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Chicago Wolves
Chicago Wolves Logo.svg
City Rosemont, Illinois
League American Hockey League
Conference Western
Division Central
Founded 1994 (In the IHL)
Home arena Allstate Arena
Colors Burgundy, gold, black, white
                   
Owner(s) Don Levin, Buddy Meyers
General manager Darren Yorke
Head coach Cam Abbott
Captain Josiah Slavin
Media My50
The U
AHL.TV (Internet)
Affiliates Carolina Hurricanes (NHL)
Franchise history
1994–present Chicago Wolves
Championships
Regular season titles 1 IHL (1999–2000)
1 AHL (2021–22)
Division Championships 4 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 Championships 3 IHL (1997–98,
1999–00, 2000–01)
5 AHL
(2001–02, 2004–05, 2007–08, 2018–19, 2021–22)
Turner Cups 2 (1997–98, 1999–2000)
Calder Cups 3 (2001–02, 2007–08, 2021–22)

The Chicago Wolves are a professional ice hockey team. They play in the American Hockey League (AHL). The team is connected with the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Wolves play their home games at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois. This is a suburb near Chicago. Don Levin and Buddy Meyers own the team.

The Wolves started in the International Hockey League (IHL). When the IHL closed in 2001, the Wolves joined the AHL.

Chicago Wolves: Team History

How the Wolves Started and Won Cups

The Chicago Wolves have won several championships. They won the Turner Cup twice in the IHL. These wins were in 1998 and 2000. After joining the AHL, they won the Calder Cup three times. These wins happened in 2002, 2008, and 2022.

The team has often made it to the playoffs. They reached the league championship finals eight times. These final appearances were in 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2008, 2019, and 2022.

Famous Players and Great Seasons

Steve Maltais is a very famous player for the Wolves. He played every season until 2005. He holds most of the team's scoring records. Other important players include Wendell Young, Rob Brown, Troy Murray, Chris Chelios, and Al Secord.

The Wolves had an amazing start to their 2007–08 season. They won 13 of their first 14 games. They finished that season with 111 points. This made them first in the Western Conference.

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

Team Connections Over the Years

From 2001 to 2011, the Wolves were linked with the Atlanta Thrashers NHL team. When the Thrashers moved to Winnipeg, the Wolves needed a new partner. In 2011, they teamed up with the Vancouver Canucks for two years.

Later, in 2013, the Wolves became partners with the St. Louis Blues. This agreement lasted for three years. After the 2016–17 season, the Wolves became the first team to partner with the new NHL team, the Vegas Golden Knights.

In the 2018–19 season, the Wolves reached the Calder Cup Finals. They played against the Charlotte Checkers but lost in five games. The Golden Knights later decided to start their own AHL team.

On September 10, 2020, the Wolves announced a new partnership. They joined with the Carolina Hurricanes. For the 2020–21 season, they also had a temporary connection with the Nashville Predators. This was because the Predators' usual team opted out due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During that season, the Wolves played home games at their training facility. This was due to rules about fans during the pandemic.

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

For the 2023–24 season, the Wolves played without a main NHL partner. They were the first AHL team to do this since 1995. But on May 2, 2024, they renewed their partnership with the Carolina Hurricanes. This new agreement will last for three years, starting with the 2024–25 season.

Watching the Wolves: Television Coverage

The Chicago Wolves were once the only AHL team with all their games on TV. At that time, the Chicago Blackhawks' games were not shown locally. So, many fans watched the Wolves instead. The Wolves even used the slogan: "We Play Hockey The Old-Fashioned Way: We Actually Win".

Today, some regular-season home games are shown on TV. You can watch them on WPWR-TV (My50) and WMEU-CD (The U). All games can also be streamed online on AHLTV.

Chicago Wolves: Recent Season Results

This table shows how the Wolves have done in their last five seasons.

Regular season Playoffs
Season Games Won Lost OTL SOL Points PCT Goals
for		 Goals
against		 Standing Year 1st
round		 2nd
round		 3rd
round		 Finals
2019–20 61 27 26 5 3 62 .508 155 175 4th, Central 2020 Season cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2020–21 33 21 9 1 2 45 .682 132 94 1st, Central 2021 No playoffs were held
2021–22 76 50 16 5 5 110 .724 261 194 1st, Central 2022 W, 3–0, RFD W, 3–1, MIL W, 4–2, STO W, 4–1, SPR
2022–23 72 35 29 5 3 78 .542 227 244 6th, Central 2023 Did not qualify
2023–24 72 23 35 7 7 60 .417 192 253 7th, Central 2024 Did not qualify

Chicago Wolves: Players and Records

Current Team Roster

Updated November 17, 2024.

Team roster
No. Nat Player Pos S/G Age Acquired Birthplace Contract
22 United States Brind'Amour, SkylerSkyler Brind'Amour C L 25 2024 Raleigh, North Carolina Hurricanes
2 United States Fensore, DomenickDomenick Fensore D L 23 2023 Bronxville, New York Hurricanes
21 United States Franco, DominicDominic Franco RW R 29 2023 Scituate, Rhode Island Wolves
10 Sweden Gunler, NoelNoel Gunler RW R 23 2024 Luleå, Sweden Hurricanes
34 Finland Heimosalmi, AleksiAleksi Heimosalmi D R 22 2024 Pori, Finland Hurricanes
51 Finland Jaaska, JuhaJuha Jaaska (A) LW L 27 2024 Helsinki, Finland Hurricanes
12 Canada Katic, DannyDanny Katic LW L 24 2024 Porcupine, Ontario Wolves
80 Russia Khazheyev, RuslanRuslan Khazheyev G R 20 2024 Chelyabinsk, Russia Hurricanes
5 Canada Legault, Charles-AlexisCharles-Alexis Legault D R 21 2024 Laval, Quebec Hurricanes
82 Canada Lemieux, BrendanBrendan Lemieux LW L 29 2024 Denver, Colorado Hurricanes
55 United States Morrow, ScottScott Morrow D R 22 2024 Darien, Connecticut Hurricanes
82 Canada Nadeau, BradlyBradly Nadeau LW R 20 2024 Saint-François-de-Madawaska, New Brunswick Wolves
28 Canada Panwar, SahilSahil Panwar C L 23 2024 Mississauga, Ontario Wolves
15 Russia Pavlychev, NikitaNikita Pavlychev C L 28 2024 Yaroslavl, Russia Wolves
60 Canada Perets, YanivYaniv Perets G R 25 2024 Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Quebec Hurricanes
93 Canada Robidas, JustinJustin Robidas C R 22 2024 Plano, Texas Hurricanes
47 Sweden Ryan, JoakimJoakim Ryan D L 32 2024 Rumson, New Jersey Hurricanes
8 Canada Seeley, RonanRonan Seeley (A) D L 22 2022 Olds, Alberta Hurricanes
23 United States Slavin, JosiahJosiah Slavin (C) LW L 26 2024 Erie, Colorado Hurricanes
61 Canada Stillman, RileyRiley Stillman D L 27 2024 Calgary, Alberta Hurricanes
6 Canada Suzuki, RyanRyan Suzuki C L 24 2024 London, Ontario Wolves
13 United States Swaney, NickNick Swaney (A) RW R 27 2024 Lakeville, Minnesota Wolves
31 Canada Tokarski, DustinDustin Tokarski G L 35 2024 Humboldt, Saskatchewan Wolves
71 Russia Trikozov, GlebGleb Trikozov LW R 20 2024 Omsk, Russia Wolves
14 Sweden Unger Sörum, FelixFelix Unger Sörum RW R 19 2024 Trondheim, Norway Wolves
18 Canada Wagner, AustinAustin Wagner LW L 28 2024 Calgary, Alberta Wolves

Team Captains Through the Years

  • Steve Maltais; 1994–96, 1997–2000, 2001–05
  • Troy Murray; 1996–97
  • Kevin Dahl; 2000–01
  • Derek MacKenzie; 2005–06
  • Darren Haydar; 2007–08, 2012–13
  • Jamie Rivers; 2008–09
  • Jason Krog; 2009–11
  • Nolan Baumgartner; 2011–12
  • Taylor Chorney; 2013–14
  • Brent Regner; 2014–15
  • Pat Cannone; 2015–16
  • Chris Butler; 2016–17
  • Paul Thompson; 2017–18
  • Andrew Poturalski; 2021–22
  • Max Lajoie; 2022–23
  • Chris Terry; 2023–24
  • Josiah Slavin; 2024–present

Retired Jersey Numbers

Some players were so important that their jersey numbers were retired. This means no other player on the team will wear that number again.

Wolves Retired Banners
Banners showing the Wolves' retired numbers and honored people.
Chicago Wolves Retired Numbers
No. Player Position Years Played Number Retired
1 Wendell Young Goalie 1994–2001 December 1, 2001
11 Steve Maltais Left Wing 1994–2005 April 15, 2006

Team Records: Best Single Seasons

These are some of the best individual player performances in a single season for the Wolves.

Wolves Banners
Some of the Wolves banners hanging in the Allstate Arena.
Type of Record Number Player Season
Goals 60 Steve Maltais 1996–97
Assists 91 Rob Brown 1995–96
Points 143 Rob Brown 1995–96
Penalty minutes 390 Kevin MacDonald 1994–95
Hat-tricks 5 Steve Maltais 1996–97
Power play goals 27 Steve Maltais 1995–96 & 1996–97
Short-handed goals 7 Ben Simon 2002–03
Plus–minus +47 Arturs Kulda 2009–10
Wins (Goalie) 38 Kari Lehtonen 2004–05
Shutouts (Goalie) 7 Jake Allen 2013–14

Team Records: Career Totals

These records show the best performances by players over their entire time with the Wolves.

Type of Record Number Player
Goals 454 Steve Maltais
Assists 497 Steve Maltais
Points 951 Steve Maltais
Penalty minutes 1061 Steve Maltais
Hat-tricks 18 Steve Maltais
Power play goals 195 Steve Maltais
Short-handed goals 21 Derek MacKenzie
Game winning goals 67 Steve Maltais
Games played 839 Steve Maltais
Wins (Goalie) 169 Wendell Young
Shutouts (Goalie) 16 Wendell Young
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