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Chicago Wolves
Chicago Wolves Logo.svg
City Rosemont, Illinois
League American Hockey League
Conference Western
Division Central
Founded 1994 (IHL)
Home arena Allstate Arena
Colors Burgundy, gold, black, white
                   
Owner(s) Don Levin
General manager Darren Yorke
Head coach Cam Abbott
Captain Josiah Slavin
Media My50
The U
AHL.TV (Internet)
Affiliate(s) 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)
Current uniform
ECA-Uniform-CHI-AHL.png
Current season

The Chicago Wolves are a professional ice hockey team. They are based in Rosemont, Illinois. The Wolves are part of the American Hockey League (AHL). They are connected to the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League (NHL). The team plays its home games at the Allstate Arena.

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

Team History and Wins

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

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

Key Players and Great Seasons

One of the most famous players for the Wolves was Steve Maltais. He played every season until he retired in 2005. He holds many of the team's scoring records. Other important players included goalie Wendell Young and former Pittsburgh star Rob Brown. Also, long-time Chicago Blackhawks stars Troy Murray, Chris Chelios, and Al Secord played for the Wolves.

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, ranking first in the Western Conference.

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

Team Affiliations Over Time

From 2001 to 2011, the Wolves were linked with the Atlanta Thrashers of the NHL. When the Thrashers moved to Winnipeg in 2011, the Wolves needed a new NHL partner. On June 27, 2011, they teamed up with the Vancouver Canucks for two years.

In 2013, the Wolves started a three-year partnership with the St. Louis Blues. This happened after the Canucks and Wolves ended their agreement. The Blues later decided not to continue their main affiliation with the Wolves after the 2016–17 season.

After the 2016–17 season, the Wolves became the first AHL affiliate for the new NHL team, the Vegas Golden Knights. Even though the Blues didn't renew their main partnership, they still sent some of their young players to the Wolves for that season.

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

During their first season with Vegas, the Wolves set new team records. They earned points in 14 straight games. They also won 13 home games in a row. In the 2018–19 season, the Wolves reached the Calder Cup Finals. They lost to the Charlotte Checkers in five games.

The Golden Knights later decided to start their own AHL team in Las Vegas. So, the Wolves looked for a new partner. On September 10, 2020, the Wolves announced a new agreement with the Carolina Hurricanes. For the 2020–21 season, the Wolves also had a temporary link with the Nashville Predators. This was because the Predators' usual AHL team, the Milwaukee Admirals, did not play that season. During the 2020–21 season, the Wolves played their home games at their training facility. This was due to rules about fans during the pandemic.

For the 2023–24 season, the Wolves played as an independent AHL team. This means they did not have a direct NHL partner. This was the first time an AHL team was independent since the 1994–95 season. However, on May 2, 2024, the team renewed its partnership with the Carolina Hurricanes. This new agreement will last for three years, starting with the 2024–25 season.

On May 6, 2025, the Greensboro Gargoyles announced their affiliation with the Carolina Hurricanes. This new ECHL team will start playing in October 2025. This link also connects them to the Wolves, making the Gargoyles the "AA" farm team.

Television Coverage

The Chicago Wolves were once the only AHL team with all their games shown on TV. At that time, the Chicago Blackhawks' owner did not allow their home games to be televised. So, the Wolves became a popular choice for hockey fans. They even used the slogan: "We Play Hockey The Old-Fashioned Way: We Actually Win".

For their first 12 seasons, Judd Sirott was the play-by-play announcer. Later, long-time Blackhawks commentators Pat Foley and Bill Gardner took over. Pat Foley returned to the Blackhawks in 2008. Since then, Jason Shaver has been the play-by-play announcer, working with Bill Gardner.

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

Recent Season Results

Here are the results for the Chicago Wolves from their last five seasons. For a full list of all seasons, you can visit List of Chicago Wolves seasons.

Regular Season Playoffs
Season Games Won Lost OTL SOL Points PCT Goals
for
Goals
against
Standing Year Div 1st Rd Div Semi Div Finals Conf. Finals Finals
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
2024–25 72 37 31 4 0 78 .542 205 223 4th, Central 2025 L, 0–2, RFD

Team Players

Current Roster

Updated July 23, 2025.

# Nat Player Pos S/G Age Acquired Birthplace
25 United States Biondi, BlakeBlake Biondi C R 23 2025 Hermantown, Minnesota Wolves
Canada Gagnon, DavidDavid Gagnon LW L 25 2025 Halifax, Nova Scotia Wolves
Canada Goure, DeniDeni Goure C R 22 2025 Chatham, Ontario Wolves
20 Canada Turcotte, YanickYanick Turcotte LW L 29 2024 Quebec, Quebec Wolves
Canada Vierling, EvanEvan Vierling C L 23 2025 Aurora, Ontario Wolves
United States Weiss, TylerTyler Weiss LW L 25 2025 Raleigh, North Carolina 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

Famous Former Players

These players played at least 100 games for the Wolves and 100 games in the National Hockey League:

  • Niklas Andersson
  • Ivan Barbashev
  • Tim Bergland
  • Jordan Binnington
  • Rob Brown
  • Chris Butler
  • Jordan Caron
  • Dylan Coghlan
  • Kevin Connauton
  • Joey Crabb
  • Kevin Dahl
  • Joe DiPenta
  • Dallas Eakins
  • Joel Edmundson
  • Garnet Exelby
  • Glen Featherstone
  • Kurtis Foster
  • Nicolas Hague
  • Jani Hakanpaa
  • Greg Hawgood
  • Brad Hunt
  • Keegan Kolesar
  • Jason Krog
  • Kari Lehtonen
  • Mackenzie MacEachern
  • Derek MacKenzie
  • Steve Maltais
  • Steve Martins
  • Kip Miller
  • Brian Noonan
  • Scott Pearson
  • Brandon Pirri
  • Dan Plante
  • Paul Postma
  • Jordan Schroeder
  • Al Secord
  • Tom Tilley
  • J.P. Vigier
  • Mike Weaver
  • Zach Whitecloud
  • Wendell Young

Retired Jersey Numbers

Wolves Retired Banners
Banners showing the Wolves' retired numbers and honored staff.

The Chicago Wolves have honored special players by retiring their jersey numbers. This means no other player on the team will wear that number again.

Chicago Wolves Retired Numbers
No. Player Position Years Played Retirement Date
1 Wendell Young G 1994–2001 December 1, 2001
11 Steve Maltais LW 1994–2005 April 15, 2006

Team Records

Wolves Banners
Some of the Wolves' championship banners hanging in the Allstate Arena.

These tables show some of the best records set by Chicago Wolves players.

Single Season Records

These are the top performances by a player in one season.

Type 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 38 Kari Lehtonen 2004–05
Shutouts 7 Jake Allen 2013–14

Career Records

These are the top records for players over their entire time with the Wolves.

Type 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 169 Wendell Young
Shutouts 16 Wendell Young

See also

  • List of Chicago Wolves award winners
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