Wolves have new formula for winning

One could only imagine what Don Granato heard over the summer while interviewing for the head-coaching job with the defending Calder Cup champion Chicago Wolves.

"OK, Don, not only are we asking you to replace the most popular coach in franchise history, but you'll be without star players like Jason Krog and Darren Haydar, so say goodbye to the days of the high-flying offense.

"Also, there's going to be a big influx of new players we're bringing in, so if you could just go ahead and mold them into your system, that would be great. Oh, one more thing, we expect you to win - right away."

Whatever was said, it didn't faze the Downers Grove native one bit.

"I've been around the Wolves and coached against the Wolves long enough, I knew what I was inheriting," said Granato, who was the AHL's Coach of the Year in 2000-01 while at Peoria. "They lost an exceptional coach (John Anderson) and some exceptional players, but there's still a lot here.

"None of that even entered my mind. I've done this for so many years. No one will be more disappointed than me if we're not successful."

So far that hasn't been a problem as Granato's charges have raised eyebrows around the AHL with a strong start (12-5-1-1 through Thursday) that has them in the top spot in the West Division. After a road game Friday at Grand Rapids, they return to Allstate Arena to host Quad City for games on Saturday (7 p.m.) and Sunday (3 p.m.).

"It's the type of start that a lot of people weren't expecting us to have," said veteran forward Steve Martins. "Don demands hard work, and so far it's worked out well."

"It's a good start," Granato grudgingly admitted. "To this point I'm very happy with how things have gone."

Unlike his predecessor's offensive juggernaut of the past few seasons, Granato's Wolves are a meat-and-potatoes bunch that has to grind it out for every goal they get - whether on the power play or at even strength.

How different is this team?

Consider: the Wolves led the league in scoring the past two seasons and had the top scorer in the league both years. This year, the Wolves rank second in the league in defense and their top scorer is ranked 49th in the AHL.

"Despite our power play and special teams not being as good as it has been in the past, it's amazing our record is as good as it is," Martins said.

Granato credits that, in large part, to the returning players from last year's championship team.

"We've got some guys I underestimated in terms of competitiveness and desire to win," he said. "The guys here from a year ago have helped a great deal."

That, along with a big turnover from last year's team (13 new players) allowed Granato more of a clean slate to work with and helped ease the transition behind the bench, according to Martins.

It didn't hurt that Granato's personality and demeanor aren't too different from Anderson's.

"They're both pretty personable guys; their door is always open," said Martins, who played under Granato for a brief period in Worcester of the AHL. "Neither of them yell in the locker room, which is a winning trait in a coach for me."

But in the end, the most important attribute of his former coach and his current one is simple.

"The nice thing is they're both winners," Martins said.

That's one trait that always looks good on a resume.