March 22, 2025 • 49 mins
The Chicago Wolves are battling to maintain their playoff position in the AHL's Central Division while developing a talented crop of Carolina Hurricanes prospects. Without star defenseman Scott Morrow, who's currently with the NHL club, the team is relying on contributions from both veterans and rookies to secure their postseason berth. While the team has faced some adversity with a 4-5-1 record in their last ten games, there's plenty to be excited about for both Wolves fans and Carolina Hurricanes supporters monitoring prospects. stormTRacker "Insider" Andrew Rinaldi, brings us up-to-date on the latest news in this month's "Chicago Wolves Report".
• Spencer Martin establishing himself as the #1 goaltender with impressive stats (16-6-3, 2.28 GAA, .911 SV%)
• Three Wolves rookies ranking in AHL's top 10 rookie scoring: Justin Robidas (3rd), Bradly Nadeau (8th), Scott Morrow (9th)
• Domenick Fensore leading all AHL defensemen with three shorthanded goals and five shorthanded points
• 19-year-old goaltender Ruslan Khazheyev showing promise but experiencing expected developmental challenges
• Veteran forward Juha Jaaska bringing NHL experience and two-way play after brief stint with the Hurricanes
• Critical upcoming games against division rivals Rockford and Texas that could determine playoff positioning
• First-year forward Gleb Trikozov limited by injuries for much of his rookie season
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Well, chicago Wolves are battling hard for a playoff
spot in the Central Divisionwith a tenuous six-point cushion
on fourth place, rockford, forthat final playoff spot.
The Wolves continue to rollwithout star defenseman Scott
Morrow.
Scott, of course, up with theCarolina Hurricanes and they'll
be looking for other members ofthe team to step up after going
(00:24):
4, 5, and 1 in their last 10.
Joining us to talk about thisand more StormTracker's Chicago
Wolves insider, andrew Rinaldi.
Hey, andrew, how's it going?
Speaker 2 (00:37):
It's going pretty good, Tom.
Thanks again for having me on.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
It's always great and of course course everybody
wondering what's going on inChicago these days.
Of course we know they'reballing hard to try to get in
the playoffs.
This would be exciting.
Last year not a good year forthe Wolves, so if they can get
back into that playoff hunt itwould be a lot of fun.
What's been happening?
4-5-1?
Not the best.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
Yeah, it's been.
You know, as you expect theyoung team at this level this
month's been a bit of a rollercoaster.
They started off on the road,you know a tough venue down in
Texas.
Leading team in the divisiondropped a couple out there.
Then they came home and lookedreally good against like some
Manitoba shut out Texas in allstates.
(01:25):
Then there was what I think wasa big measuring stick weekend
this past weekend with theHershey Bears coming to town.
Now anyone who's not superfamiliar with the American
League, the Hershey Bears havewon the last two Calder Cups on
(01:45):
the back of some big veteranplay, and our first-inner
division are looking to try andmake it three for three here.
So yeah, the Wolves kind of gotbeat up a little bit by those
Bears and for all the progressthat's been made by a lot of
(02:07):
these youngsters this seasonhere it was kind of like.
It was like we like what we see.
But you know there's still likethis, this um, this gap that's
that's between the rest of theroster and you know the the
cream of the crop to say sothat's not, you know,
(02:27):
necessarily I would say anindictment of anything wrong
going on in Chicago.
I think it's just, you know,hershey's got the oldest team in
the league by average age.
So you know, when you have ateam that relies on a lot of
play from its rookies going upagainst a team like that, it's
just not really an expectedresult in the manner that it
(02:50):
happened, but not reallyshocking either.
Ups and downs.
It's just the way that theseason's been.
You've got some good, you'vegot some bad, but you keep
moving forward the way that theseason's been.
Speaker 1 (03:03):
You know you got some good, you got some bad, but you
keep moving forward, yeah, andI think last month we were
talking about some outstandingplay that the Wolves have been
delivering and you know we'regoing to expect that, as you say
, with the younger players andso on.
But you know they do have someveterans and this is one of the
areas that I think they'rereally going to be looking for.
You know, strength as theybattle for these playoffs.
(03:25):
And in particular, I'm lookingat the goaltending.
So you've got Spencer Martin.
You know he's been getting itdone.
He's got a 2.28 goals againstaverage, 9-1-1 save percentage,
so he's 16-6-3.
He's getting it done for sure.
But Dustin Tukarski, now that'san interesting one because he
has historically been lights outin the American Hockey League
(03:46):
and I noticed his savepercentage is under 900.
That's kind of surprising to me.
And of course, ruslan Kazeevhas been filling in as well and
continuing his development.
What's going on with thegoaltending?
Speaker 2 (03:59):
Yeah, I feel like some of it is just kind of the
three-goal tender system thatthey're running with the Wolves.
So I mean, I think it's prettyclear at this point that Martin
is the go-to number one.
And then you know Tokarski, whenhe came in, when Martin was
first called up, I think he camein in November and, like you
(04:23):
said, it was lights out.
I think he had two shutouts inhis first two games and was was
incredible to start, so much sothat Carolina was like, hey,
let's, let's pull them up hereand and and send Spence back
down.
Kind of gave him a little moreflexibility with the roster
there as well.
But ever since being reassigned, I just I feel like it's been a
(04:44):
matter of rhythm, it's been amatter of just not getting as
much ice time in the crease.
And I think the same could besaid about Khajiit, because,
again, it's already tough for a19-year-old in this league to
tend the pipe against some ofthese shooters especially.
You know, like you got Hersheygoing in and I I noticed that
(05:07):
there was definitely some, uh,some rebound control issues for
the youngster, um, but that'sbecause these, I mean these guys
in Hershey, have been playingpro hockey, some of them for the
last seven, eight years, youknow.
And know, exactly where to putthe puck to where, if it's not
going to go into the net, it'sgoing to create a chance for
their guy that's crashing on theother wing.
So it's I mean, I think some ofit's.
(05:31):
You know a rhythm for thenumber two and three.
Salute, okay, number two andthree net minders there.
But you know, I think Spence isas good as it gets in this
league and you know, when youhave that kind of option in net
(05:51):
I think it helps out the squadin front of him so much and I
think he's got that kind ofswagger that really kind of
leads off into the rest of thelineup as well.
So he was unavailable for thispast weekend.
I think.
He got a little dinged up inThursday's game and then
welcomed his son to the world,so team kind of gave him some
time off there, but I don'tthink it's anything that should
hamper him long-term, I thinkyou know, it's just kind of the
(06:15):
nature of the beast here.
Speaker 1 (06:19):
Well, yeah, I mean, he's definitely going to be key.
They'll be looking for somerock solid goaltending and of
course, they're seeing that withthe parent club right now,
because, of course, freddieAnderson and Piotr Kociakoff are
lights out these days.
So if they want any kind ofindication of what they should
be doing, that's probably a goodplace to take a look.
A couple of other things StanDebicki, of course, working hard
(06:43):
with Ruslan Kazeeb you said hewas 19, of course, when he came
over, A lot of folks wonderingabout Ruslan.
I've had some questions on otherpodcasts about Ruslan, how he's
doing, how do you think he'sprogressing?
Speaker 2 (06:57):
I think he's coming, you know he's steadily he's
coming along and you know's it'sa again a hard kind of
measuring stick against a teamlike Hershey over this past
weekend, um, but I think, uh,you know, one of his last starts
against Milwaukee was, uh wasone of his, I think, his best
start of the season.
(07:17):
He looked, you know, in controlof the game and um, it's just
it, it's.
He's only gonna get better with, with playing time and I think
in between the hershey game andthe milwaukee game I think he
got kind of lit up once.
And you know, young goaltender,in this league you're gonna
look good one night.
(07:38):
Next night you might give up acouple and, um, you know, it's
no one.
The thing I think that madepyotr kochakov such a enigma was
that he came in and immediatelydominated you know, you know he
was a little, he was a littleolder than ruslan.
But, um, yeah, it's, it's notalways, that's not the norm and
(08:01):
I think, uh, you know, I don'tthink anyone was really
expecting that out of Kazeeveither.
So it's just going to be, it'sjust going to, you know, like I
said, progression with moregames and just more comfort in
that net.
And you know, I think it's thisseason is more just kind of
(08:22):
exposing him to this program,kind of getting him familiar
with, with Stan, with the, withthe team, and just kind of kind
of getting him get that, thatprogression started, more so
than you know expecting any real, you know any real tangible
competition from from him and atleast in terms of the standings
(08:45):
.
But yeah, I've, I've.
I've liked where you know wherehe's.
He's grown more and more.
I've, you know I I mentionedthe rebounds and the Hershey
game, stuff that can get cleanedup, but you know no 20 year old
goaltender is going to be thatyou know the lights out.
So, yeah, I've, I've liked whatI've seen and it just tells me
(09:09):
I think down the line he's goingto be a big factor in this team
and hopefully in thisorganization.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
Yeah, and you know the luxury they have, of course,
having two veterans alongsideRuslan gives him.
You know, it's great mentoringfor him.
And you know the other thingand we've talked about this
before a 19-year-old coming toNorth America.
It's a new country, newsituation.
He hadn't really played much inthe pro ranks at all, so he's,
(09:35):
you know, he's really cuttinghis teeth and again, he's got
the athleticism, he's got thesize, he's got everything you
need to be an excellentgoaltender.
So, yeah, I'm kind of like you.
I think next year he's going toplay a lot more.
I think they're just kind ofbringing along nicely.
Give him a taste, continue thementoring, continue the teaching
(09:56):
, and I think he's going to be agreat one.
I can see a day, frankly, whereat some point we have Piotr and
we have ruslan kazeev, and boy,wouldn't that be something.
These would be two amazinggoaltenders, um.
So yeah, now, hershey, just, uh, for fans sake, uh, washington
capitals farm team yeah, Ithought they were yeah.
(10:18):
So yeah, I mean, you got thecaps dominating the nhl and you,
Hershey, of course, doing verywell.
And you know, credit to theWashington Capitals organization
from top to bottom, for sure,and they've been developing some
great players over the years,so no surprise there in the mix.
Let's talk about the defensecorps for a minute Now.
(10:42):
We did off the top.
I mentioned that of courseScott Moore was up with the
Hurricanes playing very well,Gosh, four games, three points,
doing very well plus fourlooking the part for sure and
making a hard decision for theCanes to pull him out as Dmitry
Orlov returned.
(11:02):
But he's clearly a huge part ofthe success of this Chicago
team so far.
What are you thinking with theloss of him so far and who's
going to maybe fill the void?
Speaker 2 (11:16):
Yeah, it was definitely felt over the weekend
against a squad like Hershey.
You really miss Scott's abilityto move the puck in transition,
get him moving from defense tooffense and just that.
You know those extra seconds,minutes of pressure when you're
(11:38):
in your own zone, kind ofscrambling against the attack.
It just wears you down.
And you know, in both of thoseHershey games you saw a lot of
breakdowns, in that secondperiod particularly, I think
they were outscored 6-0 betweenboth second frames over the
weekend.
So it wasn't great and I thinkthat was a big symptom of kind
(12:00):
of the floor kind of coming outfrom underneath their feet.
But you know I've said thismany times it almost feels like
a cliche at this point no one inthe American League is going to
feel bad for you because yourstar player got pulled up Like
that's great, they just hadtheir star player called up.
Their goalie just got called upLike no one cares.
(12:20):
So I think you know you'regoing to see a lot more
opportunities for guys likeDominic Vansori, for Ronan
Seeley, charles Alexis Legault,alexi Himosalmi seeing some
power play time.
He had an absolute rock.
Speaker 1 (12:39):
He had a nice goal.
Yeah, he had a beautiful goal.
I saw that, yes.
Speaker 2 (12:44):
So I think you know it's not necessarily just going
to be like, okay, we're going tolean more on this guy, it's
going to be all right.
You know everyone's going tohave little extra opportunities
with that absence in the lineupand, you know, maybe someone
reaches out and grabs it andtakes it.
I've really liked Fensori'sgame but you know, tonight he's
(13:07):
going to be on the secondpairing with Charles Alexis
Legault.
I love that line and you knowwe'll see where you know who can
grab the momentum with theextra ice time.
Speaker 1 (13:20):
So who's on the top pairing right?
Speaker 2 (13:21):
now.
Right now it's Riley, stillmanand Seeley.
Speaker 1 (13:27):
Okay, now Stillman's an interesting story.
Of course he had that seriousskate injury and then came right
down and started playing forthe Wolves.
I mean, that's a guy thatreally you know he's committed
to his craft for sure and didn'tmiss a beat.
How's Riley been doing?
Speaker 2 (13:43):
Well, that first game against hershey, I want to say,
maybe five minutes in heabsolutely hammered a bear at
the blue line, the classic scottstevens style hit, and this is
the kind that you just don't seea whole lot anymore in in this
game.
So certainly that that likethat injury, which is just
horrifying to think of.
Um, he, he's not scared ofgoing out there and giving it
(14:06):
his all still.
So, um, you know, it's, it's,it's, it's just a a one of those
stories that kind of gets yourskin crawling a little bit but,
he's, you know, he's got thebubble on and, um, you know, in
my younger years, I, I, I, youknow, in my younger years, I, I,
you know, I would never wouldhave been caught dead wearing a
(14:28):
bubble.
But now I am, um, as I'vegotten older and seen some nasty
accidents in peer leagues, I, Ithink he's doing it the right
way.
So, yeah, um, yeah, yeah, he's,it's, it's, uh, it's.
He hasn't really missed a beatsince since taking that skate to
the face.
Speaker 1 (14:45):
Well, you know you mentioned Dominic Fensore and,
of course, charles AlexisLegault, and there's a lot of
Carolina Hurricanes fans who arevery high on Charles Alexis
Legault.
I'm one of them.
He's again a first-year procutting his teeth.
He's going to have his ups anddowns and I think we've seen
some of that this year, but hecertainly has created a
(15:07):
chemistry with Dominic Pensoriand those two guys together.
Boy, they're out there anddoing some heavy lifting.
And one of the things about Domand I'm kind of saying his
praises over and over again Ithink he's a guy that just looks
the part on the ice even thoughhe's not a big player.
But boy, he has been somethingelse shorthanded this year, man,
(15:28):
he's got three shorthandedgoals and five shorthanded
points to lead the AHL blueliners in that category.
He's really something.
Speaker 2 (15:39):
Yeah, I think you know people don't really expect
that from a defenseman, but youknow you're not really familiar
with Ben Sori's game.
If that's the case, he fliesaround like a rocket out there
and I think sometimes, with thatyou know, that little bit of
extra space, someone might becaught napping on a line change
(16:01):
and all of a sudden he's joiningthe rush and you know, by the
time the reinforcement is backon the ice, it's in the back of
the net.
So that doesn't?
he's um, that kind of dynamictalent is is kind of indicative
of what he brings to this teamand it's it shows that.
(16:21):
You know, losing morrowobviously is huge.
Let's be real.
Most organizations this guywould probably already be pretty
solidly on an NHL roster.
So it's been a bit of a luxuryto have him down in Chicago.
But they've been able tosupplement that loss with a guy
(16:42):
like Fensori who you can rely on, obviously in the power play
but also on the penalty kill aswell, not just to keep the puck
out but to go down and counterat the same time.
So it's been a lot of fun tojust kind of watch his game
steadily grow.
I mean, he was in Chicago lastyear and I don't kind of
(17:05):
remember him being such a threaton the penalty kill.
I don't think he was utilizedvery much on the penalty kill
anyway, so we might have to askBob Nardello what was up with
that.
But yeah, it's been watching alot.
He's been a lot of fun to watch.
Speaker 1 (17:21):
Well, and I think that's one of the key stories
with Don, he's been a lot of funin the lodge.
Well, and I think that's one ofthe key stories with Don.
You know, when he came out ofBoston College, of course he was
incredible offensively.
We knew that Power playquarterback big point guy.
But the questions were could hehandle, you know, some of the
heavy lifting and certainlypenalty killing is probably one
(17:42):
of the tougher areas and helooks like he's really growing
into that.
And this is what we've seen inthe development and similar
development with, of course,scott Morrow.
And you know, I think there's alot to be said for the good work
that you know the coachingstaff in Chicago is doing with
these young defensemen.
They're really bringing themalong nicely and helping them
(18:03):
round out their games.
And you know you talk aboutScott Morrow here's they're
really bringing them alongnicely and helping them round
out their games.
And you know you talk aboutScott Moore.
Here's an interesting thing onScott.
We know about his offensiveacumen.
If we look at the AHL rookiescoring right now, this is kind
of fun Scott's ninth with 39points, okay, so that's really
great.
But Justin Robitaille isactually third, if you can
(18:25):
believe it with 43 and BradleyNadeau's eighth with 41.
Three of the top 10 rookies inthe scoring side are on the
Canes, are drafting and howthey're developing.
And you know you look at a guylike Bradley Nadeau.
I mean gosh, we talk about himso much.
Speaker 2 (18:58):
What's going on with Bradley?
These days?
One can kind of look at thescore sheet and think like, oh
man, this is.
It's not looking great becausehe has one goal over his last
nine games.
It's a little tough, I'm notgoing to lie.
It's been a tough march therefor Bradley.
But I think you know, when hestarted off the first, what five
(19:20):
months of the season justabsolutely lighting up the score
sheet, what five months of theseason just absolutely lighting
up the score sheet.
It's like okay, kind of, youknow, not to overreact or
anything.
He still, I don't think, turns20 until May Correct.
So it's tough for young playersto sustain such a level of
(19:44):
success at this level of hockey.
And again, I don't think it'sindicative that he's playing bad
, necessarily.
It's.
You know, it's just one ofthose scoring slumps.
I still think he's contributingoffensively.
He's still gotten a couple ofassists in that time and um, and
(20:07):
it's still, you know,absolutely being keyed in by
opposing team's top defenders.
So, um, he's still clearly verymuch a threat every time he's
out on the ice.
It's just just one of thosethings where the puck's just not
going in for him and he's notgoing to be the kind of guy who
I think is going to get, youknow, kind of down in the dumps
(20:29):
about himself.
He's just going to keepshooting and eventually they'll,
they'll start going in again.
So, yeah, it's it, like I said,you can kind of watch the
scorecards and think like, oh,wow, like what's going on with
Bradley, and that's, it's justone of those things for a young
player to to get through, and Ithink it's.
I honestly think it'd be betterfor his development to go
(20:50):
through a slump like this and tobe like all right, like what,
what do I?
Kind of got to work on here.
I don't want it to be too easyfor him.
Speaker 1 (21:00):
Well, you know what it's it's.
These kind of slumps are notlimited, of course, to Bradley
and the American Hockey League.
We see them regularly with someof the big gunners in the NHL,
and he came out of the WorldJuniors and was just incredible.
For a period of time he lookedlike he was scoring almost every
game.
So you are going to go throughthis and I think the biggest
(21:26):
situation I look for is how's hegoing to kind of pull himself
out of it?
The other thing too he hadgreat success on the power play
and, of course, missing ScottMorrow there is putting some
pressure on some others andagain, sometimes one or two
players missing can change a lotfor you.
So he's, you know he's goingthrough that stage.
We're going to have to keep aneye on him.
He'll come back.
We know he's a natural goalscorer.
(21:47):
This guy is.
He's definitely, you know, oneof those guys that can put the
puck in the net and do itreadily.
And I think the big area that heneeds to continue to work on,
of course, is his 200 foot game,because as he gets that, he's
going to start to become, youknow, real potential for the
Carolina Hurricanes, and a lotof folks think that Bradley's
(22:09):
going to join them next year.
A lot of it's going to dependon.
You know what the roster lookslike Right now.
It's starting to look like theCanes are going to have a lot of
money to spend, so they'regoing to be buying, you know, a
number of different players tocome in and join them, which I
don't know what that's going toleave in terms of another
younger player.
They do have, of course,jackson Blake, who's doing a
(22:31):
nice job this year.
So, yeah, for sure, we're goingto keep an eye on Bradley.
We really are rooting for himto continue his fine rookie
season for sure, and I thinkhe's the number one goal scorer
on the rookie side as well atthis stage.
So he's definitely getting itdone.
Hey, what can you say aboutJustin Robitaille?
(22:52):
This guy is he's just gettingit done and he has the entire
season.
I mean, his numbers reflectthat and he's been quite the
story.
So what's going on with Justinthese days?
Speaker 2 (23:09):
I don't know what more I can say about Justin
Robitaille that I haven't saidin months past.
He's continued Again.
He's one of those guys whereyou know you're aware of him
coming in, but I think you knowthe spotlight was more on guys
like Nadeau and Morrow headinginto this season and now he's
just he's really kind of taken ahold on his spot in the lineup
(23:30):
and the impact that he's makingon every side in special teams
five-on-five play.
He's just.
It's been real fun to watch hisgame growing as well.
It's been real fun to watch hisgame growing as well.
I think his game was maturebeyond his years coming in and
it allowed him to adapt to thatpro style just so much easier
(23:55):
than some of these other guysthat can come out of juniors,
where you're thestud and then you make it to the
pro level and you're not quitedominating grown men like you
are your peers, so it can be amuch harder transition for him.
But he's been a kid to justgive his all on every single
(24:19):
shift, whether he's got the puckon his stick or whether he's
chasing it down on the forecheckor killing penalties.
You never question his efforton the ice and that's just an
awesome thing to say about ayoung kid that's making his
professional debut this year,because you can always kind of
(24:42):
tweak the other things right.
Speaker 1 (24:43):
But if you don't have the heart to get into it.
Speaker 2 (24:45):
You know, then, you know, then you're left with
another, dominic bach, who'sbanished off the journey I heard
that name for a while.
Oh man, the nightmares of him.
That kid had all the talent inthe world but um, you know, it's
, it's, it's, it's, it's abreath of fresh air to see that
coming out of a kid like robita.
(25:06):
And um again, it's just histenacity getting after the puck,
getting it to his teammates anduh, and going to the net.
Hard for you know, for he's notthe biggest guy in the world,
right?
I think we all recognize thatlike he's, I think, listed 5'8",
180 off the top of my head, heis 5'8" 180.
Speaker 1 (25:27):
He is one stocky guy, yeah, exactly.
Speaker 2 (25:31):
Yeah.
So with that low center ofgravity, he can really take that
puck to the net and just createchaos for the other side, and
you're seeing the effortrewarded on the score sheet as
well.
It's um, yeah, he's I.
I think he's um, having justthe kind of uh, the setup in
(25:55):
chicago where he's like hewasn't the number one guy, I
don't think, coming in, but he's, he's uh, he's kind of planted
himself and worked his way up tothat top line.
I don't know if he's the numberone option on the team, but I
(26:16):
don't think he cares.
I think he's just going to rollhis sleeves up and get to work
every night, and the numbersspeak for themselves at this
point.
Speaker 1 (26:25):
Yeah, and you know a couple of things.
You know, when he was in junior, of course, with Baldor, he had
some big numbers.
So I mean he really does have anatural offensive ability and
he's been showing that and Ithink we've seen a number of his
goals.
I mean beautiful shots andgetting in there, making things
happen, going in where theaction is.
(26:46):
And you know, the Canes have noreluctance at all to bring in
smaller players, as we've seenwith the likes of Seth Jarvis
and now, of course, loganStankoven.
And I think you know again, youare the right and if you're
working hard out there andyou're getting your space and
you're getting youropportunities.
(27:07):
You're going to see theHurricanes someday and I think
he's a guy that very much has afuture with the Hurricanes and
look forward to it.
And again.
Last year in the East CoastLeague, this year his first year
in the AHL and he's definitelylooking the part for the Wolves.
And we'll see how he goes downthis stretch run and this is
(27:30):
going to be interesting for alot of the players on the roster
because you know the youngerguys, this is when it's almost
playoff hockey now.
So you know, we're down to thatstage where each and every game
is critical and again, this isgoing to be quite an experience
for them.
Now they do have another guythat I really like and who I
(27:50):
think has been playing quitenicely and he brings that
veteran side.
And he said something when hecame back to Chicago from
playing with the Hurricanes fora while and did a nice job with
the Canes.
I'm talking about Juha Jaska.
Jaska said the next dream is tobe an NHL player and know you're
going to stay there.
I know this is really good forme to be in Chicago.
(28:13):
The game is so hard up there soI need to get way better and
this is the perfect spot todevelop my game with this group
and these guys.
And he's a guy that brings itevery night.
He's showing some interestingoffensive.
You know capability that I'mnot sure a lot of us were aware
of, but, boy, I see thehighlights regularly and he
(28:34):
seems to be showing up a lot.
And he's another guy that youknow.
He plays that Rod Brindamorestyle.
He's out there working hard.
He's got a solid 200-foot game.
What can we expect from YuhaiYaska?
Speaker 2 (28:49):
Exactly what you've been saying right there and I
think he's basically he's kindof like a beefed-up Robitaille.
You know he's responsible onevery end of the ice special
teams on power play, penaltykill.
You know what you're gettingfrom him every single night.
(29:10):
Whether he puts up three pointsor whether he puts up zero,
he's going to be contributingone way or another to your
team's success and you're goingto need him to win, whether he
is scoring or not.
And I think for I think forYaska it's it's just a matter of
matter of time, matter ofopportunity, and and right, he's
(29:33):
going to just continue to toput his head down, get to work
and continue to get better everynight.
I think he's got the rightmindset, he's got the right
situation in Chicago every night.
I think he's got the rightmindset, he's got the right
situation in Chicago.
Fans have seen in Carolina whenhe's come up and he's done
whatever was asked of him to do.
It's just been more of the samein Chicago, all it is.
(30:00):
Some of these guys just needthat opportunity to open.
I think earlier this season hehad his opportunity to kind of
impress the coaching staff inCarolina.
Because you know, sometimes youthink you know a guy and then
you see him a little more andyou're like all right, we really
like what we have here and it'sjust a matter of it's a really
(30:23):
good roster up in Carolinaolina,so a guy like yaska is down
here in chicago, um.
So you know it's, hopefully it's, you know it's, it's not a
matter of of an injury oranything like that.
But if that's what just kind ofhappens to be because of the
nature of the game and all that,then I, I, I have every
(30:44):
confidence in my mind that yaskawould be able to come in to
perform at at at the same levelthat you know we've come to
expect from him at this point.
And it's, it's only been about40 odd so games in in chicago,
but he's, you know, he's quicklybecome a fan favorite because
of those aspects of his game.
(31:05):
Like I said of Robitaille, histenacity just with the puck,
without the puck, just tough toplay against.
I think that's one of thequalities I think you hear a lot
and it's tough to explain, butyou see it a lot from these
veteran players.
You see it being describedabout them a lot.
Speaker 1 (31:29):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (31:30):
About being tough to play against.
Speaker 1 (31:33):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (31:34):
It's just you know the little details to a game
that you know.
Maybe a 20-, 21-year-old mightnot fully grasp, but a guy like
Jasko, who's been playing prohockey over in Finland, come
over here, has made a seamlesstransition and is just a I'm
(31:55):
trying to clean it up but anabsolute pain in the
you-know-what to play.
It's just a matter of when thatdoor opens for them.
Speaker 1 (32:09):
Well, that's great and you know, as we talked at
the outset, some of the veteransare going to be critical as
they kind of navigate throughthis.
We talked about the goaltenders, of course Spencer Martin and
Dustin Tukarski.
We've got, you know, somedefensemen who've got a lot of
experience.
Riley Stillman's there.
You've got Joakim Ryan.
(32:29):
I don't know where Ty Smith isthese days.
He hasn't been playing for awhile.
Is he injured right now?
Yes, okay.
Speaker 2 (32:41):
Is he due back this year or do you know if he's
going to come back?
It's hard getting injuryinformation out of these guys
For fans who aren't aware.
If you're under contract withCarolina, I would have to get to
Carolina to get informationabout the specifics about the
(33:03):
injuries and unless your name islike Walt Ruff, you're not
going to know that stuff even inCarolina, let alone is the guy
from Chicago going to know aboutit.
So, not necessarily, but thelong and short of is uh, they're
pretty hush-hush about injurydetails.
Speaker 1 (33:23):
yeah well, we haven't heard about him for a while now
.
Up front, you've got, obviously, you've got, uh, josiah Slavin,
the captain of the squad,you've got Skylar Brunemore,
you've got Juha Yaska, you'vegot Ryan Suzuki, so you again
some veterans up front thatthey're going to be critical as
you go through.
I'm one of the players I'm kindof thinking about these days,
(33:46):
and you know it's back to ourdiscussion about Ruslan Kazeev,
another 19 year old that cameover, kind of had a tough period
.
He got a high ankle strain andwas out three months.
Tough period he got a highankle strain and was out three
months.
I mean, this is hard for afirst-year guy and trying to
find his way in North Americaand everything else.
Of course, I'm talking aboutGleb Trikosov.
(34:07):
What's going on with GlebTrikosov these days?
Speaker 2 (34:11):
Oh, he was back for a couple of games and everyone
was all excited for him and I'mnot sure if it was a
re-aggravation of his injury ornot, if that same one or if it
was a new one Again.
You know details, but yeah, hehasn't played since March 2nd
against Texas.
Speaker 1 (34:32):
Wow, okay.
Speaker 2 (34:34):
Yeah, he got injured early in December, was back for,
yeah, two games by the look ofit, and then unfortunately he's
just been out again.
So just tough luck is reallythe best I can say.
I was really hoping to see moreof this kid, especially after
you know he'd scored a couplegoals in November.
And I'm like all right, likeonce you kind of like settle in,
(34:55):
like here we go and all thetrains going, and I know there's
like all right, like once youkind of like settle in, like
here we go and all the trainsgoing, and I know there's like
the big, like glab meme andeverything.
So yeah, it's just been a toughrookie year for him.
And again, I think he's, as yousaid, kind of like with Ruslan.
(35:15):
This is expecting more to bekind of like an ease him in type
situation.
You know they weren't expectinghim to run the power play or
anything quite yet, it was morejust kind of like he was.
I mean, at least at thebeginning of the season he was
pretty sheltered down in the boxand all of that.
So just you know, unfortunatelyit's just the hockey guys
(35:40):
haven't been very kind to him.
So hopefully he can kind of gethealthy towards the last month
of the season here and, you know, maybe make an appearance in
the postseason.
Speaker 1 (35:53):
Well, I sure hope so and you know I understand they
wanted to bring him over.
Of course he wasn't gettingmuch action, certainly at the
KHL level, which is where heneeded to be, and the Canes fell
to his best to get him overhere and get him into the system
and, you know, starting tolearn the way of life for
Carolina Hurricanes players.
He had an outstanding prospectshowcase, as you might recall.
(36:16):
He was just wonderful to watch.
A skilled player.
He can really shoot the puckand, yeah, like you, I'm hoping
he's going to get a little bitof ice here so we can see how
he's going to come along.
Of course, you know, next yearwill be a different year for him
, I'm sure, and it's just beenone of those years where it's
(36:36):
kind of tough.
But again, he's a guy with alot of talent.
He's still very young, so we'llkeep an eye on Glab and see how
he's coming along.
Look forward to his developmentfor sure.
So some big games coming up.
Speaker 2 (36:52):
On Tuesday, of course they're going to be playing
Rockford, so that's afour-pointer, yeah, so Chicago
is currently sitting at fourthand Rockford is in at uh, at
fifth, in the last spot in thein the center okay, so the way
that the uh, the bracket worksout in the central division side
.
Um, the top three seeds arekind of like already like in
(37:17):
right, and then you have the,the four and the five seed will
play a three game series, kindof like a play-in type okay, ahl
is very like convoluted.
Basically, everyone makes it um,unless it's 2023, in which case
both of my beats missed it.
Speaker 1 (37:37):
But thankfully that was a couple years ago.
Speaker 2 (37:43):
So they're pretty comfortably in at this point.
Rockford is chasing them.
I feel like Rockford should bea better team than what it is, I
think.
Artum Levshunov, the number twopick from last year.
He was just called up toChicago.
He's up with Chicago yeah,Kevin Korchinski is another
(38:06):
first-rounder.
That was there along with FrankNazar, but I believe he's up in
Chicago and the Blackhawks arejust throwing all of their young
guns, just juggling them backand forth.
Speaker 1 (38:17):
Slaggard, I think Does Slaggard play here as well,
slaggard's down there inRockford, yep so there's a lot
of potential there.
Speaker 2 (38:27):
But all year you've been waiting for them to just
kind of put it together and it'sjust never really happened for
them.
But this will be a big one onTuesday.
They got Texas coming in.
This game on Friday nightstarts about a half hour from
now, so I'll be tuning into thatand then another one on
(38:52):
Saturday, and that's huge.
Like I said earlier, texas isfirst in the division seemingly
forever.
Uh, logan stankoven was there,his former cane.
Speaker 1 (39:03):
It was uh down in texas last year, but um, that's
right, and he was rookie of theyear, as it turns out yeah, yeah
and um, yeah, him and him andmaverick bork, they, I don't
know.
Speaker 2 (39:15):
They're putting something in the water in texas
because they lose those twostuds and they're still really
good, but it's big.
Like I said, this is kind oflike another one of those
measuring sticks.
You kind of took the belt lastweekend against Hershey, so this
is an opportunity.
You're back in your division,spin it around.
(39:38):
Obviously, the Rockford gamekind of has a bit more weight to
it with a little more playoffimplications.
But we'll see.
Because they're kind of in.
I wouldn't say that they'renecessarily in danger because
luckily for Rockford, iowa andManitoba are some of the worst
hockey teams I've ever seen thatare chasing them for that last
(40:01):
playoff spot.
So yeah it's Central Division'skind of.
There's been some tough teamsto watch in these beats, but
they so you know, in that case,when you know kind of that,
you're probably going to beseeing this team in the
postseason for a three-gameseries, like you're going to be
(40:28):
wanting to send a message whenthat comes in.
So obviously, there's a monthleft in the season.
There's a lot to go, anythingcan change between now and then,
but it's never too early tostart sending a message.
Left in the season there's alot to go, anything can change
between now and then, butthere's never too early to start
sending a message.
So yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (40:44):
It's definitely this series of games, and thanks for
clarity on the on the playoffs.
It's hard to kind of get yourarms around that.
I read several different thingsand tried to figure it out and
it's a little bit challenging.
It's a lot.
Speaker 2 (40:55):
It's a little bit challenging.
It's a lot.
Speaker 1 (40:57):
It's a lot.
Yeah, thanks for doing that.
For sure, andrew, and hopefullyfolks will understand how it
all plays out.
And, as you say, it's thefourth and fifth will be going
into a three.
It's the best of three yeah.
Speaker 2 (41:11):
Yeah, the four or five series.
Not to cut you off there, butif anyone is ever curious on
dahlcom, there is a wonderfulresource that helps wrap your
mind around it, called thePlayoff Primer Right.
It gives you magic numbers, itgives you strength of schedule,
who's coming up that each teamis going to be playing against,
(41:35):
and it's absolutely wonderful tokeep it all organized.
It's got the bracket.
It's like if the playoffsstarted today.
Here's what it would look like,and it's overwhelming at first,
thankfully.
Speaker 1 (41:49):
I've got a couple years of understanding this I
blame COVID.
Speaker 2 (41:55):
Covid ruined the whole thing.
Now everyone needs playoffs andit's just a mess, but it's also
a lot of fun.
Last year I remember I thinkTucson was like the number two
seed going up against Calgarywho had Dustin Wolfe on the
other side.
Calgary was a great roster butthey had Dustin Wolf.
(42:17):
Three-game series.
All you need is two wins.
Hot goalie, exactly.
It blows your bracket up.
I mean March Madness all overagain.
Speaker 1 (42:28):
Well, that's really interesting for sure, and so you
know, I have to say I preferthe wild card style that the NHL
deploys.
It's a little easier for me tofollow.
But again, thanks for thatclarity.
Hey, as we wrap up, closingthoughts.
Speaker 2 (42:44):
Andrew, yeah, I think kind of this, as we've seen
this month, you know, kind of itbeing down and up and down
again, that this is just kind ofthe rigors of a team.
That's, you know, still it'scoming together for sure, as now
(43:05):
, as you know, we're severalmonths in and we're just kind of
heading down the home stretchhere.
But you can kind of measure upto again where you have like the
best of the best right, andthen you have a team like
Chicago and again, it's not todisparage any of the guys on the
squad or anything, not to saythat you know the Calder Cup is
(43:28):
still kind of a couple teams infront of them, but you know
there's talent and fun on thisroster that comes to play every
single night and it's been atreat to follow.
You're going to see more ofthese guys that return next year
and they're going to be evenbetter.
I think this playoff stretch isjust as important as any other
(43:58):
in terms of development.
I think that's a big reason.
Why you see 24 teams in the AHLplayoffs is because the
organizations up top and theparent clubs of each of these
affiliates understands that ironsharpens, iron pressure creates
(44:19):
diamonds.
These big games are going to,you know, kind of show your
character, show you like, whatkind of players you really have
in these systems, and I think itgoes a long way for your
development.
So, after all of this, you knowyou got the biggest games of the
year up in the NHL, obviously,but down here as well.
You know you got the biggestgames of the year up in the NHL,
(44:40):
obviously, and but down here aswell.
You know this is where thesekids are, are are going to get
that first taste of, like proplayoff action.
Like you thought those last 60games were were tough.
Now I'll wait till they turnthe intensity up a little bit.
So I, I, I like where thisteam's headed.
I and you know, sure, sure,yeah, they're not Hershey, but
(45:05):
there's, there's a lot of, likeI said, there's a lot of fun on
the roster and there's some biggames coming up and I'm excited
to see, kind of like when those,when those stakes are raised
and those chips are down, likewho is who's going to be the
hero?
You know.
Speaker 1 (45:20):
Yeah, for sure.
And, and you know, as Imentioned before and I was
talking about Scott Morrow andyou know I think it'd be great
if he saw regular ice for theWolves and, you know, heading
into the playoffs and in theplayoffs, because he plays in
all situations, and I think itwould be another good experience
for him as he prepares himselfto join the Hurricanes,
hopefully next year.
(45:40):
Yeah, it's going to be exciting.
We're going to watch closelywhat happens with the Wolves.
You know a lot of these kids.
They have a great pedigree, asyou know too, andrew, that
they've been in these roles fortheir teens and junior and
college.
Wherever it's been, they'vebeen go-to players.
So you know this is going totake that experience and move it
(46:03):
to the next level for them andthat should be a lot of fun.
So, as always, it's greattalking Chicago Wolves with you.
Andrew, can you let everybodyknow where they can find you,
please?
Speaker 2 (46:14):
Absolutely so.
My written work on the team canbe found at the Calder times.
Our website covers AHL hockeyall over, all over the league,
and you can also find me on I'mstill going to call it Twitter
or X, I guess, if, if the you'reinto the new thing, which is
(46:38):
where I give you know I givelive tweets during the game
updates, opinions, memes and youknow, I enjoy chatting with the
fans and answering questionsand just kind of being a part of
the general community.
I got to say, you know, when Ifirst joined the beat, when
(47:00):
Chicago first became theaffiliate of the Carolina
Hurricanes, like I had no, Icover a team in Illinois, I'm
from Michigan.
I had no idea the passion ofthe fans in North Carolina.
I'm thinking you know who caresabout hockey in Carolina.
So it was kind of veryeye-opening to connect with the
(47:21):
community and to be involved inthat way.
So I'm always happy to answerquestions or just to chat around
with anyone who wants to reachout.
Speaker 1 (47:36):
That's great, andrew, and as always, as I said, it's
great fun to talk Chicago WolvesFor all of you who've been
watching or listening, andrewand I are very pleased you could
join us today.
If you like this episode,please press the like button.
If you have questions orcomments, or just want to say a
few words about your thoughts onthe Chicago Wolves or hockey in
(48:00):
general, please put them in thecomment section down below and
Andrew and I will try to getback to you just as quickly as
possible.
And again, for those of you whowant to be alerted of future
episodes of Storm Tracker andfuture episodes of the Chicago
Wolves report, of course, pleasepress the subscribe button and
the bell and we'll alert you assoon as those are available.
(48:23):
Once again, andrew and I thankyou so much for joining us today
and look forward to gettingtogether with you real soon
right here on StormTracker.
Well, chicago Wolves are battling hard for a playoff
spot in the Central Divisionwith a tenuous six-point cushion
on fourth place, rockford, forthat final playoff spot.
The Wolves continue to rollwithout star defenseman Scott
Morrow.
Scott, of course, up with theCarolina Hurricanes and they'll
be looking for other members ofthe team to step up after going
(00:24):
4, 5, and 1 in their last 10.
Joining us to talk about thisand more StormTracker's Chicago
Wolves insider, andrew Rinaldi.
Hey, andrew, how's it going?
Speaker 2 (00:37):
It's going pretty good, Tom.
Thanks again for having me on.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
It's always great and of course course everybody
wondering what's going on inChicago these days.
Of course we know they'reballing hard to try to get in
the playoffs.
This would be exciting.
Last year not a good year forthe Wolves, so if they can get
back into that playoff hunt itwould be a lot of fun.
What's been happening?
4-5-1?
Not the best.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
Yeah, it's been.
You know, as you expect theyoung team at this level this
month's been a bit of a rollercoaster.
They started off on the road,you know a tough venue down in
Texas.
Leading team in the divisiondropped a couple out there.
Then they came home and lookedreally good against like some
Manitoba shut out Texas in allstates.
(01:25):
Then there was what I think wasa big measuring stick weekend
this past weekend with theHershey Bears coming to town.
Now anyone who's not superfamiliar with the American
League, the Hershey Bears havewon the last two Calder Cups on
(01:45):
the back of some big veteranplay, and our first-inner
division are looking to try andmake it three for three here.
So yeah, the Wolves kind of gotbeat up a little bit by those
Bears and for all the progressthat's been made by a lot of
(02:07):
these youngsters this seasonhere it was kind of like.
It was like we like what we see.
But you know there's still likethis, this um, this gap that's
that's between the rest of theroster and you know the the
cream of the crop to say sothat's not, you know,
(02:27):
necessarily I would say anindictment of anything wrong
going on in Chicago.
I think it's just, you know,hershey's got the oldest team in
the league by average age.
So you know, when you have ateam that relies on a lot of
play from its rookies going upagainst a team like that, it's
just not really an expectedresult in the manner that it
(02:50):
happened, but not reallyshocking either.
Ups and downs.
It's just the way that theseason's been.
You've got some good, you'vegot some bad, but you keep
moving forward the way that theseason's been.
Speaker 1 (03:03):
You know you got some good, you got some bad, but you
keep moving forward, yeah, andI think last month we were
talking about some outstandingplay that the Wolves have been
delivering and you know we'regoing to expect that, as you say
, with the younger players andso on.
But you know they do have someveterans and this is one of the
areas that I think they'rereally going to be looking for.
You know, strength as theybattle for these playoffs.
(03:25):
And in particular, I'm lookingat the goaltending.
So you've got Spencer Martin.
You know he's been getting itdone.
He's got a 2.28 goals againstaverage, 9-1-1 save percentage,
so he's 16-6-3.
He's getting it done for sure.
But Dustin Tukarski, now that'san interesting one because he
has historically been lights outin the American Hockey League
(03:46):
and I noticed his savepercentage is under 900.
That's kind of surprising to me.
And of course, ruslan Kazeevhas been filling in as well and
continuing his development.
What's going on with thegoaltending?
Speaker 2 (03:59):
Yeah, I feel like some of it is just kind of the
three-goal tender system thatthey're running with the Wolves.
So I mean, I think it's prettyclear at this point that Martin
is the go-to number one.
And then you know Tokarski, whenhe came in, when Martin was
first called up, I think he camein in November and, like you
(04:23):
said, it was lights out.
I think he had two shutouts inhis first two games and was was
incredible to start, so much sothat Carolina was like, hey,
let's, let's pull them up hereand and and send Spence back
down.
Kind of gave him a little moreflexibility with the roster
there as well.
But ever since being reassigned, I just I feel like it's been a
(04:44):
matter of rhythm, it's been amatter of just not getting as
much ice time in the crease.
And I think the same could besaid about Khajiit, because,
again, it's already tough for a19-year-old in this league to
tend the pipe against some ofthese shooters especially.
You know, like you got Hersheygoing in and I I noticed that
(05:07):
there was definitely some, uh,some rebound control issues for
the youngster, um, but that'sbecause these, I mean these guys
in Hershey, have been playingpro hockey, some of them for the
last seven, eight years, youknow.
And know, exactly where to putthe puck to where, if it's not
going to go into the net, it'sgoing to create a chance for
their guy that's crashing on theother wing.
So it's I mean, I think some ofit's.
(05:31):
You know a rhythm for thenumber two and three.
Salute, okay, number two andthree net minders there.
But you know, I think Spence isas good as it gets in this
league and you know, when youhave that kind of option in net
(05:51):
I think it helps out the squadin front of him so much and I
think he's got that kind ofswagger that really kind of
leads off into the rest of thelineup as well.
So he was unavailable for thispast weekend.
I think.
He got a little dinged up inThursday's game and then
welcomed his son to the world,so team kind of gave him some
time off there, but I don'tthink it's anything that should
hamper him long-term, I thinkyou know, it's just kind of the
(06:15):
nature of the beast here.
Speaker 1 (06:19):
Well, yeah, I mean, he's definitely going to be key.
They'll be looking for somerock solid goaltending and of
course, they're seeing that withthe parent club right now,
because, of course, freddieAnderson and Piotr Kociakoff are
lights out these days.
So if they want any kind ofindication of what they should
be doing, that's probably a goodplace to take a look.
A couple of other things StanDebicki, of course, working hard
(06:43):
with Ruslan Kazeeb you said hewas 19, of course, when he came
over, A lot of folks wonderingabout Ruslan.
I've had some questions on otherpodcasts about Ruslan, how he's
doing, how do you think he'sprogressing?
Speaker 2 (06:57):
I think he's coming, you know he's steadily he's
coming along and you know's it'sa again a hard kind of
measuring stick against a teamlike Hershey over this past
weekend, um, but I think, uh,you know, one of his last starts
against Milwaukee was, uh wasone of his, I think, his best
start of the season.
(07:17):
He looked, you know, in controlof the game and um, it's just
it, it's.
He's only gonna get better with, with playing time and I think
in between the hershey game andthe milwaukee game I think he
got kind of lit up once.
And you know, young goaltender,in this league you're gonna
look good one night.
(07:38):
Next night you might give up acouple and, um, you know, it's
no one.
The thing I think that madepyotr kochakov such a enigma was
that he came in and immediatelydominated you know, you know he
was a little, he was a littleolder than ruslan.
But, um, yeah, it's, it's notalways, that's not the norm and
(08:01):
I think, uh, you know, I don'tthink anyone was really
expecting that out of Kazeeveither.
So it's just going to be, it'sjust going to, you know, like I
said, progression with moregames and just more comfort in
that net.
And you know, I think it's thisseason is more just kind of
(08:22):
exposing him to this program,kind of getting him familiar
with, with Stan, with the, withthe team, and just kind of kind
of getting him get that, thatprogression started, more so
than you know expecting any real, you know any real tangible
competition from from him and atleast in terms of the standings
(08:45):
.
But yeah, I've, I've.
I've liked where you know wherehe's.
He's grown more and more.
I've, you know I I mentionedthe rebounds and the Hershey
game, stuff that can get cleanedup, but you know no 20 year old
goaltender is going to be thatyou know the lights out.
So, yeah, I've, I've liked whatI've seen and it just tells me
(09:09):
I think down the line he's goingto be a big factor in this team
and hopefully in thisorganization.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
Yeah, and you know the luxury they have, of course,
having two veterans alongsideRuslan gives him.
You know, it's great mentoringfor him.
And you know the other thingand we've talked about this
before a 19-year-old coming toNorth America.
It's a new country, newsituation.
He hadn't really played much inthe pro ranks at all, so he's,
(09:35):
you know, he's really cuttinghis teeth and again, he's got
the athleticism, he's got thesize, he's got everything you
need to be an excellentgoaltender.
So, yeah, I'm kind of like you.
I think next year he's going toplay a lot more.
I think they're just kind ofbringing along nicely.
Give him a taste, continue thementoring, continue the teaching
(09:56):
, and I think he's going to be agreat one.
I can see a day, frankly, whereat some point we have Piotr and
we have ruslan kazeev, and boy,wouldn't that be something.
These would be two amazinggoaltenders, um.
So yeah, now, hershey, just, uh, for fans sake, uh, washington
capitals farm team yeah, Ithought they were yeah.
(10:18):
So yeah, I mean, you got thecaps dominating the nhl and you,
Hershey, of course, doing verywell.
And you know, credit to theWashington Capitals organization
from top to bottom, for sure,and they've been developing some
great players over the years,so no surprise there in the mix.
Let's talk about the defensecorps for a minute Now.
(10:42):
We did off the top.
I mentioned that of courseScott Moore was up with the
Hurricanes playing very well,Gosh, four games, three points,
doing very well plus fourlooking the part for sure and
making a hard decision for theCanes to pull him out as Dmitry
Orlov returned.
(11:02):
But he's clearly a huge part ofthe success of this Chicago
team so far.
What are you thinking with theloss of him so far and who's
going to maybe fill the void?
Speaker 2 (11:16):
Yeah, it was definitely felt over the weekend
against a squad like Hershey.
You really miss Scott's abilityto move the puck in transition,
get him moving from defense tooffense and just that.
You know those extra seconds,minutes of pressure when you're
(11:38):
in your own zone, kind ofscrambling against the attack.
It just wears you down.
And you know, in both of thoseHershey games you saw a lot of
breakdowns, in that secondperiod particularly, I think
they were outscored 6-0 betweenboth second frames over the
weekend.
So it wasn't great and I thinkthat was a big symptom of kind
(12:00):
of the floor kind of coming outfrom underneath their feet.
But you know I've said thismany times it almost feels like
a cliche at this point no one inthe American League is going to
feel bad for you because yourstar player got pulled up Like
that's great, they just hadtheir star player called up.
Their goalie just got called upLike no one cares.
(12:20):
So I think you know you'regoing to see a lot more
opportunities for guys likeDominic Vansori, for Ronan
Seeley, charles Alexis Legault,alexi Himosalmi seeing some
power play time.
He had an absolute rock.
Speaker 1 (12:39):
He had a nice goal.
Yeah, he had a beautiful goal.
I saw that, yes.
Speaker 2 (12:44):
So I think you know it's not necessarily just going
to be like, okay, we're going tolean more on this guy, it's
going to be all right.
You know everyone's going tohave little extra opportunities
with that absence in the lineupand, you know, maybe someone
reaches out and grabs it andtakes it.
I've really liked Fensori'sgame but you know, tonight he's
(13:07):
going to be on the secondpairing with Charles Alexis
Legault.
I love that line and you knowwe'll see where you know who can
grab the momentum with theextra ice time.
Speaker 1 (13:20):
So who's on the top pairing right?
Speaker 2 (13:21):
now.
Right now it's Riley, stillmanand Seeley.
Speaker 1 (13:27):
Okay, now Stillman's an interesting story.
Of course he had that seriousskate injury and then came right
down and started playing forthe Wolves.
I mean, that's a guy thatreally you know he's committed
to his craft for sure and didn'tmiss a beat.
How's Riley been doing?
Speaker 2 (13:43):
Well, that first game against hershey, I want to say,
maybe five minutes in heabsolutely hammered a bear at
the blue line, the classic scottstevens style hit, and this is
the kind that you just don't seea whole lot anymore in in this
game.
So certainly that that likethat injury, which is just
horrifying to think of.
Um, he, he's not scared ofgoing out there and giving it
(14:06):
his all still.
So, um, you know, it's, it's,it's, it's just a a one of those
stories that kind of gets yourskin crawling a little bit but,
he's, you know, he's got thebubble on and, um, you know, in
my younger years, I, I, I, youknow, in my younger years, I, I,
you know, I would never wouldhave been caught dead wearing a
(14:28):
bubble.
But now I am, um, as I'vegotten older and seen some nasty
accidents in peer leagues, I, Ithink he's doing it the right
way.
So, yeah, um, yeah, yeah, he's,it's, it's, uh, it's.
He hasn't really missed a beatsince since taking that skate to
the face.
Speaker 1 (14:45):
Well, you know you mentioned Dominic Fensore and,
of course, charles AlexisLegault, and there's a lot of
Carolina Hurricanes fans who arevery high on Charles Alexis
Legault.
I'm one of them.
He's again a first-year procutting his teeth.
He's going to have his ups anddowns and I think we've seen
some of that this year, but hecertainly has created a
(15:07):
chemistry with Dominic Pensoriand those two guys together.
Boy, they're out there anddoing some heavy lifting.
And one of the things about Domand I'm kind of saying his
praises over and over again Ithink he's a guy that just looks
the part on the ice even thoughhe's not a big player.
But boy, he has been somethingelse shorthanded this year, man,
(15:28):
he's got three shorthandedgoals and five shorthanded
points to lead the AHL blueliners in that category.
He's really something.
Speaker 2 (15:39):
Yeah, I think you know people don't really expect
that from a defenseman, but youknow you're not really familiar
with Ben Sori's game.
If that's the case, he fliesaround like a rocket out there
and I think sometimes, with thatyou know, that little bit of
extra space, someone might becaught napping on a line change
(16:01):
and all of a sudden he's joiningthe rush and you know, by the
time the reinforcement is backon the ice, it's in the back of
the net.
So that doesn't?
he's um, that kind of dynamictalent is is kind of indicative
of what he brings to this teamand it's it shows that.
(16:21):
You know, losing morrowobviously is huge.
Let's be real.
Most organizations this guywould probably already be pretty
solidly on an NHL roster.
So it's been a bit of a luxuryto have him down in Chicago.
But they've been able tosupplement that loss with a guy
(16:42):
like Fensori who you can rely on, obviously in the power play
but also on the penalty kill aswell, not just to keep the puck
out but to go down and counterat the same time.
So it's been a lot of fun tojust kind of watch his game
steadily grow.
I mean, he was in Chicago lastyear and I don't kind of
(17:05):
remember him being such a threaton the penalty kill.
I don't think he was utilizedvery much on the penalty kill
anyway, so we might have to askBob Nardello what was up with
that.
But yeah, it's been watching alot.
He's been a lot of fun to watch.
Speaker 1 (17:21):
Well, and I think that's one of the key stories
with Don, he's been a lot of funin the lodge.
Well, and I think that's one ofthe key stories with Don.
You know, when he came out ofBoston College, of course he was
incredible offensively.
We knew that Power playquarterback big point guy.
But the questions were could hehandle, you know, some of the
heavy lifting and certainlypenalty killing is probably one
(17:42):
of the tougher areas and helooks like he's really growing
into that.
And this is what we've seen inthe development and similar
development with, of course,scott Morrow.
And you know, I think there's alot to be said for the good work
that you know the coachingstaff in Chicago is doing with
these young defensemen.
They're really bringing themalong nicely and helping them
(18:03):
round out their games.
And you know you talk aboutScott Morrow here's they're
really bringing them alongnicely and helping them round
out their games.
And you know you talk aboutScott Moore.
Here's an interesting thing onScott.
We know about his offensiveacumen.
If we look at the AHL rookiescoring right now, this is kind
of fun Scott's ninth with 39points, okay, so that's really
great.
But Justin Robitaille isactually third, if you can
(18:25):
believe it with 43 and BradleyNadeau's eighth with 41.
Three of the top 10 rookies inthe scoring side are on the
Canes, are drafting and howthey're developing.
And you know you look at a guylike Bradley Nadeau.
I mean gosh, we talk about himso much.
Speaker 2 (18:58):
What's going on with Bradley?
These days?
One can kind of look at thescore sheet and think like, oh
man, this is.
It's not looking great becausehe has one goal over his last
nine games.
It's a little tough, I'm notgoing to lie.
It's been a tough march therefor Bradley.
But I think you know, when hestarted off the first, what five
(19:20):
months of the season justabsolutely lighting up the score
sheet, what five months of theseason just absolutely lighting
up the score sheet.
It's like okay, kind of, youknow, not to overreact or
anything.
He still, I don't think, turns20 until May Correct.
So it's tough for young playersto sustain such a level of
(19:44):
success at this level of hockey.
And again, I don't think it'sindicative that he's playing bad
, necessarily.
It's.
You know, it's just one ofthose scoring slumps.
I still think he's contributingoffensively.
He's still gotten a couple ofassists in that time and um, and
(20:07):
it's still, you know,absolutely being keyed in by
opposing team's top defenders.
So, um, he's still clearly verymuch a threat every time he's
out on the ice.
It's just just one of thosethings where the puck's just not
going in for him and he's notgoing to be the kind of guy who
I think is going to get, youknow, kind of down in the dumps
(20:29):
about himself.
He's just going to keepshooting and eventually they'll,
they'll start going in again.
So, yeah, it's it, like I said,you can kind of watch the
scorecards and think like, oh,wow, like what's going on with
Bradley, and that's, it's justone of those things for a young
player to to get through, and Ithink it's.
I honestly think it'd be betterfor his development to go
(20:50):
through a slump like this and tobe like all right, like what,
what do I?
Kind of got to work on here.
I don't want it to be too easyfor him.
Speaker 1 (21:00):
Well, you know what it's it's.
These kind of slumps are notlimited, of course, to Bradley
and the American Hockey League.
We see them regularly with someof the big gunners in the NHL,
and he came out of the WorldJuniors and was just incredible.
For a period of time he lookedlike he was scoring almost every
game.
So you are going to go throughthis and I think the biggest
(21:26):
situation I look for is how's hegoing to kind of pull himself
out of it?
The other thing too he hadgreat success on the power play
and, of course, missing ScottMorrow there is putting some
pressure on some others andagain, sometimes one or two
players missing can change a lotfor you.
So he's, you know he's goingthrough that stage.
We're going to have to keep aneye on him.
He'll come back.
We know he's a natural goalscorer.
(21:47):
This guy is.
He's definitely, you know, oneof those guys that can put the
puck in the net and do itreadily.
And I think the big area that heneeds to continue to work on,
of course, is his 200 foot game,because as he gets that, he's
going to start to become, youknow, real potential for the
Carolina Hurricanes, and a lotof folks think that Bradley's
(22:09):
going to join them next year.
A lot of it's going to dependon.
You know what the roster lookslike Right now.
It's starting to look like theCanes are going to have a lot of
money to spend, so they'regoing to be buying, you know, a
number of different players tocome in and join them, which I
don't know what that's going toleave in terms of another
younger player.
They do have, of course,jackson Blake, who's doing a
(22:31):
nice job this year.
So, yeah, for sure, we're goingto keep an eye on Bradley.
We really are rooting for himto continue his fine rookie
season for sure, and I thinkhe's the number one goal scorer
on the rookie side as well atthis stage.
So he's definitely getting itdone.
Hey, what can you say aboutJustin Robitaille?
(22:52):
This guy is he's just gettingit done and he has the entire
season.
I mean, his numbers reflectthat and he's been quite the
story.
So what's going on with Justinthese days?
Speaker 2 (23:09):
I don't know what more I can say about Justin
Robitaille that I haven't saidin months past.
He's continued Again.
He's one of those guys whereyou know you're aware of him
coming in, but I think you knowthe spotlight was more on guys
like Nadeau and Morrow headinginto this season and now he's
just he's really kind of taken ahold on his spot in the lineup
(23:30):
and the impact that he's makingon every side in special teams
five-on-five play.
He's just.
It's been real fun to watch hisgame growing as well.
It's been real fun to watch hisgame growing as well.
I think his game was maturebeyond his years coming in and
it allowed him to adapt to thatpro style just so much easier
(23:55):
than some of these other guysthat can come out of juniors,
where you're thestud and then you make it to the
pro level and you're not quitedominating grown men like you
are your peers, so it can be amuch harder transition for him.
But he's been a kid to justgive his all on every single
(24:19):
shift, whether he's got the puckon his stick or whether he's
chasing it down on the forecheckor killing penalties.
You never question his efforton the ice and that's just an
awesome thing to say about ayoung kid that's making his
professional debut this year,because you can always kind of
(24:42):
tweak the other things right.
Speaker 1 (24:43):
But if you don't have the heart to get into it.
Speaker 2 (24:45):
You know, then, you know, then you're left with
another, dominic bach, who'sbanished off the journey I heard
that name for a while.
Oh man, the nightmares of him.
That kid had all the talent inthe world but um, you know, it's
, it's, it's, it's, it's abreath of fresh air to see that
coming out of a kid like robita.
(25:06):
And um again, it's just histenacity getting after the puck,
getting it to his teammates anduh, and going to the net.
Hard for you know, for he's notthe biggest guy in the world,
right?
I think we all recognize thatlike he's, I think, listed 5'8",
180 off the top of my head, heis 5'8" 180.
Speaker 1 (25:27):
He is one stocky guy, yeah, exactly.
Speaker 2 (25:31):
Yeah.
So with that low center ofgravity, he can really take that
puck to the net and just createchaos for the other side, and
you're seeing the effortrewarded on the score sheet as
well.
It's um, yeah, he's I.
I think he's um, having justthe kind of uh, the setup in
(25:55):
chicago where he's like hewasn't the number one guy, I
don't think, coming in, but he's, he's uh, he's kind of planted
himself and worked his way up tothat top line.
I don't know if he's the numberone option on the team, but I
(26:16):
don't think he cares.
I think he's just going to rollhis sleeves up and get to work
every night, and the numbersspeak for themselves at this
point.
Speaker 1 (26:25):
Yeah, and you know a couple of things.
You know, when he was in junior, of course, with Baldor, he had
some big numbers.
So I mean he really does have anatural offensive ability and
he's been showing that and Ithink we've seen a number of his
goals.
I mean beautiful shots andgetting in there, making things
happen, going in where theaction is.
(26:46):
And you know, the Canes have noreluctance at all to bring in
smaller players, as we've seenwith the likes of Seth Jarvis
and now, of course, loganStankoven.
And I think you know again, youare the right and if you're
working hard out there andyou're getting your space and
you're getting youropportunities.
(27:07):
You're going to see theHurricanes someday and I think
he's a guy that very much has afuture with the Hurricanes and
look forward to it.
And again.
Last year in the East CoastLeague, this year his first year
in the AHL and he's definitelylooking the part for the Wolves.
And we'll see how he goes downthis stretch run and this is
(27:30):
going to be interesting for alot of the players on the roster
because you know the youngerguys, this is when it's almost
playoff hockey now.
So you know, we're down to thatstage where each and every game
is critical and again, this isgoing to be quite an experience
for them.
Now they do have another guythat I really like and who I
(27:50):
think has been playing quitenicely and he brings that
veteran side.
And he said something when hecame back to Chicago from
playing with the Hurricanes fora while and did a nice job with
the Canes.
I'm talking about Juha Jaska.
Jaska said the next dream is tobe an NHL player and know you're
going to stay there.
I know this is really good forme to be in Chicago.
(28:13):
The game is so hard up there soI need to get way better and
this is the perfect spot todevelop my game with this group
and these guys.
And he's a guy that brings itevery night.
He's showing some interestingoffensive.
You know capability that I'mnot sure a lot of us were aware
of, but, boy, I see thehighlights regularly and he
(28:34):
seems to be showing up a lot.
And he's another guy that youknow.
He plays that Rod Brindamorestyle.
He's out there working hard.
He's got a solid 200-foot game.
What can we expect from YuhaiYaska?
Speaker 2 (28:49):
Exactly what you've been saying right there and I
think he's basically he's kindof like a beefed-up Robitaille.
You know he's responsible onevery end of the ice special
teams on power play, penaltykill.
You know what you're gettingfrom him every single night.
(29:10):
Whether he puts up three pointsor whether he puts up zero,
he's going to be contributingone way or another to your
team's success and you're goingto need him to win, whether he
is scoring or not.
And I think for I think forYaska it's it's just a matter of
matter of time, matter ofopportunity, and and right, he's
(29:33):
going to just continue to toput his head down, get to work
and continue to get better everynight.
I think he's got the rightmindset, he's got the right
situation in Chicago every night.
I think he's got the rightmindset, he's got the right
situation in Chicago.
Fans have seen in Carolina whenhe's come up and he's done
whatever was asked of him to do.
It's just been more of the samein Chicago, all it is.
(30:00):
Some of these guys just needthat opportunity to open.
I think earlier this season hehad his opportunity to kind of
impress the coaching staff inCarolina.
Because you know, sometimes youthink you know a guy and then
you see him a little more andyou're like all right, we really
like what we have here and it'sjust a matter of it's a really
(30:23):
good roster up in Carolinaolina,so a guy like yaska is down
here in chicago, um.
So you know it's, hopefully it's, you know it's, it's not a
matter of of an injury oranything like that.
But if that's what just kind ofhappens to be because of the
nature of the game and all that,then I, I, I have every
(30:44):
confidence in my mind that yaskawould be able to come in to
perform at at at the same levelthat you know we've come to
expect from him at this point.
And it's, it's only been about40 odd so games in in chicago,
but he's, you know, he's quicklybecome a fan favorite because
of those aspects of his game.
(31:05):
Like I said of Robitaille, histenacity just with the puck,
without the puck, just tough toplay against.
I think that's one of thequalities I think you hear a lot
and it's tough to explain, butyou see it a lot from these
veteran players.
You see it being describedabout them a lot.
Speaker 1 (31:29):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (31:30):
About being tough to play against.
Speaker 1 (31:33):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (31:34):
It's just you know the little details to a game
that you know.
Maybe a 20-, 21-year-old mightnot fully grasp, but a guy like
Jasko, who's been playing prohockey over in Finland, come
over here, has made a seamlesstransition and is just a I'm
(31:55):
trying to clean it up but anabsolute pain in the
you-know-what to play.
It's just a matter of when thatdoor opens for them.
Speaker 1 (32:09):
Well, that's great and you know, as we talked at
the outset, some of the veteransare going to be critical as
they kind of navigate throughthis.
We talked about the goaltenders, of course Spencer Martin and
Dustin Tukarski.
We've got, you know, somedefensemen who've got a lot of
experience.
Riley Stillman's there.
You've got Joakim Ryan.
(32:29):
I don't know where Ty Smith isthese days.
He hasn't been playing for awhile.
Is he injured right now?
Yes, okay.
Speaker 2 (32:41):
Is he due back this year or do you know if he's
going to come back?
It's hard getting injuryinformation out of these guys
For fans who aren't aware.
If you're under contract withCarolina, I would have to get to
Carolina to get informationabout the specifics about the
(33:03):
injuries and unless your name islike Walt Ruff, you're not
going to know that stuff even inCarolina, let alone is the guy
from Chicago going to know aboutit.
So, not necessarily, but thelong and short of is uh, they're
pretty hush-hush about injurydetails.
Speaker 1 (33:23):
yeah well, we haven't heard about him for a while now
.
Up front, you've got, obviously, you've got, uh, josiah Slavin,
the captain of the squad,you've got Skylar Brunemore,
you've got Juha Yaska, you'vegot Ryan Suzuki, so you again
some veterans up front thatthey're going to be critical as
you go through.
I'm one of the players I'm kindof thinking about these days,
(33:46):
and you know it's back to ourdiscussion about Ruslan Kazeev,
another 19 year old that cameover, kind of had a tough period
.
He got a high ankle strain andwas out three months.
Tough period he got a highankle strain and was out three
months.
I mean, this is hard for afirst-year guy and trying to
find his way in North Americaand everything else.
Of course, I'm talking aboutGleb Trikosov.
(34:07):
What's going on with GlebTrikosov these days?
Speaker 2 (34:11):
Oh, he was back for a couple of games and everyone
was all excited for him and I'mnot sure if it was a
re-aggravation of his injury ornot, if that same one or if it
was a new one Again.
You know details, but yeah, hehasn't played since March 2nd
against Texas.
Speaker 1 (34:32):
Wow, okay.
Speaker 2 (34:34):
Yeah, he got injured early in December, was back for,
yeah, two games by the look ofit, and then unfortunately he's
just been out again.
So just tough luck is reallythe best I can say.
I was really hoping to see moreof this kid, especially after
you know he'd scored a couplegoals in November.
And I'm like all right, likeonce you kind of like settle in,
(34:55):
like here we go and all thetrains going, and I know there's
like all right, like once youkind of like settle in, like
here we go and all the trainsgoing, and I know there's like
the big, like glab meme andeverything.
So yeah, it's just been a toughrookie year for him.
And again, I think he's, as yousaid, kind of like with Ruslan.
(35:15):
This is expecting more to bekind of like an ease him in type
situation.
You know they weren't expectinghim to run the power play or
anything quite yet, it was morejust kind of like he was.
I mean, at least at thebeginning of the season he was
pretty sheltered down in the boxand all of that.
So just you know, unfortunatelyit's just the hockey guys
(35:40):
haven't been very kind to him.
So hopefully he can kind of gethealthy towards the last month
of the season here and, you know, maybe make an appearance in
the postseason.
Speaker 1 (35:53):
Well, I sure hope so and you know I understand they
wanted to bring him over.
Of course he wasn't gettingmuch action, certainly at the
KHL level, which is where heneeded to be, and the Canes fell
to his best to get him overhere and get him into the system
and, you know, starting tolearn the way of life for
Carolina Hurricanes players.
He had an outstanding prospectshowcase, as you might recall.
(36:16):
He was just wonderful to watch.
A skilled player.
He can really shoot the puckand, yeah, like you, I'm hoping
he's going to get a little bitof ice here so we can see how
he's going to come along.
Of course, you know, next yearwill be a different year for him
, I'm sure, and it's just beenone of those years where it's
(36:36):
kind of tough.
But again, he's a guy with alot of talent.
He's still very young, so we'llkeep an eye on Glab and see how
he's coming along.
Look forward to his developmentfor sure.
So some big games coming up.
Speaker 2 (36:52):
On Tuesday, of course they're going to be playing
Rockford, so that's afour-pointer, yeah, so Chicago
is currently sitting at fourthand Rockford is in at uh, at
fifth, in the last spot in thein the center okay, so the way
that the uh, the bracket worksout in the central division side
.
Um, the top three seeds arekind of like already like in
(37:17):
right, and then you have the,the four and the five seed will
play a three game series, kindof like a play-in type okay, ahl
is very like convoluted.
Basically, everyone makes it um,unless it's 2023, in which case
both of my beats missed it.
Speaker 1 (37:37):
But thankfully that was a couple years ago.
Speaker 2 (37:43):
So they're pretty comfortably in at this point.
Rockford is chasing them.
I feel like Rockford should bea better team than what it is, I
think.
Artum Levshunov, the number twopick from last year.
He was just called up toChicago.
He's up with Chicago yeah,Kevin Korchinski is another
(38:06):
first-rounder.
That was there along with FrankNazar, but I believe he's up in
Chicago and the Blackhawks arejust throwing all of their young
guns, just juggling them backand forth.
Speaker 1 (38:17):
Slaggard, I think Does Slaggard play here as well,
slaggard's down there inRockford, yep so there's a lot
of potential there.
Speaker 2 (38:27):
But all year you've been waiting for them to just
kind of put it together and it'sjust never really happened for
them.
But this will be a big one onTuesday.
They got Texas coming in.
This game on Friday nightstarts about a half hour from
now, so I'll be tuning into thatand then another one on
(38:52):
Saturday, and that's huge.
Like I said earlier, texas isfirst in the division seemingly
forever.
Uh, logan stankoven was there,his former cane.
Speaker 1 (39:03):
It was uh down in texas last year, but um, that's
right, and he was rookie of theyear, as it turns out yeah, yeah
and um, yeah, him and him andmaverick bork, they, I don't
know.
Speaker 2 (39:15):
They're putting something in the water in texas
because they lose those twostuds and they're still really
good, but it's big.
Like I said, this is kind oflike another one of those
measuring sticks.
You kind of took the belt lastweekend against Hershey, so this
is an opportunity.
You're back in your division,spin it around.
(39:38):
Obviously, the Rockford gamekind of has a bit more weight to
it with a little more playoffimplications.
But we'll see.
Because they're kind of in.
I wouldn't say that they'renecessarily in danger because
luckily for Rockford, iowa andManitoba are some of the worst
hockey teams I've ever seen thatare chasing them for that last
(40:01):
playoff spot.
So yeah it's Central Division'skind of.
There's been some tough teamsto watch in these beats, but
they so you know, in that case,when you know kind of that,
you're probably going to beseeing this team in the
postseason for a three-gameseries, like you're going to be
(40:28):
wanting to send a message whenthat comes in.
So obviously, there's a monthleft in the season.
There's a lot to go, anythingcan change between now and then,
but it's never too early tostart sending a message.
Left in the season there's alot to go, anything can change
between now and then, butthere's never too early to start
sending a message.
So yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (40:44):
It's definitely this series of games, and thanks for
clarity on the on the playoffs.
It's hard to kind of get yourarms around that.
I read several different thingsand tried to figure it out and
it's a little bit challenging.
It's a lot.
Speaker 2 (40:55):
It's a little bit challenging.
It's a lot.
Speaker 1 (40:57):
It's a lot.
Yeah, thanks for doing that.
For sure, andrew, and hopefullyfolks will understand how it
all plays out.
And, as you say, it's thefourth and fifth will be going
into a three.
It's the best of three yeah.
Speaker 2 (41:11):
Yeah, the four or five series.
Not to cut you off there, butif anyone is ever curious on
dahlcom, there is a wonderfulresource that helps wrap your
mind around it, called thePlayoff Primer Right.
It gives you magic numbers, itgives you strength of schedule,
who's coming up that each teamis going to be playing against,
(41:35):
and it's absolutely wonderful tokeep it all organized.
It's got the bracket.
It's like if the playoffsstarted today.
Here's what it would look like,and it's overwhelming at first,
thankfully.
Speaker 1 (41:49):
I've got a couple years of understanding this I
blame COVID.
Speaker 2 (41:55):
Covid ruined the whole thing.
Now everyone needs playoffs andit's just a mess, but it's also
a lot of fun.
Last year I remember I thinkTucson was like the number two
seed going up against Calgarywho had Dustin Wolfe on the
other side.
Calgary was a great roster butthey had Dustin Wolf.
(42:17):
Three-game series.
All you need is two wins.
Hot goalie, exactly.
It blows your bracket up.
I mean March Madness all overagain.
Speaker 1 (42:28):
Well, that's really interesting for sure, and so you
know, I have to say I preferthe wild card style that the NHL
deploys.
It's a little easier for me tofollow.
But again, thanks for thatclarity.
Hey, as we wrap up, closingthoughts.
Speaker 2 (42:44):
Andrew, yeah, I think kind of this, as we've seen
this month, you know, kind of itbeing down and up and down
again, that this is just kind ofthe rigors of a team.
That's, you know, still it'scoming together for sure, as now
(43:05):
, as you know, we're severalmonths in and we're just kind of
heading down the home stretchhere.
But you can kind of measure upto again where you have like the
best of the best right, andthen you have a team like
Chicago and again, it's not todisparage any of the guys on the
squad or anything, not to saythat you know the Calder Cup is
(43:28):
still kind of a couple teams infront of them, but you know
there's talent and fun on thisroster that comes to play every
single night and it's been atreat to follow.
You're going to see more ofthese guys that return next year
and they're going to be evenbetter.
I think this playoff stretch isjust as important as any other
(43:58):
in terms of development.
I think that's a big reason.
Why you see 24 teams in the AHLplayoffs is because the
organizations up top and theparent clubs of each of these
affiliates understands that ironsharpens, iron pressure creates
(44:19):
diamonds.
These big games are going to,you know, kind of show your
character, show you like, whatkind of players you really have
in these systems, and I think itgoes a long way for your
development.
So, after all of this, you knowyou got the biggest games of the
year up in the NHL, obviously,but down here as well.
You know you got the biggestgames of the year up in the NHL,
(44:40):
obviously, and but down here aswell.
You know this is where thesekids are, are are going to get
that first taste of, like proplayoff action.
Like you thought those last 60games were were tough.
Now I'll wait till they turnthe intensity up a little bit.
So I, I, I like where thisteam's headed.
I and you know, sure, sure,yeah, they're not Hershey, but
(45:05):
there's, there's a lot of, likeI said, there's a lot of fun on
the roster and there's some biggames coming up and I'm excited
to see, kind of like when those,when those stakes are raised
and those chips are down, likewho is who's going to be the
hero?
You know.
Speaker 1 (45:20):
Yeah, for sure.
And, and you know, as Imentioned before and I was
talking about Scott Morrow andyou know I think it'd be great
if he saw regular ice for theWolves and, you know, heading
into the playoffs and in theplayoffs, because he plays in
all situations, and I think itwould be another good experience
for him as he prepares himselfto join the Hurricanes,
hopefully next year.
(45:40):
Yeah, it's going to be exciting.
We're going to watch closelywhat happens with the Wolves.
You know a lot of these kids.
They have a great pedigree, asyou know too, andrew, that
they've been in these roles fortheir teens and junior and
college.
Wherever it's been, they'vebeen go-to players.
So you know this is going totake that experience and move it
(46:03):
to the next level for them andthat should be a lot of fun.
So, as always, it's greattalking Chicago Wolves with you.
Andrew, can you let everybodyknow where they can find you,
please?
Speaker 2 (46:14):
Absolutely so.
My written work on the team canbe found at the Calder times.
Our website covers AHL hockeyall over, all over the league,
and you can also find me on I'mstill going to call it Twitter
or X, I guess, if, if the you'reinto the new thing, which is
(46:38):
where I give you know I givelive tweets during the game
updates, opinions, memes and youknow, I enjoy chatting with the
fans and answering questionsand just kind of being a part of
the general community.
I got to say, you know, when Ifirst joined the beat, when
(47:00):
Chicago first became theaffiliate of the Carolina
Hurricanes, like I had no, Icover a team in Illinois, I'm
from Michigan.
I had no idea the passion ofthe fans in North Carolina.
I'm thinking you know who caresabout hockey in Carolina.
So it was kind of veryeye-opening to connect with the
(47:21):
community and to be involved inthat way.
So I'm always happy to answerquestions or just to chat around
with anyone who wants to reachout.
Speaker 1 (47:36):
That's great, andrew, and as always, as I said, it's
great fun to talk Chicago WolvesFor all of you who've been
watching or listening, andrewand I are very pleased you could
join us today.
If you like this episode,please press the like button.
If you have questions orcomments, or just want to say a
few words about your thoughts onthe Chicago Wolves or hockey in
(48:00):
general, please put them in thecomment section down below and
Andrew and I will try to getback to you just as quickly as
possible.
And again, for those of you whowant to be alerted of future
episodes of Storm Tracker andfuture episodes of the Chicago
Wolves report, of course, pleasepress the subscribe button and
the bell and we'll alert you assoon as those are available.
(48:23):
Once again, andrew and I thankyou so much for joining us today
and look forward to gettingtogether with you real soon
right here on StormTracker.
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