Hartford Wolf Pack is a professional American ice hockey club that competes in the American Hockey League. The team serves as the primary development club for the New York Rangers of the NHL and plays its home schedule in Hartford, Connecticut at the XL Center.
History
The franchise traces its origins to 1926, when it began play as the Providence Reds in the Canadian-American Hockey League. Over the decades the organization underwent a series of relocations and rebrandings before arriving in Hartford in the late 1990s.
- 1997: The club adopted the Hartford Wolf Pack identity after moving to Hartford.
- October 2010: The team was renamed the Connecticut Whale as a tribute to the former NHL club, the Hartford Whalers.
- 2013: Following the 2012–13 AHL season the organization returned to the Hartford Wolf Pack name.
Affiliations and arena
As the New York Rangers’ farm team, the Wolf Pack is tasked with developing players for the NHL roster and providing a place for prospects and depth players to gain professional experience. Their ECHL affiliate has been the Greenville Road Warriors, linking another level of player movement and development within the Rangers’ system (ECHL).
Home games are held at the XL Center in downtown Hartford, where the club aims to engage local fans and support the region’s hockey tradition.