Wolf Pack Recap: Rivalries Renewed

Welcome to Wolf Pack Recap, a weekly column exclusively at Blueshirt Banter. Each week, we'll review the Hartford Wolf Pack's previous week, highlight top performances, and preview the upcoming slate.

The Hartford Wolf Pack continued their season-long eight game road trip this week. The trip saw them head north of the border for the first time this season, including a visit to a former rival, before they wrapped up the week up I-91 in Springfield.

The Wolf Pack played a trio of strong games, going 2-0-1-0 and collecting five out of a possible six points on the week. After some early season struggles, they're starting to find their game.

Let's take a look back at the Wolf Pack's week.

• The week started off with some big news for the Wolf Pack. On Tuesday, the club revealed that defenseman Marc Del Gaizo had been named the 16th captain in franchise history.

• Del Gaizo, who signed with the parent New York Rangers on July 1, has been a great addition for Hartford. He leads all Wolf Pack blueliners in goals, assists, and points and has provided a steady tw0-way game.
• Del Gaizo replaces defenseman Casey Fitzgerald, who signed with the Florida Panthers on July 1, as the captain of the Wolf Pack.
• Rounding out the leadership group are forwards Anton Blidh, Justin Dowling, and Glenn Gawdin, who will rotate the two As throughout the season.
• Blidh has been an alternate captain for the Wolf Pack since the 2023-24 season, while Dowling wore an A for Hartford a season ago.
• Also on Tuesday, the Wolf Pack assigned forward Caige Sterzer to the ECHL's Worcester Railers. Sterzer opened the season on the injury report, but is now good to go and will get ice time with Worcester.

• Sterzer is the fourth player under contract with Hartford to be assigned to The Woo, joining blueliners Cooper Moore and Anthony Kehrer plus netminder Gabriel Carriere.
• Now to the games. The weekend opened on Thursday, when the Wolf Pack visited the Hamilton Hammers for the first time.
• It was the first time the Wolf Pack had faced off against their former in-state rivals since their relocation to the Steel City. The Hammers had spent 25 seasons as the Bridgeport Islanders before moving to Hamilton this summer.