The Western Conference Final begins on Thursday night with the Chicago Wolves facing the Colorado Eagles for the right to play in the Calder Cup Final. The marathon that is the American Hockey League’s playoffs is down to the homestretch, and either the Carolina Hurricanes or Colorado Avalanche affiliate will reach the Final. 

The catch about this series is that these teams are meeting for the first time, something that comes with the travel and distance of teams in the AHL. So, it’s hard to determine who has the edge or how the teams will stack up against one another. To help, here are four questions that will determine how this series will play out and who will ultimately come out on top. 

Trent Miner is playing at another level in the playoffs. He has a .947 save percentage (SV%) and a 1.26 goals-against average (GAA) along with four shutouts. Yet, the stats don’t tell the full story. The Henderson Silver Knights had the best offense in the AHL this season, and the Coachella Valley Firebirds have a dominant offense as well. Miner blanked them both. 

The Wolves, meanwhile, have made it as far as they have on the backs of great goaltending from Cayden Primeau. The journeyman veteran has a .924 SV% and a 2.31 GAA in the playoffs, and he’s proven he can carry the Wolves to the Final. 

So, the question is whether Primeau holds up against Miner? The defense stepping up in front of him will help but at the end of the day, Primeau must make a save that Miner doesn’t. For the Wolves to win this series, he must outduel the top goaltender in the playoffs thus far. 

The Wolves have one of the best young coaches in the AHL. In his first full season behind the bench, Spiros Anastas proved he can make the adjustments to win a game and control a series. He’s gotten the Wolves to buy in as well, allowing them to win a battle of a matchup against the Texas Stars and outplay the Grand Rapids Griffins in a series upset. 

With Anastas leading them, the Wolves will adjust, and they won’t quit either. The team at the end of the series won’t look like the team that started the series, and it will be interesting to see how Anastas tweaks things to beat an Eagles team that is talented from the top down. 

The Eagles are built on depth, specifically, veteran depth in all three units, and it’s one of the reasons they finished the season with the second-best record in the Pacific Division. Whether it’s Alex Barre-Boulet, Tristen Neilsen, or TJ Hughes, who joined the team as a college signing right before the playoffs, the Eagles come at teams in waves and not only run up the score but defend the middle and dare teams to take terrible shots.

The Eagles can simply overpower the Wolves in this series. Yes, the Wolves have depth but they are built on a great top line and defensemen who can open up the offense from the point in Cal Foote and Juuso Valimaki. It’s why if this series comes down to depth, the Eagles will have the edge.  

If there’s one player on the Wolves, it’s Bradly Nadeau, the elite winger who has eight points in the playoffs. Nadeau is on the top line with Ryan Suzuki and Justin Robidas, so he’ll have the scoring help alongside him. The player who can stand out on his own line is Felix Unger Sorum, a 20-year-old prospect who has driven play.

For the Eagles, the player to watch is Ivan Ivan, the prospect who has shown plenty of skill in this playoff run. He’s a point-per-game player and makes his linemates better with his passing. So, watch out for him throughout the series. The other player to keep in mind is Hughes, who has centered a middle-six line and done it all for the Eagles. While he won't stand out on the offensive end, he'll put together a great series that gives the Eagles an edge.