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Hartford Wolf Pack awards, including Carey Terrance Best 1st-Year Player
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- Hartford Wolf Pack awards, including Carey Terrance Best 1st-Year Player
By pretty much all measures, 2025-26 was a substantial failure for the Hartford Wolf Pack. The top New York Rangers affiliate finished last in the AHL with a record of 26-38-5-3, 60 points, and had an unsightly minus-63 goal differential along the way.
Grant Potulny paid the price , fired as coach after Hartford missed the Calder Cup Playoffs for the second straight season.
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Hartford allowed the third most goals (253) in the league, and scored the fourth fewest (190). They were sloppy, lacked quality depth, and won just 11 times in front of the home fans at PeoplesBank Arena.
Many of their issues — injuries, depth, lack of talent — mirrored those of the Rangers , who finished 30th overall in the NHL , and last in the Eastern Conference. That organizational misfortune carried into the offseason when the Rangers dropped two spots in the NHL Draft Lottery on Tuesday, and will now select fifth overall in the first round.
Yet, as in New York, there were some positives in Hartford this season. Forward Adam Sýkora reached a new AHL career high in goals (12) with the Wolf Pack, and closed out the season making a name for himself on Broadway with an impressive stint with the Rangers. Forward Brody Lamb , who joined Hartford on an Amateur Tryout (ATO) on March 14 after finishing his NCAA career at Minnesota , had nine points (four goals, five assists) in 15 games. Second-year pro Bryce McConnell-Barker established new career highs with 14 goals, 11 assists, and 25 points, shattering his totals from 2024-25.
Like Sykora, goalie Dylan Garand and forward Jaroslav Chmelar made positive impressions down the stretch with the Rangers, and head to training camp next fall with opportunities to land regular jobs in the NHL. And Gabe Perreault landed full-time in New York after he scored 10 goals and totaled 17 points in 20 games with Hartford to begin the season.
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That said, let’s take hand out some Forever Blueshirts season-ending awards for the Wolf Pack.
Most Valuable Player: Trey Fix-Wolansky
Trey Fix-Wolansky — photo courtesy Hartford Wolf Pack
The Wolf Pack got bang for their buck with veteran forward Trey Fix-Wolansky, who carried the team’s offense most of the season. Fix-Wolansky led them in points (55), goals (31), and shots (214), and also recorded 11 multi-point games, including two hat-tricks (Jan. 20 and April 17). He was the first Hartford player since Jonny Brodzinski (March 24, 2023 vs Springfield (one goal, four assists) to record five points in a game (three goals, two assists on April 17).
Fix-Wolansky was also named AHL player of the week on March 9 when he recorded seven points in three games (three goals, five assists).
After this recognition, his point streak extended to six games, with 13 points (seven goals, six assists in that span). That tied Lamb for the longest point streak this season with the Wolf Pack.
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His 31 goals were a career best, surpassing his previous high of 29 from 2022-23, and he led Hartford with 121 penalty minutes, 48 more than his previous high (73) set last season.
Fix-Wolansky accomplished all of this without much help from other forwards. Perreault was with the Wolf Pack for less than a third of the season. Brennan Othmann struggled to score, and was shuffled between Hartford and New York frequently before the Rangers dealt him to the Calgary Flames ahead of the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline. Dylan Roobroeck, a 20-goal scorer last year, had 11 this season and underperformed offensively.
An unrestricted free agent this summer, Fix-Wolansky provided a strong case to stay with the organization. The 26-year-old is a consistently productive player, one with NHL experience, and a great example for the prospects trying to build their careers.
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Best First-Year Player: Carey Terrance
Carey Terrance — photo courtesy Hartford Wolf Pack
Perreault was the best first-year pro to suit up for the Wolf Pack this season. That’s why the 2023 first-round pick spent the majority of the season in the NHL with the Rangers.
So, that leaves the door open for Carey Terrance to be recognized as the top first-year player with the Wolf Pack in 2025-26.
The 20-year-old center was trusted all season in a shutdown role and on the penalty kill. Despite playing in the bottom six the majority of the season, Terrance was deployed against the opponent’s top six more often than not, which likely is his path to the NHL one day.
Acquired in the Chris Kreider trade with the Anaheim Ducks last summer, and coming off three straight 20+-goal seasons with Erie in the OHL, Terrance struggled to produce offensively in the AHL until late this season. Terrance recorded six points (three goals, three assists) in his first 54 games, and then 11 points (five goals, six assists) in the final 14. That included three-multiple-point games (two goals on March 7, one goal and three assists on March 21, and one goal and two assists on April 17).
Among Hartford rookies, Terrance tied Perreault for most points (17), and was second with eight goals. He also tied for second with rookie defenseman Jackson Dorrington with nine assists.
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Most Improved Player: Brendan Brisson
Brendan Brisson — photo courtesy Hartford Wolf Pack
Coming off a disappointing 2024-25 season featuring a demotion to AHL Henderson after starting the season with the Golden Knights, Brisson struggled to find his offensive game. prior to being traded to the Rangers at last year’s NHL Trade Deadline. His struggles continued in Hartford as he produced six points (two goals, four assists) in 14 games.
This season was a “prove it” year for Brendan Brisson. And the 24-year-old forward delivered a nice bounce-back season.
He did so after a massively disappointing 2024-25 season. Brisson began that campaign in the Vegas Golden Knights ’ opening-night lineup, eventually went back to AHL Henderson, struggled mightily, and then was traded to the Rangers in March. The 2020 first-round pick recorded 19 points (five goals, 14 assists) in 45 games with Henderson, and then six (two goals, four assists) in 14 games with Hartford.
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This season Brisson rebounded and finished second on Hartford with 19 goals and 37 points, and led the Wolf Pack with nine power-play goals. His point total was one shy of tying his professional career high from 2023-24 (38 points), and the 19 goals equaled his AHL best.
Brisson participated in the 2026 AHL All-Star Classic, his first selection. He replaced Perreault, who was up with the Rangers.
The center also had his first call-up with the Rangers on Feb. 17. He registered an assist in his second game on Feb. 28 against the Pittsburgh Penguins , his only point in three games with them.
A restricted free agent this summer, Brisson made a compelling case to return. He could be a bottom-six option for the Rangers in 2026-27, given his speed, first-round pedigree, and 27 games of NHL experience.
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Most Disappointing Player: Spencer Martin
Spencer Martin — photo courtesy Hartford Wolf Pack
Not surprisingly for a last-place team, there are many candidates for the most disappointing player on the Wolf Pack this season, starting with forward Brett Berard and defenseman Scott Morrow . Each went to training camp seeking full-time duty with the Rangers, only to spend most of the season not meeting high expectations in Hartford.
But we’re going to go with veteran goalie Spencer Martin instead.
Martin simply never found his game this season, after the Rangers signed him to a two-year contract in November. The 30-year old was 3-13-3 in 22 games with the Wolf Pack, and had the worst goals-against average (3.51) and save percentage (.873) in his AHL career. Martin surrendered three or more goals in 12 of 19 starts, and was involved in the Wolf Pack’s largest margin of defeat, when he conceded nine goals in a 9-0 loss to Charlotte on Feb. 19.
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He ended the season on a personal eight-game losing streak (0-7-1), with his last win on March 6 against Bridgeport.
Martin’s fortunes did not change for the better when called up by the Rangers in January after Igor Shesterkin sustained a lower-body injury. He was 1-3-0 in six games (four starts), with a 4.13 GAA, and .864 save percentage. Martin was also involved in the Rangers’ 10-2 loss to the Boston Bruins on Jan. 10, conceding four goals after entering in relief of Jonathan Quick .
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