Wolves open season looking to regain championship form
It's the 80th season for the American Hockey League, with 1,120 regular-season games scheduled for 30 teams.
Each skates for one championship: the Calder Cup, which has been won twice by the Chicago Wolves, along with two Turner Cup titles won when the team skated in the now-defunct International Hockey League.
The Wolves are in their 22nd season, yet haven't won a title since 2008.
"We should be really good. Everyone is excited about what's going on, about the players that are coming to the organization," said Wolves general manager Wendell Young.
The Wolves' season-opener is today, when Chicago plays host to the Milwaukee Admirals at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont. Game time is 7 p.m., with a free tailgate party in the arena's West Lot from 2-6 p.m.
The Wolves went 40-29-6-1 last season, yet were eliminated in the first-round of the playoffs by Utica.
"I think our team's vastly improved," said Wolves head coach John Anderson. "I think our defense is hopefully one of the best in the league. Our goaltending is awesome. We've just got to get some goals - and I think we've got some guys in here who can do that. We've added Danny Kristo and Zach O'Brien and we've got Pat Cannone and Jeremy Welsh back. We've got the makings of a goal-scoring team."
Right wing Shane Harper was the team's top goal-scorer (32) last season, third-most in the league, and his 50-points were tops on the team. Harper has since joined the Florida Panthers, but several other key Wolves are back, including centers Cannone (14 goals, team-high 33 assists) and Welsh (20, 21), along with defensemen Joel Edmundson, Colton Parayko and Petteri Lindbohm.
Lindbohm, had 6 goals, 12 assists in 53 regular-season games for the Wolves last year.
The Wolves' defense also features Peter Harrold and Andre Benoit. Harrold has played most of his nine professional seasons in the NHL - for the Los Angeles Kings (2006-11) and the New Jersey Devils (2011-15).
Benoit spent the 2014-15 season with the Buffalo Sabres, and he was a Calder Cup champion with the Binghamton Senators in 2011.
The offense this season features right wing Jordan Caron, who split the last five seasons between the NHL and the AHL - and was with the Boston Bruins in 2010-11, when the team won the Stanley Cup.
"It's early and we've got a lot of new faces, but we've got a good core and a good group. We have a lot of veterans - guys who've played a lot of games and won Calder Cups - so I think it's a good starting base and we're all looking forward to jelling and getting the season going," Cannone said.
Another key newcomer this season is goalie Pheonix Copley, 23, who played for the Hershey Bears last season, where he compiled a 17-4-3 record during the regular-season with a 2.17 goals-against average and .925 save percentage.
Jordan Binnington, who was in goal for 25 of the team's 40 wins last season, returns.
"We wanted to improve the D, (and) we've done that," Young said. "As I said to the coaches, you might have to put five defensemen on the power play. Sometimes you talk about five forwards on the power play - we're talking about five defensemen because we've got some offensive defensemen and guys that can quarterback the power play. It's a nice luxury to have."