Under new leadership, rising prospects fuel the Chicago Wolves' championship aspirations. The young squad is primed for a deep Calder Cup playoff run.
Not only are the Carolina Hurricanes looking to make a deep run this postseason, but so too are their AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves too.
The Wolves have a talented, young team this year and after a strong regular season, they're looking to do some damage in the Calder Cup Playoffs.
The team is led by newly named head coach Spiros Anastas, who took over the head coaching role in December and had the interim tag removed just a week ago.
“Since taking the reins in December, Spiros has proven that he is a capable leader for our top developmental team Chicago,” said Carolina Hurricanes associate general manager Darren Yorke. “His communication style has resonated with our young players and we look forward to watching the Wolves push for a Calder Cup this spring.”
Last year, the Wolves finished as the fourth seed in the Central Division and had to face the Rockford IceHogs in a first round, best-of-three series, which they lost in two games.
This year though, Chicago enters the 2026 Calder Cup Playoffs as the second seed in the Central and will get to play instead in a best-of-five series against the Texas Stars.
The organization's AHL affiliate took some big steps this year, and there was some especially noticeable growth from some of the team's top prospects.
Felix Unger Sorum led the team in points (66) this season after registering just 20 last year in his first year of North American hockey and Bradly Nadeau once again led the team in goals (27) and nearly finished with as many points as his first professional season despite playing in 12 fewer games.
There was also steady growth down the middle shown by Justin Robidas and Skyler Brind'Amour and the Wolves' center depth was also bulked up with the Canes' December waiver claim, Noah Philp.
"We have a prospect pool that we know is coming along and providing depth," said Carolina general manager Eric Tulsky. "We have several players who are right now looking to go on a deep run in the AHL playoffs, but I think are ready to contribute whenever we need them in the NHL."
The team has also added some extra oomph in a pair of 2025 second-round draftees in Ivan Ryabkin and Charlie Cerrato who both look like they could be some young, potential difference makers.
On the backend, both Joel Nystrom and Charles Alexis Legault continued to show exponential growth in their defensive game, leading to both seeing extensive time in the NHL.
One blow for the Wolves though is the fact that Carolina has recalled Legault as they prepare to potentially be without Alexander Nikishin for their second round playoff matchup.
However, Chicago has depth on the blueline with the likes of Ronan Seeley, Dominik Badinka and Juuso Valimaki.
"It's been fun to be a part of this group," Seeley said. "It's been fun to take on a bigger role too. We have a really good group, a young group and we're meshing well. We've had our ups and downs this year, which is good for us. We're growing and we're going through growing pains and just like the Canes, we're looking forward to the second part of the season. It's gonna be a blast."
But perhaps where the Wolves have seen the biggest turnaround from last season is in goal.
Last year, the Hurricanes' lack of goalie depth really hurt the Wolves, but the team acquired both Cayden Primeau and Amir Miftakhov over the summer to help rectify that.
Primeau has led the way for the Wolves, with a 21-22-7 record and a 0.916 save percentage.
Chicago looks like they'll certainly be a handful for any opponent in the playoffs this year and the Wolves will look to start their quest for the Calder Cup on the right foot tonight when they take on the Stars in Game 1.
Game 1, which starts at 8 p.m. EST, can be watched for free on FloHockey's social platforms and on FloHockey 24/7.
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