The Hartford Wolf Pack opened a milestone season in October with a new coaching staff, a reloaded roster and 12 games on the schedule. They finished the month 5-6-1-0, and a few players clearly separated themselves from the pack in the early going.
Here are the three stars for October.
Third Star: Liam Greentree, Forward
October stats: 12 GP | 4 G | 3 A | 7 PTS | -8 | 2 PIM
No one arrived in the 2026-27 season with more buzz around him than Liam Greentree. The rookie winger, acquired from the Los Angeles Kings last February in the deal that sent Artemi Panarin to the City of Angels, came into camp with momentum and turned that into a strong opening month.
Greentree led Hartford with four goals in October and tied for second on the team with seven points. One of those goals also carried a little extra meaning: he scored the Wolf Pack’s first home goal of the season. That made it two straight years a rookie opened the home scoring for Hartford, after Gabe Perreault did it a season ago.
"WHAT A SNIPE FOR YOUR FIRST, LIAM! pic.twitter.com/wN2N0TCvsz
- Hartford Wolf Pack (@HWPHockey) October 10, 2026"
"He can shoot the puck," Wolf Pack head coach Jay Leach told Blueshirt Banter when asked about Greentree on Oct. 11.
"He's one of those guys that when he's playing north-south, he's effective. He's able to produce, which is a hard thing to do at any level."
Greentree’s offense has come with the man advantage. Every point he posted in October came on the power play, and that unit has been one of the AHL’s best early this season.
"It's a five-man unit," Greentree told Blueshirt Banter when asked about the power play on Oct. 23.
"We've been playing well. As long as we keep playing hard, battling for loose pucks, and attacking when we have a chance, we're a pretty good power play unit."
That power play has been a major weapon for Hartford, and Greentree has been right in the middle of it.
Second Star: Callum Tung, Goaltender
October stats: 7 GP | 7 GS | 3-4-0-0 | 2.17 GAA | .930 SV% | 10 PIMs
Hartford’s crease situation was in constant motion before the season even got rolling. Dylan Garand cleared waivers at media day, then got called up by the New York Rangers after Joonas Korpisalo suffered a foot infection. Spencer Martin also dealt with an ailment to start the year, leaving Gabriel Carriere and Callum Tung to handle the load.
Tung made the most of the opportunity. In seven starts, he put together a 2.17 goals-against average and a .930 save percentage.
His month included his first AHL shutout, a 28-save blanking of the Providence Bruins on Oct. 9.
"Congrats on your first shutout in the A, Callum! pic.twitter.com/Y8eYNotTk4
- Hartford Wolf Pack (@HWPHockey) October 12, 2026"
"He’s been great. He’s kept us in pretty much every game," Leach told Blueshirt Banter when asked about Tung on Oct.
- "I can't say I really remember a bad goal, which is not an easy thing to say for a goalie.
He’s answered the bell."
Tung’s record doesn’t tell the full story. His play gave Hartford a chance night after night, and that makes him an easy pick for second star.
First Star: Glenn Gawdin, Forward
October stats: 11 GP | 2 G | 8 A | 10 PTS | -4 | 14 PIM
Hartford had to replace a lot of offense after the offseason departures of Trey Fix-Wolansky and Brendan Brisson. Fix-Wolansky, who scored 31 goals, signed with the Vancouver Canucks, while Brisson, the Wolf Pack’s 2026 AHL All-Star Classic representative, joined the Toronto Maple Leafs.
One of the players brought in to help fill that gap was Glenn Gawdin, who signed a two-year contract with the Rangers on July 1. He came east after producing at least 50 points in four of his last five seasons, and he wasted little time making an impact.
Gawdin played at just under a point-per-game pace in October, leading the Wolf Pack in assists and points. He did a little bit of everything for Hartford, just as he said he would when asked about his game at media day.
"I'd like to say I'm a reliable two-way center," Gawdin told Blueshirt Banter at Wolf Pack media day on Sept. 28. "I think I can do a little bit of everything in terms of faceoffs, penalty kill, power play."
Leach praised that all-around game after Gawdin scored twice against the Springfield Thunderbirds on Nov. 1.
"He's done great," Leach told Blueshirt Banter on Nov. 1 after Gawdin recorded a pair of goals against the Springfield Thunderbirds. "He's smart out there on the ice and certainly makes plays, but he's also responsible."
The Wolf Pack needed someone to step into a major offensive role, and Gawdin did exactly that in the first month. He gets the nod as October’s first star.
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