Chicago Wolves Game Notes GRAND RAPIDS at CHICAGO OCTOBER 5, 2019 7 P.M
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2019-20 Chicago Wolves Game Notes GRAND RAPIDS at CHICAGO OCTOBER 5, 2019 7 p.m. MY50 CHICAGO TIME TO CHASE ANOTHER CUP 2019-20 Three months and 27 days ago at Allstate Arena, the Chicago Wolves and Charlotte Checkers battled TALE OF THE TAPE valiantly in Game 5 of the 2019 Calder Cup Finals. The Wolves’ extended postseason run -- capped by the seventh Finals appearance in the franchise’s first 25 years -- limited the players’ and coaches’ REGULAR-SEASON SERIES 0-0-0-0 Grand Rapids | 0-0-0-0 Chicago downtime before starting to prepare for tonight’s 2019-20 season opener. Nonetheless, everyone in the organization is eager to earn another shot at the Calder Cup. LAST MEETING April 28, 2019 The Wolves welcome back head coach Rocky Thompson and assistant coaches Chris Dennis and Bob Nardella for their third season together behind the bench. All they earned in their first two years was a .635 winning percentage, two Central Division titles -- the only AHL team to win both years -- and the franchise’s first Finals appearance since 2008. 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 In addition to retaining the team’s braintrust, the Wolves boast eight stalwarts from last year’s TOP RETURNING SCORERS squad: forwards Curtis McKenzie, Keegan Kolesar, Gage Quinney, Tye McGinn and Reid Duke, GRAND RAPIDS CHICAGO defensemen Dylan Coghlan and Jake Bischoff and goaltender Oscar Dansk. McKenzie, the heart of Skater G A Pts Skater G A Pts the Wolves’ leadership group, paced the team during the postseason with eight goals and 15 points Terry 29 32 61 McKenzie 20 34 54 while Dansk manned the net for 19 of the 22 Calder Cup Playoff games. Puempel 24 26 50 Quinney 19 24 43 Elson 18 21 39 Coghlan 15 25 40 To buttress the team’s strong group of returnees, the Wolves added five young veterans with NHL Zadina 16 19 35 Kolesar 20 16 36 experience in goaltender Garret Sparks, forwards Patrick Brown and Tyrell Goulbourne and tdefensemen Jaycob Megna and Brett Lernout. The Wolves learned plenty about Brown and Megna SERIES GAME-BY-GAME during the 2019 postseason as Brown captained the Calder Cup champion Checkers while Megna Date Location Time SF-SA PP PK captained the Western Conference finalist San Diego Gulls. Oct. 5 Allstate Arena 7 p.m. - - - Nov. 27 Allstate Arena 7 p.m. - - - “I think our team’s coming together very nicely,” Thompson said. “I like our physicality and our Dec. 4 Van Andel Arena 6 p.m. - - - compete level. We have good leadership up and down the line. I think we have the league’s three best Dec. 31 Van Andel Arena 5 p.m. - - - Feb. 15 Allstate Arena 7 p.m. - - - captains (McKenzie, Brown, Megna) from last year. That’s a very positive thing. They’ve been working Feb. 20 Allstate Arena 11 a.m. - - - extremely hard. They’re jelling on and off the ice.” March 27 Van Andel Arena 6 p.m. - - - LET’S WELCOME GRAND RAPIDS April 10 Van Andel Arena 6 p.m. - - - The Griffins and the Wolves have enjoyed a long, heated rivalry for more than 20 years. The teams ALL-TIME RECORD BREAKDOWN fought tooth and nail during last year’s Western Conference Semifinals, but the Wolves captured Seasons Home Road Overall Games 4 and 5 to knock the Griffins out of the playoffs. 1996-2019 37-34-0-6-2 33-31-2-9-2 70-65-2-15-4 Grand Rapids head coach Ben Simon (a former Wolves standout who helped win the 2002 Calder Cup) has the enviable task of merging several strong returning veterans with a large group of top WE ARE THE WOLVES prospects. The Griffins’ roster features five of the Detroit Red Wings’ first-round draft picks over the Since the Wolves played their inaugural game on Oct. last five seasons -- including 18-year-old defenseman Moritz Seider -- in addition to two older first- 1, 1994, the team has put 624 players on the ice. When rounders in proven vets Matt Puempel and Dylan McIlrath. 20-year-old center Cody Glass made his NHL debut (and scored a goal) for the Vegas Golden Knights on PRESEASON PLAYBACK Wednesday night, he became the 359th Wolves player to compete in the NHL. When 20-year-old defenseman FRIDAY, SEPT. 27 TUCSON 4, CHICAGO 3 Nic Hague made his debut Friday night, he became • The Wolves and the Tucson Roadrunners were tied 1-1, 2-2 and 3-3 before Tucson’s Jalen Smereck No. 360. scored the game-winner with 6:18 to play at UWM Panther Arena in Milwaukee. • Chicago received goals from forwards Brady Shaw, Ben Jones and Jake Leschyshyn while When Glass made his Wolves debut last April, he Shaw and Jones also added assists. became the 50th NHL first-rounder to suit up for the • Goaltender Oscar Dansk posted 35 saves. Wolves. That list includes a pair of players taken first overall: center Patrik Stefan (1999; Atlanta) and goal- THURSDAY, SEPT. 26 (at) MILWAUKEE 4, CHICAGO 0 tender Rick DiPietro (2000; New York Islanders). • With 15 rookies on the roster, the Wolves opened preseason play with a 4-0 defeat to the Admirals at UWM Panther Arena in Milwaukee. DiPietro and current Wolves goaltender Oscar Dansk • Chicago and Milwaukee were scoreless until Admirals forward Mike Huntebrinker scored his first are two of the 38 Wolves netminders who have played of two goals at 8:04 of the second. The hosts added three goals in the third period. at the highest level. That group also includes 2019 • Goaltender Garret Sparks stopped 30 shots. Stanley Cup champion Jordan Binnington. 2019-20 Chicago Wolves Game Notes 2018-19 BY THE NUMBERS HOME-ROAD CONTRASTS Playoffs Home Away Difference Two Wolves rookie forwards -- Lucas Elvenes and Jake Leschyshyn -- are wearing different Goals For 2.75 3.10 -0.35 numbers for the regular season than they did during preseason play. Both made the change Goals Against 3.08 3.00 0.08 2 for the same reason -- to honor their fathers. Elvenes’ father, Stefan, wore No. 25 for much of Regular Season Home Away Difference his professional career. Stefan Elvenes was selected by the Chicago Blackhawks in the fourth round Goals For 3.18 3.39 -0.21 of the 1988 NHL Entry Draft, but did not play in the NHL. Leschyshyn’s father, Curtis, wore No. 7 for Goals Against 2.79 2.45 0.34 much of his 16-year NHL career that featured a 1996 Stanley Cup championship with the Colorado RECORD BY DIVISION (PLAYOFFS) Avalanche. Record Win % When the Wolves captured the Central Division title last April, they became the seventh Atlantic 0-0-0-0 (1-4) .000 Central 35-20-5-3 (7-4) .619 organization in the American Hockey League’s 83-year history to win back-to-back-to- North 2-1-1-0 .625 3 back division crowns. They joined the company of Toronto (2012-14), Rochester (1999-2001), Pacific 6-1-0-1 (4-2) .812 Philadelphia (1997-99), Hershey (1967-69), Quebec (1964-66) and Springfield (1960-62). If the Wolves win the Central Division this year, they’ll become the first AHL franchise to win four straight titles. RECORD BY MONTH (PLAYOFFS) Record Win % The Wolves’ Opening Night roster features eight AHL rookies: forwards Paul Cotter, Lucas October 6-2-0-1 .722 Elvenes, Ben Jones, Jake Leschyshyn, Jermaine Loewen and Jonas Røndbjerg and November 4-5-2-0 .455 8 defensemen Brycen Martin and Brayden Pachal. For Cotter, Jones, Loewen and Pachal, December 10-3-1-0 .750 their first action with the Wolves will double as their first professional game. Elvenes and Røndbjerg, January 4-4-2-0 .500 a pair of 20-year-olds, have professional experience in the Swedish Hockey League but tonight’s February 8-3-0-0 .727 game will mark their first North American pro contest. Leschyshyn made his pro debut late last March 9-3-0-2 .714 April 2-2-1-1 (3-2) .500 season with the Wolves when he stepped in for three regular-season games and two Calder Cup May (8-4) .000 Playoffs contests against Grand Rapids. Martin, 23, has spent most of the last three seasons in the June (1-4) .000 ECHL. IN OVERTIME (8-6)(4-0) The National Hockey League’s Opening Night rosters featured 29 former Wolves spread across 12 teams. The group includes 12 St. Louis Blues who received their 2019 Stanley Goaltender Saves-Shots SV% Oscar Dansk (4-2/4-0) 7-9 (42-42) .778 29 Cup rings earlier this week: Jake Allen, Ivan Barbashev, Jordan Binnington, Sammy Max Lagace (4-4) 13-17 .765 Blais, Jay Bouwmeester, Vince Dunn, Robby Fabbri, Jordan Kyrou, Mackenzie MacEachern, Colton Parayko and Zach Sanford. IN THE SHOOTOUT (0-4) The Wolves have produced a .620 winning percentage on Opening Night during Shooter Goals-Chances SH% their first 25 years. The Wolves own a 13-7-2-3 mark in season openers, which Gage Quinney 1-3 .333 62.0 includes a 6-1-1-0 showing on home ice. The organization hasn’t opened at home T.J. Tynan 1-4 .250 since Oct. 10, 2015, when Ty Rattie posted two goals and one assist in a 5-1 victory over Milwaukee. Erik Brännström 0-1 .000 Daniel Carr 0-1 .000 Tonight marks the fourth time the Wolves have opened their season against Grand Rapids. The Wolves Reid Duke 0-1 .000 won 3-2 in 1998 at home, lost 3-2 in overtime in 2003 at home and lost 3-1 in 2016 at Grand Rapids.