Chris Brown Named Wolf Pack 2016-17 IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year

By Bob Crawford

Chris Brown (9) has been named the Wolf Pack's 2017 IOA/Specialty AHL
Man of the Year. The 6-2 right wing from Flower Mound, Tex., is now
eligible for the Yanick Dupre Memorial Award.

HARTFORD—The Hartford Wolf Pack announced on Thursday that Chris Brown has been named the team’s IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year award winner for his outstanding contributions to the Hartford community during the 2016-17 season.

A fifth-year pro, Brown has participated in more than his share of Wolf Pack community outreach activities. For instance, he has been a leader in the Wolf Pack's "Read to the Rink" reading program, and has captained several visits to the local children's hospital, bringing a friendly and outgoing demeanor to every event he attends, and helping to motivate his teammates to give further of themselves as well.

Brown is now one of 30 finalists for the AHL’s 2016-17 Yanick Dupre Memorial Award, honoring the overall IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year. The league award is named after the former Hershey Bears forward and AHL All-Star who died in 1997 following a 16-month battle with leukemia. The winner of the Yanick Dupre Memorial Award will be announced by the American Hockey League at a later date.

ROSTER MOVES

This week, the Wolf Pack announced the following roster changes:

• Forward Vinni Lettieri, goaltender Chris Nell and defenseman Vince Pedrie have signed Amateur Tryout (ATO) agreements with the Wolf Pack.
• Goaltender Brandon Halverson has been reassigned by the parent New York Rangers to the Wolf Pack from its ECHL affiliate, the Greenville Swamp Rabbits.
• Forward Adam Chapie and goaltender Mackenzie Skapski have been reassigned by the Rangers from the Wolf Pack to Greenville.
• Defenseman Garrett Noonan has been returned by the Wolf Pack to Greenville.
• Lettieri, 22, a 5-11, 195-pound native of Excelsior, Minn., just completed a four-year career at the University of Minnesota (Big Ten). In 38 games this season with the Gophers, Lettieri tallied 19 goals and 18 assists for 37 points, and had 36 penalty minutes, in 38 games. Those numbers were good for second on the team in goals and third in points. Lettieri, whose grandfather is former long-time Minnesota North Stars [layer, coach and general manager Lou Nanne, skated in 149 career contests with the Gophers, totaling 37 goals and 46 assists for 83 points, along with 76 PIM. He agreed to terms on a free-agent contract with the Rangers on Monday.
•  Nell comes to the Wolf Pack from Bowling Green State University (WCHA), where he played three seasons. In 34 appearances this season, the 22-year-old Green Bay, Wis., native was 17-14-2, with a 2.15 goals-against average, a 91.6 save percentage and four shutouts, which tied his own school record in that category. The 6-1, 190-lb. netminder also established career Bowling Green records in shutouts, goals-against average and save percentage, going 41-29-10, with a 2.07 GAA, a 92.2 save percentage and 11 shutouts in 84 career Falcon appearances. Nell agreed to terms on a free-agent contract with the Rangers on Thursday. 
• Pedrie, 6-0 and 195 pounds, has played the last two seasons at Penn State University. The 23-year-old from Rochester, Minn., was a first-team Big Ten All-Star selection in 2016-17, and helped lead the Nittany Lions to a Big Ten championship with eight goals and 22 assists for 30 points, along with 24 penalty minutes. His 30 points were the most ever in a single season by a Penn State defenseman, and Pedrie led team blueliners in points, goals and assists. He also tied for the team lead in plus/minus, with a +27, and finished fourth overall on the team in assists. In 71 career games in a Nittany Lion uniform, Pedrie amassed 16 goals and 36 assists for 52 points, plus 56 PIM. He agreed to terms on a free-agent contract with the Rangers on Tuesday. 
• Halverson, a first-year pro and second-round draft pick of the Rangers, the Wolf Pack’s parent club, in 2014 (No. 59 overall). He has appeared in 24 games with the ’Pack this season, and has compiled a 9-14-0 slate, with a 3.40 GAA and an 88.6 save percentage. In nine games with the Swamp Rabbits, Halverson is 4-5-0, with a 3.43 GAA, an 89.7 save percentage, and one shut-out. 
• Skapski is 2-8-0 in 13 Wolf Pack outings this season, with a GAA of 4.73 and an 85.6% save percentage. In 30 ECHL games with Greenville, the third-year pro out of the Western Hockey League is 17-10-0, with a 3.31 GAA, a 90.3 save percentage and one shutout. 
• Chapie, a rookie out of UMass-Lowell, has registered four assists and six penalty minutes in 24 games with the Wolf Pack in 2016-17. In addition, Chapie has three goals and six assists for nine points, along with 14 PIM, in 19 games with the Swamp Rabbits. 
• Noonan posted three assists and 24 penalty minutes in 26 games with the Wolf Pack after being called up from Greenville New Year’s Eve. The fourth-year pro from BU logged 19 games with the Swamp Rabbits, with eight assists and 18 PIM.

TONIGHT’S ACTION

The Wolf Pack will be wrapping up a four-game home-stand at the XL Center tonight (Fri., Mar. 31) when they host the Hershey Bears. First puck drops at 7:15 p.m., and Friday’s promotion, as is the rule, includes $1 hot dogs and $2 beers through the start of the second period, presented by iHeartRadio. Tickets for all remaining Wolf Pack home games are on sale now at the XL Center box office, on-line at www.hartfordwolfpack.com and by phone at (877) 522-8499. To speak with a Wolf Pack representative about group sales, or any of the Wolf Pack’s ticketing options, please call (855) 762-6451, or click HERE for more information.