Cheveldayoff has grown as GM

Kevin Cheveldayoff was 27 when he joined the Chicago Wolves as general manager in 1997.

After directing the Wolves to four championships in 11 years, he has his team contending again.

Entering Thursday's play, the Wolves trailed Milwaukee by a point in the West Division and were only 6 points back behind Manitoba for the AHL's Western Conference lead.

In this interview, Cheveldayoff talks about the team's progress under head coach Don Granato and the injuries that have occurred, as well as his relationship with the parent club, the Atlanta Thrashers, and their head coach, John Anderson, who directed the Wolves' attack for 11 years before getting his NHL duties.

Q. Now that the team has played 28 games this season, what is your assessment of the way things have gone?

A. It has been a real learning process for everybody. There have been a lot of new players this year, and we have a new head coach in Don Granato and assistant coach in Jason Christie. We have had players who have been coming and going between Atlanta and ourselves here, and because of that I think it has been an educational time for everybody.

Q. A big difference from this year's team to last year's is the number of injuries. How has it been trying to find players to fill the void while players get healthy?

A. Obviously there are a lot of players out there, lots of capable players that would love the opportunity to play at the American Hockey League level. The difficult side of it falls to the coaches, because they are the ones that have to try to work the new players into the lineup and get them playing as a cohesive unit.

My hat goes off to the coaching staff for the job they have done with respect to integrating the players that have been in and out of the lineup to make a cohesive unit.

Q. Going into the season you had a big task at hand, finding a new coach and an assistant and retooling the team. What was that like?

A. We were very fortunate that Don Granato wanted to get back into the coaching side of the game. It seemed like a natural thing at the time, and the thoughts have been reinforced day by day as he becomes more entrenched in the position and the players understand his expectations and his values and the way he wants the game to be played.

I am very excited moving forward because he brings a hardworking type of mentality to the game and he is extremely prepared, and the players are certainly responding to that.

Q. What was it like from your perspective? You never really had to encounter it before with John Anderson being here the past 11 years.

A. It's an experience that I have grown from, because it's given me an opportunity to be exposed to different ideas and different ways that other people do things. It has been really exciting for me because there are new and fresh ideas I can take from.

Q. How has your relationship changed with Anderson and Todd Nelson now that they are coaching in Atlanta?

A. I used to work with John and Todd on a daily basis, but now my relationship, I guess, has shifted more to a personal relationship with the two as opposed to a professional one. I talk to them more as a friend than as a business associate.

I still deal with the management side of Atlanta on a daily basis, but Don, Jason and (assistant coach) Wendell Young will talk with John, Todd and (Thrashers assistant coach) Randy Cunneyworth more on the coaching side of things.

Q. Who or what has been the biggest surprise to you this season?

A. The growth of some of the younger guys was been very rewarding. To see guys like Riley Holzapfel, Spencer Machacek and Rylan Kaip starting to grow as hockey players has been very exciting.

On the other side, unfortunately, guys like Grant Lewis and Arturs Kulda, who we were counting on to play big minutes, have been injured recently, so we are anticipating big things from those guys when they come back.

Obviously goaltender Ondrej Pavelec was playing great and now is up playing with Atlanta. It's been an interesting year because of all the movement on the back end and all the movement in net. But that is how it is every season.

Q. Some players from last year's championship team have skated this season in the NHL. What does that mean to you, after working with these players, seeing them achieve success on the next level?

A. Getting the opportunity to call a player like a Joey Crabb, a guy who has never had the opportunity to go to the National Hockey League, that's one of the benefits of being in this job - you get to give some great news to some people.

Those are dreams come true for those guys getting the opportunity to move to the next level, and you certainly watch with anticipation how they play. You feel a part of the success because they know they have grown here in Chicago and came in as raw rookies and have matured into professional athletes and matured on a personal level.

Q. You are now in your 12th season as GM of the Chicago Wolves. Has your approach changed over the years?

A. I'd like to think that I have grown, and think that I am a little more patient and a little bit more insightful in approaching different things and different problems.

I am very fortunate to have strong people to help me that have had a lot of experience, guys like assistant general manager Gene Ubriaco and John Anderson for the years that he was here, and now Don Granato.

I think strengthening the lines of communication is the key to anything and over the years I have been fortunate to be able to communicate with some great people and have learned from them along the way as well.