stormTRacker Podcast
...stormTRacker Podcast is your home for in-depth analysis of the Carolina Hurricanes, Chicago Wolves & Hurricanes' prospects around the globe. Host, Tom Ray, gives his insightful perspective & is joined by Hurricanes' "Insiders" Erin Manning, Katie Bartlett, Nick Bass (Canes Prospects) & Andrew Rinaldi (Chicago Wolves), as well as special guests, to cover all the top stories for your Carolina Hurricanes. Tom is also active on "X" connecting with Hurricanes' fans on a regular basis. (@stormTRacker24)
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stormTRacker Podcast
The young stars of Chicago are fueling the Wolves' playoff surge!
The Chicago Wolves are battling to maintain their playoff position in the AHL's Central Division while developing a talented crop of Carolina Hurricanes prospects. Without star defenseman Scott Morrow, who's currently with the NHL club, the team is relying on contributions from both veterans and rookies to secure their postseason berth. While the team has faced some adversity with a 4-5-1 record in their last ten games, there's plenty to be excited about for both Wolves fans and Carolina Hurricanes supporters monitoring prospects. stormTRacker "Insider" Andrew Rinaldi, brings us up-to-date on the latest news in this month's "Chicago Wolves Report".
• Spencer Martin establishing himself as the #1 goaltender with impressive stats (16-6-3, 2.28 GAA, .911 SV%)
• Three Wolves rookies ranking in AHL's top 10 rookie scoring: Justin Robidas (3rd), Bradly Nadeau (8th), Scott Morrow (9th)
• Domenick Fensore leading all AHL defensemen with three shorthanded goals and five shorthanded points
• 19-year-old goaltender Ruslan Khazheyev showing promise but experiencing expected developmental challenges
• Veteran forward Juha Jaaska bringing NHL experience and two-way play after brief stint with the Hurricanes
• Critical upcoming games against division rivals Rockford and Texas that could determine playoff positioning
• First-year forward Gleb Trikozov limited by injuries for much of his rookie season
Well, chicago Wolves are battling hard for a playoff spot in the Central Division with a tenuous six-point cushion on fourth place, rockford, for that final playoff spot. The Wolves continue to roll without star defenseman Scott Morrow. Scott, of course, up with the Carolina Hurricanes and they'll be looking for other members of the team to step up after going 4, 5, and 1 in their last 10. Joining us to talk about this and more StormTracker's Chicago Wolves insider, andrew Rinaldi. Hey, andrew, how's it going?
Speaker 2:It's going pretty good, Tom. Thanks again for having me on.
Speaker 1:It's always great and of course course everybody wondering what's going on in Chicago these days. Of course we know they're balling hard to try to get in the playoffs. This would be exciting. Last year not a good year for the Wolves, so if they can get back into that playoff hunt it would be a lot of fun. What's been happening? 4-5-1? Not the best.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's been. You know, as you expect the young team at this level this month's been a bit of a roller coaster. They started off on the road, you know a tough venue down in Texas. Leading team in the division dropped a couple out there. Then they came home and looked really good against like some Manitoba shut out Texas in all states. Then there was what I think was a big measuring stick weekend this past weekend with the Hershey Bears coming to town.
Speaker 2:Now anyone who's not super familiar with the American League, the Hershey Bears have won the last two Calder Cups on the back of some big veteran play, and our first-inner division are looking to try and make it three for three here. So yeah, the Wolves kind of got beat up a little bit by those Bears and for all the progress that's been made by a lot of these youngsters this season here it was kind of like. It was like we like what we see. But you know there's still like this, this um, this gap that's that's between the rest of the roster and you know the the cream of the crop to say so that's not, you know, necessarily I would say an indictment of anything wrong going on in Chicago. I think it's just, you know, hershey's got the oldest team in the league by average age. So you know, when you have a team that relies on a lot of play from its rookies going up against a team like that, it's just not really an expected result in the manner that it happened, but not really shocking either.
Speaker 2:Ups and downs. It's just the way that the season's been. You've got some good, you've got some bad, but you keep moving forward the way that the season's been.
Speaker 1:You know you got some good, you got some bad, but you keep moving forward, yeah, and I think last month we were talking about some outstanding play that the Wolves have been delivering and you know we're going to expect that, as you say, with the younger players and so on. But you know they do have some veterans and this is one of the areas that I think they're really going to be looking for. You know, strength as they battle for these playoffs. And in particular, I'm looking at the goaltending. So you've got Spencer Martin. You know he's been getting it done. He's got a 2.28 goals against average, 9-1-1 save percentage, so he's 16-6-3. He's getting it done for sure. But Dustin Tukarski, now that's an interesting one because he has historically been lights out in the American Hockey League and I noticed his save percentage is under 900. That's kind of surprising to me. And of course, ruslan Kazeev has been filling in as well and continuing his development. What's going on with the goaltending?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I feel like some of it is just kind of the three-goal tender system that they're running with the Wolves. So I mean, I think it's pretty clear at this point that Martin is the go-to number one.
Speaker 2:And then you know Tokarski, when he came in, when Martin was first called up, I think he came in in November and, like you said, it was lights out. I think he had two shutouts in his first two games and was was incredible to start, so much so that Carolina was like, hey, let's, let's pull them up here and and and send Spence back down. Kind of gave him a little more flexibility with the roster there as well. But ever since being reassigned, I just I feel like it's been a matter of rhythm, it's been a matter of just not getting as much ice time in the crease. And I think the same could be said about Khajiit, because, again, it's already tough for a 19-year-old in this league to tend the pipe against some of these shooters especially. You know, like you got Hershey going in and I I noticed that there was definitely some, uh, some rebound control issues for the youngster, um, but that's because these, I mean these guys in Hershey, have been playing pro hockey, some of them for the last seven, eight years, you know.
Speaker 2:And know, exactly where to put the puck to where, if it's not going to go into the net, it's going to create a chance for their guy that's crashing on the other wing. So it's I mean, I think some of it's. You know a rhythm for the number two and three. Salute, okay, number two and three net minders there. But you know, I think Spence is as good as it gets in this league and you know, when you have that kind of option in net I think it helps out the squad in front of him so much and I think he's got that kind of swagger that really kind of leads off into the rest of the lineup as well. So he was unavailable for this past weekend. I think. He got a little dinged up in Thursday's game and then welcomed his son to the world, so team kind of gave him some time off there, but I don't think it's anything that should hamper him long-term, I think you know, it's just kind of the nature of the beast here.
Speaker 1:Well, yeah, I mean, he's definitely going to be key. They'll be looking for some rock solid goaltending and of course, they're seeing that with the parent club right now, because, of course, freddie Anderson and Piotr Kociakoff are lights out these days. So if they want any kind of indication of what they should be doing, that's probably a good place to take a look. A couple of other things Stan Debicki, of course, working hard with Ruslan Kazeeb you said he was 19, of course, when he came over, A lot of folks wondering about Ruslan.
Speaker 1:I've had some questions on other podcasts about Ruslan, how he's doing, how do you think he's progressing?
Speaker 2:I think he's coming, you know he's steadily he's coming along and you know's it's a again a hard kind of measuring stick against a team like Hershey over this past weekend, um, but I think, uh, you know, one of his last starts against Milwaukee was, uh was one of his, I think, his best start of the season. He looked, you know, in control of the game and um, it's just it, it's. He's only gonna get better with, with playing time and I think in between the hershey game and the milwaukee game I think he got kind of lit up once. And you know, young goaltender, in this league you're gonna look good one night. Next night you might give up a couple and, um, you know, it's no one. The thing I think that made pyotr kochakov such a enigma was that he came in and immediately dominated you know, you know he was a little, he was a little older than ruslan.
Speaker 2:But, um, yeah, it's, it's not always, that's not the norm and I think, uh, you know, I don't think anyone was really expecting that out of Kazeev either. So it's just going to be, it's just going to, you know, like I said, progression with more games and just more comfort in that net. And you know, I think it's this season is more just kind of exposing him to this program, kind of getting him familiar with, with Stan, with the, with the team, and just kind of kind of getting him get that, that progression started, more so than you know expecting any real, you know any real tangible competition from from him and at least in terms of the standings. But yeah, I've, I've.
Speaker 2:I've liked where you know where he's. He's grown more and more. I've, you know I I mentioned the rebounds and the Hershey game, stuff that can get cleaned up, but you know no 20 year old goaltender is going to be that you know the lights out. So, yeah, I've, I've liked what I've seen and it just tells me I think down the line he's going to be a big factor in this team and hopefully in this organization.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and you know the luxury they have, of course, having two veterans alongside Ruslan gives him. You know, it's great mentoring for him. And you know the other thing and we've talked about this before a 19-year-old coming to North America. It's a new country, new situation. He hadn't really played much in the pro ranks at all, so he's, you know, he's really cutting his teeth and again, he's got the athleticism, he's got the size, he's got everything you need to be an excellent goaltender. So, yeah, I'm kind of like you. I think next year he's going to play a lot more. I think they're just kind of bringing along nicely. Give him a taste, continue the mentoring, continue the teaching, and I think he's going to be a great one.
Speaker 1:I can see a day, frankly, where at some point we have Piotr and we have ruslan kazeev, and boy, wouldn't that be something. These would be two amazing goaltenders, um. So yeah, now, hershey, just, uh, for fans sake, uh, washington capitals farm team yeah, I thought they were yeah. So yeah, I mean, you got the caps dominating the nhl and you, Hershey, of course, doing very well. And you know, credit to the Washington Capitals organization from top to bottom, for sure, and they've been developing some great players over the years, so no surprise there in the mix. Let's talk about the defense corps for a minute Now. We did off the top. I mentioned that of course Scott Moore was up with the Hurricanes playing very well, Gosh, four games, three points, doing very well plus four looking the part for sure and making a hard decision for the Canes to pull him out as Dmitry Orlov returned. But he's clearly a huge part of the success of this Chicago team so far. What are you thinking with the loss of him so far and who's going to maybe fill the void?
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was definitely felt over the weekend against a squad like Hershey. You really miss Scott's ability to move the puck in transition, get him moving from defense to offense and just that. You know those extra seconds, minutes of pressure when you're in your own zone, kind of scrambling against the attack. It just wears you down.
Speaker 2:And you know, in both of those Hershey games you saw a lot of breakdowns, in that second period particularly, I think they were outscored 6-0 between both second frames over the weekend. So it wasn't great and I think that was a big symptom of kind of the floor kind of coming out from underneath their feet. But you know I've said this many times it almost feels like a cliche at this point no one in the American League is going to feel bad for you because your star player got pulled up Like that's great, they just had their star player called up. Their goalie just got called up Like no one cares. So I think you know you're going to see a lot more opportunities for guys like Dominic Vansori, for Ronan Seeley, charles Alexis Legault, alexi Himosalmi seeing some power play time. He had an absolute rock.
Speaker 1:He had a nice goal. Yeah, he had a beautiful goal. I saw that, yes.
Speaker 2:So I think you know it's not necessarily just going to be like, okay, we're going to lean more on this guy, it's going to be all right. You know everyone's going to have little extra opportunities with that absence in the lineup and, you know, maybe someone reaches out and grabs it and takes it. I've really liked Fensori's game but you know, tonight he's going to be on the second pairing with Charles Alexis Legault. I love that line and you know we'll see where you know who can grab the momentum with the extra ice time.
Speaker 1:So who's on the top pairing right?
Speaker 2:now. Right now it's Riley, stillman and Seeley.
Speaker 1:Okay, now Stillman's an interesting story. Of course he had that serious skate injury and then came right down and started playing for the Wolves. I mean, that's a guy that really you know he's committed to his craft for sure and didn't miss a beat. How's Riley been doing?
Speaker 2:Well, that first game against hershey, I want to say, maybe five minutes in he absolutely hammered a bear at the blue line, the classic scott stevens style hit, and this is the kind that you just don't see a whole lot anymore in in this game. So certainly that that like that injury, which is just horrifying to think of. Um, he, he's not scared of going out there and giving it his all still.
Speaker 2:So, um, you know, it's, it's, it's, it's just a a one of those stories that kind of gets your skin crawling a little bit but, he's, you know, he's got the bubble on and, um, you know, in my younger years, I, I, I, you know, in my younger years, I, I, you know, I would never would have been caught dead wearing a bubble. But now I am, um, as I've gotten older and seen some nasty accidents in peer leagues, I, I think he's doing it the right way. So, yeah, um, yeah, yeah, he's, it's, it's, uh, it's. He hasn't really missed a beat since since taking that skate to the face.
Speaker 1:Well, you know you mentioned Dominic Fensore and, of course, charles Alexis Legault, and there's a lot of Carolina Hurricanes fans who are very high on Charles Alexis Legault. I'm one of them. He's again a first-year pro cutting his teeth. He's going to have his ups and downs and I think we've seen some of that this year, but he certainly has created a chemistry with Dominic Pensori and those two guys together. Boy, they're out there and doing some heavy lifting. And one of the things about Dom and I'm kind of saying his praises over and over again I think he's a guy that just looks the part on the ice even though he's not a big player. But boy, he has been something else shorthanded this year, man, he's got three shorthanded goals and five shorthanded points to lead the AHL blue liners in that category. He's really something.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think you know people don't really expect that from a defenseman, but you know you're not really familiar with Ben Sori's game. If that's the case, he flies around like a rocket out there and I think sometimes, with that you know, that little bit of extra space, someone might be caught napping on a line change and all of a sudden he's joining the rush and you know, by the time the reinforcement is back on the ice, it's in the back of the net. So that doesn't?
Speaker 2:he's um, that kind of dynamic talent is is kind of indicative of what he brings to this team and it's it shows that. You know, losing morrow obviously is huge. Let's be real. Most organizations this guy would probably already be pretty solidly on an NHL roster. So it's been a bit of a luxury to have him down in Chicago. But they've been able to supplement that loss with a guy like Fensori who you can rely on, obviously in the power play but also on the penalty kill as well, not just to keep the puck out but to go down and counter at the same time. So it's been a lot of fun to just kind of watch his game steadily grow. I mean, he was in Chicago last year and I don't kind of remember him being such a threat on the penalty kill. I don't think he was utilized very much on the penalty kill anyway, so we might have to ask Bob Nardello what was up with that. But yeah, it's been watching a lot. He's been a lot of fun to watch.
Speaker 1:Well, and I think that's one of the key stories with Don, he's been a lot of fun in the lodge. Well, and I think that's one of the key stories with Don. You know, when he came out of Boston College, of course he was incredible offensively. We knew that Power play quarterback big point guy. But the questions were could he handle, you know, some of the heavy lifting and certainly penalty killing is probably one of the tougher areas and he looks like he's really growing into that. And this is what we've seen in the development and similar development with, of course, scott Morrow.
Speaker 1:And you know, I think there's a lot to be said for the good work that you know the coaching staff in Chicago is doing with these young defensemen. They're really bringing them along nicely and helping them round out their games. And you know you talk about Scott Morrow here's they're really bringing them along nicely and helping them round out their games. And you know you talk about Scott Moore. Here's an interesting thing on Scott. We know about his offensive acumen. If we look at the AHL rookie scoring right now, this is kind of fun Scott's ninth with 39 points, okay, so that's really great. But Justin Robitaille is actually third, if you can believe it with 43 and Bradley Nadeau's eighth with 41. Three of the top 10 rookies in the scoring side are on the Canes, are drafting and how they're developing. And you know you look at a guy like Bradley Nadeau. I mean gosh, we talk about him so much.
Speaker 2:What's going on with Bradley? These days? One can kind of look at the score sheet and think like, oh man, this is. It's not looking great because he has one goal over his last nine games. It's a little tough, I'm not going to lie.
Speaker 2:It's been a tough march there for Bradley. But I think you know, when he started off the first, what five months of the season just absolutely lighting up the score sheet, what five months of the season just absolutely lighting up the score sheet. It's like okay, kind of, you know, not to overreact or anything. He still, I don't think, turns 20 until May Correct. So it's tough for young players to sustain such a level of success at this level of hockey. And again, I don't think it's indicative that he's playing bad, necessarily. It's. You know, it's just one of those scoring slumps.
Speaker 2:I still think he's contributing offensively. He's still gotten a couple of assists in that time and um, and it's still, you know, absolutely being keyed in by opposing team's top defenders. So, um, he's still clearly very much a threat every time he's out on the ice. It's just just one of those things where the puck's just not going in for him and he's not going to be the kind of guy who I think is going to get, you know, kind of down in the dumps about himself. He's just going to keep shooting and eventually they'll, they'll start going in again. So, yeah, it's it, like I said, you can kind of watch the scorecards and think like, oh, wow, like what's going on with Bradley, and that's, it's just one of those things for a young player to to get through, and I think it's. I honestly think it'd be better for his development to go through a slump like this and to be like all right, like what, what do I? Kind of got to work on here. I don't want it to be too easy for him.
Speaker 1:Well, you know what it's it's. These kind of slumps are not limited, of course, to Bradley and the American Hockey League. We see them regularly with some of the big gunners in the NHL, and he came out of the World Juniors and was just incredible. For a period of time he looked like he was scoring almost every game. So you are going to go through this and I think the biggest situation I look for is how's he going to kind of pull himself out of it? The other thing too he had great success on the power play and, of course, missing Scott Morrow there is putting some pressure on some others and again, sometimes one or two players missing can change a lot for you. So he's, you know he's going through that stage. We're going to have to keep an eye on him. He'll come back. We know he's a natural goal scorer. This guy is. He's definitely, you know, one of those guys that can put the puck in the net and do it readily.
Speaker 1:And I think the big area that he needs to continue to work on, of course, is his 200 foot game, because as he gets that, he's going to start to become, you know, real potential for the Carolina Hurricanes, and a lot of folks think that Bradley's going to join them next year. A lot of it's going to depend on. You know what the roster looks like Right now. It's starting to look like the Canes are going to have a lot of money to spend, so they're going to be buying, you know, a number of different players to come in and join them, which I don't know what that's going to leave in terms of another younger player. They do have, of course, jackson Blake, who's doing a nice job this year.
Speaker 1:So, yeah, for sure, we're going to keep an eye on Bradley. We really are rooting for him to continue his fine rookie season for sure, and I think he's the number one goal scorer on the rookie side as well at this stage. So he's definitely getting it done. Hey, what can you say about Justin Robitaille? This guy is he's just getting it done and he has the entire season. I mean, his numbers reflect that and he's been quite the story. So what's going on with Justin these days?
Speaker 2:I don't know what more I can say about Justin Robitaille that I haven't said in months past. He's continued Again. He's one of those guys where you know you're aware of him coming in, but I think you know the spotlight was more on guys like Nadeau and Morrow heading into this season and now he's just he's really kind of taken a hold on his spot in the lineup and the impact that he's making on every side in special teams five-on-five play. He's just. It's been real fun to watch his game growing as well. It's been real fun to watch his game growing as well. I think his game was mature beyond his years coming in and it allowed him to adapt to that pro style just so much easier than some of these other guys that can come out of juniors, where you're the
Speaker 2:stud and then you make it to the pro level and you're not quite dominating grown men like you are your peers, so it can be a much harder transition for him. But he's been a kid to just give his all on every single shift, whether he's got the puck on his stick or whether he's chasing it down on the forecheck or killing penalties. You never question his effort on the ice and that's just an awesome thing to say about a young kid that's making his professional debut this year, because you can always kind of tweak the other things right.
Speaker 1:But if you don't have the heart to get into it.
Speaker 2:You know, then, you know, then you're left with another, dominic bach, who's banished off the journey I heard that name for a while.
Speaker 2:Oh man, the nightmares of him. That kid had all the talent in the world but um, you know, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's a breath of fresh air to see that coming out of a kid like robita. And um again, it's just his tenacity getting after the puck, getting it to his teammates and uh, and going to the net. Hard for you know, for he's not the biggest guy in the world, right? I think we all recognize that like he's, I think, listed 5'8", 180 off the top of my head, he is 5'8" 180.
Speaker 1:He is one stocky guy, yeah, exactly.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So with that low center of gravity, he can really take that puck to the net and just create chaos for the other side, and you're seeing the effort rewarded on the score sheet as well. It's um, yeah, he's I. I think he's um, having just the kind of uh, the setup in chicago where he's like he wasn't the number one guy, I don't think, coming in, but he's, he's uh, he's kind of planted himself and worked his way up to that top line. I don't know if he's the number one option on the team, but I don't think he cares. I think he's just going to roll his sleeves up and get to work every night, and the numbers speak for themselves at this point.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and you know a couple of things. You know, when he was in junior, of course, with Baldor, he had some big numbers. So I mean he really does have a natural offensive ability and he's been showing that and I think we've seen a number of his goals. I mean beautiful shots and getting in there, making things happen, going in where the action is. And you know, the Canes have no reluctance at all to bring in smaller players, as we've seen with the likes of Seth Jarvis and now, of course, logan Stankoven. And I think you know again, you are the right and if you're working hard out there and you're getting your space and you're getting your opportunities.
Speaker 1:You're going to see the Hurricanes someday and I think he's a guy that very much has a future with the Hurricanes and look forward to it. And again. Last year in the East Coast League, this year his first year in the AHL and he's definitely looking the part for the Wolves.
Speaker 1:And we'll see how he goes down this stretch run and this is going to be interesting for a lot of the players on the roster because you know the younger guys, this is when it's almost playoff hockey now. So you know, we're down to that stage where each and every game is critical and again, this is going to be quite an experience for them. Now they do have another guy that I really like and who I think has been playing quite nicely and he brings that veteran side. And he said something when he came back to Chicago from playing with the Hurricanes for a while and did a nice job with the Canes. I'm talking about Juha Jaska.
Speaker 1:Jaska said the next dream is to be an NHL player and know you're going to stay there. I know this is really good for me to be in Chicago. The game is so hard up there so I need to get way better and this is the perfect spot to develop my game with this group and these guys. And he's a guy that brings it every night. He's showing some interesting offensive. You know capability that I'm not sure a lot of us were aware of, but, boy, I see the highlights regularly and he seems to be showing up a lot. And he's another guy that you know. He plays that Rod Brindamore style. He's out there working hard. He's got a solid 200-foot game. What can we expect from Yuhai Yaska?
Speaker 2:Exactly what you've been saying right there and I think he's basically he's kind of like a beefed-up Robitaille. You know he's responsible on every end of the ice special teams on power play, penalty kill. You know what you're getting from him every single night. Whether he puts up three points or whether he puts up zero, he's going to be contributing one way or another to your team's success and you're going to need him to win, whether he is scoring or not. And I think for I think for Yaska it's it's just a matter of matter of time, matter of opportunity, and and right, he's going to just continue to to put his head down, get to work and continue to get better every night. I think he's got the right mindset, he's got the right situation in Chicago every night. I think he's got the right mindset, he's got the right situation in Chicago.
Speaker 2:Fans have seen in Carolina when he's come up and he's done whatever was asked of him to do. It's just been more of the same in Chicago, all it is. Some of these guys just need that opportunity to open. I think earlier this season he had his opportunity to kind of impress the coaching staff in Carolina. Because you know, sometimes you think you know a guy and then you see him a little more and you're like all right, we really like what we have here and it's just a matter of it's a really good roster up in Carolinaolina, so a guy like yaska is down here in chicago, um.
Speaker 2:So you know it's, hopefully it's, you know it's, it's not a matter of of an injury or anything like that. But if that's what just kind of happens to be because of the nature of the game and all that, then I, I, I have every confidence in my mind that yaska would be able to come in to perform at at at the same level that you know we've come to expect from him at this point. And it's, it's only been about 40 odd so games in in chicago, but he's, you know, he's quickly become a fan favorite because of those aspects of his game. Like I said of Robitaille, his tenacity just with the puck, without the puck, just tough to play against. I think that's one of the qualities I think you hear a lot and it's tough to explain, but you see it a lot from these veteran players. You see it being described about them a lot.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:About being tough to play against.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:It's just you know the little details to a game that you know. Maybe a 20-, 21-year-old might not fully grasp, but a guy like Jasko, who's been playing pro hockey over in Finland, come over here, has made a seamless transition and is just a I'm trying to clean it up but an absolute pain in the you-know-what to play. It's just a matter of when that door opens for them.
Speaker 1:Well, that's great and you know, as we talked at the outset, some of the veterans are going to be critical as they kind of navigate through this. We talked about the goaltenders, of course Spencer Martin and Dustin Tukarski. We've got, you know, some defensemen who've got a lot of experience. Riley Stillman's there. You've got Joakim Ryan. I don't know where Ty Smith is these days. He hasn't been playing for a while. Is he injured right now? Yes, okay.
Speaker 2:Is he due back this year or do you know if he's going to come back? It's hard getting injury information out of these guys For fans who aren't aware. If you're under contract with Carolina, I would have to get to Carolina to get information about the specifics about the injuries and unless your name is like Walt Ruff, you're not going to know that stuff even in Carolina, let alone is the guy from Chicago going to know about it. So, not necessarily, but the long and short of is uh, they're pretty hush-hush about injury details.
Speaker 1:yeah well, we haven't heard about him for a while now. Up front, you've got, obviously, you've got, uh, josiah Slavin, the captain of the squad, you've got Skylar Brunemore, you've got Juha Yaska, you've got Ryan Suzuki, so you again some veterans up front that they're going to be critical as you go through. I'm one of the players I'm kind of thinking about these days, and you know it's back to our discussion about Ruslan Kazeev, another 19 year old that came over, kind of had a tough period. He got a high ankle strain and was out three months. Tough period he got a high ankle strain and was out three months. I mean, this is hard for a first-year guy and trying to find his way in North America and everything else. Of course, I'm talking about Gleb Trikosov. What's going on with Gleb Trikosov these days?
Speaker 2:Oh, he was back for a couple of games and everyone was all excited for him and I'm not sure if it was a re-aggravation of his injury or not, if that same one or if it was a new one Again. You know details, but yeah, he hasn't played since March 2nd against Texas.
Speaker 1:Wow, okay.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he got injured early in December, was back for, yeah, two games by the look of it, and then unfortunately he's just been out again. So just tough luck is really the best I can say. I was really hoping to see more of this kid, especially after you know he'd scored a couple goals in November. And I'm like all right, like once you kind of like settle in, like here we go and all the trains going, and I know there's like all right, like once you kind of like settle in, like here we go and all the trains going, and I know there's like the big, like glab meme and everything. So yeah, it's just been a tough rookie year for him.
Speaker 2:And again, I think he's, as you said, kind of like with Ruslan. This is expecting more to be kind of like an ease him in type situation. You know they weren't expecting him to run the power play or anything quite yet, it was more just kind of like he was. I mean, at least at the beginning of the season he was pretty sheltered down in the box and all of that.
Speaker 2:So just you know, unfortunately it's just the hockey guys haven't been very kind to him. So hopefully he can kind of get healthy towards the last month of the season here and, you know, maybe make an appearance in the postseason.
Speaker 1:Well, I sure hope so and you know I understand they wanted to bring him over. Of course he wasn't getting much action, certainly at the KHL level, which is where he needed to be, and the Canes fell to his best to get him over here and get him into the system and, you know, starting to learn the way of life for Carolina Hurricanes players. He had an outstanding prospect showcase, as you might recall. He was just wonderful to watch. A skilled player. He can really shoot the puck and, yeah, like you, I'm hoping he's going to get a little bit of ice here so we can see how he's going to come along. Of course, you know, next year will be a different year for him, I'm sure, and it's just been one of those years where it's kind of tough. But again, he's a guy with a lot of talent. He's still very young, so we'll keep an eye on Glab and see how he's coming along. Look forward to his development for sure. So some big games coming up.
Speaker 2:On Tuesday, of course they're going to be playing Rockford, so that's a four-pointer, yeah, so Chicago is currently sitting at fourth and Rockford is in at uh, at fifth, in the last spot in the in the center okay, so the way that the uh, the bracket works out in the central division side. Um, the top three seeds are kind of like already like in right, and then you have the, the four and the five seed will play a three game series, kind of like a play-in type okay, ahl is very like convoluted.
Speaker 2:Basically, everyone makes it um, unless it's 2023, in which case both of my beats missed it.
Speaker 1:But thankfully that was a couple years ago.
Speaker 2:So they're pretty comfortably in at this point. Rockford is chasing them. I feel like Rockford should be a better team than what it is, I think. Artum Levshunov, the number two pick from last year. He was just called up to Chicago. He's up with Chicago yeah, Kevin Korchinski is another first-rounder. That was there along with Frank Nazar, but I believe he's up in Chicago and the Blackhawks are just throwing all of their young guns, just juggling them back and forth.
Speaker 1:Slaggard, I think Does Slaggard play here as well, slaggard's down there in Rockford, yep so there's a lot of potential there.
Speaker 2:But all year you've been waiting for them to just kind of put it together and it's just never really happened for them. But this will be a big one on Tuesday. They got Texas coming in. This game on Friday night starts about a half hour from now, so I'll be tuning into that and then another one on Saturday, and that's huge. Like I said earlier, texas is first in the division seemingly forever. Uh, logan stankoven was there, his former cane.
Speaker 1:It was uh down in texas last year, but um, that's right, and he was rookie of the year, as it turns out yeah, yeah and um, yeah, him and him and maverick bork, they, I don't know.
Speaker 2:They're putting something in the water in texas because they lose those two studs and they're still really good, but it's big. Like I said, this is kind of like another one of those measuring sticks. You kind of took the belt last weekend against Hershey, so this is an opportunity. You're back in your division, spin it around. Obviously, the Rockford game kind of has a bit more weight to it with a little more playoff implications. But we'll see. Because they're kind of in. I wouldn't say that they're necessarily in danger because luckily for Rockford, iowa and Manitoba are some of the worst hockey teams I've ever seen that are chasing them for that last playoff spot.
Speaker 2:So yeah it's Central Division's kind of. There's been some tough teams to watch in these beats, but they so you know, in that case, when you know kind of that, you're probably going to be seeing this team in the postseason for a three-game series, like you're going to be wanting to send a message when that comes in. So obviously, there's a month left in the season. There's a lot to go, anything can change between now and then, but it's never too early to start sending a message. Left in the season there's a lot to go, anything can change between now and then, but there's never too early to start sending a message. So yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:It's definitely this series of games, and thanks for clarity on the on the playoffs. It's hard to kind of get your arms around that. I read several different things and tried to figure it out and it's a little bit challenging. It's a lot.
Speaker 2:It's a little bit challenging. It's a lot.
Speaker 1:It's a lot. Yeah, thanks for doing that. For sure, andrew, and hopefully folks will understand how it all plays out. And, as you say, it's the fourth and fifth will be going into a three. It's the best of three yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, the four or five series. Not to cut you off there, but if anyone is ever curious on dahlcom, there is a wonderful resource that helps wrap your mind around it, called the Playoff Primer Right. It gives you magic numbers, it gives you strength of schedule, who's coming up that each team is going to be playing against, and it's absolutely wonderful to keep it all organized. It's got the bracket. It's like if the playoffs started today. Here's what it would look like, and it's overwhelming at first, thankfully.
Speaker 1:I've got a couple years of understanding this I blame COVID.
Speaker 2:Covid ruined the whole thing. Now everyone needs playoffs and it's just a mess, but it's also a lot of fun. Last year I remember I think Tucson was like the number two seed going up against Calgary who had Dustin Wolfe on the other side. Calgary was a great roster but they had Dustin Wolf. Three-game series. All you need is two wins. Hot goalie, exactly. It blows your bracket up. I mean March Madness all over again.
Speaker 1:Well, that's really interesting for sure, and so you know, I have to say I prefer the wild card style that the NHL deploys. It's a little easier for me to follow. But again, thanks for that clarity. Hey, as we wrap up, closing thoughts.
Speaker 2:Andrew, yeah, I think kind of this, as we've seen this month, you know, kind of it being down and up and down again, that this is just kind of the rigors of a team. That's, you know, still it's coming together for sure, as now, as you know, we're several months in and we're just kind of heading down the home stretch here.
Speaker 2:But you can kind of measure up to again where you have like the best of the best right, and then you have a team like Chicago and again, it's not to disparage any of the guys on the squad or anything, not to say that you know the Calder Cup is still kind of a couple teams in front of them, but you know there's talent and fun on this roster that comes to play every single night and it's been a treat to follow. You're going to see more of these guys that return next year and they're going to be even better. I think this playoff stretch is just as important as any other in terms of development. I think that's a big reason. Why you see 24 teams in the AHL playoffs is because the organizations up top and the parent clubs of each of these affiliates understands that iron sharpens, iron pressure creates diamonds. These big games are going to, you know, kind of show your character, show you like, what kind of players you really have in these systems, and I think it goes a long way for your development.
Speaker 2:So, after all of this, you know you got the biggest games of the year up in the NHL, obviously, but down here as well. You know you got the biggest games of the year up in the NHL, obviously, and but down here as well. You know this is where these kids are, are are going to get that first taste of, like pro playoff action. Like you thought those last 60 games were were tough. Now I'll wait till they turn the intensity up a little bit. So I, I, I like where this team's headed. I and you know, sure, sure, yeah, they're not Hershey, but there's, there's a lot of, like I said, there's a lot of fun on the roster and there's some big games coming up and I'm excited to see, kind of like when those, when those stakes are raised and those chips are down, like who is who's going to be the hero? You know.
Speaker 1:Yeah, for sure. And, and you know, as I mentioned before and I was talking about Scott Morrow and you know I think it'd be great if he saw regular ice for the Wolves and, you know, heading into the playoffs and in the playoffs, because he plays in all situations, and I think it would be another good experience for him as he prepares himself to join the Hurricanes, hopefully next year. Yeah, it's going to be exciting. We're going to watch closely what happens with the Wolves. You know a lot of these kids. They have a great pedigree, as you know too, andrew, that they've been in these roles for their teens and junior and college. Wherever it's been, they've been go-to players. So you know this is going to take that experience and move it to the next level for them and that should be a lot of fun. So, as always, it's great talking Chicago Wolves with you. Andrew, can you let everybody know where they can find you, please?
Speaker 2:Absolutely so. My written work on the team can be found at the Calder times. Our website covers AHL hockey all over, all over the league, and you can also find me on I'm still going to call it Twitter or X, I guess, if, if the you're into the new thing, which is where I give you know I give live tweets during the game updates, opinions, memes and you know, I enjoy chatting with the fans and answering questions and just kind of being a part of the general community.
Speaker 2:I got to say, you know, when I first joined the beat, when Chicago first became the affiliate of the Carolina Hurricanes, like I had no, I cover a team in Illinois, I'm from Michigan. I had no idea the passion of the fans in North Carolina. I'm thinking you know who cares about hockey in Carolina. So it was kind of very eye-opening to connect with the community and to be involved in that way. So I'm always happy to answer questions or just to chat around with anyone who wants to reach out.
Speaker 1:That's great, andrew, and as always, as I said, it's great fun to talk Chicago Wolves For all of you who've been watching or listening, andrew and I are very pleased you could join us today. If you like this episode, please press the like button. If you have questions or comments, or just want to say a few words about your thoughts on the Chicago Wolves or hockey in general, please put them in the comment section down below and Andrew and I will try to get back to you just as quickly as possible. And again, for those of you who want to be alerted of future episodes of Storm Tracker and future episodes of the Chicago Wolves report, of course, please press the subscribe button and the bell and we'll alert you as soon as those are available. Once again, andrew and I thank you so much for joining us today and look forward to getting together with you real soon right here on StormTracker.
