Chicago Wolves Kick Off the Season with Thrilling Action!

Goals came early, lessons came late. Andrew Rinaldi (OnTap Sports) joins stormTRacker Podcast & we open with the Wolves’ five-of-six start and dig into what the scoreboard hides: a team that can blitz an opponent in seven minutes, then fight to manage momentum and details when the pushback hits. That tension powers the most interesting storylines—how prospects grow from flash to trust, and how a room learns to close.

Bradley Nadeau’s shot gets the highlights, but the real leap is his 200-foot game: forecheck pressure that creates turnovers, penalty kill reps that build coachable habits, and the kind of reads that travel to the NHL. Felix Unger Sörum looks stronger and bolder, firing without hesitation and reshaping the power play from the bumper. Add Justin Robidas’ every-shift consistency and you get a top group that can tilt ice without waiting for a perfect look. We also spotlight a fourth line with bite—Ivan Ryabkin’s net-front chaos and Gleb Trikozov’s renewed confidence—turning sheltered minutes into momentum.

On the back end, a young blue line takes a punch from Rockford and responds. Joel Nystrom’s quick call-up signals trust in his two-way brain. Dominic Fensore drives transition with edge work and poise, proving size is just a storyline when the feet and compete level win time and space. Nineteen-year-old Dominik Bedychka’s calm under pressure hints at a long runway as call-ups open minutes. In net, Amir Miftakhov’s uneven start gives way to a lock-in third period, while Nikita Quapp’s tools get shaped by a proven development group. The plan is simple and hard: push play 200 feet, clean the first pass, and keep stacking good minutes after hot starts.

Highlights:

• How the lineup shifts create early chemistry and pressure
• Sustaining pressure after hot first periods
• Bradley Nadeau’s elite shot and growing penalty kill usage
• Felix Unger Sörum’s strength gains and shot-first mindset
• Justin Robidas’ reliability across special teams
• Fourth line spark from Ivan Ryabkin and Gleb Trikozov
• Blue line growth for Dominic Fensore and Dominic Badinka
• Goalie arc for Amir Miftakhov and Nikita Quapp
• What to watch as minutes open from call-ups

We close with what to watch next month: sustained pressure through second periods, defensemen claiming responsibility as roles expand, and which forward grabs the next power play opening. If this mix of skill, structure, and sandpaper holds, Chicago won’t just start fast—they’ll finish with authority. Enjoy the ride, then tell us your breakout pick. If you’re into prospect development, AHL strategy, and real-time adjustments, hit follow, share with a Wolves or Canes friend, and drop a review so more fans can find stormTRacker Podcast.

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Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_00 (00:31):
Well, Chicago Wolves are off to a great start with
five of the possible six pointsin their first three games.
The Wolves are led by returningplayers Bradley Nodeau, Ryan
Suzuki, Felix Hunger Storm, andDominic Vensori.
And they've added some excitingnewcomers, Amir Mystikov, Ivan
Ryapkin, Yolani Strove, andDominic Bedenka.

(00:56):
Joining me to talk about thequick start for the Wolves and
what to expect in the comingmonths.
I'm delighted to welcome back inour Chicago Wolves Insider,
Andrew Rinaldi.
Hey, great to see you, Andrew.

SPEAKER_01 (01:10):
Great to see you too.
Feels like all right in theworld again when we're talking
hockey here.

SPEAKER_00 (01:16):
Well, for sure, particularly with the Wolves,
uh, off to a great start.
Um, you really gotta like theway they put this lineup
together.
A lot of great young kids forthe Kings.
For sure, they're they'reloading up with uh some of these
young studs, and we're seeingyou know, some excellent
development with them.
Um, and some new players whowe'll talk about as well.

(01:37):
You know, I took a look at theopening day lineup.
It was kind of interesting.
Um, a couple of players notthere right now.
Yuha Yaska, he's expected tocome down and and play with the
Wolves.
And of course, he'll be a greataddition.
And of course, Giovanni Smith uhactually passed through waivers,
and he had had uh an outstandingtraining camp with the Kanes and
was able to secure a two-waydeal uh with the Hurricanes.

(02:00):
But some other things I saw thatwere interesting.
Uh Justin Robodaugh starting theseason on right wing, kind of an
interesting move there.
Uh Felix Ungersarm, of course,is back on the right side, which
we're excited about.
Um Pavlichev, uh he finishedlast year quite well.
He's the number two C to startthe season.
So I thought that wasinteresting, and maybe we'll

(02:21):
talk about that.
And then we've got uh GlebTrikazov and Ivan Ryabkin uh
patrolling the fourth line foruh the Wolves.
So that's uh a couple of prettydarn good players to be playing
on your fourth line.
So we'll talk about those guys.
Um and the top pair to start theseason was uh was going to be
Seely and Nestrom.

(02:42):
Of course, uh we know that uh uhCharles Alexis Lego was up with
the hurricanes, so he wouldnormally uh probably sit in that
spot alongside uh DominicVensori.
And the other uh interestingmove, Nikita Kwap starts the
season with the Wolves, and weall were expecting Ruzlan Kaziv
to be uh holding that spot,particularly you know, after his

(03:06):
work in training camp.
I thought he looked fantasticthis year.
And off he goes, and uh he'sdown with uh the Gargoyles uh in
Greensboro, so that'sinteresting.
The new uh ECHL team for theKeynes.
So some interesting moves on thelineup.
What uh what were your thoughtswhen you took a look at that
opening day lineup?

SPEAKER_02 (03:25):
Yeah, I I I'll start with uh with the goaltending
spot because right, yeah, I wasexpecting uh I was expecting
Ruth Bond to be up there inChicago.
Um but I don't it's it's I thinkactually that him being down in
Greensboro might be better forhim at the moment, just for the

(03:46):
sake that he's gonna be gettinga lot of ice time with with the
gargoyles.
And you know, when you're ayoung netminder, it's the best
thing for your development is tojust play, play, play, play.
And you know, with with Miftikovin Chicago, and I I assume at
some point whether you know it'sgonna be Brandon Bussey or Caden

(04:10):
Primo coming back in that 30-daywindow, or however it may end
up, yes, that um there might beanother goaltender heading
Chicago's way.
So, you know, uh for for becausethey have it's you know, get as
much ice time as you possiblycan early on in this year and
just keep playing, keep doinghis thing.

(04:31):
You know, I feel like last year,while he played pretty admirably
for a teenage goalie, which youjust don't see a lot in in this
league, um, you do kind of feellike he was it was a tough
situation for Chicago in a lotof aspects, with you know having
to uh Spencer Martin beingcalled up and not expecting to

(04:52):
see as much ice time as he didto get as much ice time as he
did.
But um, but he played well.
I kind of feel like he was uhyou know thrown to the wolves a
little bit there to kind of punintended a bit.
But I think him being inGreensboro is is the best
situation for him right now.

(05:13):
And um yeah, he's I I it's I'veyou know I I liked Nikita Kwap
for for the the little bit thatwe have seen him.
I s I feel like again, he's kindof in the similar situation that
Ruslan was in last year, whereit's like you kind of just sink
or swim in that net sometimes,and he I I thought he did for

(05:37):
what's what's been asked of him,he's he's looked pretty good in
the net there.
Cool.
Um and then you know, some ofthe other notes.
Uh I know there's those two bigveteran names that you mentioned
earlier.
I know Yasko is kind of dealingwith an injury through the
preseason.
Um, from what I heard, he'snearing a return, not quite
ready to get in there yet.

(05:59):
And uh interesting little recallon Giovanni Smith.
So, you know, he had that greatcamp with with Carolina.
I thought he was gonna make theteam there for a second, um,
earn the contract for sure, butnow that he's signed that
contract and he's getting paidas opposed to getting that that
PTO, um, he's working out somethings with his work visa, which

(06:23):
is kind of spalled hisintroduction to the lineup for
the moment.
But I expect Giovanni to be onceonce that's all cleared out, all
that that that nasty, messybureaucracy, he'll be in the
lineup and and can add anotherreal tough customer to that to
that wolves for check, and I'mreally looking forward to seeing
that.

SPEAKER_00 (06:43):
Looking at the start for the uh for the wolves, um
they came out of the gate prettyfast, but uh what were you
thinking as you watched thesefirst three games, Andrew?
What was going through yourmind?

SPEAKER_02 (06:55):
Yeah, the particularly both of the
Rockford games over their theirtwo home opening games, yeah.
I feel like the wolves kind oflike the first period at least
just completely shot out of acannon and you know, humming
with with pressure in theoffensive zone, really keep

(07:16):
pushing Rockford up on their ontheir heels.
But to kind of as these gameskind of go on, keeping to to
maintain that pressure, I feellike was was kind of a bit of a
struggle for this team.
Now I'll I'll preface that bysaying, you know, between Nick

(07:37):
Lardis, who currently is leadingthe league in points, between
Oliver Moore, who's afirst-round pick that I don't
really expect to be in Rockfordfor a while, it's a really good
team with the Ice Hawks that Ithink is kind of a good early
season benchmark from likewhat's this team gonna do?
How are they looking, and wheredo they stack up?
Um, you know, it it cost them inin Saturday's game where you

(08:01):
feel like they had a ton ofshots but kind of fell behind
the eight ball and the on thescoreboard.
And then on Sunday's game, youknow, they come out to a 3-0
lead just seven minutes in.
Right.
Then by the second period,they're down four to three, you
know, and um thankfully, youknow, they were able to rally
back and and win that one by asix to five shootout, but um it

(08:27):
uh you know, I feel like likethey could they jump out with
that early momentum and and thathunger, and whether it's you
know responding to the otherteam's punch or just kind of
keeping your foot on the gas,it's it's it's it's just it's
it's it's early, it's gamethree, you know.
I'm not gonna make anyoversweeping generalization, but

(08:49):
it's gonna be uh definitely, Ithink, a point of emphasis for
this coaching staff to kind ofyou know maintain that you get a
three-goal lead and you'recarrying the play.
Well, don't just sit back andlet this game come to you, you
know.
Keep the keep the pressure on.
I've always said that the bestdefense is keeping the puck 200
feet away from your net in theother team zone.

(09:09):
So it's um, you know, just justearly observations in, but you
know, you can't really complainwith their uh at least with the
pressure that they've thatthey've been able to kind of
keep with the puck possessionand and the offensive zone has
been early on the returns, Ithink, have been have been

(09:31):
great.
So like there's there's a nicebig uh nice big green flag
there.
It's just let's see itconsistently done throughout the
uh 60 minutes of gameplay.

SPEAKER_00 (09:42):
Well, you know, as we talked about, a very young
team, and they're you know,they're gonna they're gonna have
to learn their lessons as well.
I mean, some of them playing prohockey for the first time, and
and uh it's quite a differentgame than whether they're
playing college or junior orwhatever, so or playing
overseas.
So um not surprised.
They're uh they're you know,they got some early challenges

(10:03):
that way.
But one of the players that uhhas gotten off to a great start,
no surprise, is uh is of courseBradley Nadaux.
Now, Nadeau had a great camp.
Um in fact, I think a lot ofKeynes fans were wondering why
he wasn't kept with the team.
Uh and interestingly enough, uhMcKean said this about um about
uh Nadeau going into the season,which I thought was quite quite

(10:25):
appropriate.
They said he's simply too goodto play another year in the AHL.
He obliterated the competition,scoring 30 goals and finishing
among the league's top scorers.
His shot is elite, he froze AHLgoalies with wisters, snapshots,
one-timers, deflections, andeven one off the skate.

(10:48):
I think it's brilliant.
Um, anyway, we've talked so muchabout Bradley, but uh, what are
you seeing so far this season?

SPEAKER_02 (10:56):
Yeah, uh for anyone who who hasn't heard, there was
uh interesting little clip fromuh from the Wolves broadcast
that Bradley spent some timethis offseason training in Nova
Scotia with Sidney Crosby,Nathan McKinnon, and Brad
Marshawn.
I don't know if you've heardabout those guys.

SPEAKER_00 (11:16):
That's quite a group.

SPEAKER_02 (11:18):
And he was he was doing two-on-one drills with
with Crosby, and he's thinkingin his head, and this is
understandable, you know, okay,you're doing a drill, you got
Sidney Crosby on your rush withyou, you gotta feed him the
puck, right?
And after the drill, Sidney goesto Bradley and says, If I had
your shot, I I'd shoot.
I wouldn't pass to me.
And this is coming from SidneyCrosby, the guy who's gonna end

(11:42):
up in the the the hockey rushmore when it's all said and
done.
So yeah, I kind of feel youknow, okay, yeah, this uh what
more does he kind of have toprove in this league?
And and you know, I get he's gotall these goals, and everyone
and and and their sister who sawthe lacrosse goal on Sunday.
I think you guys call it thespechnikov around here.

(12:05):
More of the mission.
And um exactly, yeah.
Yeah, and he just absolutely litthe internet on fire, and it was
incredible.
And which and it's and thatstuff, you know, is is is just
indicative of the kind of skillthat he brings to the table.
But what I like to see over um,at least over this last weekend,

(12:26):
is uh is is the stuff that kindof rounds him into a complete
player because we all know theshot, we all know what he can do
with that.
But it's gonna be how like howelse can can he fit into a
200-foot well-rounded gamethat's gonna turn that's the
difference between having uh uhMartin Furk who can fire the

(12:47):
puck 100 miles an hour, and buthe's spent 10 years in the AHL
and can't crack a lineup inhere, versus a guy who's gonna
uh spend a 10, 12-year career inin the national.
And what I saw from him one wasuh on Sunday creating the
game-winning goal by a strongfour check that created a

(13:08):
turnover.
Yeah, pop puck pops out to RyanSuzuki, boom, it's in the back
of the net.
Guess what?
That's a win.
Um, and and penalty kill time.
He's been spending a lot of timethere on on the on the PK, and
you know, the coaching staff'sgonna tell him, like, okay, this
is you know, yeah, you're you'renot the trigger man in the power
play when you're out here.
This is how you're gonna playit.

(13:29):
This is what we expect from youhere, so that way when he goes
to Canada, Canada, Carolina,he's he's already gonna have
that, you know, that that samecoaching staff punching the same
lessons in through him, and it'sjust gonna be a seamless
transition to, you know, insteadof just being that that one-way
scorer, and you know, there's noother real dimensions to his

(13:52):
game.
Now, Coach Brindamore can trusthim in all situations.
It can put him in with a bunchof different looks and different
lines, and that's going to, likeI said, be the difference
between a guy who is, you know,one dimensional, might get a cup
of coffee here and there, andanother guy who's gonna make a
career out of this, and afranchise is gonna see him as a

(14:13):
uh you know a cornerstone of thelineup for nearly a decade.

SPEAKER_00 (14:17):
For sure.
And and you know, there's we'vetalked about uh you know some
things on on other podcastswhere you know he's showing a
little bit more aggression thisyear, like using the body, going
in on the fore check.
You know, he's trying to get youknow Kane's hockey into his
blood, I guess, and and I'm surehe'll do it.
He's uh everywhere he's been,he's been successful, and and I

(14:37):
have every expectation he'sgonna be able to do this.
And you know, he has thatnatural goal scoring ability
that you don't teach.
So uh I can just imagine him onthe power play, which is the
bane of the existence of theCarolina Hurricane, certainly
these days, putting a guy likeuh Nadil on that uh you know on
that left flank and let him justwail away because there's nobody

(14:58):
better that I've seen.
He's just unbelievable overthere and has some uh some
incredible accuracy as well.
So, yeah, lots to talk aboutwith Bradley.
One of the players that I wasreally impressed with in the
Canes camp and pre and andearlier camps this summer was uh
was Felix Unger Sorm.
You know, Unger Sorm's aninteresting one, and we've
talked a lot about him.

(15:19):
Um 23 came to camp.
Boy, he just wowed everybody.
You know, he was incredible.
And a lot of folks felt like hewas going to get a shot to
actually play some games withthe canes.
And you know, he was another oneof these phenoms coming over as
a youngster, and and gosh, uh uhRod Brindamore was uh just uh
waxing lyrical about this guyall the time.

(15:39):
He's just so he sees the ice sowell, he plays a very smart
game.
Um, you know, and and and he'syou know kind of been lost last
year, it was a tough year forhim, just 20 points.
Uh, you know, he he was tried atcenter, didn't work out so well.
And we kind of wondered whatwhat's the future holding for
Felix, but I gotta tell you, sofar, so good from what I can

(16:02):
see.
What's going on with Felix?

SPEAKER_02 (16:04):
Yeah, I it it felt like last year, you know, you
you understand he's just he'sthis this 19-year-old kid, and
and it was gonna take some timefor him to adjust, but you were
waiting like you could see thatthe skill was there, and you're
just waiting for that thatswitch to kind of to kind of
flick.
And and it just it throughoutthe year, like again, there was

(16:28):
flashes, but nothing that everreally kind of like brought
everything all together for forthe young kid.
And right, I think some of itwas you know putting him there
at center, and he's learning,you know, a completely different
position, and sometimes it'sjust a confidence thing.
Um the kid's confident rightnow, he's got three goals all on

(16:51):
the power play and and all threegames, and you know, he's he's
been uh just I don't necessarilywant to see say night and day
because again, you could see thethat the skill level was there,
but you can feel that like hejust he feels like he's matured
so much just over this one thisone off season.

(17:12):
And um, you know, just makingplays confident with the puck
and and when you have that thatbelief that okay, every time I'm
gonna touch the puck, I'm gonnamake a play, as opposed to, oh,
I'm I don't want to turn thepuck over every time I have it.
Like it just it changes themakeup of a player so much, and
you can you can see it reflectin their body language, and you

(17:33):
can see like he's he's firedaway three goals, and he just he
looks like he's about to lightthe world on fire every time
he's he's got one in.
So um he had a great one on Ithink it was uh yeah, Saturday's
game where uh Fensore had a nicekeep at the blue line.
Uh Suzuki feeds Nadeau, andyou're just expecting Nadeau to

(17:55):
hammer that one timer, andinstead he feeds it to the
bumper for Unger Swarm and it'san easy tap-in.
So, you know, you see at thisthis this dynamic evolving form.
And the fact that I don't evenremember if he had like five or
six goals last year's that whatI mean.
To already have three comparedto that, and and and the

(18:17):
mentality to just to just grabit and fire it away.
He had a he made a great move onSunday, had the puck in space,
and it's again when you have aguy with no confidence, you kind
of feel like, you know, do Ihave to should I pass this or
whatever?
He just fired, he just buriedit.
And it was it was great to see.
I'm already loving what uh whatI'm seeing from him in three

(18:39):
games compared to what I've seenlast year, and you just you can
already feel like the trajectoryfor this kid is just gonna keep
going up.

SPEAKER_00 (18:46):
Well, you know, the um the Keynes had said some
things about him as well uhgoing into the season, Andrew,
and their concern was that uhyou know he he was a slight
player, he wasn't a heavyplayer, and and he's got the
great skills, but he, you know,he hadn't put it all together,
and they just wondered if youknow he was going to be able to
get the trajectory up to thecanes and beat some of the other

(19:08):
top prospects that theHurricanes have.
I think for me, watching him sofar this season, yeah, I just
see a different player, likeyou've said.
Um, gosh, uh playing with theCanes in the exhibition games
and certainly in the in theprospect showcase.
He's a guy that, you know, weknow he sees the ice well.
He thinks the game extremelywell.

(19:28):
He's happy to take the puck andmove around with the puck.
As you say, he's not afraid tomake things happen.
And I one of the things I'veseen that's a little bit
different this year is he'sfiring the puck.
And that's something that wehaven't seen as much of in the
past.
Night.
I think uh, you know, he's he'sbulked up a little bit, he's a
little bit stronger, he'splaying a heavier game.

(19:49):
Uh and he, you know, he's hadthe skill.
He just needs to put it alltogether.
So I'm excited about Felix.
You know, a lot of folks uh werethinking he was the next star
coming to the canes, as youknow, and and uh we kind of you
know were disappointed last yearwith what we saw, but this is
good news.
And I think uh oh, good startfor uh for uh Felix.

(20:09):
Um couple of other guys I wantedto mention.
Justin Robodaugh, uh, he'simpressed me every time I've
seen him.
Uh you know, he's a hard-workingguy, he's on the wing this year.
He had 20 goals last season, um,had a solid camp, played some
exhibition games, did not lookout of place at all.
Um, what are we seeing with him?

SPEAKER_02 (20:30):
Just the everything from last year that we loved
about this kid is just rollingright over into this year.
And he had uh, I want to saylike 10 chances to score over
the weekend and just didn'tdidn't bury.
I mean, that's the kind of thingthat happens in this game, but
just the fact that I mean,again, he's everywhere.

(20:52):
And I've you know, I've spokenabout his his tenacity to to get
after the puck and to to take itto the net.
And it's just it's it's it'sbeen more of the same.
And and that's probably been thebiggest compliment I can give to
any kind of player, and andespecially in this league for
you know these young kidslearning the the pro game, yeah,

(21:14):
is that he never really lookedlike a rookie last year.
Is that he kind of had thatintangible skill set, and and
you know, you knew what you weregetting every shift, every game,
every night out of them.
And it that's that's the kind ofstuff that that you know when
whether when a coach doesn'thave to wonder is he gonna bring

(21:35):
it tonight or if he isn't,that's how you get elevated in
the lineup really quick.
And he you know got a spot upthere in that top six and never
really let go all of last year.
So, you know, I I think we'rewe're used to seeing uh Nadeau
Um and Suzuki with Yasuka onthat top line, but if you know
if you ha's not there, uh whobetter than to have the other

(21:58):
than Robodah up there in thattop line with them.
So they've looked as asexpected, they've looked great
so far, and you know, you againyou you just kind of expect it
to continue at this pointbecause he's set the standard,
yeah.
So and and isn't known to notever reach that bar that he's

(22:18):
already set for himself, whichagain is really impressive for
for a young player to to be ableto come at with that so
consistently.

SPEAKER_00 (22:28):
He always looks like um he's he's more mature than
you know the age-wise than heis.
Uh he just plays a smart game.
He's he's out there killingpenalties, he's uh taking the
tough draws.
Like he's he's just out theremaking it happen.
And and uh I'm I'm really I'mdelighted with his growth so
far.
Uh, you know, he's anothersmaller player, but he plays

(22:50):
bigger, he's a heavier guy, he'sstocky, uh, which helps him a
lot.
And uh and we're gonna keep aneye on on Justin Robotar this
year because I fully expect he'sgonna continue his uh his step
forward uh in the Keynes uh farmsystem for sure.
Now, one guy that was a bit of asurprise when they drafted him,
he was a guy that I've talked alot about because I was hoping

(23:12):
they would draft him, and theydid, is Ivan Ryapkin.
You know, Ryapkin uh he um hekind of had a strange season
last year.
Uh this is what McKean saidabout Ryapkin.
They said one year ago, IvanRyapkin was being compared to
other high-flying Russianoffensive dynamos, Matfei
Mishkov and Ivan Demedov.

(23:34):
That's pretty good company.
Uh putting up 58 points as a16-year-old in the MHL was an
impressive feat.
And naturally, everyone wasexpecting an even bigger
offensive explosion.
So he was a guy that um, gosh,at different points, he was
expected to be in the top youknow 10 or 15 in the draft.

(23:55):
I mean, he was just incredible.
And he did leave Russia, thingsdidn't go so well last year, and
he went to the USHL withMuskegon and just tore that
league up.
So he's a guy that shows a lot.
He had a great camp with theCanes.
He's a stocky guy too.
He's 5'11, comes in at uh 205.
So he plays a kind of a uh heavygame, and he likes to get in

(24:16):
there and stick his nose in aswell.
So what are we seeing with Ivanand his uh his first start here
with the Wolves?

SPEAKER_02 (24:22):
Yeah, he he is uh he's already got a man's body.
It's um it and and from whatI've seen already, he's the he's
got the ability to be a veryeffective player with it.
Um we saw game one against Iowagetting right into just that

(24:43):
absolute melee that that ensuedat the end of the game there.
And you know, he's I I just Ilove that that energy and that
fiery spirit.
You know, he's on a line withwith Yannick Turkot right now.
Those two.
No one's messing around withthose two on the ice.
Um, but you know, in terms of ofwhat I you know I like out of

(25:05):
his game, he earned his firstassist of the of the season.
I I think it was on I forgetwhose whose goal it was, but he
wins an offensive zone face-offand just goes right to the net,
causes chaos, shot from thepoint, goalie never saw it in
the net.
And um, and and I think that'san element that was kind of was

(25:26):
missing from last year's teamwas not, I mean, not necessarily
um physicality, but just kind ofuh uh not even a willingness to
get in someone's face, but likea drive to get in someone's
face, you know.
And um you already have one onetowering Russian and Nikita
Pavlichev, who's up there inthat top six.

(25:49):
So then when you counter itwith, you know, uh uh Rabkins,
not six foot seven, he's he's adifferent build for sure, but
that that tenacity to go in andjust kind of create some
carnage, and and the fact thathe does kind of he has that that
size to really survive.
It can be it's it's I mean, youknow, it's there's no lying.
This is uh for a lot of you know19-year-olds to come into this

(26:14):
league who aren't really builtinto that that grown frame yet,
it's it can be really tough.
I've I saw you know JonathanBergrin in Grand Rapids, who had
all the skill in the world, butbut just kind of getting over
the uh the physicality of it waswas very tough for him.
Uh Rabkin doesn't care, heembraces that.

(26:34):
And I I again I I love that thatmindset because you know when
you can play like that, itshifts just entirely how how
your opponents play.
Um suddenly the defensemen arelooking over their shoulders
when they're when you got yourfour check coming down on them,
and and that's how it you knowcreate turnovers and chances for
your squad.

(26:55):
And I think it's you know thethe the points are gonna come as
as the year goes on, you know.
Again, he's he's down there inthat fourth line.
He's he's but if he keeps thethe magical thing about this
league is like if you just showup every night and you keep
working and you keep putting itin, you know, opportunities are
gonna arise for everyone in thelineup.

(27:17):
And he's um he's gonna be one, Ithink, that that when the the
opportunity arises, he's gonnareally have uh a fun coming out
party, and and I don't thinkhe's gonna let go of that that
spot.
So it's uh I'm keeping an eye onhim for the rest of the season
for sure.

SPEAKER_00 (27:35):
Well, and he, you know, even in the exhibition
games, he wasn't shy to you knowget in there and uh try to make
something happen and certainlylay the body out quite a bit.
Um I think in a couple of thegames he might have led the
Keynes and Hitzer was close toit, so it's good.
Um one of it, his line mate, uhone of his line mates, you
talked about Yannick Turkot,who's uh patrol on the left
side, and on the right is uh, ofcourse, Gleb Trikazov.

(27:57):
We talked a lot about Gleb lastyear.
You know, Gleb had uh a superprospect showcase um in 24.
He came over and he just he hada hat trick in one game, he
scored in another game, he justlooked like wow.
And uh and last year was just atough season for him.
He just didn't ever get started.
I think what he played 20 gamesor something.

(28:17):
So he he missed most of theseason.
So it was really a write-off forhim.
And he had come over along withRuslan Kaziv as 19-year-old
youngsters coming over fromRussia to play in North America.
And one of the things aboutGleb, as we talked about before
too, Andrew, is that he hehadn't really played any major
hockey in Russia.

(28:38):
So he had played a little bit inthe VHL, which is like the AHL,
not much, and mostly in the MHL,which is like junior.
He didn't really get a good shotin the KHL.
And quite often, players comingover had already, you know, have
already played in the KHL, sothey've got a little bit of play
against men.
So that's another thing he hadto do, and he had to kind of get

(28:58):
organized.
And I know he got married or hisfiancee came with him.
So there were a lot of changesfor him.
But uh here's what uh here'swhat McKeynes had to say about
uh about Gleb as we get intothis.
And they said Gleb Trikazov wasone of the most intriguing and
polarizing players of his draftclass, which to nobody's
surprise made him a perfect latesecond round pick for the Canes.

(29:20):
Uh there were always concernsabout Gleb's ability to
translate his unorthodoxoffensive style to North
America, and this setback duringa key development year isn't
ideal.
Trikazov certainly has the shot,hands, and creativity to turn
things around and earn a top sixAHL role next year.

(29:43):
So, you know, Gleb uh, you know,off to a quick start.
He had a goal in uh in theexhibition games with the Canes,
and then he scored a goalalready with Chicago.
What are we thinking about withGleb?

SPEAKER_02 (29:56):
Yeah, it's I feel like, you know, not that he kind
of had to hit a reset buttonthere, but you know, when you
miss such a a large portion ofthe year with a lower body
injury as he did, it's just it,you know, all that all that
excitement that you have justkind of comes to uh it comes to
a halt.
And for it to be just so longterm, it can uh you know, on top

(30:20):
of getting back physically tokind of where you should be on
that developmental uh track, itcan it can really hurt mentally
as well, you know, to just kindof keep centered and keep
focused and and for Glub I Imean you know right he had a big
goal uh to open the scoring onSaturday and he you know there's

(30:41):
a lot of talent in the lineupahead of him for sure but right
I do think he's got he's got theskill to move his way on up and
and perhaps earn a a bigger roleas the year goes on and for you
know I for him it's just it'syou what happened you can't no
control over what happened toyou last year you just kind of
put it all all on the backburner um this is a completely

(31:05):
new opportunity ahead you know Imean it's it's you can kind of
take it as a learning experiencelast year he's you know still
around the team and kind ofgetting used to his game and
everything and while you knowthe I guess alone want to say
he's got like the trainingwheels on him still or anything

(31:25):
but right he's got he doesn'tmight not have as many minutes
this year as he would have if heplayed all of last year but
right the um you know the theintangibles are there the skill
is there I I you know I like I Ikind of like it that he's he's
there with with Rabkin and andTurcot to kind of open the lanes
up for him and and kind of rusebrothers is way out there for

(31:48):
playing and um and you knowlet's see what he can do.
And right like I said the thethe nature and the the beauty of
this league is that eventuallyyou know someone's gonna get
hurt or someone's gonna getcalled up and you know this
power play that that works sowell here and there is going to
have some some openings and he'sgonna get a guy that's called

(32:10):
upon and and you know you getyour opportunity and you just
gotta grab you just got to waitfor whenever it could be next
game it might be in a couple ofweeks but you got to take it and
you got to run with it.
I think he's you know early onthe early returns big goal on
Saturdays looking good when he'sout there last season's injury
is in is in the past it's out ofhis mind and he's gonna be

(32:33):
moving forward and playing I'veI I like what I see and I think
he's gonna I I think he's gonnaturn turn some heads this year.
I really do.

SPEAKER_00 (32:41):
Well and you know we remember he came over as a 19
year old so he's still veryyoung and I think it's great
that he's on the fourth linehe's kind of sheltered a little
bit and he and Ryapkin can getsome chemistry going and as you
said with Turcot on that otherside he's gonna open up space
for those guys for sure.
And so I think this is a goodopportunity for him to kind of
just you know start to buildsome confidence uh have a little

(33:05):
bit of success I fully expectwe're gonna see a lot more of
Gleb uh as this season goes onand into the future he's a guy
that uh you know I really Ireally am excited about him as I
am with Reapkin I think thosetwo guys have got just
tremendous tremendous potentialso I'm excited to hear he's he's
off to a quick start and uh he'sback in full health and of

(33:25):
course uh you know he's gonnafeel much more comfortable this
year you know he's been aroundfor a while now so it's not like
he's just coming in in a newplace new camp and all that kind
of stuff which is hard for theseyoungsters and we've certainly
seen a little bit of that withAlex Nikish and with the Canes
as well.
So um one last player on theforward side just a minute on
this guy and I I'd be remiss ifI didn't mention mention Skylar

(33:48):
Vindamore.

SPEAKER_02 (33:49):
Skylar of course uh created a bit of a stir with the
Kanes he came up looked prettygood he was outstanding in the
face-off dot in the preseason heplayed a fair bit of action uh
certainly has the confidence ofhis dad so that's a great thing
he plays a very similar game youknow he's uh he's a heavy player
on the defensive side he's greatin the face-off dot he's gonna

(34:09):
score the odd goal for you umagain he's gonna be a key part
of this uh Wolves team this yearso uh what are we seeing with
with Skylar yeah what I what Ilove about Skylar Brinnamore is
that I mean one he's a lot kindof like Justin Robodaugh in the

(34:30):
fact that you know he's got astandard that he sets and and
meets really every night youdon't have to worry like oh man
is Skylar going to show uptonight you know um and he just
I know it's it's kind ofstereotypical because you know
who his dad is and everythingbut he just he plays so much
like you know I grew up watchingthe Red Wings in Carolina going

(34:54):
at it and the Stanley Cup finalsin 2002 and like he just he's
that same style of player maybehe might not have the offensive
tools that Rod had but like Inever remember like you know Rod
being a a powerhouse scorer eventhough he could put the puck in
that but I remember Rod beingthat menace in the face off dot

(35:17):
and and that guy on the penaltykill who was just like a thorn
in your side and and just beingall over the ice so responsibly
and and Skyler is just he's he'sa carbon copy of his dad in that
way and I mean that with theutmost respect.
And it's it's it's it's beengreat to to know that you have a

(35:39):
a rock like that to kind ofsolidify your your your middle
six to have a guy on the penaltykill that you can that's just so
reliable and it's you know Iagain I feel like I I I have to
apologize every time talkingabout him because when he first
came to Chicago I'm like oh wowlike here's a guy who's just

(36:01):
here for for his name and thenwe saw him play and I was like
wow wow this kid uh he's gothe's got some game to him it's
great so I'll I'll forever beapologizing to him for that but
um but yeah he's he keepsbringing that on on the special
team side and and you know it'sit's it's been an it's been a

(36:22):
treat to to be able to watch himlike that because I feel like
you know when when the team'sdown and the stakes are up I
feel like he he takes an anotherstep to his game and you know
that that kind of that kind ofenergy is is infectious through
the lineup and I think Chicago'sthey've they've had a a strong I
think they gave up one powerplay goal against Rockford but

(36:43):
early on they've had a verystrong penalty kill and I think
he's he's been a big part ofthat for sure absolutely well
and he of course he teams upwith uh Josiah Slavon so it's
kind of nice to see uh theconnection there as well you
know I've been a big fan of uhSkyler's you know he he had a
tough start in uh in the proswith Charlotte uh you know he
didn't didn't do much uh ofcourse he had been on that

(37:06):
championship team with Kwinepiacso you know pretty good start uh
but you know I've really beenimpressed with his his work
ethic as you say when he's onthe ice you're not going to be
hurt while he's out there he'sgonna get the odd goal or make
something happen offensively sohe's kind of like a he's a bit
of a Jordan Stahl in some wayslike in the way he plays and and

(37:27):
I've said certainly on otherStar Treker podcasts that you
know I wouldn't be surprised ifhe gets a cup of coffee with the
Keynes in here.

SPEAKER_00 (37:34):
If certain injuries happen and they need that kind
of profile I would not at all bereluctant to bring up uh Scott
Obrandemore.
So yeah I I'm uh I'm with youI'm looking forward to uh to
seeing what he can do withChicago this year.
And clearly the Wolves are goingto be pushing hard for the
Calder Cup so uh he's a guy thatuh can make a difference for you

(37:55):
in the forward side.
Um wrapping up the forwards Ijust wanted to mention a couple
of guys that uh got deals withthe Wolves and we did see them
in the prospect showcase.
Uh Blake Beyondi was aninteresting one to me.
This was a guy that was draftedin the fourth round by the
Canadians in 2020.
He was the Minnesota Mr.

(38:15):
Hockey Award winner in 2020 andthat's an award that's given
annually to the outstandingsenior high school boys hockey
player in the state ofMinnesota.
This is a pretty lofty uh loftyaward for this guy uh last year
with UND he had 27 points in 38games in the NCAA so he's a guy
that uh again uh 23 years oldhe's a little older but uh you

(38:40):
know when I saw some of his workin the uh canes camp uh he looks
like a player um I was quiteimpressed with him the other one
was Evan Vierling Vierling uhanother 23 year old he's a guy
that played with the very Coltsand you know that of course
Andrew Svasnikov played with theColts a lot of players have come
out of that uh that system umand he was a fifth rounder with

(39:02):
the Rangers again he was in theECHL last year have you seen
anything with these two guys uhyeah Bianchi he played the the
first game in Iowa but he hedidn't make the lineup in in
neither of the Rockford gamessaw about seven games of him
last year I want to say in inChicago um I've from I mean I

(39:27):
can't really say I've I Idislike his game at all.

SPEAKER_02 (39:31):
I'm sure he's you know he's seeing probably bottom
line minutes there in those fewgames and nice you know a couple
shifts against Iowa doesn't lookout of place I would say for
that much Veerling I think hasbeen more involved I mean on top
of being in all three games um Ithink I've he's definitely been
more noticeable especiallyphysically along the boards I've

(39:53):
I've liked that that aspect ofhis game that he brings again I
think that that you know thatthat certain attitude is kind of
missing from last year's as Imentioned before um from last
year's team so seeing when whenyou do see more of it it kind of
tends to pop out at you so youknow I've I've liked what uh

(40:13):
what Vierling's been able tobring I think they kind of they
elevated them recently up to theuh the second line if I recall
correctly so um so you know ifif you play well and again like
I said with the if the coachesknow that they can they can
trust you it doesn't matter ifyou're you know a first round
pick or if you're a guy kind ofscrapping through on a on a on a

(40:37):
tryout you know if the coachescan trust you they're gonna move
you up in the lineup and you'regonna see more more and more ice
so it um you know I I I I hopeto see to see more of Veerling
and and Beyond yeah you know I Ilike seeing these guys that you
know you don't always hear theirtheir name often and and they

(40:59):
make opportunities of it.
I mean look at Yannick Turkot noone had even heard of him going
into last year and he's uh he'sa fan favorite in Chicago so you
know I I I hope one of theseguys can maybe be maybe not be
the fighter that that Yannick isbut they can what they can find
a way to impact the game inanother way and and become

(41:21):
another fan favorite here forthe Wolves.

SPEAKER_00 (41:23):
Yeah and you know with the Wolves you know it's
nice for them to have uh acouple of players or some
players that are under contractto them because they're they are
going to see players going backand forth with the hurricanes
and some of these guys likeVeerling and uh and of course uh
Blake Beyondi they're gonna getchances as you say through the
season and hopefully uh you knowthey can step up their game and

(41:44):
and contribute as well.
So that's the forward side Iwant to spend just a few minutes
on the D Corps.

SPEAKER_02 (41:51):
Of course uh Charles Alexis Lago is uh is up with the
hurricanes what have you seenwith the D Corps in general so
far yeah the again you know Iwant to preface it by saying I
do think Rockford is supremelytalented and will be one of the
better teams in the central thisyear but I think kind of part of

(42:11):
what helped contribute to maybethis team kind of not slamming
the door and finishing on someof these hot starts is you know
maybe kind I don't want to againmake it seem like I'm I'm
trashing on a bunch of youngkids or anything but uh I you
know they kind of especially inthat that Sunday game kind of

(42:35):
taking it uh you know takinggetting taken to task by by
Rockford which again you knowwhen you got guys like I mean
Oliver Moore I don't even knowwhat he's doing in this league
he's he's very Nidal like in thefact that he makes a play every
time he touches the puck butregardless he's here and it's
and it's I do you know I thinkit's good for some of these

(42:56):
young kids to be exposed to thatyou know that that this is these
are going to be the kind of guysthat you're gonna be seeing up
at the next level for sure andum you know it just it's it just
kind of I've got the kind offeeling you know when when one
thing let leading to anotherwhere like one breakdown happens

(43:17):
and someone's trying to recoveroff of that next thing you know
the guy behind you is wide openfor a backdoor tapping.
And um which you know again thisis another one of those things
where I'm not gonna hit thepanic button after three games
on here especially you know uhum you know Nihstrom only had a
a handful of games last year andand um you know kind of getting

(43:42):
getting pushed up into the toptop line with uh with Charles
Alexis Lego getting called upnow he's been called up so
they're gonna be even uh even alittle thinner on that blue line
but um you certainly it's it'sall stuff that's that's
correctable for for this younggroup and and some things you

(44:02):
know it's it might be good forthem in the long run to be you
know to be like hey you kind ofgot smacked around here good now
we can you know go go hit thevideo room breakdown which you
guys you know might have havemissed out on and you know when
you got a a guy likespirosanastas coaching up this

(44:22):
young this young D Corps I youknow I truly believe that he's
gonna as the season goes on he'sgonna get these guys um kind of
corrected and playing a solidbrand of hockey that I mean
especially when it comes fromthe blue line we know that
Carolina's famous for and weknow that they're gonna inject
that same style and that samesystem down here in Chicago and

(44:44):
so it um yeah you know I I I'llchalk it up to you know opening
weekend jitters and a reallygood opponent on the other side
as well.
So I think I think this group onespecially on defense is is
going to be all right.

SPEAKER_00 (44:59):
Well I mean there's there's some real talented
youngsters for sure.
I mean uh Charles Alexis Lagoais already up with the canes and
has not looked out of place atall.
And now Joel Nystrom heads up umand you've got Dominic Fensori
and Dominic Bedenka also uh withwith the wolves and we'll talk a
little bit about these guys JoelNestrom is a guy I've talked a

(45:21):
lot about uh in some otherpodcasts you know he's a guy
that uh played almost fiveseasons five seasons in far Jest
ads uh in the SHL so he's he'sbeen playing you know against
men forever uh and he's a guythat uh as you say had a cup of
coffee with the wolves fourgames last year I don't think he
has looked out of place at allin the exhibition games with the

(45:43):
canes in fact I was quiteimpressed with him um and I
think there was a lot ofcomments by the the announcers
as well saying some good thingsabout uh Nistrom and the fact
that he's been recalled suggeststhat's just the case.
In fact uh Nick Bass had someinteresting things to say about
uh about Nistro and Nick ofcourse with canes prospects and
he said he's a two-way monsterhe uh he leads a power play unit

(46:07):
for far just ed as well as beinga primary penalty killer this
was at the start of last year uhhe earned a contract with the
canes and he has a sneaky chanceat being an NHL defenseman due
to his 200 foot play and hecould be there sooner than you
might think.

SPEAKER_02 (46:24):
So um that's interesting words coming from
Nick and and I you know I justlike the way he plays he's not a
big player uh but he's verysmart he sees the ice extremely
well um what have you seen withyoell when you've watched him uh
with the wolves 200 foot playerthat uh that's very smart if
that doesn't scream uh a uh guyout of the Carolina system I

(46:48):
don't know what to tell you buthe uh I mean you kind of bore it
all right there and you know forright for as as little time as
he's been here in Chicago to tobe elevated to the role that he
had early on to get the earlycall up after Lego kind of shows

(47:10):
where where he's at with hisgame how much the coaching staff
trusts him with his game andagain it's it's it might not be
the you know the flashiest thatgets all the you know all the
highlights and all the numbersand everything but it's this
it's the one that the you knowthe coaches rely on to put you
out there for 20 minutes at atime.

(47:32):
It's just money for adefenseman.
And to be able to be relied uponin all situations I don't have
to worry you know oh man ifwe're gonna put him in our own
zone in a face-off we're gonnaget eaten up if we lose the draw
so it's um yeah I've I've reallyenjoyed what I've seen from him
so far.
I got like again I I saw thecall up today and I was like oh

(47:55):
we're gonna be a little thinnerin Chicago but you know you love
to see you just you love to seeopportunities for these guys and
and and you want to see how theyhow they approach it you know
they're gonna be kind of youknow timid and reserved pro
hopefully not they're gonna bejumping in for the opportunity
being you know yeah I'm in thenational let's go let's get

(48:17):
after it and um we saw that withLego I think one game and Kane's
fans are already starting toreally enjoy him so it's um I I
would like them back please atsome point if we can get a
couple of guys I um you know youcan you can have your your fun I
I I would at least for theplayoffs but um yeah super

(48:41):
reliable in in every end and youknow like I said the coaches
know that that's why he's earnedhis ice time and earned this
call up as well.

SPEAKER_00 (48:50):
Well you know and and Nistrom is part of a group
that's uh been toiling over inEurope uh I think about Noelle
France and Simon Forsmark bothin Sweden those two guys are not
far off either and uh boy I tellyou you look at the depth of the
Keynes it's fantastic now one ofthe guys I wanted to mention
because I mentioned him everytime he's one of my favorite
players with the Chicago Wolvesand you know I'm probably going

(49:13):
to talk about Dominic Fensoribecause I think Don's incredible
um he had a solid cap.
He's a guy that to me just keepsgetting better all the time he
plays way bigger than he is hekills penalties.
He's on the power play what elsecan you ask Don to do?
And I I thought it'd be good tolook at what McKean said because
it just keeps uh making me feelbetter all the time.

(49:34):
Dominic Vensori stands at justfive foot nine but his offensive
impact far outweighs his frame.
Vensori's best trade is hissuperb skating which allows him
to turn the puck up ice andcreate odd man advantages close
gaps and win races on defenseand we see that every time we
see him play he just and andhe's a smart player gosh I

(49:55):
remember when I first saw him inuh in one of the prospect
showcases about three years agoand I just raved about he had
just come out of uh Boston U andI just raved about uh about
fensori I just thought man thisguy he just looks the part um is
he continuing to be that playerabsolutely oh yeah and I think

(50:16):
uh you know last year was it wasit was Scott Morrow was was the
power play quarterback you knowwhen when he was in the lineup
it was his he was running theshow from from the top of the
key there and and now it's nowit's Dom and how how well has he
done to kind of step out ofScotty Shadow well I mean he's

(50:39):
just leading the team in pointscurrently so I guess that's not
bad for defenseman.

SPEAKER_02 (50:46):
You know and and now I think I mean you know he was
here for the the independentyear Carolina loaned him to the
Wolves as well.
So now he's entering his histhird season in Chicago he's you
know he's familiar with uh withevery nook and cranny around
there at all state and and he'sjust continuing to kind of just

(51:10):
keep that upward trajectory ofhis as we've you know talked
about quite so often with himand and just can smooth skating
I I you know I just I love tosee him even without the puck to
be able to to move that the wayhe does it just it adds a
dynamic to your blue line thatthat that other teams have to
game plan for and it changes howcomfortably you move in

(51:32):
transition if you know you got aguy like Fensori back there who
can who can make a pay if you'renot if you're not careful and
you're watching the you're notwatching the trailer coming in
from the neutral zone.
So it's um and right you youthere's always that stereotype
of that that undersizeddefenseman of like oh he's just
gonna get bullied he's gonna getthis guy's a bulldog I've I've

(51:56):
seen him take on guys that arethat are quite uh maybe not
heavyweights but they can holdtheir own for sure and he
doesn't back down from anyoneand and and that's what that's
kind of what you need from a guyif you're not gonna have that
that you know the that CharlesAlexis Lego frame you know you
gotta you gotta be able to youcan't back down from anyone

(52:18):
especially in this leaguethey'll just eat you alive in
the corners in front of the netand in the scrums they'll
they'll find ways to just kindof get in your head and if
you're playing scared you mightas well just you might as well
just go home.
So he he comes out he brings itevery night it's it's one of my
favorite attributes about himand you know it's if you think

(52:39):
you're just gonna you're justgonna push him around just
because he might not be as tallas you you got another thing
coming it's gonna it's gonnacome at you in a hurry and
before you realize you're eitheron your backside or the puck's
in the net and um you know youcan't really ask for anything
more from a guy who's who'sreally kind of your number one
defenseman for for theforeseeable year.

SPEAKER_00 (53:01):
Yeah and you know he comes from it honestly he was
captain uh at Boston and and hewas a guy that uh you know was
was right there in the HobieBaker uh uh voting as well he's
a guy that uh certainly was anoutstanding collegiate player
and and I I've enjoyed watchinghim all the time he just uh he
he excites me when he's on theice he's making things happen
and he sees the ice for Dom wellhe uh he just likes to connect

(53:25):
on those passes and get thingsmoving so I'm gonna be watching
Don.
I hope he gets a cup of coffeewith the canes or at some point
I hope he gets an opportunity tocome into the NHL because I
think he's uh he's definitely uhearning the right as he
continues to uh to improve hisplay one other guy in the the
blue line just uh to wrap it upum wanted to mention Dominic
Bedinka the reason uh I broughtup Dom was um again uh 19 years

(53:51):
old this guy comes over uh Ithought he looked very mature in
the exhibition games that heplayed in with the canes I
thought he uh you know he he'snot flustered by anything he's
he just goes about his businesshe was solid smart got the puck
out uh you know careful to makesure that he was uh looking
after his defensiveresponsibilities in in a good

(54:12):
way um so far so good with uhwith Dominic Yeah I had to
actually kind of check his uhcheck his elite prospects to
make sure this kid was actually19 because I was uh I was kind
of uh uh surprised by just howpoised he is you know with the
puck without the puck you knowthere's not a whole lot of uh

(54:36):
you know a whole lot of uh uhjust kind of those those
youthful jitters in his gamewhich is which is which is great
which is what you want to see umyou know it's and there's you
know there's gonna be somegrowing pains here and there for
sure is uh as a young kid likehim just kind of rounds into his
game and and gets into his firstreal big pro season out here in

(54:57):
North America but man I yeah forthose those first those couple
games I think he might he hadlast year and and start off this
year I'm I'm I'm I'm impressed.

SPEAKER_02 (55:09):
To the point where you know when you get those
call-ups like you do now withwith Lego and and Nistrom coming
up you you wonder who's gonna bethe guy to reach out and grab
those opportunities which youknow again I've said a million
times already this is just thenature of this league is someone
gets someone gets called up nextguy you know no team in this

(55:31):
league is going to feel sorryfor your guys getting all called
up to the national becauseeveryone is going to deal with
it at some point.
So um as as you we don't knowhow long these guys are going to
be up there so here's yourchance you're probably gonna get
slotted up I mean if he getspaired up there with Fensori at

(55:52):
the top or however coach andastis wants to approach it um
the the chances there and Ithink he's got you know he's got
the the tool set I think he'sgot the mindset to you know to
take it and to really reallykind of run with it to to make a
big impact for this team whichis again it's still crazy for me
to say this about a 19 year olddefenseman in in this league.

(56:15):
This is a tough league forteenagers I've you know we've
seen Bradley Nadeau make it looklike it's uh you know it's it's
just it's so nonchalant for toput up 30 goals but the
teenagers aren't supposed tocome into the AHL and look this
good it's just it's just notsupposed to happen.
So you know I'm not gonna saythat that Badink is also going

(56:37):
to light the world on fire but Iyou see the the the promises in
his game you see the the smartsand how he carries himself and
you know you want to see thatand there's an opportunity ahead
of him to do more with it withthe the the gaps in the lineup
now caused by the call ups sofor sure I think he's yeah we're

(57:00):
we're just a a couple games hereinto the season here but he's a
guy that that's got a longrunway ahead of him and it's
just gonna I think it's he'sjust only beginning to take off
with his game.

SPEAKER_00 (57:12):
Yeah and and you know he's played uh in the SHL
uh last year and I think partthe year before with Momo uh so
he's been playing against menwhich is great.
McKee said an interesting thingthey said there's still things
to work on but his projection tothe NHL still looks good.
So definitely um sure he's he'sa young player he's he's got

(57:35):
some areas to work on but um Ilike what I saw with him and and
like you I hope he gets a lotmore opportunity here because I
think he's going to surprise alot of folks with uh with what
he can do.
Yeah exciting things with thatdecor and uh boy a lot of talent
there a ton um and we'll bewatching it uh as as the season
goes on the canes made adecision in the summer to sign a

(57:59):
veteran goalie out of RussiaAmir Miftikov umtakov he's a
he's a friend of uh AndreyStehnnikov it turns out their
buddies uh mtikov um had uh hadplayed uh uh over actually in
North America for one season umhe'd been drafted by the Tampa

(58:19):
Bay Lightning ended up playingin Syracuse and then uh actually
in the in the AHL and then downto Orlando in the ECHL it didn't
go that well and he decided togo back to Russia and he played
with Akbars uh actually playedvery well the last three or four
seasons in the KHL and got thedeal with the Canes he had a
terrible terrible awful trainingcamp like the games that uh he

(58:42):
played he was just shelled umand so you know everybody
wondering you know what's thedeal with with Miftikov is he
going to be uh somebody that canbe counted on in Chicago or not
what's going on with the mirroryeah he you know I'm I'm not
sure if I would have thrust himinto the uh the number one role

(59:03):
going into the season again Ithink we might have been
expecting Caden Primo to bethere instead well uh Toronto
Maple Leafs had something to sayabout that so um so it it fell
upon Mystikov and and you knowagainst uh against Iowa you know
looked looked good against IowaIowa's not uh it has

(59:26):
historically been just bottom ofthe barrel for the last couple
of years so like looked good iokay you know it something to
build on and then the Rockforduh game that he played on Sunday
he started off not uh again itwas it was kind of uh a mirror
of the preseason I think he hadtrouble tracking the puck um the

(59:49):
one goal by Lardis yes it was aquick release kind of thought
that you know uh it was a littleout there maybe probably should
have had his glove on it but umas just in a just what makes
this game so funny is that inthat third period on Sunday
Rockford was didn't reallygenerate a whole lot of offense

(01:00:13):
they just struck whenever theyhad it and then in the third
period it was just chance andchance and chance and chance and
chance and and and Miftikov Ifeel like he still kind of
looked uncomfortable in hiscrease but he managed to make
every single save in the thirdperiod and come away with with
the win.

SPEAKER_02 (01:00:30):
And then At the end of the game, uh Brett Seney,
who's just known for runninginto goalies and getting in the
goalies' heads and just being anabsolute menace to goalies, uh,
puts the puck into the net afterthe the final whistle goes, and
there's a bit of a scrum, andthen you see Miftikov going over
there to to talk to him, andyou're like, uh, do we have just

(01:00:51):
another feisty Russian netminderwho's gonna try and fight
everyone at this chance?
Because I mean, you know,Kochekov was just the the
absolute bell of the ball downthere in Chicago, and I think
fans are kind of hoping for moreof that.
But um, you know, I think forMiftikov, it's it's just gonna
have to it, you know, it's it'sit's it's a mental position to

(01:01:14):
be a goaltender.
And for him, it's it's all it'sall it's gonna have to just be,
you know, to focus on justgetting settled in.
And and um you know, just youjust gotta focus, just worry
about the game in front of youand focus on on excuse me, on
getting the stops.
And you know, I I haveconfidence in him and in the

(01:01:38):
goaltending coach, uh StanDubicki, who's been in Chicago
for what feels like forever, um,who's coached between Kochekov
and Alex Lyon and JordanBennington, uh, then this, that,
and the other thing.
That he can he can make it work.
And he's shown that he can workwith you know with goalies from
Russia, who might not even haveuh um you know the the language

(01:02:02):
barrier there, but the universallanguage is stopping the puck.
And um, you know, I I I I thinkMiftikov will be okay in the
long run.
Um would I maybe appreciate aBrandon Bussey or Caden Primo
coming back down?
In the long term, sure.
But um as it is, you know, it'sit's his priest, and um I I

(01:02:27):
think he's I I think he'll be Ithink he'll be okay in the long
run.
Might not be the prettiest, butyou know, it though teams find
ways to win in this league allthe time, and Chicago's got the
capacity to do it.
And if he makes unorthodox stopsand keeps the puck out the way
he did against Rockford, who'swho's to say it won't work?

(01:02:51):
So I'm yeah, it's it it might bea fun, it might be a ride, but
it's gonna be a fun ride.

SPEAKER_00 (01:02:57):
Well, it's interesting.
He is a smallish goalie.
Yeah, he checks in at six feetand 180 pounds.
So that's unusual.
The Keynes, of course, have beengetting these big goalies.
Um, and you know, the Kames havereally hung their hat with uh
with Russian goaltenders.
Of course, it's been anincredible goalie factory.
Uh several top goalies in theNHL, of course, coming out of

(01:03:17):
Russia.
And, you know, they of coursethey've got Piotr Kochekov with
the big club.
We talked about Rusbank as thethere's uh Simeon Semyon Frolov,
who they drafted this year, wholooks like he's gonna be a
player.
There's Igor Velmack, and I meanthere's a bunch of guys that
they've got uh coming that areyou know really high potential

(01:03:37):
goaltenders and big guys,they're all big six foot four,
six foot five type goaltenders.
Um so it's exciting.
So it's interesting to seeMiftikov here.
Um and then Nikita Kop, who wetalked about earlier, um,
interesting with Kop, um playingin Germany, wasn't in the top
league.
Uh not a lot of what you know,you don't hear a lot about

(01:03:59):
Nikita, but uh Nick Bass wastalking about something that uh
that happened in the WorldJuniors a couple of years ago,
and he said, anytime I want towatch a goalie attempt a heroic
performance, I think about thoseGermany versus Canada games at
the World Junior Championshipwhere KW was unreal.

(01:04:20):
And he says, if you get toconsistent time, he's got real
NHL potential.
Um the interesting thing was wesaw him in some exhibition games
with the Kings.
So uh they had signed him to adeal, they give him a shot.
Uh he's a guy that uh you neverreally know uh what he's gonna
do, and and it'll be interestingto see how Nikita uh coop kind

(01:04:43):
of fares with the with thewolves.

SPEAKER_02 (01:04:47):
Yeah, it's uh it's a funny thing about about goalies.
It's just the their developmentisn't always kind of linear, you
know.
It's not always just gonna go uplike that.
It can the go it's a volatileposition, and like I said, a lot
of it just so much is is mentaland being in the right situation

(01:05:08):
and having the right coachingand and just everything just in
between the ears.
I mean, we all know kind of whateverything that we all deal with
on a day-to-day basis.
Well, then throw in you know 100mile an hour shots coming at
you.
It's it's it's difficult.
And I think he, you know, forall intents and purposes, I
think he played well enough.

(01:05:29):
It might not read a lot on thestat sheet about Saturday.
Um I I mean there was uh achance with Nick Lardis on the
doorstep with two seconds left,and he made a nice toe drag move
and was in in front of Quap withabout five feet in front of him.

(01:05:50):
Um made the stop, and and I justI feel like you know the goals
that he did give up, not a wholelot of opportunity for him.
A couple backdoor tapping,especially the overtime winner.
I mean, four on three power playin overtime.
It's it's hard to fault a goaliefor for one of those.
So it's you know, uh it might beanother kind of situation like

(01:06:16):
we had with Ruslan last year,where it's um, you know, it's
it's just it's a tough positionfor uh a kid like him.
You might have prefer to havehim acclimated down there in
Greensboro and kind of get moretime and develop that way.
But uh this is the situationyou're in now, kid.
So it's uh I I you know I'mexcited to kind of see as the

(01:06:40):
year goes on what what he'scapable of, how you know how he
handles that that kind ofadversity.
Because um, like I said, noone's gonna feel sorry for you.
Oh, you have to play a younggoaltender?
Oh, that's tough.
Here's a list of franchises thatonly have young goaltenders to
pick.
So um it's uh you know, I thinkhe's I think he's gonna have a

(01:07:03):
good situation in Chicago whereyou know he doesn't have to to
bear the full brunt of any ofthe starts or anything.
He's gonna at least haveMiftikov in there to kind of
insulate him, um, just kind oflearn and and and and do his
thing.
And you're right.
If it's it's it's such a uh astrange position to project

(01:07:25):
sometimes, you know, and all youcan do is is put him out on the
ice and see see what uh see whatyou got from him.
Um there's early signs that wesaw on Saturday that say, okay,
this kid might be he might bemight be good.
He might be good.
Let's but you don't, you can'tyou can only tell so much from
from a game.

(01:07:46):
So there's uh uh there's a lot.
He's got a lot ahead of him, anduh I'm interested interested to
see how he responds to thesechallenges.

SPEAKER_00 (01:07:55):
Well, and and I fully expect he'll get a uh
probably an opportunity in uhGreensboro.
They might flip-flop he and uhRooslan Kaziv at different
points, just so he gets lots ofplaying time, because of course
they're gonna want him to playtoo.
Uh the interesting thing withthe Canes, you talked a lot
about Stan Davicki.
Of course, he's legendary, asyou said.
He's incredible.
But the Canes also have TomBarrasso who and uh and Cam Ward

(01:08:18):
who do a lot of work with theirwith their young goaltenders as
well.
So um they'll be helping uh guyslike Nikita Kwap and Ruzman
Kaziv as they continue to growin the Kanes or in the uh Wolves
and Gargoyles uh scenario.
Um hey, as we wrap up, I justwanted to ask you a quick uh
quick question here as we go andand say, you know, what what are

(01:08:39):
you gonna have your your eyes onas you look at the next month
ahead?
What do you think uh what do youthink we should be looking for?

SPEAKER_02 (01:08:47):
Yeah, this I mean, this early in the season, it's
all just kind of, you know,we've we've seen everyone kind
of get off to their to theirstarts.
And I mean, you know, the blueline, of course, as we talked
about, is is a big point ofemphasis just because you know
you have two guys that are areso reliable, not just you know,
defensively, offensively,everywhere.

(01:09:08):
Yeah.
Um, and they're they're gone.
So who like you know, we talkeda lot about Badinka, um, you
know, I I enjoy Alexei HimoSalmi there.
Um who's gonna who's gonna riseup and and and and be a player
for this team with these withthis with the added ice time.
Um obviously again, you know,the we've spoken a lot of uh

(01:09:30):
Bray Lena Doe.
I mean we can talk about him allday and every day for sure.
Um I just I I I I feel like youknow, with in this league, it's
not it's not a big surprise tosee a whole lot of roster
turnover year after year.
There wasn't a whole lot ofthere's like what 15 guys in the

(01:09:54):
starting lineup that were herelast year, which is which is
quite a lot, you know.
Um, so what I kind of want tosee is you know, I you know,
this team I think had a goodregular season last year.
I know that the um Coach Abbott,a lot of the guys in that locker
room were disappointed with howthe playoff with the play-in
round went with uh with thesweep to Rockford.

(01:10:16):
So, but there's a lot of goodbuilding blocks in that
foundation.
And over the next month, youknow, you're gonna want to see
where this team kind of took alot of those lessons from last
year, a lot of the lessons fromthe first three games, and how
they continue to build on thatand and continue to create
something that's gonna, youknow, this is gonna be this is I

(01:10:39):
feel like this is gonna be areally tough division this year.
Grand Rapids looks really good,Rockford looks really good.
There's not really gonna be, Imean, okay, Iowa's there who's
kind of terrible, but othereverywhere else, I mean,
Milwaukee is always in the mix,no matter if they have a bunch
of studs or whether it's a bunchof no names.
They're a really good coachhockey team.

(01:11:00):
This is gonna be a toughdivision to play in and
consistently.
And so I'm you know that it'sgonna be a challenge every
night, whether it's it's you'regonna have to worry about this
guy or that guy, and how thisteam rises to those challenges
and and presents the other teamwith challenges.
Hey, we got we got a bunch ofstuds on our side too.

(01:11:20):
How are you gonna approach andbeat us?
And um just continuing to seethe kids grow and and and round
their games out again.
Kind of a big theme of this oneis we know that you're capable
of doing A, how much can we relyon you in doing B and C?

(01:11:43):
So I um I'm looking forward to alot of that, and just you know,
if seeing Nadeau's goal all overthe internet didn't get you
jazzed up for Wolves hockey, Idon't really know what to tell
you other than maybe you need togo to a doctor and get your
pulse checked or something likethat.

SPEAKER_00 (01:12:03):
Well, for sure.
And and you know, the other theother thing that I've been kind
of watching as well, of course,Cam Abbott had his first season
with the Wolves, and he wascutting his teeth uh as well
with with the American Leagueteam and and learning the cane
system and so on.
And I think uh I expect a lotmore from him in terms of of his
ability to develop these playersas well.
So yeah, it looks like it'sgonna be a great season.

(01:12:26):
It's gonna be tough for surebecause players are gonna get
called up and there'll be allkinds of situations.
But uh anyway, we're gonna beright there with it.
Uh and as always, it's it'sgreat talking Wolves hockey with
you, Andrew.
It's uh your knowledge isfantastic, and sharing it with
uh with all of our fans is justwonderful.
And where again can they findyou?

SPEAKER_02 (01:12:46):
Thank you very much for that.
Um I uh I you can find me on uhon tap sports network.
That's uh it's a Chicago-basedmedia outlet.
So if you're ever curious aboutthe Black Hawks or the Bulls for
whatever reason, we got youcovered.
And um, and you can find me onon I'm still gonna call it

(01:13:08):
Twitter.
I'm never gonna call it X, it'salways gonna be Twitter to me.
Um at Andrew underscore Rinaldiunderscore.
Um I provide updates on theteam.
I tweet live during the gamesabout what's going on and share
content and post my articles andchat with the fans, you know,
and I you know I continue to saythis from day one until I'll say

(01:13:32):
it until I'm dead in the ground.
I love talking about this gameand I love sharing it with fans.
So if you have any questions, ifyou have any observations or any
players or the team or anything,um, I'm always I'm I'm always
available and I I I enjoysharing it with uh with with the

(01:13:52):
fans of Chicago, of Carolina,fans all over, you know, it's
great.
I I've I've met a fan fromRussia who's uh you know I I
completely unrelated and talkingabout uh like the growing up
with the five Russian players inDetroit and how they helped
shape my uh my love for thegame, you know.

(01:14:13):
So being able to find thosethose uh those connections with
with people in this world, it'sit's why I do what I do.
So um yeah, don't be afraid toreach out.

SPEAKER_00 (01:14:25):
Well said, and uh for those of you who've been
watching or listening, ofcourse, Andrew and I are
delighted that you spent timewith us.
Uh if you have uh any commentsor questions, as Andrew said,
we'd love to hear from you.
So please uh you know put themin the comment box down below
and and we'll try to respondjust as quickly as possible.
If you like this episode, pleasepress the like button.

(01:14:47):
And of course, if you want to bealerted of future episodes of
Storm Tracker and hear moreabout the Chicago world in the
future, along with uh caseprospects and of course uh your
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And you'll be made aware of justtwo and go further.

(01:15:07):
Once again, everyone, thank youvery much for spending time with
us, and we look forward togetting together with you real
soon like you.