Wolf Pack Sit At Center Of Rangers' Reset

Hartford's 2025-26 season ended with the Wolf Pack last in the Atlantic Division at 26-38-5-3. The Rangers' ended with New York last in the Eastern Conference. Neither organization waited long to start pulling things apart.

The Rangers extended their Hartford affiliation, which enters its 30th season this fall, through the 2028-29 season. On June 5 they named Jay Leach head coach of the Wolf Pack. Leach spent four seasons running the Providence Bruins and has worked as an NHL assistant in both Seattle and Boston. Bob Woods joins as associate coach and John Stevens as assistant coach, both Calder Cup winners.

Hartford has reached the playoffs just three times since 2013, so the hires read as a deliberate search for people who have won.

"There [have] been a number of changes throughout the organization," Rangers general manager Chris Drury said as training camp opened this week. "Pro scouting, development, performance, you name it."

The roster that lands in Hartford could be heavy on first-rounders. Defenseman Alberts Smits, taken fifth overall in June's draft, is 18 and has already played in Finland and Germany and skated for Latvia at the 2026 Olympics. Drew Fortescue, out of three seasons at Boston College, got nine games with the Rangers last spring. Forward Liam Greentree, 20, came back in the Artemi Panarin trade with Los Angeles and turns pro this season. Cole Beaudoin arrived in the July deal that sent Vincent Trocheck to Utah, and Jacob Battaglia came from Calgary in the Brennan Othmann trade in March.

Hartford's top two scorers from last season, Trey Fix-Wolansky and Brendan Brisson, were not re-signed. Neither was captain Casey Fitzgerald. Glenn Gawdin, Vincent Iorio, Marc Del Gaizo and Dennis Cholowski are among the depth additions.

Goaltender Dylan Garand also figures in the organization’s competition for NHL spots. The Rangers extended him for two years in June after he appeared in 36 games for Hartford and made three NHL appearances last season. They subsequently acquired Joonas Korpisalo from Boston, adding another candidate for the backup job behind Igor Shesterkin.

The Wolf Pack have no preseason games scheduled. They open Oct. 3 at Lehigh Valley.