2020-21 Chicago Wolves Game Notes ROCKFORD AT CHICAGO MARCH 27, 2021 7 P.M. AHLTV.COM OK, WHERE WERE WE? 2020-21 After the American Hockey League had wait nearly 11 months to play between the abrupt end to the TALE OF THE TAPE 2019-20 season and the start of the shortened 2021 season, it seems weird to feel out of sorts after just 13 days between games. REGULAR-SEASON SERIES 0-3-0-0 Rockford | 3-0-0-0 Chicago But that’s how everything seems after the Chicago Wolves postponed two games in accordance with LAST MEETING Feb. 16, 2021 the AHL’s COVID-19 protocols. The Wolves and Grand Rapids did not play on March 19 and March 23 in Michigan — games that have been rescheduled for April 13 and April 26 — which means tonight’s game marks Chicago’s first time in competition since March 14. During the interim, the Wolves practiced in groups large and small in order to maintain the momentum 6-9-1-0 10-2-0-1 they built during the first five-plus weeks of the season. While the Wolves’ 21 points rank seventh in the 28-team AHL, their .808 points percentage stands second in the league (trailing only the Henderson SERIES LEADERS Silver Knights) as they continue to control the Central Division in points and points percentage. ROCKFORD CHICAGO Chicago also continues to hold the AHL’s No. 1 spot in goals per game (4.39) and penalty minutes per Skater G A Pts Skater G A Pts game (18.15). The Utica Comets are closest in scoring at 3.78 goals per game while the Iowa Wild rank Wilkie 2 1 3 Tomasino 3 1 4 second with 15.93 penalty minutes per game. Franson 0 3 3 x Jarvis 2 2 4 Busdeker 1 1 2 x Pitlick 3 0 3 MAKING SOME MOVES x Kalynuk 1 1 2 Jeannot 1 2 3 While the Wolves haven’t played any games since March 14, they have made several adjustments to their roster. SERIES GAME-BY-GAME Date Location Result SF-SA PP PK Change has been particularly brisk in net as rookie Beck Warm was recalled to join the Carolina Feb. 6 Rockford MetroCentre W, 5-4 36-32 1-5 3-6 Hurricanes’ taxi squad on March 16 — just three days after he recorded his first AHL shutout at Feb. 9 Wolves Training Facility W, 5-2 27-25 1-6 8-9 Iowa. Antoine Bibeau, the Wolves’ Opening Night goaltender, returned to Chicago as part of that Feb. 16 Rockford MetroCentre W, 3-2 36-39 1-4 5-5 transaction. March 27 Wolves Training Facility March 28 Rockford MetroCentre Rookie Jeremy Helvig spent last week with the ECHL’s Fort Wayne Komets and got to see action in April 3 Wolves Training Facility three games in three days, then returned to the Wolves. April 7 Rockford MetroCentre April 17 Rockford MetroCentre The Wolves also made moves on the blue line as second-year pro Joey Keane took his 8 assists to April 21 Wolves Training Facility Carolina’s taxi squad, but veteran Joakim Ryan was reassigned to the Wolves to take his place. Ryan, May 14 Rockford MetroCentre a seventh-year pro, spent the last three seasons with the San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Kings and May 15 Wolves Training Facility owns 4 goals and 20 assists in 141 NHL games. ALL-TIME RECORD BREAKDOWN On Thursday, the Wolves signed rookie defenseman Matt Murphy to a professional tryout contract. Seasons Home Road Overall Murphy owns 1 goal and 3 assists in 11 games for Fort Wayne (ECHL). Lastly, Stelio Mattheos rejoined 2007-21 47-21-5-3 27-36-5-5 74-56-10-8 the forward ranks after spending a week in Fort Wayne. WE ARE THE WOLVES While the Wolves sat idle for 13 days, several people LAST TWO GAMES with Wolves pedigrees made an impact in the NHL. SUNDAY, MARCH 14 CHICAGO 6, (AT) IOWA 2 • The Wolves converted three of their four power-play opportunities and notched a short-handed On March 17, the Buffalo Sabres named Don Granato goal to sweep the weekend series at Wells Fargo Arena. as their interim head coach after dismissing Ralph • Rookie forward Dominik Bokk scored the team’s first goal for the third game in a row while Krueger. In 2008, Granato had the unenviable task of David Warsofsky, Tanner Jeannot, Max Lajoie, Josh Healey and Phil Tomasino also scored. succeeding John Anderson as Wolves head coach • Goaltender Jeremy Helvig posted 29 saves to improve his record to 4-0-0. after Anderson capped his four-championships- in-11-years run with a move to become the Atlanta SATURDAY, MARCH 13 CHICAGO 4, (AT) IOWA 0 Thrashers’ head coach. • Rookie goaltender Beck Warm recorded the first shutout of his professional career while the Wolves’ special teams scored two power plays and went 7-of-7 on the penalty kill. Meanwhile, defenseman Alex Carrier and forward • Forwards Dominik Bokk, Tanner Jeannot, Tommy Novak and Sheldon Rempal each produced Keegan Kolesar produced their first NHL goals. one goal and one assist as Chicago scored twice in the second and third periods. Carrier scored for Nashville on March 13 at Tampa Bay • Warm posted 31 saves as the Wolves earned their first shutout since Feb. 7, 2020. while Kolesar scored vs. St. Louis on Monday. 2020-21 Chicago Wolves Game Notes 2020-21 BY THE NUMBERS HOME-ROAD CONTRASTS Regular Season Home Away Difference Yes, if the Wolves play all 33 games on their current regular-season schedule, this season will Goals For 4.75 3.80 0.95 only be 43 percent as long as a normal American Hockey League slate. But after providing Goals Against 2.38 2.40 0.02 1 that caveat, it’s still intriguing to note this year’s squad is on pace to shatter the franchise record for most goals per game. These Wolves have scored 57 goals in 13 games — a league-leading RECORD BY OPPONENT average of 4.39 per outing. The only Wolves team that has averaged more than 4 per game is the Record Win % 2006-07 crew that paced the AHL with 4.14 per game. Cleveland 0-1-0-1 .250 Grand Rapids 3-1-0-0 .750 Rarely has scoring the first goal mattered so much to one team. Only two of the Wolves’ first Iowa 4-0-0-0 1.000 13 games have featured any lead changes — and none since the first two games of the year. Rockford 3-0-0-0 1.000 2 Chicago recovered from a 1-0 deficit on Opening Night (Feb. 5) against Grand Rapids to earn a 3-1 victory. The next day at Rockford in the IceHogs’ opener, the Wolves fell behind 2-0 and 3-2 during RECORD BY MONTH the opening 25 minutes before rallying to secure a 5-4 win. But in each of the Wolves’ last 11 games, Record Win % the team that scored first has gone ahead and earned the win without trailing. February 8-1-0-0 .889 March 2-1-0-1 .625 April 0-0-0-0 .000 Each game, the Wolves host a First Goal Pool (bit.ly/WolvesFirstGoal) where one fan who May 0-0-0-0 .000 3 correctly predicts Chicago’s first player to score a goal wins a $50 gift card to Pet Supplies Plus. Unless he has cooled off during the 13 days between games, it might make sense to select rookie forward Dominik Bokk as the First Goal pick to click. In each of the Wolves’ last three IN OVERTIME (0-0) games, Bokk has been the first Wolves player to tickle the twine. He’s one of eight Wolves to record the team’s first goal, but only five are on the current roster: Bokk 3, defenseman Max Lajoie, center Goaltender Saves-Shots (3-3) SV% Antoine Bibeau (0-0) 3-3 1.000 Tommy Novak, forward Anthony Richard and rookie forward Phil Tomasino. Rookie Seth Jarvis Jeremy Helvig (0-0) 0-0 .000 (3) has returned to the Portland Winterhawks (WHL), Morgan Geekie (2) has returned to the Carolina Beck Warm (0-0) 0-0 .000 Hurricanes (NHL) and Rem Pitlick has been with the Nashville Predators (NHL) since March 4. IN THE SHOOTOUT (0-1) The Wolves have played just 13 games, but 34 players already have suited up for at least one game. Last year, the franchise needed just 37 players to get through the 61 games Shooter Goals-Chances (0-3) SH% 34before the pandemic brought the season to a permanent halt. For those curious about Dominik Bokk 0-1 .000 the breakdown between the Wolves’ two NHL partners, the 14 skaters from the Nashville Predators David Cotton 0-1 .000 Tommy Novak 0-1 .000 organization have combined for 113 games of action. The 17 skaters from the Carolina Hurricanes organization (including the three signed to Wolves contracts) also have combined for 121 games. Of Goaltender Saves-Shots (2-3) SV% the 34 players to compete for the Wolves this season, 10 have played in the NHL this season as well: Antoine Bibeau (0-1) 2-3 .667 Frederic Allard, Alex Carrier, Jeremy Davies, Morgan Geekie, Tanner Jeannot, Sean Malone, Rem Pitlick, Sheldon Rempal, Drew Shore and Cole Smith. RECORD BREAKDOWN This is the number 20-year-old Jack Young wore Monday night when he made his When the Wolves..