2020-21 Chicago Wolves Game Notes CLEVELAND AT CHICAGO MARCH 5, 2021 7 P.M. AHLTV.COM SUCCESS BREEDS SUBTRACTION 2020-21 The Chicago Wolves share the American Hockey League’s best record with the Henderson Silver TALE OF THE TAPE Knights (who coincidentally feature 13 Wolves from last year on their active roster). REGULAR-SEASON SERIES 0-0-0-0 Cleveland | 0-0-0-0 Chicago The Wolves are head and shoulders above everybody in the AHL in goal-scoring. Head coach Ryan Warsofsky’s team averages 4.78 goals per game while the closest team, the Utica Comets, averages LAST MEETING 3.88 per night. (By the way, it has been nearly 30 years since an AHL team averaged 4.78 goals per Feb. 16, 2020 game.) The Wolves also boasting a league-leading +21 margin between goals (43) and goals allowed (22). Henderson, at +15, is the only other team with a positive margin greater than 10. 2-3-1-0 8-1-0-0 (The Wolves also are far and away the AHL leader in penalty minutes with 18.9 per game...we’ll chalk LAST YEAR’S SERIES LEADERS that up to wanting to be at the top of every list.) CLEVELAND CHICAGO Why do we bring all of this up? Because when AHL players succeed, their NHL partners take notice. In Skater G A Pts Skater G A Pts recent days, the Wolves’ roster has been affected by multiple moves. Clendening 1 2 3 Coghlan 2 0 2 MacInnis 0 3 3 McGinn 1 1 2 1) Center Rem Pitlick, the AHL leader in goals with 8, was recalled from loan Thursday by the Nashville Stenlund 2 0 2 Pirri 1 1 2 Predators. At the same time, defenseman Jeremy Davies, who shares the AHL lead in assists with 9, FIVE tied 1 1 2 Quinney 0 2 2 was recalled from loan. Both have been assigned to their taxi squad. SERIES GAME-BY-GAME 2) Center Seth Jarvis, who started this week as the AHL leader in points with 11, was reassigned to the Date Location Result SF-SA PP PK Western Hockey League’s Portland Winterhawks on Tuesday by the Carolina Hurricanes. March 5 Wolves Training Facility March 6 Wolves Training Facility 3 p.m. 3) Physical forward Tanner Jeannot, who produced three goals and five assists in six Wolves games, April 23 Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse 6 p.m. spent a week with Nashville and earned his NHL debut Tuesday night against, coincidentally, the April 24 Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse 3 p.m. Carolina Hurricanes. If Jeannot cannot get back from Nashville in time for tonight’s game, then the Wolves will be without the players who scored 22 of their 43 goals and handed out 22 of their 73 ALL-TIME RECORD BREAKDOWN assists to date. Seasons Home Road Overall JARVIS REJOINS JUNIORS 2007-20 24-7-2-0 13-15-4-2 37-22-6-2 As mentioned above, 19-year-old rookie center Seth Jarvis returned to juniors this week as some Western Hockey League teams plan to start playing March 18. Jarvis’ return was mandated by the WE ARE THE WOLVES agreement between the NHL and Canada’s Central Hockey League, which doesn’t allow Canadian When the Chicago Wolves won Feb. 28, it improved youth to play in the AHL until they’re 20 or have four years of junior under their belt. “It’s been nice the team’s record to 6-0-0-0 at home. This tied the to have fun with these guys here and enjoy my time,” Jarvis said. “It’d be nice to keep playing here franchise record set by the 1996-97 team for the best with these guys, but going back, I think I’m going to enjoy every moment of it. I think juniors is kind start at home. of the best years of your life. While this year’s team played six of its first nine LAST TWO GAMES games on home ice, the 1996-97 team faced such SUNDAY, FEB. 28 (AT) CHICAGO 8, GRAND RAPIDS 4 an unbalanced schedule that it didn’t enjoy its sixth • Rookie forward Phil Tomasino scored 48 seconds into the game and rookie forward Jamieson game on home ice until its 24th of the season. Rees added two first-period goals as the Wolves avenged Friday’s loss at Grand Rapids. • Defenseman Cavan Fitzgerald and forwards Seth Jarvis, Rem Pitlick, Sean Malone and David Speaking of unbalanced: That 24th game — a 3-1 win Cotton also scored for the Wolves, who never trailed to wrap up the franchise’s best February. over the Utah Grizzlies — marked the 20th start of the year for goaltender . • Goaltender Beck Warm posted 29 saves to improve to 4-0-0. Wendell Young Forward Steve Maltais, whose No. 11 jersey is the only FRIDAY, FEB. 26 (AT) GRAND RAPIDS 4, CHICAGO 1 one aside from Young’s No. 1 jersey to be retired by • Grand Rapids’ Riley Barber scored 3:59 into the game and as the Griffins built a 3-0 lead on the the Wolves, got off to a solid start in 1996-97. After the way to handing the Wolves their first defeat of the season. first 24 games, Maltais owned 12 goals and 21 assists. • Center Rem Pitlick scored in the opening minute of the third — assisted by Anthony Richard and Frederic Allard — to pull the visitors within 3-1. But over his last 57 games, he piled up 48 goals and • Goaltender Antoine Bibeau rejected 31 of 35 shots. 33 assists to finish with a career-high and Internation- al Hockey League-leading 60 goals. 2020-21 Chicago Wolves Game Notes 2020-21 BY THE NUMBERS HOME-ROAD CONTRASTS Regular Season Home Away Difference Yes, this is a unique season. Yes, it’s early in this unique season. No, the Wolves will not play Goals For 5.67 3.00 2.67 nearly as many games as in a normal year. But after providing all of those caveats, it’s still Goals Against 2.00 3.33 1.33 1 intriguing to note that this year’s squad is well on its way to shattering the franchise record for most goals per game. These Wolves have scored 43 goals in nine games — an average of 4.78 per RECORD BY OPPONENT outing. The only Wolves team that has averaged more than 4 per game is the 2006-07 crew that Record Win % paced the AHL with 4.14 per game. Cleveland 0-0-0-0 .000 Grand Rapids 3-1-0-0 .750 Speaking of the 2006-07 Wolves, they were the only team in franchise history to score eight Iowa 2-0-0-0 1.000 or more goals twice in a four-game span — until this year’s squad came on the scene. During Rockford 3-0-0-0 1.000 4 the 2006-07 season, John Anderson’s Wolves racked up 10 goals on Nov. 4, 2006, at Peoria. (Jason Krog was the big scorer with 3 goals and 4 assists that day.) Then, 10 days later, they stacked RECORD BY MONTH up eight goals in a road win at Iowa (with Krog, Steve Martins and Brett Sterling each notching two Record Win % goals). This year’s crew produced 10 goals on Feb. 20 against Iowa, then waited just eight days before February 8-1-0-0 .889 March 0-0-0-0 .000 putting up eight goals against Grand Rapids. Eleven Wolves tag-teamed to score those 18 goals — led April 0-0-0-0 .000 by Seth Jarvis and Rem Pitlick with three apiece. May 0-0-0-0 .000 Rookie goaltenders Beck Warm and Jeremy Helvig have combined for a 7-0-0 record with a 2.43 goals-against average and a .931 save percentage this season. Helvig won two of the IN OVERTIME (0-0) 7 Wolves’ first three games (and allowed 8 goals in his three games overall) while Warm has handled four of the last six games (allowing 9 goals). Both have exceeded expectations to date. “Both Goaltender Saves-Shots (0-0) SV% Antoine Bibeau (0-0) 0-0 .000 goaltenders every night have given us a chance to win the hockey game. That’s all you can really Jeremy Helvig (0-0) 0-0 .000 ask,” said head coach Ryan Warsofsky. “They work hard, both of them. They work on their craft on Beck Warm (0-0) 0-0 .000 the ice, off the ice. Beck’s done great. Helvig, who we had in Charlotte last year, is a kid that changed his whole life around, really. If you saw him last year and saw him now, you’d see a different person. IN THE SHOOTOUT (0-0) He’s in great shape. His mental toughness is there. His game is getting there. I’m proud of ‘Helvy.’ He has battled back to where he was drafted (the fifth round in 2016) and why he was drafted.” Shooter Goals-Chances (0-0) SH% N/A 0-0 .000 Twelve rookies have seen action for the Wolves this season, which includes seven players Goaltender Saves-Shots (0-0) SV% who have made their professional debuts with the Wolves: forwards David Cotton, N/A (0-0) 0-0 .000 12 Jason Cotton, Seth Jarvis, Jamieson Rees and Phil Tomasino and goaltender Beck Warm. The six forwards have combined for 19 goals and 15 assists. Central Division rivals Rockford (19 rookies) and Iowa (13 rookies) are the only AHL teams that have put more first-years on the ice.