2020-21 Chicago Wolves Game Notes ROCKFORD AT CHICAGO APRIL 3, 2021 7 P.M. AHLTV.COM ALWAYS ROOM TO IMPROVE 2020-21 The Chicago Wolves carry a pair of five-game winning streaks into today’s game. Not only have the TALE OF THE TAPE Wolves won five games in a row against the Rockford IceHogs this season, they’ve won their last five games overall to improve their winning percentage to .844 — second-best in the AHL. REGULAR-SEASON SERIES 0-5-0-0 Rockford | 5-0-0-0 Chicago LAST MEETING While the Wolves have outscored their opponents 26-11 over the last five games, head coach Ryan March 28, 2021 Warsofsky has not sat back and accepted everything that has happened on the ice. “I know the results are great and the five wins (in a row) are great, but there are still a lot of areas in our game that need to improve,” Warsofsky said. “Individually, guys need to improve in certain areas in order to play in the National Hockey League. That’s what we’re here to do. Yeah, we want to win. We 6-11-1-0 13-2-0-1 want to have success. But, ultimately, we want guys to play in the National Hockey League. And you have to play a certain way to play there...a lot of teaching that needs to be done.” SERIES LEADERS As an example from Thursday’s 5-2 home win over the Grand Rapids Griffins, almost everyone focused ROCKFORD CHICAGO on rehabbing Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Petr Mrazek’s remarkable 43-save performance. Skater G A Pts Skater G A Pts Warsofsky focused on the team’s play that required Mrazek to face 45 shots, including the Griffins’ Wilkie 2 4 6 Jeannot 3 4 7 23-shot fusillade during the second period. Franson 1 5 6 Novak 0 6 6 Barratt 2 3 5 Tomasino 3 2 5 “The second period might have been the worst period of our season,” Warsofsky said after the game. Kalynuk 2 3 5 Rees 3 1 4 “In the third, we found a way to tighten it up a little bit, but obviously a lot of teaching that will go on (during Friday’s practice). SERIES GAME-BY-GAME Date Location Result SF-SA PP PK “Stuff that we talk about a lot is closing quicker. Especially in our own end, we need to get on teams a Feb. 6 Rockford MetroCentre W, 5-4 36-32 1-5 3-6 little bit quicker. I think we take a little bit of a breath and create some space — and players that have Feb. 9 Wolves Training Facility W, 5-2 27-25 1-6 8-9 space at this level and have a lot of skill can make you pay. It’s been an emphasis for the last week Feb. 16 Rockford MetroCentre W, 3-2 36-39 1-4 5-5 about how we need to close a little quicker. We’re going to continue to work on it and get better at it. ” March 27 Wolves Training Facility W, 6-2 37-26 2-5 1-1 March 28 Rockford MetroCentre W, 5-4 33-24 0-3 2-5 A FRIDAY FULL OF MOVES April 3 Wolves Training Facility Turns out goaltender Petr Mrazek and forward Max McCormick weren’t meant for a long-term stay April 7 Rockford MetroCentre in Chicago. With the Carolina Hurricanes in Chicago to face the Blackhawks on Tuesday and Thursday, April 17 Rockford MetroCentre it was an easy move for Mrazek and McCormick to join the Wolves for Thursday afternoon’s game. April 21 Wolves Training Facility May 14 Rockford MetroCentre They were recalled Friday by the Hurricanes, who reassigned rookie goaltender Beck Warm to the May 15 Wolves Training Facility Wolves after his 18-day stint on Carolina’s taxi squad. Warm owns a 5-1-0 record and 2.02 goals-against average for Chicago. Goaltender Jeremy Helvig was reassigned to Fort Wayne (ECHL). ALL-TIME RECORD BREAKDOWN Seasons Home Road Overall The Wolves signed forward Blake Murray, Carolina’s sixth-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, to an 2007-21 48-21-5-3 28-36-5-5 76-56-10-8 amateur tryout contract (ATO). The 19-year-old Murray produced 35 goals and 37 assists in 63 games last year for the OHL’s Sudbury Wolves. WE ARE THE WOLVES LAST TWO GAMES When Petr Mrazek rejected all 23 shots that the Grand Rapids Griffins fired during Thursday’s 5-2 THURSDAY, APRIL 1 (AT) CHICAGO 5, GRAND RAPIDS 2 win at the Wolves Training Facility, it sent historians • Assigned by Carolina (NHL) for a one-day conditioning stint, goaltender Petr Mrazek posted an scurrying to the record books. AHL career-high 43 saves as the Wolves extended their winning streak to five games. • Forward Anthony Richard scored two goals in the final eight minutes while defensemen While Grand Rapids tied its record for most shots in Frederic Allard and David Warsofsky and forward Tanner Jeannot also produced goals. one period, Mrazek did not come close to the Wolves • Mrazek rejected all 23 shots he saw during the second period. record for most saves in a period. SUNDAY, MARCH 28 CHICAGO 5, (AT) ROCKFORD 4 That honor has belonged to Wolves general manager • After the Wolves and IceHogs battled through four ties and three lead changes, rookie forward Wendell Young for the last 25 years. He notched an Jamieson Rees broke the final tie with a third-period goal to push Chicago’s win streak to 4. absurd 27 saves during the second period against • Rees broke the game’s final two ties with his two goals while Tanner Jeannot extended his goal the Kansas City Blades on March 24, 1996 — a game streak to five games and Sean Malone and Ryan Suzuki delivered the other goals. the Wolves won by a 10-3 count as Rob Brown set • Goaltender Devin Cooley stopped 20 shots to earn the win in his AHL debut. franchise records for assists (6) and points (8). 2020-21 Chicago Wolves Game Notes 2020-21 BY THE NUMBERS HOME-ROAD CONTRASTS Regular Season Home Away Difference If the Wolves play all 33 games on their current regular-season schedule, this season will Goals For 4.90 4.00 0.90 only be 43 percent as long as a normal American Hockey League slate. But after providing Goals Against 2.40 2.67 0.27 1 that caveat, it’s still impressive that this year’s squad is well on its way to shattering the franchise record for most goals per game. These Wolves have scored 73 goals in 16 games — a league- RECORD BY OPPONENT leading average of 4.56 per outing. The only Wolves team that has averaged more than 4 per game Record Win % is the 2006-07 crew that paced the AHL with 4.14 per game. Cleveland 0-1-0-1 .250 Grand Rapids 4-1-0-0 .800 For the first time in the Wolves’ 27-year history, a different goaltender has started each of Iowa 4-0-0-0 1.000 the last five games. Not only that, but each goaltender went the distance and earned the Rockford 5-0-0-0 1.000 5 win. Rookie Beck Warm started the trend with a 4-0 shutout on March 13 at Iowa. Rookie Jeremy Helvig followed the next day with a 6-2 win at Iowa. Antoine Bibeau registered a 6-3 win RECORD BY MONTH over Rockford last Saturday, then rookie Devin Cooley followed the next day with a 5-4 win at Record Win % Rockford in his AHL debut. Petr Mrazek made it 5-for-5 on Thursday with his 43-save effort in a 5-2 February 8-1-0-0 .889 March 4-1-0-1 .750 home win over Grand Rapids. The quintet combined for a 2.20 goals-against average (11 goals in 299 April 1-0-0-0 1.000 minutes, 53 seconds) and a .930 save percentage (146 saves on 157 shots). May 0-0-0-0 .000 Wolves forward Tanner Jeannot has scored one goal in each of the last six games, which ranks as the longest goal streak in the American Hockey League this season. It’s the Wolves’ IN OVERTIME (0-0) 6 longest goal streak since Daniel Carr produced a six-game run Feb. 1-15 on his way to being named the AHL’s 2018-19 Most Valuable Player. Jeannot also owns a 10-game point streak (8G, 10A) Goaltender Saves-Shots (3-3) SV% Antoine Bibeau (0-0) 3-3 1.000 that ranks as the AHL’s top active streak. It’s the Wolves’ longest point streak since Carr registered a Jeremy Helvig (0-0) 0-0 .000 12-game streak (9G, 9A) from Feb. 1 to March 1. Beck Warm (0-0) 0-0 .000 The Wolves have played just 16 games, but 39 players already have suited up for at least IN THE SHOOTOUT (0-1) one game. That’s two more that last year’s squad needed to get through the 61 games 39 before the pandemic brought the season to a permanent halt. For those curious about Shooter Goals-Chances (0-3) SH% the breakdown between the Wolves’ two NHL partners, the 15 skaters from the Nashville Predators Dominik Bokk 0-1 .000 organization have combined for 136 games of action. The 19 skaters from the Carolina Hurricanes David Cotton 0-1 .000 Tommy Novak 0-1 .000 organization (including the four signed to Wolves contracts) have combined for 152 games.