Patrick WilliamsTheAHL.com Features Writer
Every NHL team has to deal with huge changes.
It's just that the Chicago Wolves have changed quite a bit, and there are some changes going on this season.
After one season away from the NHL, the Wolves and Carolina Hurricanes announced a three-year agreement to reunite in May 2024. Ranked 31st in AHL play.
The NHL-AHL affiliation is a symbiotic one. The two sides reunited and the Hurricanes took control of the club's AHL hockey operations.
“We are excited to re-establish our AHL ties with Chicago and grateful that we were able to find a solution that works for both clubs,” said Hurricanes president and general manager at the time Don Waddell said an announcement accompanying the new agreement. “Many of our rookies have already found success with the Wolves, both individually and as a team, and we are pleased to provide a stable environment for their development.”
The 2022 Calder Cup title highlights previous success. Peter Kochetkov, Jalen Chatfield, Jack Drury, Seth Jarvis and Stefan Northen They both made key contributions at different times with the Wolves before being promoted to NHL roles.
One of Carolina's first moves after their reunion last May was to bring in Cam Abbott Becomes Chicago's new head coach. Abbott, who spent parts of seven seasons with Rögle BK of the Swedish Hockey League, will serve as the tour's top coach in the 2021-22 season and win the Champions Hockey League championship.
With a large number of prospects in need of development time, the Hurricanes prioritized their youth when filling out their AHL roster. defensive player Joakim Ryan Returns to the Carolina organization after three seasons in the SHL. Austin Wagner (178 NHL games) Earned AHL contract with strong training camp and start to season. Tyson Jost The season began in Chicago but has spent much of the past two months with the Hurricanes.
Therefore, any success the Wolves have this season will have to depend heavily on prospects. After all, development is what matters. But a slow start could make sticking to the plan uncomfortable, and a 3-7-1-0 record tested the organization's confidence.
In mid-November, the hurricane took a bit of a turn. Injuried frederick anderson Facilitated the signing of two-time Calder Cup champion Dustin Tokarski For the sake of depth, Tokarski's drama is quickly pushed to a climax Spencer Martin Joined the Wolves and is currently partnering with the 20-year-old rookie Ruslan Khazheev.
But mostly patience. Since its nadir in mid-November, Chicago is 14-4-1, including nine wins in its last 10 games. They climbed to third place in the Central Division, one point behind second-place Texas.
Martin performed well for the Wolves, with a record of 8 wins, 2 draws and 1 loss, an average of 1.91 points per game and a 0.923 save percentage. For a team with a good but young offensive skill set, Chicago's two-way offense is able to limit opponents' chances; they average 25.5 shots per game, which ranks second in the AHL. The most recent shootout was 22-for-23. Of course, even better than a strong penalty kill is the ability to get out of penalty trouble, and the Wolves averaged 10.3 penalty minutes per game, the third-fewest in the league.
Five of the Wolves' top six scorers are 23 or younger; the sixth in that group, Juha JaskaComing all the way from Finland this season, he made his NHL debut last week. rookie Scott Morrow He is tied for the AHL defenseman lead with nine goals and had his second hat trick of the season in Saturday's 4-0 win over Rockford. former hurricanes first rounder Ryan Suzuki Leads the team with 23 points. Mix contributions from Justin Robidas, Bradley Nadeau and Noel Gunlerthe Wolves have shaken off their early-season woes. It just takes a little time, which is always crucial for player development.
Now comes their next test, with six of their next eight games on the road. Rookie Nadeau and Felix Unger Sorum Returning from representing their respective countries at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship, they are ready to return to their regular spots in the Abbott lineup.
Martin was impressed last Saturday against Rockford.
“This was,” he later said, “one of the best hockey games I've ever seen.”
About two decades in the American Hockey League, TheAHL.com feature writer Patrick Williams also currently covers the league for NHL.com and FloSports and is a regular contributor for SiriusXM NHL Network Radio . In 2016, he received the AHL's James H. Ellery Memorial Award for outstanding coverage of the league.
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