stormTRacker Podcast
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stormTRacker Podcast
Chicago Wolves' Breakthrough: Nadeau's Dazzling Plays, Suzuki's Impact, and Rising Prospects!
Ever wondered how a team can turn their fortunes around mid-season? Listen as we explore the remarkable resurgence of the Chicago Wolves with insights from our Wolves insider, Andrew Rinaldi. Discover the magic behind the Wolves’ turnaround as first-year pros like Felix Under Sorum, Bradly Nadeau, and Scott Morrow settle into the rhythm of the AHL, complementing the talents of Ryan Suzuki. Witness how early season jitters have been replaced by a winning mindset, igniting excitement among fans and alleviating concerns from ownership.
Get ready to be amazed by the Wolves' emerging stars and their thrilling performances. Bradly Nadeau, dubbed "Mr. Coast to Coast," dazzles with his transition plays and chemistry with Suzuki, resulting in jaw-dropping moments on the ice. Uncover Juha Jaska's journey from a slow start to becoming a cornerstone of the team, aided by invaluable mentorship. The synergy among these players promises a compelling season, filled with growth and spectacular highlights, making the Wolves a team to watch.
The episode also casts an eye on the future, spotlighting Carolina's young defensive prospects, including Scott Morrow and Charles Alexis Legault, whose skills are honed through the strong mentorship in Chicago. We also delve into the development of young forward prospects like Unger Sorum and Noel Gunler, examining the challenges and strategies in place to nurture their potential. From Unger Sorum's rising star to Gunler's quest for consistency, the future looks bright for these talents as they aim to leave their imprint on professional hockey.
Well, not surprising, the Chicago Wolves got off to a bit of a slow start this year. A number of first-year pros on the team, players like Felix Undersore, bradley Nadeau, scott Morrow and others playing their first year of pro hockey and obviously in a tough league in the AHL. But lately it's been a different story. In fact, the Wolves have been red hot recently. They've won four straight after a big win today and are nine of 12 as well. So they are playing great hockey and I'm delighted. As always the middle of the month, it's time to talk about Chicago Wolves and coming in to join us our Chicago Wolves insider, andrew Rinaldi.
Speaker 2:Andrew how's it going, man? It's going great, Tom. Thanks once again for having me on. I always love talking some Wolves hockey with you.
Speaker 1:Well, you know, yeah, for sure, and you know the Wolves are great to talk about these days because they have been playing so well and right up and down the lineup, and I know you've got some great thoughts on what's been driving this great skid for them, where they've won nine of their 12 and playing just outstanding hockey at both ends of the rink. So what are you seeing with the Wolves these days?
Speaker 2:I mean honestly, it's really not that much departed from what it looked like the first month or so into the season, where they controlled the play for stretches of games. At times it's just as a matter of kind of fitting into the system, dialing it in, and the little details, the things that seem so small and trivial to us, are really the things that decide hockey games at the end of the day. And you know those puck battles that might have been lost here, or an errant defensive pinch that led to an on-man rush and a goal the other way. Or now the Wolves are cleaning that kind of stuff up and you know the finishing has been much better. This as of late, and you're starting to see more of the.
Speaker 2:You know the numbers and the results that are more indicative of the style of play kind of more to fruition, which is just kind of the process coming together is really all it is is these young guys settling in line combinations that are starting to find a little more chemistry. The first example I'm going to point to is that Suzuki Nadeau Yaska line, which, you know it took a little bit to kind of really get going but is real, is now the straw that's been stirring the drink for this team and you know it's it's. They've gone up against some of the top competition in division lately and have not just come out on top but have emphatically come out on top. So it's been a real feel-good vibe for the Wolves here lately and you know it's been a lot of fun to cover. I can tell you that much.
Speaker 1:Well, I'm sure, and you know, it seems like the noise has kind of dissipated from some early concerns that ownership had, with the Wolves, of course, getting off to that slow start. So it looks like that's kind of behind us. You know interesting comments and I think you're right on with what you're saying too, andrew, because we think about it. We had Cam Abbott coming in and he was learning the Canes. You know style and form of play. You had several youngsters coming in and playing professional hockey in North America for the first time you can go up and down the lineup. Gosh, a bunch of them. And again, very few had played together in the past.
Speaker 1:So you had folks trying to, as you say, trying to find a way on new lines with new defensive pairings and so on, some pairings and so on, and and then goaltending challenges, because you had, uh, you know, goaltenders coming up and going down and and, uh, some injuries and some different things with the hurricanes that affected the goaltending here as well. But again, uh, yeah, it's exciting to see, and you've mentioned something which I really wanted to get into, which is that top line, and let's take a look at ryan suzuki for a minute. So, suzuki, uh, here's. Here's what was written about him in McKean's in the prospect profile last year. They said he's had a rough path since being drafted 28th overall in 2019. So he was drafted in that first round. On top of the impacts of the pandemic, he's had a long list of injuries, including a high stick to the eye that left him with a permanent blind spot.
Speaker 1:Remember he was out for an extended period with that and that was a tough one, but here's what they say. If he can remain healthy, he's a very promising prospect. He's a line driver, consistently pushing the pace and leading his team to scoring opportunities. He has great hands with highlight reel abilities when one-on-one with defenders. So these are high words of praise for Suzuki and guess what? We're seeing some of that right.
Speaker 2:Absolutely, and I've seen so much of it, going all the way back to that COVID year where the OHL had suspended play.
Speaker 2:So he was allowed to play in the AHL along with guys like Phil Tomasino and Seth Jarvis for a minute, which is a really weird year in the American Hockey League in the world in general. But you saw flashes of that and watching that young teenage Suzuki then grow up into a guy who was a big part of that Wolves Calder Cup team but unfortunately, because of those aforementioned health issues, wasn't really a member of the product on the ice, at least during the playoffs, and all that Then rolling into the 23-year, you really kind of started to see him blossom from that a little bit and um and again it's just you know if it's been one thing or the other. The loss of the affiliation last year I thought was was really kind of another, just like another derailment in this kid's path to the nhl, like oh geez, here we go again and and then he gets into that, into that area where you know the canes got got him to a one year kind of prove it contract.
Speaker 2:Um, you know he had to pass through waivers just to get to chicago, you know, and here he is and it's it could. It could have been so easy for this kid to just be like, well, you know, woe is me and and all that and hang your head down. Here you are. You're the only kid in your draft class in the first round who hasn't played any NHL games. And you know you're watching your brother up there in Montreal just being adored by all the fans and just it's been just a string of bad luck to really kind of lead him to where he is. And you know, after game one I was able to just get a chat with him and be like, you know, like what's this fight been like? And to see, you know his spirit wasn't really down in the dumps or anything. He was excited to be back in Chicago. He was in just to get back to playing the game of hockey.
Speaker 2:And now he's got structure, he's got his health and you're seeing him really kind of I mean I said blossoming before, but even to another level, really at this point he's been driving that top line, not just offensively, but defensively man he's been. I don't think he gets enough credit for what he brings on that defensive side of the game. I mean, I know, you know, we throw around that whole like 200 foot player guy seems kind of left and right, but this guy embodies that and it's it's, you know, kind of. Again, I was just talking like watching him grow up from that young teenager with a lot of promise and now he's I wouldn't necessarily call him a veteran, even by this league standards, but now he's taking on more of that leadership role where it's like all right, boys, kind of follow my lead and he'll take this team as far as they can go.
Speaker 2:It's really been a treat to watch Ryan Suzuki kind of grow up here and I think when Jack Drury went down that there was probably a lot more consideration in bringing him up than maybe was you know know, spoken at surface level, although I think, given the circumstances, calling tyson jost up was probably the right call um in the short and long term. But I think if suzuki keeps this up, there's going to be a lot more difficult conversations for carolina here especially. You know, with that that one year contract is like OK, what are we going to do with this kid? It's not. It's not a bad position for an organization to be in to have to make those those difficult decisions.
Speaker 1:Well, you know, suzuki, obviously the Canes are in desperate need of depth at center ice. You know they really have not drafted big center prospects in recent years, and so it puts him in a good position. I think that's one of the reasons they re-upped him in the offseason again. But I saw him last year in the prospect showcase and he just undressed the goalie on two or three shootout goals and plays that he breakaways that he had and so on. I mean his skill level's off the charts but he's doing well. He's got 21 points in 23 games. Now he scored again today, but he's definitely uh showing the promise that the canes had for him. And if he stays healthy, as you say, and working on the line with the likes of uh yuha yaska and, of course, bradley Nadeau, you've got a couple of guys that can really get it done. I mean Nadeau, who's headed off to join Team Canada, of course, for the junior tourney starting here shortly, man he's been amazing.
Speaker 1:Here's what McKee said about Nadeau, and this is kind of funny. They said you could give Nadeau the nickname Mr Coast to Coast, and this is kind of funny. They said you could give Nadeau the nickname Mr Coast to Coast, both for his extreme continental crisscrossing over the past few seasons as well as his ability to make highlight reel plays in transition. This guy is just something else and again, he's a player that when you've seen him, there's so many highlights and I've got some great ones that we'll be talking about. He's a guy that that you know. He just makes super plays, whether it's setting up somebody else or that wicked shot that he has. He's got that booming slap shot that he just beats goalies on regularly. He's really finding his way now as well.
Speaker 2:Absolutely, and I think there's really not a much better compliment than to have a guy like Ryan Suzuki centering his wing, and I mean just to be able to set him up in ways that not a lot of guys at this level can, and again to kind of show him the ropes of what it takes to be a successful professional hockey player. You know Suzuki has been around, you know championship teams here in Chicago and you know those habits that he learns from. You know the Potoralskis and the Nasons of that 22 team. He now is transitioning as a leader to lead on the Bradley Nadell and it's yeah, it's what really surprised me kind of is, you know I was well and familiar with his shot and everything coming in, um, but I think just kind of the dynamic of that top line and just all between all three forwards has I.
Speaker 2:I watched a beautiful goal against Grand Rapids the other night where Suzuki setting a dough up and I'm like all right, here he is, he's going to wire this one home and instead he feeds Ty Smith over for the back door and it was just, it was, it was a piece of art and you know those kinds of plays that weren't necessarily being made and maybe sometimes coaches might lament at, like the one extra pass, whatever, but as long as the puck's going in it's all good. But you're seeing these guys so much more confidence with the puck. I mean, the first month of the season was just so timid. They'd be in shooting areas and then they'd be looking off for a pass. They're just not having that kind of confidence where now you're seeing them and Nadella's just ripping them and it's been a lot of fun to watch.
Speaker 2:Certainly, you know he's got just like any young player, you know things to work on, things to improve in. But at, you know, at this level where he can get just just you know, top line minutes, power play time, throwing a little bit of penalty killing here and there, he gets those opportunities to work on just any and all areas of his game. And that's just. And going over and having the opportunity to play for the country on your Jersey probably isn't too bad for him either. So it's. It's going to sting in chicago not having him around for a little bit, but you know what?
Speaker 1:I think the kid's going to be just fine no, exactly, and you know again with with nadeau, he's a guy that uh is fortunate enough to be able to be playing in chicago this year. He's getting you know, because of the strength of the canes, they can leave him in chicago, just like they're able to leave ryan suzuki and give them the kind of mentorship and and coaching that's uh, that's going to benefit them tremendously and I think that's a key part of what you know the canes have been doing in recent years and and even adding veterans to the mix, and you talked about yuha yaska.
Speaker 1:Now, yaska is an interesting one uh, when he was signed in the offseason nobody really knew who Jaska was. I mean, they were going who's that? In any case, john Waddell did and he said Juha is a veteran forward who brings energy and intensity to every shift. He's performed consistently in Finland and we're excited to see what he can do in North America. And Rod Brittnamore, after he had him in camp, said some similar things. He said he's a hard worker. He's a typical Finnish guy that we've had over the years. He just plays hard. So again, good strong words about Jaska. It took him a little while to kind of get his sea legs. I think at the start of the year he sat out a game or two and just tried to find his way, but he's been on a tear. He scored again today, and so what are you seeing in Yoska?
Speaker 2:I'm seeing a microcosm of the entire Chicago Wolves season in Yoska. You know those first eight games without a point. You're kind of like you know some guys they're just, they're more comfortable in their home countries and that's, and that's perfectly fine. I've seen that quite, quite often in Grand Rapids with some guys like Pontus Andreasen. But you know, once he kind of again got settled in along with the rest of the lineup, you saw the, you know the hockey IQ and you saw the talent to be able to get himself open for shots and they just weren't going in. You're gripping the stick a little tight. I mean, we've all been there, you've got the yips and they're just not going in.
Speaker 2:Once he got that first one against Milwaukee back in November, you literally could see the weight just lifted off of his shoulders and the relief of finally getting it and the floodgates just absolutely open for this guy and for the rest of the team really. And and I've I've really loved to see what he's been able to bring with with Suzuki and Ado just the chemistry that they've maintained has been almost instant. You know the first couple of weeks of the season, every line, they're kind of in a blender and everything. But once those guys came together, something just clicked. And you know that happens sometimes with a lot of these guys. They just know how to read off each other so well and it's I mean you know the results kind of speak for themselves there. And Yaska has been just an absolute pleasant surprise. I think you're right. Honestly, I had no film on him. I really wasn't quite sure you could read Elite Prospects page or whatever. But you're not really sure what you're getting from this guy.
Speaker 2:You know Rod was right. When he's out there there's not a lot of guys that are going to outwork him when he's out there on the ice, offensive zone, neutral zone, defensive zone, doesn't matter.
Speaker 2:You know he's a hound on the puck and he knows where to be and I can't tell you how many times Suzuki's been able to find him in that soft spot and the high slot and he's been able to just pick his corners over the last couple of games. And now he's got the confidence, now he's got the rhythm and you know, zero points in his first eight games and he's got 13 points in his last 13. So, like I said, if that's not a microcosm of the season for the Wolves, I don't know what is.
Speaker 1:Well, interestingly enough, he's a solid guy. He's 6'0", almost 200 pounds, so he plays a solid game. He's a good skater, of course, and he he played in a league of last year in Finland and he had in the playoffs. He had five goals and two assists for seven points in seven games. So again, he's a guy that you know he's. He's coming over a little bit later, at 26, but do you think he might ever see the Hurricanes lineup?
Speaker 2:If he keeps playing like this? Absolutely, and you know that's just the thing about this. The game at this level is, you know you can always wonder like what if? And sometimes it might feel like you know the crab's in the bucket. You're just always trying to kind of like, grab another guy so you can pull your way up. I mean, you just kind of got to play your game.
Speaker 2:You never know when the opportunity is going to come, when the call is going to arrive, and even if it's not Carolina, there could be a scout for St Louis watching that game. That's like, hey, we really like what this guy is bringing, let's bring him over and see what he can bring to our club. You know there's 32 franchises in this league and each one of them always has some everything's. There's shifting parts constantly and you never know when that chance is going to get. So you know those first eight games again, it could have been really easy for him to be like, oh well, this is kind of a bust. I know that there's, you know, a spot waiting for me back home in Finland. So here we go.
Speaker 2:But this guy, you know, kept his nose down to the grindstone and I guarantee you that management is looking at that like this guy didn't give up.
Speaker 2:He's now become just such an important part of this team and it's success moving forward. And you know, if we need that kind of jolt in the locker room, it's great that we have that in our organization. We can bring him up and his kind of style of play is the one that's going to be able to complement whatever line he's on. Whether you need him to produce points, as he's done in the top line here, you need him to grind it out in the corners in front of the net on the bottom six, he can do that too. So it's, you know, he's versatile and, like I said it, all it takes is just that one phone call. It can change your entire career. So as long as he keeps playing the way he has, I see, you know I could definitely see a handful of games and and the nhl for him well, that's great and and it's uh, it's good to get some information on Jaska.
Speaker 1:As I said, a lot of folks don't really know much about him. So thanks for that. Thanks for that update as well, andrew. You know, talking about the upcoming World Junior Tournament, of course there's another Chicago Wolf making his way and he'll be playing for Sweden. That's Felix Ungersorm.
Speaker 1:Now, felix Ungersorm, of course, is the darling of many Canes fans and they think he's going to be something special. And, of course, rod Brindamore, very excited with what he saw initially with Ungersorm. In fact, last year, you know, he was very strong in camp and looked like he might stick around for a while, but here's a guy that is still very young, obviously under 20 years old. I think he's 19 right now. Unger Soren is a guy that the challenge with him has been that again, they've been trying to move him to center ice. They've been trying some different things with him, simply because he sees the ice so well and he has such a high hockey IQ that they think this is the kind of guy that they can really grow and help develop as a center, because that's an area of need for the Canes. You know it's interesting what McKean said about Unger Sorum, he's a highly entertaining player and that's for darn sure.
Speaker 1:If you watch Unger Sorum, he is that and you've got to watch him because he's so slippery and elusive on the ice and he's a guy that he's making very special plays. You know, lately I've been watching the highlights and he's really been doing some incredible work out there and he's showing a lot of confidence. I think this is the biggest difference. I've seen him under storm. He's picking up the puck in the O-zone and he'll carry it around the net. He'll carry it out in front of the net, he'll take it to the side. He'll take it to the side, he'll do all kinds of things with it and he's not just dishing it off. You know trying to. You know get rid of the puck as quick as he can. He's trying to hold on and find that open player, and so I've been really excited about Ungersoar.
Speaker 2:What do you see? It's. You know it was a work in progress for him. It's one thing already to come over from Europe to adapt to a new style, especially as a young player as him. It's a completely other thing on top of it to kind of be thrown to the wolves no pun intended and learning the center position on the fly on top of it, and so it's. You know it was always going to be a bit of a project for him, but again, same thing. You're starting to see you were right the just kind of the confidence and the plays that he's making with the puck and it's again.
Speaker 2:This is, this is not just kind of uh, you know, as a throwaway league. These, this is, these are grown men that he's going up against, as you know, as a 19 year old. It's. It's going to be uh difficult. It's going to be difficult, it's going to be a slog at times and for those first few weeks of the season it definitely was warm and I think he hit the scene so hard with that preseason last year that I think kind of Canes fans might have thought that he was going to blow the doors down in this league and those who might not be quite as familiar, don't it's? It's it's a hard league to establish yourself in. It's another hard league to sustain success in, especially as these, you know, young players that are just learning kind of the routines of professional hockey, day in, day, day out. It's so detail-oriented, it can be overwhelming at times, but Ungerswarm has certainly impressed the way that he's been able to maintain. Again, there's a lot of young players out there that can throw it away and not bring it every single night, and I think he's got five points over the last seven games he played before he's ended up joining Team Sweden there. So you know, again, this is another one of those. You know you're starting to see the numbers reflect more of what he's been able to bring onto the ice. And you know there's growing pains here and there, absolutely that's for sure. But right, I really. I agree with you.
Speaker 2:I really like his patience with the puck, which is for someone at 19 years old to not immediately, you know, gasp at the 6'3", 220-pound defender that's coming down on you on the boards. It's impressive and you know, to be able to hold on to that, to have the patience to, you know, wait for the space to open up, and it's a truly special trait in a player and you know it's paying dividends for the Wolves and for Ungerswarm as well. It's going to continue to. You know you're going to have his, his good nights and his bad nights. He's going to continue to learn.
Speaker 2:The center position on the fly, and especially the defensive aspect of it, is just, it's so much of the game versus. You know, playing as a winger, I think you get a little more leeway. You know defensively, but at the same time you know, know again, he's in that kind of position where he's going to have ample opportunities to learn, to grow and with, with the skill set that he has, all it's. It's all just kind of being molded into this version of this player that Carolina and Chicago are gonna eventually kind of see, think, pay pretty big dividends as we get here into the dog days of the season.
Speaker 1:But that's after the World Junior Championships, of course, because he's going to be late and at the World Juniors he's going to have a leadership role for his team and, again, I think that's going to be exciting to watch and it'll be fun to see how both he and Nadeau fare against some of the young talent that's out there, same age as theirs, some of the top players in the world under 20. So it's going to be a lot of fun to check that out. One other thing I was just going to mention about Unger Soren, and this has been commented a number of times. Mckean's mentioned this as well. He's got to put some weight on. He's a little bit stick thin, so he's got to bulk up a little bit's a little bit stick thin, um, so he's gonna.
Speaker 1:He's gonna bulk up a little bit, uh, become a little sturdier on his gates, but but he's a guy that, uh, that's all in due course, uh, and with his skill set, uh, for sure he's, he's got a high ceiling and, uh and I think the canes are doing it right giving him a chance to come over at a young age to play in chicago, as you mentioned, andrew. To get that, just get a feel of it right, and you're going to have your ups and downs. It's going to be a challenge. It's a long season for these guys. So, again, we'll just keep an eye on Unger's arm and it's great to see that he's starting to have some success right now.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. Yeah, I can definitely agree with you know, no-transcript. So it's he's, you know. I mean he's 19 years old, you know. So we're going to kind of put it in the frame that he's got. He's got room to grow and these are, you know, putting on weight and and all that is all things that you know, you can, you can work on and and and at this level, but there's, you know, those certain just kind of intangibles and certain things that you just can't teach, and I think kind of his hockey iq is one of those. That's just like you can coach up all these other things. But that's something that I think Carolina knows, that they got a special player in there and I'm excited to see what kind of player he can grow into well, you know, it's interesting.
Speaker 1:You mentioned 19 years old. There are a couple of other 19 year olds, of course. Bradley Ndowo is 19, and so too is Gleb Trikozov, so I mean these are young players coming over and getting a chance to cut their teeth in the HL.
Speaker 1:As you said rightfully, a lot of guys in that league that like to just have a shot at some of these younger studs coming in and show that they can still get it done. So all good stuff with Undersorm. We're going to follow him closely. Any other forwards that are jumping out at you these days.
Speaker 2:I like that. You mentioned Trikazov, as I've like again it's a young player. Again, when it comes to confidence, I think at first, you know, maybe it can be overwhelming. And it's especially. You know you're coming over from Russia and all that it's all of a sudden there's a, there's a McDonald's at the corner of every block. It's culture shock. It really is. And it's hard to explain that to us who've been here. I've never left North America, so it's you know.
Speaker 2:But for him I like that, you know, he's been able to come over here into the American Hockey League and he's, I don't want to say protected, but he's insulated. Where he is in the lineup Right, he doesn't have to play every night, he doesn't have the weight of the world on his shoulders. As a 19-year-old he can kind of ease into his role on the team and even with limited minutes I think he's been able to kind of show what he's capable of. The other day he had a strong rush to the net which should have ended up as a goal, but it was waved off for some kind of goalie interference thing. But at any rate I've really liked what I've seen from him. I think he's a bit more of a long-term project here for Carolina. But this is a good way to kind of introduce him to just the life of what they're expecting over here for him and I really like what I've seen. And that's another one where it's like I think the fruits of his labor are going to be more apparent down the road. But we'll see with them and I really like what they're bringing. There's been another forward. I've liked more of what I've seen from them lately but I know uh, noel Gunler is one, that's okay.
Speaker 2:That, um that, a lot of folks have have had their eye on for quite a while now, and I think there is a core group of players that were kind of on the cusp of you know it may be not breaking in the Carolina but kind of breaking into the league and I think that kind of really got hampered by the loss of the affiliation.
Speaker 2:And you know there's so much that had to be said about you know. Okay, chicago was awful last year. Let's call a spade a spade, but it hurt guys like Gunler and Jameson Reese and Anthony Honka.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, those guys are pretty well done yeah crucial development years.
Speaker 2:I mean, Reese was traded away for a pittance just so he could get away from Springfield.
Speaker 1:He was going nowhere. Jameson Reese.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's terrible. I think he could have really been a good bottom six asset on this team and now he's hopefully kind of can turn things around over there in the organization in Ottawa.
Speaker 2:But, you know, gunler is another one where he comes over here he starts out his career in Chicago pretty strong, I thought, and then gets kind of the ship back over to Europe. Treatment doesn't quite kind of get the role. I don't think that Carolina was looking for him and now he's come back over to Chicago and I think he's looked strong at times. But I always preach that the most important thing for these young players to learn at this level is just is consistency, is those habits on and off the ice that you know, that make you so incredibly detail oriented, because you have to be you, just it's every little. It's hard for me to put it out there, but you know just those, those, those ins and outs of being a professional hockey player. You have to bring it every single night. There's no nights off. You can't have a night off and I feel at times kind of goon. There's just not not all there and it's. You know, I, I, I just I think he missed out on a lot of important development time just being involved in the organization. You're way over there in Sweden and I get you, you're in contact with the team and coaches and scouts and all that, but it's just not the same as having Cam Abbott in your ear every single day and working with you and and working with the team, working with guys that are that you're going to be teammates with for years. I mean just the natural progression of moving up from the AHL to the NHL.
Speaker 2:I just I'm not saying it's the end of the world, for for Gunler, I just I you feel like after he made his breakout or he came into the league and and uh, at the end of 2022, kind of got a taste of that Calder cup became more of a piece in 23. You would have expected now, as we're heading into 2025, he would have been a bigger part of this Chicago team. And he's just, he's there and he's playing well on most nights, but it's just, you got to play well every night, you know, and it's it's. It's unfortunate to see because I think he could have been a really good piece to this team. If it just a situation out of his control last year, there's not much he could have done about it well, you know it's interesting.
Speaker 1:Your comments are spot on to what I've got from McKean's as well. Mckean's comments were that Noel Grimler has been a polarizing prospect that no one can agree on. So this is an interesting one. He was drafted 41st in 2020. So he was in the second round. This is a guy that was drafted quite high for the Canes because, of course, they love drafting in that second round. This is a guy that was drafted quite high for the Canes because, of course, they love drafting in that second round. They've had several outstanding second rounders. We could go up and down the list. It's amazing. But here's what they also said he has so much skill, from his elite shot to his excellent hands, but his work, ethic, skating and defensive game have been points of concern. So again, similar type of thing where and we saw this a little bit you know we saw him in the prospect showcase this year he had a two goal game. He was. He looked like he was just going to tear up the showcase and, you know, got off to a great start and then, you know, he chilled and you didn't see much of him. He kind of became invisible on the ice again and he's the kind of guy that he has elite skills and the Canes are going to try to bring him along. In fact it's interesting that McKean's also said that the Hurricanes are one of the best teams to bring these kinds of players along. So if anybody's going to have an opportunity to go forward with the Hurricanes, gundler is going to have that chance with the Hurricanes and in their farm system. So again, great, great words from them to give us kind of hope for Gundler.
Speaker 1:No question, he's got talent. He's a big fellow. At 6'2", he can put on some weight, he'll be a big player. So he's got everything. He's got the tools and it's just a question can he get that work ethic, can he get that 200-foot game down? And that's the tough part of it and that's what of course Cam Abbott and the crew will be working hard with these young players on is to see if they can turn them into the complete package so they can move to the next level. But he definitely has the tools and we'll keep an eye on Gundler. I know he's, as we say, a polarizing guy. Some days you're all over him and the next day what happened to Newell Guller? We'll keep an eye on him. Still think he has a real shot with the Hurricanes Again putting him in Chicago.
Speaker 1:He's going to have the right kind of environment and they can take their time and work with him, as he should just like you just mentioned with what. Tripp was up as well. Again, we'll keep an eye on Guller. One other and I was going to bring him up, I thought I'd just mention him was Justin Robitaille. I've been noticing him showing up on the score sheet quite a bit. In fact, I think he had a four-point game and he's a guy, that boy. As a small player, he seems to be putting it together.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he's been kind of the first quarter X factor of this team I believe. And his when, when the rest of the team was kind of struggling to figure it out offensively, robitaille was the one who was just his motor. The whole time was just like I don't really care, I'm just going to kind of play my game and and you know, the the points kind of came naturally to him. It's been a lot of fun to see him in every situation. He's been really dynamite on the penalty kill as well.
Speaker 2:I've liked what I've seen, just the tenacity he's. I can tell he's the kind of guy like a guy like Rod Brindamore just love his intangibles kind of game in, game out. It's hard for young players to kind of get that sort of consistency of bringing your A game every night. But I don't think Robitaille has had any real trouble with that early on here. He's really been a pleasant I would say a pleasant surprise for Chicago and you know what you're going to get from some of the bigger scorers in your lineup. But getting those extra points from Robida and just again being able to rely on him, I think has been able to change the dynamic of this whole lineup really, because you can shift him around in different lines, different partners, and you know it's not like okay, he needs to play with Gunler, or he needs to play with Jost, or you know you can kind of throw him around wherever and you know what you're going to get out of him.
Speaker 2:You know you can kind of throw them around wherever and you know what you're going to get out of them, and so it's. It's been a lot of fun to see, to see him kind of break out here in his in his debut pro season.
Speaker 1:Well, it's kind of interesting. Darren York kind of referenced him alongside Jackson Blake, and the reason is both of them, of course, their uh long-time pros in the nhl and and uh york's position was these youngsters can really learn what it is to be a pro and and what it takes to be successful in national hockey league. And I think robodog, who started off of course last year he paid his dues in the echl had a good, solid season. He had 12 goals, 15 assists, 27 points in 32 games. He's a guy that I think is really coming on strong and he plays in all situations. It's kind of cool. He kills penalties, he's on the power play and, of course, he's been very strong in the faceoff. So not a big player, but he is definitely a guy that makes things happen when he's on the ice. So we'll keep an eye on Robidon and hopefully he's going to continue to show some cool things as the year goes on. Let's shift gears and go to the blue. Who's jumping out on?
Speaker 2:the blue line these days. Well, I think it doesn't need to be said that Scott Morrow has really impressed me. I mean, in most NHL clubs I think you'd be seeing some NHL time. But Carolina's had the luxury of owning one of the better blue line groups in the whole NHL, so they're allowed to bring Morrow down here to Chicago and to let him cook in any and every situation. And he's been just dynamite with the puck. He's been smart without it. It's been a treat to be able to watch him play, but I've sung the praises a lot of of charles alexis legault. He's he's been, uh, really one of the more eye-opening players there. Uh, defensively, just he's as a big body, seeing how well he can move with the puck and without it. Dominic Fensore has also been, just, you know, dynamic and I think Canes fans are pretty well familiar with his style and what he brings with the puck and it was one of my favorite traits of the 22 Calder Cup championship team just how well the blue line could move with the puck out of danger and the transition and when Fansori can jump up on the rush. It just adds a whole different dynamic to this team and how they can attack. He's really been kind of a big catalyst for, I think, for this team being able to kind of get out of that early scoring slump and to start kind of piling the points up and the goals as well. So you know, I really like what I've seen from the blue line.
Speaker 2:I thought it was going to be a strength of this team from day one. I thought this was going to be one of the better blue lines in the league. I thought this was going to be one of the better blue lines in the league and it's kind of really starting to prove dividends the more this team kind of starts to really gain some momentum here in the month of December. And just the way they've been able to pile the wins up. So you know, fensore, legault, morrow has been huge. And you know the veterans have played their role as well. I mean, ty Smith has been about a point-of-game player. You know it's one of those things we kind of expect from him and those guys are going to be crucial to bringing everyone else along and into their pro game and really kind of breaking out in the pro style. So I kind of expected it to be a strength of this team and it very much has been early on here.
Speaker 1:Well, you know I've talked a bit about Fensori and Charles Alexis Legault before. Those guys, to me, are an outstanding pair and they've been together a good part of the season as a combination. Legault, coming out of Quinnipiac, was again under the radar later round. Pick this guy. He does it all. He's tough back there, he blocks shots, he's smart with the puck, he's learning and has been growing his offensive game the last couple of years. In fact, that was the only question with Legal was, could he have a little bit of offense? And he's been doing that and again, I think he's a guy that's going to come a long way.
Speaker 1:But Don Fensore, to me he's incredible and here's what McKean said about him, and I thought it was right on. He said it's rare to see defensemen of Fensore's small size succeed in pro hockey, but he has a better chance than most because he always plays quicker than almost everybody else. If you watch him on the ice he's very smart with his stick, he's smart with his positioning, he's outstanding getting the puck out of his zone. I mean, he's really starting to rack up the points as well. And you know, he's just a guy that you know.
Speaker 1:I in the in the showcase last year and I was all over dominic vansori because I thought he was one of the best players for the canes prospect team. He was all over it on the ice. He was driving the power play. He was in, you know, killing penalties. He was doing it all and he's been killing penalties as well which is interesting with his partner, charles a Alexis Legault. Those guys have been jumping over the boards quickly on the PK and for a smaller guy, that's really something the confidence that Cam Abbott is showing in him. So he's a guy that I think he's got elite skills. There's no question he can skate like the wind. He's smart with the puck, he sees the ice extremely well and he's continuing to grow his defensive game. I think he's got a shot in the future in the NHL with someone.
Speaker 2:Absolutely when you're you know you can play as dynamic like that and you can skate like him. I mean, I was talking about coachable skills before. Skating is just something like you have it or you don't, and it's probably that one skill that you can have every other tool at this level. But if you can't skate like the wind, like you can in the NHL, then your opportunities are limited. And Fensore can move and he can move with the puck. He can be smart and move without the puck.
Speaker 2:Yes, he's a smaller defender and that's going to create some obstacles for him. He's just going to have to learn to play within his limitations and he's shown so far that he can do it. Can he continue to do so? Keep up that consistency and create opportunities for himself? Well, I mean, he's a young player. It remains to be seen. But you know, I'd like to see what he can do with more opportunities, with more chances to really kind of, you know, drive an entire blue line on his own. So he's been awesome early on and, like I said, I think he's been a big catalyst for this team, kind of starting to break out offensively here and you know there's there's a lot of runway out for him and in front of his career and I, I I'd love to see him be able to make that, make that jump ahead.
Speaker 1:He's got the tools for it well, you know, he, he, uh, he has a great pedigree. Um, he was, uh, the captain at boston u. His last year there he was a hobie baker nominee the last two seasons with boston. Um, hockey is, first of all, sorry. I mean I can. I can go up and down the list of the accolades for uh, for sorry, so he's not coming in.
Speaker 1:As you know, as a guy that's just kind of trying to find his way, he was extremely highly rated. So you know, again, uh, trying to find a way to transition that, that talent and that skill that was so dominant in the college ranks and then get into the pros. And I think you know again, they brought him along slowly. He was in norfolk last year for a while. Then he ended up moving up to uh, of course, to chicago as the wolves continued to struggle and the canes helped out a little bit. He and I think ronan steely were both sent up to help the blue line. In any case. Um, the other thing I was going to mention I think you've got a great comment on this as well the young defensemen that the canes have really been courting. They all have something in common and that is that they can skate.
Speaker 2:They can really move, move.
Speaker 1:You know Hema, salmi, you know, obviously, fensori, morrow you can go up and down the list. All these guys can really fly, and I think that's something the Canes are, you know. They definitely like that style of defensemen. They like folks that can jump into the play, that can be a part of it, can make things happen. And again, of course, that's what we're seeing with the hurricanes and one of the reasons they they went out and got uh, shane goss despair, who's having an outstanding season. So again, uh, great to see fensori and and uh more on the other guys, uh, charles alexis will be coming on strong, um, yeah, uh, anybody else that uh, or anything else you'd like to talk about? I think we've covered a lot of the uh players that are jumping out these days.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I guess goaltending would really be the only area we haven't covered. I think early on you saw with Spencer Martin being called up and they kind of handed the reins over to the two young net Myers, and and Kajiv and and Pratt's Correct and it was just. I mean, it's like I guess it's a difficult league for a lot of these young players and when you're kind of not letting your goalies sink or swim, but kind of letting your goalies kind of sink or swim, especially in their their first pro years, it can be unforgiving and I think for the task that was given to them that both goaltenders played about as well as you could expect for two young guys like that. I do think that and I guess the Carolina organization kind of agrees with me that Kajiv has kind of outshone Peretz a little bit here. You've seen the latter heading to Bloomington in an effort to kind of in the East Coast to get more playing time consistently, which is good for all parties involved, and you've seen Kajiv take the backup role there in Chicago, which is incredibly impressive for a 19 year old net minder and I think the plan initially was to have him in bloomington until they saw these couple of games and thought, okay, I, I think ajiv might be a little, might be the the, the horse, a little further ahead in this race here and um, and now that you know dustin tokarski was signed, stabilized that net a bit and then impressed so much that's like, okay, he's gone up to carolina, we're gonna bring spencer martin back down here and increase his waiver window and um, and he's been awesome.
Speaker 2:I mean spencer martin is, he's been about as good of it, he's about as good of an option as you can get of a goaltender here in the AHL and he's been every bit as advertised and he's, you know, I've loved his I mean just his attitude, in that you know he's got a bit of that not quite a bit of that Kochekov fire in him, but you know he's not going to let anyone just kind of scrape away at his crease while he's going in there fishing for the pucks. So you know, and Chicago fans love themselves a feisty goalie and they embrace Coach Jacob day one.
Speaker 2:He's been a legend ever since. So yeah, martin's been awesome. I think you know Khajiit is maybe a little bit ahead of schedule or you know, but, like I said, there's always shifting parts and maybe you thought you were going to have him in the coast but he's outplayed your other options. So here he is in Chicago, and you know I've mentioned his name before, but Stan Dubicki is about as good of a goaltending coach, I was going to mention Stan.
Speaker 1:He's huge.
Speaker 2:Yep, he's obviously worked with Kochekov and Lyon, who are now NHL mainstays. He's worked with Phoenix Copley and Jordan Binnington and there's a ton of names on the list of great tenders that have moved through chicago that stands worked with. So the guy knows his stuff and you know he's. He's worked with, like I said, with with kochekov. He's got experience with russian netminers who might not have the best english show. He finds a way to make it work one way or the other. So I you know he's um again young, still very raw Khajiit is. But, like I said with Fensori, there's a ton of runway ahead for this young kid and I've liked what I've seen from him.
Speaker 2:To start and I think with whether it's going to be Martin or Tokarski that's going to be taking the main role long-term here, I think it's better for him to kind of get his spot starts, pick his spots, work on his game and it couldn't blossom very, very well for this promising nutminder going forward.
Speaker 1:Well, you know, we've seen this move of Russian goalies in recent years. They are really the pick these days. It was for a long time it was Finnish goaltenders, as you know, and now it's goalies out of Russia and the Canes have loaded up on a bunch of them. They've got some still back in Russia, of course, but I know with Kazeev they were very, very excited to get this guy. He's a big player, he's quick in the net man. I watched a big player. Uh, he's quick in the net, he man. I watched some of his games on the prospect showcase.
Speaker 1:This guy's really impressive and I think, uh, I think you're right on with everything you're saying, andrew. I think the the opportunity here to have him with dan dubicki and and working in the canes you know chicago system with abbott and the rest of the crew, um and again, uh, with some other russians. He's got tricosa out there. So I mean he's got some partners in crime. This is great for him. He can take his time. He's working with a great professional in Spencer Martin now and, of course, dustin Tarkarski was the same. This is wonderful for him and, I think, much better than him going back to Bloomington. I do like Yann Apretz. He was outstanding in Quinnipiac, as we know, but I think there is a much higher ceiling for Kazeeb and I think that's the reason the Canes are doing this. So it's great to see he's playing, it's great to see he's getting some success, and they'll take their time with him. They're going to bring him along nice and slowly and just help him to become acclimatized to North America, to get some language skills and continue to grow his game and and follow the great coaching that he's going to have with with the folks in Chicago.
Speaker 1:So, right on, glad you mentioned him. I will talk about Kazeev any day. He is a guy that I really really think a lot about. But you know, there's so many great prospects and and it's delightful to have them a lot of them playing in in chicago this year uh, you know, as I'm with nick bass recently and there's prospects around the globe, gosh, there's just a bunch of them and uh, and the canes are are very, you know, rich right now with the talent that they have, and I think chicago is going to play a huge role in this. As we know, gosh, some of the best and brightest of the Canes prospects are playing in Chicago these days. Any other thoughts or comments today, andrew, anything else you're seeing happening around Chicago these days that we might want to be aware of?
Speaker 2:You know it's a fun and exciting team. Honestly, they're kind of a bit ahead of schedule, as much as I thought. I always hearken it back to Grand Rapids and my other beat. But Grand Rapids was in a similar situation last year where, just man, those first two months of the season were hard to watch and then something kind of clicked around Christmas time and this team just shot right up to the top of the standings. The Wolves have been on fire for about a month now and it seems like they've been able to kind of get their stuff together.
Speaker 2:I'll keep it kind of clean here and even quicker than that Grand Rapids team was and you see kind of the Griffins where they're at now at the top of the standings. Chicago can make this really interesting. They had a three-games and three-day series with the Griffins and they took five out of six points. They just went on the road against a very tough Texas Stars team and everyone knows how well the Dallas organization drafts and develops. They just want them twice on the road in Texas and then just hosted Milwaukee, the second-best team in the division, and then slapped them around for a school day game this morning. So they're making a statement here before the holiday break for Christmas, and I mean, the sky's the limit for this team.
Speaker 2:They keep playing in this manner and especially against some of the top competition that they're going to be facing in division. The sky's going to end up being the limit for them. Seeing division, that the the sky is going to be end up being a limit for him. Um, still young, still raw, but you gotta like what you're seeing out of him so far. So it's. It's a long season, there's a lot of hockey out of them, but if the last couple weeks are any indication it's going to be, it's going to be a fun ride and I'm I'm glad I'm a part of it well, and you know it's uh, we didn't mention uh.
Speaker 1:Two of the guys that I think are a part of the mix as well and certainly bring a lot of character are Josiah Slavin and, of course, skylar Brindamore. Uh, great roots for both of those guys and and I understand they're also contributing uh with the, with the Wolves, and continuing to uh again bring character, bring experience, bring some uh, some quality to the lineup, and I think that's that's very, uh, very strong as well absolutely and I mean, uh, slavin had, uh, uh, looked like a bit of a scary play out in manitoba last month.
Speaker 2:He seems to be healthy now and you know, as, as the you know captain, he's kind of steering the ship. Um, obviously, you know he's got some very good bloodlines. Uh, help him along with that. And so does scott brindamore. He had, uh, yeah, yep, he had a. He had another goal today and, um, I mean, you just, he's, he's just a carbon copy of his dad, I mean from looks to personality, to his play style.
Speaker 2:You know, you know what you're going to be getting out of him and just adding kind of those layers of grit and tenacity, just another dimension to this team. They're not going to be pushed around quite so much by, maybe, some of the bigger squads in the division. So it's, it's everything's kind of all firing on all cylinders and you got to kind of take those those days when they come, because things can change on a dime very quickly in this league. A couple of call-ups can can, you know, derail a season really quick. So so it's been a lot of fun and we're just kind of getting started here.
Speaker 2:I mean not just all these young players, the entire coaching staff is still getting their feet wet as well and, like I said, they're making noise against some of the best teams and some veteran coaching staffs. They're kind of putting the division on notice. I'm, I'm, I'm saying I'm, I've been saying that I, I, I'm in with a couple other beat writers from Grand Rapids. I'm like I think the Griffins need to start looking in their rear view mirror for the Chicago team, because I think they're starting to jump over Milwaukee as the second best team in division. Now again, I said a lot of hockey to play, but it's, you know, after kind of a bit of a gloomy first month of the season, gloomy year last year, it's starting to look a lot more sunny in Chicago.
Speaker 1:Well, that's fantastic and, andrew, as always, it's great to get the update on the Wolves.
Speaker 1:Fantastic and, andrew, as always, it's great to get the update on the Wolves from your perspective.
Speaker 1:Of course, folks can find you on X and also, of course, at the Calder Times, where you're covering the Chicago Wolves as well. Andrew, I also want to say this and say this to all the folks who've been listening or watching. I want to wish you a Merry Christmas and all the best in the holiday season, for sure, as we continue on here and look forward to the coming months for the hurricanes and, obviously, for the Chicago Wolves, as we follow them extremely closely. For all of you who have been listening or watching, of course, if you like this episode, please press the like button. If you have comments, please feel free to leave those down below. We'd love to hear from you and we'll respond just as quickly as possible. If you want to subscribe and we'd be delighted if you would please press the subscribe button and you'll be alerted to future episodes of Storm Tracker and, of course, for the Chicago Wolves report, for sure, and again, thanks so much to everybody who's been listening or watching and we're going to catch up real soon, right here on Storm Tracker.
