2020-21 Chicago Wolves Game Notes ROCKFORD AT CHICAGO FEB. 9, 2021 2 P.M. AHLTV.COM FAST STARTS ARE GOOD OMENS 2020-21 The Chicago Wolves finished the opening weekend of the 2021 American Hockey League season as one TALE OF THE TAPE of four teams to jump out to a 2-0-0-0 start. To be fair, only 11 teams have played at least two games REGULAR-SEASON SERIES — but it’s always better to get started on the right foot. 0-1-0-0 Rockford | 1-0-0-0 Chicago That’s particularly true when it comes to the Wolves. Somewhat surprisingly for a franchise like the LAST MEETING Feb. 6, 2021 Wolves that has done so much winning over the years, this marks just the seventh 2-0-0-0 start in the team’s 27-year history. And when Chicago has started well, it has tended to finish well. SEASON START FINISH 1997-98 3-0-0 Turner Cup champions 0-1-0-0 2-0-0-0 2001-02 3-0-0-0 Calder Cup champions 2006-07 2-0-0-0 Reached Western Conference Finals LEADING SCORERS 2007-08 6-0-0-0 Calder Cup champions ROCKFORD CHICAGO 2012-13 4-0-0-0 Did not qualify for playoffs Skater G A Pts Skater G A Pts 2018-19 4-0-0-0 Reached Calder Cup Finals Franson 0 3 3 Jarvis 1 1 2 Kalynuk 1 1 2 Rees 1 1 2 What have the Wolves done well so far? Well, they’ve been really productive in even-strength Chalupa 1 0 1 Novak 0 2 2 situations — always a good barometer of a team’s overall capabilities. During Friday’s 3-1 home win Quenneville 1 0 1 Three tied 1 0 1 over Grand Rapids and Saturday’s 5-4 win at Rockford, the Wolves scored six even-strength goals and allowed just one. SERIES GAME-BY-GAME Date Location Result SF-SA PP PK Chicago’s youngsters played as if they will not need to negotiate a steep learning curve in order to Feb. 6 Rockford MetroCentre W, 5-4 36-32 1-5 3-6 hang in the AHL. The Wolves’ quartet of 19-year-olds — Seth Jarvis, Jamieson Rees, Ryan Suzuki Feb. 9 Triphahn Center and Phil Tomasino — combined for three goals and four assists in their first two professional games. Feb. 16 Rockford MetroCentre Head coach Ryan Warsofsky assigned one teenager to each line — enabling them to play alongside March 27 Triphahn Center productive veterans — but brought them together on the power-play unit. March 28 Rockford MetroCentre April 3 Triphahn Center April 7 Rockford MetroCentre GOOD GOALTENDING AS WELL April 17 Rockford MetroCentre April 21 Triphahn Center The Wolves received two solid performances in goal during the opening weekend. Antoine Bibeau, May 14 Rockford MetroCentre making just his fifth start at any level since April 17, 2019, rejected 22 of 23 shots Friday night to pick May 15 Triphahn Center up his first AHL win since April 12, 2019. The 26-year-old Quebec native missed all but four games last year due to a hip injury. On Saturday, 23-year-old Jeremy Helvig made his second career AHL start and earned his second AHL win as the Ontario native surrendered just one even-strength goal. With ALL-TIME RECORD BREAKDOWN Bibeau back on the Carolina Hurricanes’ taxi squad, Helvig could be in net again today. Seasons Home Road Overall 2007-21 45-21-4-3 27-36-5-5 72-57-9-8 OPENING WEEKEND WE ARE THE WOLVES SATURDAY, FEB. 6 CHICAGO 5, (AT) ROCKFORD 4 The Chicago Wolves’ run to the 2019 Calder Cup Finals • Center Rem Pitlick scored on a breakaway late in the second period and his goal held up as the was aided by an elite group of young defensemen — a game-winner as the Wolves rallied from a 2-0 deficit to win their road opener. crew that included Zach Whitecloud, Nic Hague and • Forward Jamieson Rees delivered his first professional goal while forwardsSeth Jarvis and Dylan Coghlan. Tanner Jeannot and defenseman Cavan Fitzgerald also scored goals. • Goaltender Jeremy Helvig stopped 28 shots to pick up the win in his Wolves debut. As a rookie in 2018-19, Whitecloud led the AHL in plus-minus rating with a +39. Now he’s a staple on the Vegas Golden Knights’ blue line and scored his first FRIDAY, FEB. 5 (AT) CHICAGO 3, GRAND RAPIDS 1 regular-season goal Sunday against Los Angeles. • In his first professional game, centerSeth Jarvis scored the game-winner early in the second period with a power-play marker set up by two other rookies: Dominik Bokk and Phil Tomasino. On Friday against the Kings, Hague scored his first • Center Tom Novak scored the Wolves’ first goal of the season while defensemanCavan NHL goal and also handed out two assists — upstaging Fitzgerald set up Novak’s tally and added an insurance goal with seven minutes left in the third. Coghlan’s NHL debut. Coghlan performed well enough • Goaltender Antoine Bibeau earned the win as he rejected 22 of 23 shots. Friday to earn a spot in the lineup again Sunday. 2020-21 Chicago Wolves Game Notes 2020-21 BY THE NUMBERS HOME-ROAD CONTRASTS Regular Season Home Away Difference Last weekend proved to be a fruitful one for professional firsts. Center Seth Jarvis scored Goals For 3.00 5.00 2.00 the game-winning goal Friday in his first pro game. Right wing Phil Tomasino posted his Goals Against 1.00 4.00 3.00 1 first two pro points by assisting on the Wolves’ first two goals. Tomasino teamed with Dominik Bokk to set up Jarvis’ goal, which served as Bokk’s first pro point in North America. Forward RECORD BY OPPONENT Jamieson Rees registered his first two points Saturday — but needed nearly 24 hours to confirm his Record Win % first pro goal. Rees scored a goal during the second period on a highlight-reel drive to the net, but Cleveland 0-0-0-0 .000 credit was changed to Jarvis during second intermission. On Sunday afternoon, the AHL announced Grand Rapids 1-0-0-0 1.000 the final change to the goal — which now reads Rees (Joey Keane, Jarvis). Iowa 0-0-0-0 .000 Rockford 1-0-0-0 1.000 Defenseman Cavan Fitzgerald scored just two goals in 25 games last year for the Charlotte Checkers. He already has equaled that total just two games into his Wolves career. The RECORD BY MONTH 2 24-year-old Boston native buried a wicked slap shot for an insurance goal Friday night, then Record Win % delivered nearly a carbon copy of that blast to pull the Wolves into a 2-2 tie during Saturday’s game February 2-0-0-0 1.000 March 0-0-0-0 .000 at Rockford. Fitzgerald now owns 15 AHL goals in 143 appearances since making his pro debut on Oct. April 0-0-0-0 .000 7, 2017, with the San Jose Barracuda. The fourth-year pro has earned a spot on the Wolves’ leadership May 0-0-0-0 .000 team as Fitzgerald joined forward Tanner Jeannot and defenseman Tyler Lewington in wearing the “A” on their jerseys Friday night. When Lewington sat out Saturday’s game, defenseman Alex Carrier added an “A” to his sweater. IN OVERTIME (0-0) The Wolves always have prided themselves on featuring local players on their roster — and Goaltender Saves-Shots (0-0) SV% Antoine Bibeau (0-0) 0-0 .000 this season should be no exception. There are three players on the Opening Night roster who Jeremy Helvig (0-0) 0-0 .000 3 grew up in the Chicago area: forward Lukas Craggs (Elmhurst), forward David Gust (Orland Park) and defenseman Joey Keane (Homer Glen). Keane, who was born in Chicago and spent several youth hockey seasons with the powerful Chicago Mission, was the only one to play in the first two IN THE SHOOTOUT (0-0) games while Craggs made his Wolves debut Saturday. The 21-year-old Keane was drafted by the New York Rangers in the third round of the 2018 NHL Draft. He spent most of last year with Hartford (AHL), Shooter Goals-Chances (0-0) SH% but was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes in February. He earned AHL All-Rookie honors last year N/A 0-0 .000 with 9 goals and 28 assists in 57 games split between Hartford and Charlotte. Goaltender Saves-Shots (0-0) SV% N/A (0-0) 0-0 .000 The Wolves’ 30-man roster features a whopping 13 rookies: Eight already have played this season — Dominik Bokk, Lukas Craggs, Jeremy Helvig, Seth Jarvis, Jamieson RECORD BREAKDOWN 13 Rees, Cole Smith, Ryan Suzuki and Phil Tomasino — while five have yet to make their 2021 debut. For four of the five — forwards David Cotton and Jason Cotton, defenseman D.J. King When the Wolves... Record score four or more goals 1-0-0-0 and goaltender Beck Warm — their first Wolves game also will mark their professional debuts. The allow two or fewer goals 1-0-0-0 fifth rookie, forward Patrick Harper, opened this season with the ECHL’s Florida Everblades, for outshoot their opponent 2-0-0-0 whom he piled up five goals and four assists in five games. score first 0-0-0-0 score a power-play goal 2-0-0-0 Since the Wolves started playing on Oct. 1, 1994, a total of 670 players have donned allow a power-play goal 2-0-0-0 score a short-handed goal 0-0-0-0 the Burgundy and Gold.