Wolf Pack Announce Preseason Schedule

The Hartford Wolf Pack will be opening their preseason against the
Springfield Thunderbirds on Sept. 25 in Danbury.

HARTFORD—We may be enduring yet another heatwave this merciless summer, but September is right around the corner. And that means AHL teams will be opening camp and embarking on their preseason schedules. And so it is that the Hartford Wolf Pack announced the specifics of their 2019 preseason schedule on Monday.

The Wolf Pack will begin preseason play on Wed., Sept. 25, when they host their I-91 rivals, the Springfield Thunderbirds, at Danbury Arena. First puck drops at 7 p.m., and a portion of the night’s proceeds will benefit the Western Junior Colonials’ youth hockey development program. Tickets, available at the gate, will be $12.

Next up, the Wolf Pack and their in-state rivals, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, will lock horns for a set of home-and-home matinees Fri., Sept. 27 and Sat., Sept. 28, with both games starting at 1 p.m. Friday’s game will be played at the Koeppel Community Sports Center on the campus of Trinity College. Donations will be accepted at the door in lieu of an admission charge, and proceeds will benefit the Ryan Gordon/Hartford Wolf Pack Community Scholars Fund. The fund memorializes young fan Ryan Gordon, who passed away in 2006 and asked that a portion of the monies set aside for his college education be donated to the Hartford Wolf Pack Community Foundation. Suggested donation is $5 per person. The Koeppel Community Sports Center is located at 175 New Britain Ave. in Hartford.

The Wolf Pack will open their 2019-20 regular season Sat., Oct. 5, at the XL Center vs. the defending Calder Cup-champion Charlotte Checkers.  First puck drops at 7 p.m. To speak with a Wolf Pack representative about season or group tickets, or any of the Wolf Pack’s ticketing options, call (855) 762-6451, or to request more information, click HERE. To visit the Wolf Pack on line, go to www.hartfordwolfpack.com.

Wolf Pack Sign Defenseman

Jeff Taylor

The Wolf Pack have signed defenseman Jeff Taylor to an AHL contract. The 25-year-old native of Clifton Park, NY, has split his first two pro seasons between the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the AHL and the ECHL’s Wheeling Nailers. In 42 games with the Penguins in 2018-19, the 6-0, 185-pound Taylor scored two goals and added six assists for eight points while serving 33 minutes in penalties. In his only ECHL appearance of the season, Taylor contributed one assist to the Wheeling attack.

In 62 total AHL games, Taylor has chalked up two goals and seven assists for nine points, along with 41 penalty minutes. In 29 career ECHL contests, he has amassed four goals and 16 assists for 20 points, plus 26 PIM.

Before turning pro, Taylor played four seasons with Union College, helping the Dutchmen to an NCAA title as a freshman in 2013-14. A two-time ECAC All-Star, he put up 18-74-92 in 149 career college contests, with 107 PIM. Taylor was a seventh-round selection (No. 203 overall) by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2014 NHL Draft.

—Staff Reports

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