Chicago Wolves

Last updated
Chicago Wolves
Chicago Wolves Logo.svg
City Rosemont, Illinois
League American Hockey League
ConferenceWestern
DivisionCentral
Founded1994 (In the IHL)
Home arena Allstate Arena
ColorsBurgundy, gold, black, white
    
Owner(s)Don Levin, Buddy Meyers
General manager Wendell Young
Head coach Bob Nardella
Captain Chris Terry
Media My50
The U
AHL.TV (Internet)
Affiliate Carolina Hurricanes (NHL)
Franchise history
1994–presentChicago Wolves
Championships
Regular season titles1 IHL (1999–2000)
1 AHL (2021–22)
Division titles4 IHL (1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–00, 2000–01)
10 AHL (2004–05, 2007–08, 2009–10, 2011–12, 2013–14, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2020–21, 2021–22)
Conference titles3 IHL (1997–98,
1999–00, 2000–01)
5 AHL
(2001–02, 2004–05, 2007–08, 2018–19, 2021–22)
Turner Cups2 (1997–98, 1999–2000)
Calder Cups3 (2001–02, 2007–08, 2021–22)
Current uniform
ECA-Uniform-CHI-AHL.png
Hockey current event.svg Current season

The Chicago Wolves are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) and are affiliated with the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Wolves play home games at the Allstate Arena in the Chicago suburb of Rosemont, Illinois, and are owned by Chicago business owners Don Levin and Buddy Meyers.

Contents

Originally a member of the International Hockey League, the Wolves joined the AHL after the IHL folded in 2001.

History

The Wolves won the Turner Cup twice (1998, 2000) in the IHL and the Calder Cup thrice (2002, 2008, and 2022). The Wolves qualified for all but five postseasons (2005–06, 2008–09, 2010–11, 2012–13, and 2015–16 seasons), appearing in eight league championship finals (1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2008, 2019 and 2022) in their 22-year history.

The team's most notable player was forward Steve Maltais, who until his retirement after the 2004–05 season had played every season of the franchise and holds most of its scoring records. Other notable players include goaltender Wendell Young, ex-Pittsburgh star Rob Brown and long time Chicago Blackhawks stars Troy Murray, Chris Chelios and Al Secord. The Wolves had their best season start in their 14-year history, during the 2007–08 season, winning 13 of the first 14 games, with an overtime loss. The Wolves finished the season with 111 points, and first in the Western Conference.

2007-08 Wolves with the Calder Cup Chi-wbs51 rd (40398792212).jpg
2007–08 Wolves with the Calder Cup

The Wolves were the AHL affiliate of the Atlanta Thrashers from 2001 to 2011. The Thrashers relocated to Winnipeg in June 2011 and added the St. John's IceCaps (formerly the Manitoba Moose) as their new AHL affiliate, leaving the Wolves and the NHL's Vancouver Canucks to find new affiliates. On June 27, 2011, the Wolves and Canucks agreed to a two–year affiliation agreement. [1]

On April 23, 2013, the Wolves and St. Louis Blues reached a three-year affiliation agreement. The deal was struck after the Canucks and Wolves decided not to renew their existing affiliation agreement and purchased the Peoria Rivermen franchise from the Blues creating the Utica Comets. [2] In November 2016, it was first reported the Blues would not renew their affiliation with the Wolves and were planning to move their affiliation to Kansas City for 2017. [3] However, this was unconfirmed and then denied by the announced potential owner in Kansas City, Lamar Hunt Jr., in a press release from his ECHL team in the area, the Missouri Mavericks, [4] and further denied by AHL commissioner, David Andrews, after the January 2017 Board of Governors meeting. [5]

After the 2016–17 season, the Wolves became the first affiliate of the NHL's expansion team, the Vegas Golden Knights. [6] The Blues did not re-sign with the Wolves to be their primary NHL affiliate for the 2017–18 season. However, Blues' general manager Doug Armstrong confirmed they would still send prospects to the Wolves for that season. [7]

2021-22 Wolves with the Calder Cup H0A6418m (2).jpg
2021–22 Wolves with the Calder Cup
The Wolves playing at the Milwaukee Admirals in 2023 Chicago Wolves vs. Milwaukee Admirals March 2023 48 (face-off).jpg
The Wolves playing at the Milwaukee Admirals in 2023

During the first season of their affiliation with Vegas, the Wolves set a pair of franchise records in earning points in 14 straight games from December 9 to January 6 [8] and 13 consecutive home wins from December 6 to February 15. [9] In the 2018–19 season, the Wolves made the Calder Cup Finals, in which they lost to the Charlotte Checkers in five games. [10] During the 2019–20 season, the Golden Knights stated it was looking to own and operate its own AHL team in the Las Vegas region in 2020–21, but it would not be the Wolves. [11] The Golden Knights agreed to purchase the San Antonio Rampage franchise and move it to the Las Vegas area as the Henderson Silver Knights. [12] On September 10, 2020, the Wolves announced an affiliation agreement with the Carolina Hurricanes. [13] In addition, the Wolves added a temporary secondary NHL affiliate in the Nashville Predators for the 2020–21 season as the Predators' affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals, opted out of the COVID-19 pandemic-shortened season. [14] For the 2020–21 season, the teams' home games were at their training facility at the Triphahn Center in Hoffman Estates due to arena restrictions for fans during the pandemic. [15]

During the 2023–24 season, the Wolves played as independent AHL team, becoming the first independent AHL team since the 1994–95 season. [16] On May 2, 2024, the team renewed its affiliation with the Carolina Hurricanes for a three-year term beginning with the 2024–25 season. [17]

Television

The Wolves once were the only AHL team with a full television package. As the Chicago Blackhawks' late owner Bill Wirtz had refused to allow Blackhawks home games to be televised locally, the Wolves were viewed and embraced as an alternative; the Wolves took advantage of this, going so far as to promote themselves with the slogan "We Play Hockey The Old-Fashioned Way: We Actually Win". After Judd Sirott served as the team's play-by-play announcer for its first 12 seasons, starting in the 2006–07 season broadcast announcers were long-time Blackhawks commentators Pat Foley and Bill Gardner; Foley ultimately returned to the Blackhawks for the 2008–09 season after Bill Wirtz died and his son Rocky took over the team, reversing many of his father's policies, one of which allowed the Blackhawks' games to be aired locally on TV. [18] Since 2008, Jason Shaver has handled the play-by-play duties for the Wolves, along with Gardner.

Today, select regular-season home games are broadcast on WPWR-TV (My50), and WMEU-CD (The U), and all games are streamed on AHLTV.

Season-by-season results

This is a partial list of the last five seasons completed by the Wolves. For the full season-by-season history, see List of Chicago Wolves seasons

Regular seasonPlayoffs
SeasonGamesWonLostOTLSOLPointsPCTGoals
for		Goals
against		StandingYear1st
round		2nd
round		3rd
round		Finals
2019–20 6127265362.5081551754th, Central2020Season cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2020–21 332191245.682132941st, Central2021No playoffs were held
2021–22 76501655110.7242611941st, Central 2022 W, 3–0, RFD W, 3–1, MIL W, 4–2, STO W, 4–1, SPR
2022–23 7235295378.5422272446th, Central 2023 Did not qualify
2023–24 7223357760.4171922537th, Central 2024 Did not qualify

Players

Current roster

Updated April 25, 2024. [19] [20]

Team roster
No. Nat Player Pos S/G AgeAcquiredBirthplaceContract
89 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Cory Conacher RW L34 2023 Burlington, Ontario Wolves
3 Flag of the United States.svg Tory Dello D R27 2023 Crystal Lake, Illinois Wolves
46 Flag of the United States.svg Matt Donovan  ( A ) D L33 2023 Edmond, Oklahoma Wolves
83 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Hudson Elynuik F L26 2023 Calgary, Alberta Wolves
32 Flag of the United States.svg Domenick Fensore D L22 2023 Bronxville, New York Wolves
20 Flag of the United States.svg Cavan Fitzgerald  ( A ) D L27 2020 Boston, Massachusetts Wolves
21 Flag of the United States.svg Dominic Franco RW R28 2023 Scituate, Rhode Island Wolves
22 Flag of the United States.svg Alex Green D R25 2022 Chicago, Illinois Wolves
91 Flag of the United States.svg Rocco Grimaldi  ( A ) RW L31 2023 Rossmoor, California Wolves
30 Flag of the United States.svg Keith Kinkaid G L34 2023 Farmingville, New York Devils
36 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Kyle Marino C R28 2023 Niagara Falls, Ontario Wolves
37 Flag of the United States.svg Josh Melnick  ( A ) C R28 2022 Rahway, New Jersey Wolves
2 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Griffin Mendel D L25 2022 Kelowna, British Columbia Hurricanes
35 Flag of Finland.svg Antti Raanta G L34 2023 Rauma, Finland Hurricanes
23 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Isaac Ratcliffe LW L25 2023 London, Ontario Wolves
31 Flag of the United States.svg Adam Scheel G L25 2023 Lakewood, Ohio Wolves
10 Flag of the United States.svg Cole Schneider  ( A ) LW L33 2023 Williamsville, New York Wolves
14 Flag of the United States.svg Nate Sucese LW L27 2022 Fairport, New York Wolves
25 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Chris Terry  ( C ) LW L35 2023 Brampton, Ontario Wolves
13 Flag of the United States.svg Ryan Wagner LW L28 2023 Park Ridge, Illinois Wolves
15 Flag of the United States.svg Jake Wise C L24 2024 Naples, Florida Wolves

Team captains

Notable alumni

The following players have played both 100 games for the Wolves and 100 games in the National Hockey League:

Retired numbers

Wolves retired numbers and honored personnel Wolves Retired Banners.JPG
Wolves retired numbers and honored personnel
Chicago Wolves retired numbers
No.PlayerPositionCareerNo. retirement
1 Wendell Young G 1994–2001December 1, 2001 [21]
11 Steve Maltais LW 1994–2005April 15, 2006 [21]

Team records

Single season

Some of the Wolves banners hanging in the Allstate Arena Wolves Banners.JPG
Some of the Wolves banners hanging in the Allstate Arena
TypeNumberPlayerSeason
Goals 60 Steve Maltais 1996–97 [22]
Assists 91 Rob Brown 1995–96 [22]
Points143Rob Brown 1995–96 [22]
Penalty minutes390 Kevin MacDonald 1994–95 [22]
Hat-tricks 5Steve Maltais 1996–97 [22]
Power play goals 27Steve Maltais 1995–96 & 1996–97 [23]
Short-handed goals 7 Ben Simon 2002–03 [23]
Plus–minus +47 Arturs Kulda 2009–10 [23]
Wins38 Kari Lehtonen 2004–05 [23]
Shutouts 7 Jake Allen 2013–14 [24]

Career

TypeNumberPlayer
Goals454Steve Maltais [22]
Assists497Steve Maltais [22]
Points951Steve Maltais [22]
Penalty minutes1061Steve Maltais [22]
Hat-tricks18Steve Maltais [22]
Power play goals195Steve Maltais [22]
Short-handed goals21 Derek MacKenzie [23]
Game winning goals 67Steve Maltais [22]
Games played839Steve Maltais [25]
Wins169 Wendell Young [26]
Shutouts16Wendell Young [27]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Hockey League</span> Ice hockey league in the United States and Canada

The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). As of the 2023–24 AHL season, 31 of the 32 AHL teams had an official affiliation with an NHL team; immediately following season's end, the Chicago Wolves and Carolina Hurricanes finalized an affiliation agreement, resulting in all AHL teams having an NHL affiliation for the upcoming 2024–25 season. Historically, when an NHL team does not have an AHL affiliate, its players are assigned to AHL teams affiliated with other NHL franchises.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Wayne Komets</span> Professional minor league ice hockey team in Fort Wayne, Indiana

The Fort Wayne Komets are a minor league ice hockey team in the ECHL. They play their home games at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Indiana. This team was previously a member of the Central Hockey League (CHL), the original International Hockey League (IHL), and the second International Hockey League (UHL/IHL). Founded in the original IHL They have won four post-season championship titles in the original IHL in 1963, 1965, 1973, and 1993, four in the UHL/second IHL in 2003, 2008, 2009, and 2010, one in the CHL in 2012, and one in the ECHL in 2021. In all of North American professional hockey, only the Original Six teams of the NHL and the Hershey Bears of the AHL have played continuously in the same city with the same name longer than the Komets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Antonio Rampage</span> Ice hockey team

The San Antonio Rampage was a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League based in San Antonio, Texas. The Rampage was primarily owned by Spurs Sports & Entertainment throughout the team's existence. In 2020, the franchise was sold to the Vegas Golden Knights and relocated as the Henderson Silver Knights.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kalamazoo Wings</span> Hockey team from Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA

The Kalamazoo Wings, nicknamed the K-Wings, are a mid-level professional ice hockey team in Kalamazoo, Michigan. A member of the ECHL's Western Conference, Central Division, they play in the 5,113-seat Wings Event Center. They are the affiliate of the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League, and the Abbotsford Canucks of the American Hockey League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bruce Cassidy</span> Canadian ice hockey coach (born 1965)

Bruce James Cassidy, nicknamed "Butch", is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former player who is the head coach for the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the first round, 18th overall, by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 1983 NHL Entry Draft. As a coach, Cassidy won the Stanley Cup with the Golden Knights in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Leighton</span> Canadian ice hockey player (born 1981)

Michael W. Leighton is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Chicago Blackhawks, Nashville Predators, Philadelphia Flyers and Carolina Hurricanes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drew MacIntyre</span> Canadian ice hockey player (born 1983)

Drew MacIntyre is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. As of 2021, he is a developmental goaltending coach and scout for the Winnipeg Jets in the National Hockey League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason Garrison</span> Canadian ice hockey player (born 1984)

Jason John Maxwell Garrison is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenseman currently an unrestricted free agent. He most recently played for the Chicago Wolves in the American Hockey League (AHL). Garrison played two years of Junior A with the Nanaimo Clippers of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL), during which time he earned a scholarship to play college hockey with the University of Minnesota Duluth. Following his third NCAA year, he signed with the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL) as an undrafted free agent in 2008. Garrison spent four years with the Panthers organization, setting franchise records for single-season goals and power play goals by a defenceman in 2011–12.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eddie Läck</span> Swedish ice hockey player and coach

Eddie Läck is a Swedish former professional ice hockey goaltender. He serves as an assistant head coach of the Arizona State Sun Devils, and is also currently a real estate agent in the Scottsdale, Arizona region. Läck, a goaltender, played in Sweden for Leksands IF of the HockeyAllsvenskan and Brynäs IF of the Elitserien before moving to the National Hockey League (NHL) where he played for the Vancouver Canucks, Carolina Hurricanes, Calgary Flames and New Jersey Devils. After going undrafted in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, he signed as a free agent with the Vancouver Canucks in 2010. He was assigned to the Manitoba Moose in his first season with the Canucks organization and was named to the American Hockey League's 2010–11 All-Rookie Team. He is nicknamed "The Stork", in reference to his tall stature and long legs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philip Holm</span> Swedish ice hockey player

Philip Holm is a Swedish professional ice hockey defenseman who is currently playing with Örebro HK of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malcolm Subban</span> Canadian ice hockey player (born 1993)

Malcolm-Jamaal Justin Subban is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender for the Cleveland Monsters of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL). Subban was selected by the Boston Bruins in the first round of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. He played junior hockey in the Ontario Hockey League with the Belleville Bulls.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patrick Brown (ice hockey)</span> American ice hockey player (born 1992)

Patrick Wellington Brown is an American professional ice hockey forward for the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vegas Golden Knights</span> National Hockey League team in Paradise, Nevada

The Vegas Golden Knights are a professional ice hockey team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Golden Knights compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference. Founded in 2017 as an expansion team, the team is the first major sports franchise to represent Las Vegas. The franchise is owned by Black Knight Sports and Entertainment, a consortium led by Bill Foley and the Maloof family. Their home games are played at T-Mobile Arena on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada.

The 2017–18 AHL season was the 82nd season of the American Hockey League. The regular season ran from October 6, 2017, to April 15, 2018. The 2018 Calder Cup playoffs followed the conclusion of the regular season. The Toronto Marlies won their first Calder Cup in seven games over the Texas Stars.

Reid Duke is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and multi-instrumentalist who is currently playing for Starbulls Rosenheim of the DEL2.

The 2018–19 AHL season was the 83rd season of the American Hockey League. The regular season began October 5, 2018, and ended April 15, 2019. The 2019 Calder Cup playoffs followed the conclusion of the regular season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheldon Rempal</span> Canadian ice hockey player (born 1995)

Sheldon Rempal is a Canadian professional ice hockey winger for the Henderson Silver Knights of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL). Prior to turning professional, Rempal played two seasons with Clarkson University where he was named to the NCAA (East) Second All-American Team, NCAA (ECAC) All-Tournament Team, and NCAA (ECAC) First All-Star Team.

The 2019–20 Vegas Golden Knights season was the third season for the National Hockey League franchise that started playing in the 2017–18 season. They played their home games at T-Mobile Arena on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. They made the playoffs for the third straight season after losing in the first round of the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs to the San Jose Sharks the year prior. On October 17, 2019, the NHL suspended Valentin Zykov for 20 regular season games for violating the terms of the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substances Program.

The 2019–20 Chicago Blackhawks season was the 94th season for the National Hockey League franchise that was established on September 25, 1926. The Blackhawks were led by head coach Jeremy Colliton in his first full year as head coach.

References

  1. ↑ "Canucks enter new AHL affiliation agreement with Chicago". TSN . The Canadian Press. June 27, 2011. Archived from the original on June 30, 2011. Retrieved June 27, 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  2. ↑ "Blues Announce Affiliation with Wolves". St. Louis Blues . April 23, 2013. Archived from the original on 2018-03-21. Retrieved April 23, 2013.
  3. ↑ Schaeffer, Brenden (November 30, 2016). "Report: Blues AHL affiliation to move to Kansas City". KMOV . Archived from the original on 2016-12-01. Retrieved November 30, 2016.
  4. ↑ Spedden, Zach (December 2, 2016). "Missouri Mavericks Deny Reports on AHL and Kansas City". Arena Digest. Archived from the original on 2016-12-03. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
  5. ↑ Timmermann, Tom (January 31, 2017). "Blue Notes: Reaves moving to third line, at least to start". St. Louis Post-Dispatch . Retrieved January 31, 2017.
  6. ↑ "WOLVES, GOLDEN KNIGHTS ANNOUNCE PARTNERSHIP". American Hockey League . May 16, 2017. Archived from the original on 2017-05-17. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
  7. ↑ "Armstrong statement on AHL affiliation". St. Louis Blues . May 16, 2017. Archived from the original on 2017-09-12. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
  8. ↑ Hoffman, Samantha (January 11, 2018). "Gulls Stop Wovles' Point Streak at 14 Games". The Sin Bin. Archived from the original on June 9, 2019. Retrieved June 9, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  9. ↑ "Special Teams Power Wolves to Franchise-Record 13th Consecutive Home Win". Chicago Wolves. February 15, 2018. Archived from the original on 2019-06-20. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  10. ↑ Smith, Michael (June 8, 2018). "Charlotte Checkers win Calder Cup". Carolina Hurricanes . Archived from the original on 2019-06-09. Retrieved June 9, 2019.
  11. ↑ Schoen, David (January 27, 2020). "Golden Knights looking to buy AHL club and move it to Las Vegas". Las Vegas Review-Journal . Archived from the original on 2020-01-28. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  12. ↑ Dietz, John (February 7, 2020). "Golden Knights purchase AHL franchise, Wolves owner confident team will find new NHL partnership". Daily Herald . Archived from the original on 2020-02-07. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  13. ↑ "Wolves forge partnership with Carolina Hurricanes". Chicago Wolves. September 10, 2020. Archived from the original on 2020-09-29. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
  14. ↑ "Wolves take on Predators as second affiliate for 2020-21". American Hockey League . January 7, 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-01-07. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  15. ↑ "GAMEDAY: OUR 27TH OPENER!". Chicago Wolves. February 5, 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-02-05. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
  16. ↑ "Chicago Wolves To Play As An Independent AHL Team". Pro Hockey Rumors. April 5, 2023. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
  17. ↑ "Together Again: Wolves and Canes Forge New Partnership" (Press release). Chicago Wolves. May 2, 2024. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
  18. ↑ "Pat Foley returns to Hawks". Chicago Sun-Times . June 16, 2008. Archived from the original on July 1, 2008. Retrieved June 16, 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  19. ↑ "Chicago Wolves Roster". Archived from the original on 2021-10-14. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
  20. ↑ "Chicago Wolves Roster". Elite Prospects. Archived from the original on 2003-11-15. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
  21. 1 2 "All-Time favorite Chicago Wolves moment". Chicago Wolves. February 3, 2016. Archived from the original on 2019-07-04. Retrieved February 3, 2017.
  22. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Skelnik 2012 , pp. 124
  23. 1 2 3 4 5 Skelnik 2012 , pp. 125
  24. ↑ LaTour, Paul (April 19, 2014). "Wolves win AHL's Midwest Division". Chicago Tribune . Archived from the original on 2014-04-21. Retrieved April 28, 2014.
  25. ↑ "Wolves to retire Maltais' No. 11.(Sports)". Daily Herald . January 27, 2006. Archived from the original on February 22, 2016. Retrieved January 2, 2013.
  26. ↑ Spellman, Mike (November 30, 2001). "Ring master Wolves will honor former goalie Young by retiring his No. 1.(Sports)". Daily Herald .[ dead link ]
  27. ↑ Shapiro, Mark (November 7, 2000). "Wolves' Young Blanks Grizzlies". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved January 22, 2013.

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.