The Chicago Wolves and the Carolina Hurricanes are now members of the American Hockey League. That seems familiar, and it is—prior to the previous season, the Wolves were also the Canes’ most recent AHL affiliate. The Canes, who will take charge of the team’s hockey operations, and the Wolves signed a three-year affiliation agreement on Thursday. From 2020 until 2023, Chicago served as Carolina’s AHL affiliate. In 2022, Chicago won the Calder Cup.
Don Waddell, president and general manager of the Canes, stated on Wednesday that the organisation was nearing completion of a new AHL contract. The Canes’ prospects and certain signees were dispersed among the AHL, ECHL, and overseas for the 2023–24 season due to their lack of affiliation, which led to an awkward position. The Canes were “grateful that we could find a solution which worked for both sides,” according to a statement released by Waddell on Thursday. As a squad and individually, many of our prospects have already found success with the Wolves, and we’re glad to have found a stable environment for their growth.
The Hurricanes have inked entry-level contracts to a number of promising prospects, including defenseman Scott Morrow and forwards Bradly Nadeau and Jackson Blake. Each of them—Blake at North Dakota, Morrow at UMass, and Nadeau at Maine—left their respective college programmes to sign professional contracts. If they don’t make the NHL roster, they might stay with the Wolves for the upcoming season to further their development. The Wolves have won five league titles in their existence, including Calder Cups in 2002, 2008, and 2022. Chicago participated in two of the three Calder Cup Finals between 2019 and 23. Current Hurricanes players Jalen Chatfield, Jack Drury, Pyotr Kochetkov, and Stefan Noesen were among the Wolves’ 2022 champions.
Chicago was established in 1994 as an International Hockey League (IHL) expansion team and went on to win the IHL Turner Cup in 1998 and 2000 under the ownership of current owner Don Levin. Chicago has also won eight division titles and four conference championships since joining the AHL in 2001 as the Atlanta Thrashers’ top affiliate.
