For the past few seasons the New York Rangers AHL Team, the Hartford Wolfpack, has not been strong at all.
They haven’t made the playoffs since 2015 and have finished between sixth to eighth place in the standings, only making it to 69 points this past season with a record of 29-36-7-4. Not having a strong AHL team could affect their NHL affiliate. The AHL is meant to build and shape prospects to prepare them for the NHL. Instead, the coaching behind the Wolfpack made it difficult for the Rangers to call up prospects and help them grow more. With that being said recently the Wolfpack announced the hiring of a new coach for their team.
Kris Knoblauch was named the seventh head coach for the Wolfpack. Kris Knoblauch has replaced Keith McCambridge, who was the last head coach for the past two seasons. McCambridge was then fired in April which was the right move since it seemed like Wolfpack players weren’t developing at all. Knoblauch has the experience as he was an assistant coach for the Philadelphia Flyers for the last two seasons, where his primary work was done on the teams’ power play and a coach for several junior teams for 12 seasons. Kris Knoblauch has helped developed players such as Connor McDavid and Sam Reinhart.
Knoblauch is a young coach with plenty of experience which is what the Wolfpack needs. Knoblauch won the Matt Leydon Trophy, the award for OHL Coach of the Year, won a WHL championship, and an OHL championship.
With this hiring, fans should expect the Wolfpack to have a dominant power play. Fans should also expect to see the Rangers deep prospect pool to grow into NHL ready players. With a successful AHL team and developed prospects, the Rangers could have a bright future.
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