Patrick WilliamsTheAHL.com Features Writer
Can the Chicago Wolves do it again?
They went all the way in the series by defeating the Texas Stars in the Central Division semifinals. Texas State has a record of 7 wins, 1 draw, 0 draws and 0 losses against the Wolves, with six of those wins coming between March 7 and the end of the regular season. None of this matters. Chicago reached the Calder Cup playoffs and played a core opponent that reached the Western Conference Finals a year ago.
Then there’s the big, bad Grand Rapids Griffins, a team that started the season with a 29-1-1 record. But Chicago took that challenge, answered it, and got through it. They traveled to Grand Rapids, where they won the first two games of the series before defeating the Griffins in four games.
Chicago, the 2022 Calder Cup champions, is back strong and looking for more. Next up is tonight’s first game of the best-of-seven Western Conference finals against the Colorado Eagles. Blue FCU Arena is the most challenging environment for visitors. But so does Texas. Same thing in Grand Rapids. Yet the Wolves started both series on the road and are 3-1 on the road in the playoffs, with two of those wins coming in overtime.
Along with the parent team, the Carolina Hurricanes, it’s been an exciting playoff run for the entire organization so far. The last time an NHL team won the Stanley Cup and Calder Cup in the same year was 1995. That was 31 years ago, when the New Jersey Devils and Albany River Rats completed a doubleheader. Now, just one game away from the Stanley Cup Finals, the Hurricanes are ready to compete for a championship.
Wolves are struggling to keep up with their parent club. Kayden Primo Get them online. At 26 years old, he’s an old pro in the long postseason. He led the Laval Rocket to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2022 and 2025. Now he’s trying out the Western Conference. Primeau currently has a record of 6-3, a goals against average of 2.31 and a save percentage of 0.924.
Relying on the power play can be dangerous, but the Wolves have come alive with their man advantage in the playoffs. They ranked 24th in the AHL with a 16.9% winning percentage in the regular season, and so far, their winning percentage in the playoffs has increased to 21.2%. With Primo in net, the extra offensive boost gave them the edge they needed; five of their six playoff wins came by one goal.
There is in front Felix Unger SorumThe 20-year-old, who is playing in his second AHL season, continued to perform well after scoring 66 points in the regular season. The 2023 second-rounder has eight points (three goals, five assists) in nine games. There’s another member of the 2023 class, a first-round pick Bradley Nadeau. At just 21 years old, Nadeau scored 27 goals during the season and contributed 7 assists and 1 goal in 8 playoff games, demonstrating his passing ability. Justin RobidasA likely fifth-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, he has 20 or more goals in each of his first two AHL seasons. Noah Philp On December 28, he transferred from the Edmonton Oilers via waivers and eventually joined Chicago. His two goals helped eliminate the Griffins last Thursday night. The backend can also distribute pucks.
It’s been a rocky year for the Wolves. On December 12, 11-7-3-1, the Hurricanes elected to replace their head coach. Cam Abbott and Spiros Anastashis first time as an AHL head coach. By that point, the Griffins had distanced themselves from the rest of the Central Division teams, so finishing second became the spoils for this group. Anastasi and the Wolves controlled the spot, but a 1-7-0-1 slide in March nearly put the spot in jeopardy. But they ended up strong, taking five of their final six games to win their home game against the Stars.
Now they have a chance to do further damage. The Eagles will be another huge challenge. But so does Texas and Chicago. All four regular-season division champions are now at home as the Wolves continue to play.
This is the Calder Cup playoffs and the Wolves have sent a message not to count them out.
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 to SiriusXM NHL Network Radio. In 2016, he received the AHL’s James H. Ellery Memorial Award for outstanding coverage of the league.
