as the St. John's IceCaps (2011 - 2015) head coach. In 2015 - 2016 McCambridge Helped guide the IceCaps who at this point had come back to Winnipeg Mtb. to become the Manitoba Moose after 4 Seasons in St John's Newfoundland. In his 5 Seasons with the IceCaps/Moose McCambridge had a record of
179W-158L-23 OTL- and 20 SOL. During the 2011-12 season McCambridge helped guide St. John's to an Atlantic Division Title along with a trip to the AHL's Eastern Conference Finals. 2 Years later in 2013 - 2014 he guided the IceCaps to their 1st and Only Calder Cup Finals appearance while the team was based in St. John's.
Joining Coach McCambridge is Assistant Coach Joe Mormina who previously served as an assistant at Mercyhurst College.
In his playing days Mormina skated in 670 AHL Games with the following teams: Manchester Monarchs, Albany River Rats, WBS Penguins, Adirondack Phantoms, Syracuse Crunch and Rochester Americans.
Coaching Staff Grade - B-.
Now For the Final Part of the Season Preview these are the current players who the Wolf Pack still have on the Roster as they wind down Training Camp:
Goalies: Alexandar Georgiev and Chris Nell
Defensemen: Alexei Bereglazov, Brandon Crawley,
John Gilmour, Ryan Graves, Garrett Noonan, Vince Pedrie,
and Neal Pionk.
Forwards: Dan Catenacci, Dan DeSalvo, Gabriel Fontaine, Ryan Gropp, Boo Nieves, Matt Pumpel, Cole Schinder,
Eric Sellack, Malte Stromwell, Adam Tambaellni,
and Joe Whitney. 2017 2018 Hartford Wolf Pack Roster Grade (As Of Today) - B+
Now for the moment you been waiting for my season prediction for the 2017 - 2018 Hartford Wolf Pack Season:
The Wolf Pack enter the 2017 - 2018 season with
a New GM, a New Coaching Staff, and New Players. Already there have been some worrying signs as the Pack dropped two Preseason contests to their instate rivals the Bridgeport Sound Tigers by final scores of 2 to 0 and 7 to 1. That's the bad news.
The Good News is that Preseason and as we all know once the Puck drops on a new Hockey season in any league weather it would be the AHL, NHL, or ECHL, anything can happen. Having said that like their MSG brothers the NYR
the Wolf Pack are in arguably the AHL's most difficult division.
So without further adieu here is my Season Predictions for the 2017 2018 Hartford Wolf Pack:
Division Finish - 3rd
Calder Cup Playoff Berth - YES
Calder Cup Championship - NO
Season Will End - 1st Round of the Calder Cup Playoffs.
Well That just about does it for my
2017 - 2018 Hartford Wolf Pack Season Preview
Remember Opening Night for the Wolf Pack will take place this Friday October 6th at 7:15 PM vs the Charlotte Checkers AHL Team of the Carolina Hurricanes.
Keep Checking the Page often for Radio Feed links for every Wolf Pack broadcast
and
Don't forget to keep checking in every Monday
(Unless Noted) for my Weekly Report about the Wolf Pack.
Until Next Monday Everyone...
LET THE NEW ERA OF WOLF PACK HOCKEY BEGIN!!!!!!!!
LET'S GO WOLF PACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
#RUNWITHTHEPACK1718
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