Winners in four of their past seven games (4-3-0-0), the Hartford Wolf Pack are beginning to turn a corner. Last
Winners in four of their past seven games (4-3-0-0), the Hartford Wolf Pack are beginning to turn a corner. Last week featured a pair of back-to-back wins, though ended on a sour note with a 4-1 loss to Wilkes Barre/Scranton on Saturday.
The Wolf Pack defeated the Hershey Bears 3-2 in overtime Wednesday, and followed up with a 4-3 win against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Friday. The loss Saturday closed out Hartford’s six-game season series against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton with a losing record (2-4-0-0)
The seventh-place Wolf Pack (14-18-4-1, 33 points) are two-points out of the final playoff spot in the Atlantic Division. The New York Rangers AHL affiliate has three games this week to continue their push.
The Wolf Pack will be without veteran forward Anton Blidh, who was called up by the Rangers on Sunday. He will provide additional depth during their three-game road trip in California this week.
Hartford Wolf Pack News-n-Notes
Brett Berard — photo courtesy Hartford Wolf Pack
Brett Berard instrumental in recent Wolf Pack surge
Third-year pro Brett Berard is heating up for the Wolf Pack. The Rangers’ fifth-round pick (No. 134) in the 2020 NHL Draft, Berard has seven points (four goals, three assists) in his past five games. Skating on the first line with Jaroslav Chmelař and Justin Dowling, the 23-year-old scored the game-winning goal on Jan. 10 against Providence, and the tying and game winning goals against Hershey on Wednesday. His three-point performance (one goal, two assists) against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Friday was a season-best output offensively for him.
The OT GWG courtesy of Brett Berard, Trey Fix-Wolansky, and Derrick Pouliot 🫡 pic.twitter.com/FjUpfrVrSy
— Hartford Wolf Pack (@HWPHockey) January 15, 2026
Berard is not shy about shooting the puck. His 81 shots are second most on Hartford, averaging 3.11 per game. He recorded a season-high nine shots on Friday.
But his production was slow to come this season. Berard didn’t score a goal until his 15th game with Hartford. He currently is sixth on the Wolf Pack with 16 points in 26 games, and tied for seventh with six goals. In addition, Berard is pointless in 12 games with the Rangers this season.
With the Rangers decision to retool their roster, there’s a chance Berard can earn a recall to Broadway and another chance to impress the coaching staff there.
Jaroslav Chmelař impresses
Chmelar was also a fifth-round pick (No. 144) by the Rangers, a year after Berard, in the 2021 NHL Draft. The 22-year-old forward has 19 points (six goals, 13 assists) in 31 games. He’s third on the Wolf Pack in points and tied for second in assists, and registered a point in 14 of 31 games. He’s on pace to surpass his career high of 29 points (12 goals, 17 assists) from his rookie pro season in 2024-25.
tic-tac-goal pic.twitter.com/UMOiRyHbZv
— Hartford Wolf Pack (@HWPHockey) January 17, 2026
Chmelař has six points (two goals, four assists) in his past five games. Each of those goals (on Jan. 11 and 16) came off tips when battling in front of the net. You know the Rangers organization loves that, since coach Mike Sullivan harps on getting bodies to the front of the net offensively.
At 6-foot-4, 226 pounds, Chmelar is an intriguing forward to keep an eye on. He played six games on New York’s fourth line during two separate call-ups with the Rangers, and, not unlike Berard, could get more of a look this season.
the scoring sequence ✨ pic.twitter.com/sHGkR0Pj83
— Hartford Wolf Pack (@HWPHockey) January 11, 2026
Casey Fitzgerald on pace for new career high in points
Wolf Pack captain Casey Fitzgerald saw a scoring spike recently, with eight assists in his past 11 games, His 15 points in 37 games (two goals, 13 assists) are tied for seventh on the team (with Brendan Brisson, Dylan Roobroeck, and Adam Sýkora), and rank second among defensemen, behind Derrick Pouliot (17 points). In addition, he’s tied for second in assists among all skaters, and his two goals — though not a lot — tie Connor Mackey and Blake Hillman for most among Hartford blueliners.
Fixer gets us on the board with this one ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/V7oS0M7qAO
— Hartford Wolf Pack (@HWPHockey) January 18, 2026
Fitzgerald is six points from tying his career high of 21 points in 2023-24 (four goals, 17 assists), and 2024-25 (five goals, 16 assists).
Upcoming Games
All games can be viewed on AHLTV and heard on Mixlr.
Tuesday, January 20 vs Hershey Bears (Capitals) at 7:00pm, Giant Center
- This is the second of four meetings in the season series. Hartford won the first contest 3-2 on last week.
- Hershey is 18-14-3-1 (40 points), fifth in the Atlantic Division and tied ninth in the Eastern Conference (with Belleville)
- Andrew Cristall leads the Bears with 31 points (seven goals, 24 assists). Next is Ilya Protas with 29 points (14 goals, 15 assists).
Friday, January 23 vs Bridgeport Islanders (New York) at 7:00pm, PeoplesBank Arena
- This is the seventh of 12 meetings in the season series. Hartford is 2-4-0-0 against Bridgeport.
- Bridgeport is 16-17-2-1 (35 points), sixth in the Atlantic Division and 12th in the Eastern Conference.
- Alex Jefferies leads the Islanders with 24 points (seven goals, 17 assists). Next is Joey Larson with 22 points (12 goals, 10 assists).
Saturday, January 24 vs Toronto Marlies (Leafs) at 7:30pm, PeoplesBank Arena
- This is the first of two meetings in the season series. The Wolf Pack last played the Marlies in 2023-24, and were swept in the season series (0-1-1-0).
- Toronto is 21-15-1-2 (45 points), tied for second in the North Division and tied for fourth in the Eastern Conference (with Syracuse).
- Former Rangers forwards Benoit-Oliver Groulx (18 goals, 12 assists) and Vinni Lettieri (eight goals, 22 assists) are tied for the Toronto lead in scoring with 30 points apiece.
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