Wolves' Tyler Wong to encourage Naperville kids to read for fun

A Chicago Wolves hockey player will visit Naperville this week to encourage children to enjoy reading as a hobby as part of the team's Read to Succeed partnership with suburban libraries.

Rookie forward Tyler Wong speaks with children at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 13, at Nichols Library, 200 W. Jefferson Ave. More than 500,000 students throughout the Chicago area have taken part in the free visits since the program began in 1995.

Wong, a 21-year-old from Cochrane, Alberta, signed with the Wolves this season after spending the last five years with the Lethbridge Hurricanes in the Western Hockey League.

During his tenure with Lethbridge, Wong twice was selected as the WHL's Humanitarian of the Year and earned the Lethbridge Community Relations Award. Wong received the Fan Favorite award all five years with the team and led the WHL with 51 goals in 2016-17.

The Read to Succeed program highlights the importance of recreational reading and encourages children to take advantage of all the services libraries provide. The players emphasize the benefits of reading beyond normal classroom activity and explain the ways they continue to benefit from recreational reading as professional athletes.

Read to Succeed participants can win prizes - including Wolves tickets and knit hats - for setting and achieving reading goals in conjunction with their local library.

The Naperville visit launches the Wolves' 23rd season of the Read to Succeed program. Over the next three months, Wolves players will visit libraries in Cary, Chicago Ridge, Crystal Lake, Fox Lake, Prospect Heights, Schaumburg, Skokie, Tinley Park and Westchester. To find out when the Wolves are headed to a library near you, visit ChicagoWolves.com or call (800) 843-9658.