Chicago Wolves: Dan Price talks roster depth, "never panic" attitude & the Wolves/Marlies Matchup

The Chicago Wolves are four wins from a Calder Cup, and the story behind that isn’t just goals and highlights, it’s the daily standard that holds up when the playoffs start taking things away. We’re joined by Chicago Wolves "Insider", Andrew Rinaldi, and Wolves' assistant coach, Dan Price, to break down the series win over the Colorado Eagles, what it revealed about this group, and why the Wolves’ identity stays intact no matter the score or the building.

Dan shares his own unconventional path from the legal world to coaching, then gets specific about what actually changes a season: the March rough patch that tested leadership, the “never panic” mindset, and the commitment to getting a little better each day. We talk lineup problem-solving when injuries hit, including how Chicago reconfigures lines, why the 11 forwards and 7 defensemen setup can create matchup stress for opponents, and how a deep roster lets the coaching staff keep threats spread across the ice.

The goaltending storyline is massive, too. When Cayden Primeau goes down, Amir Miftakhov steps into a high-pressure road spot and delivers two huge wins, and Dan explains the preparation, support staff, and mental approach that make that possible. We also spotlight Ivan Ryabkin’s growth into a true X factor, then look ahead to the Toronto Marlies with an AHL playoff preview mindset: structure, special teams, tendencies, and the small margins that decide a Calder Cup Finals series. If you enjoy smart hockey talk, subscribe, share the show with a Wolves' fan, and leave a review so more listeners can find stormTRacker.

Highlights:

• Dan Price’s path from law to pro coaching and why the team environment pulled him back
• The March slump as a pressure test for the leadership group and staff
• Building resilience through reps, staying calm after momentum swings, keeping emotions flat
• Adjusting lines when Felix Unger Sorum exits, including power play replacements and top-six reshuffles
• Why the Wolves sometimes prefer 11 forwards & 7 defensemen
• Amir Miftakhov’s readiness and the support system behind a backup goalie stepping into chaos
• Ivan Ryabkin’s development jump after the QMJHL and what makes him an X factor
• Road success drivers, including preparation routines, travel management, and an inward focus
• Scouting Toronto’s depth, structure, and goalie play, plus where special teams can decide it

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Transcript

Wolves Advance To The Finals

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Well, Chicago Wolves were off to the Calder Cup finals after knocking off the Texas Stars, Grand Rapids Griffins, and most recently Colorado Eagles in succession. The Wolves' success was highlighted by strong contributions throughout the lineup and a clutch performance in goal in the final two wins versus the Eagles by reserve Amir Miftahawk. Joining me to wrap up the series win versus the Colorado Eagles and look ahead to the upcoming Calder Cup Finals series with the Toronto Marlies. I'm delighted to welcome in our strong tracker Chicago Wolves Insider Andrew Rinaldi and a very special guest, Chicago Wolves Assistant Coach Dan Price. Gentlemen, what a time to be alive. Good stuff. Anyway, great to have you on, Dan. All kinds of excitement around the Wolves these days. Of course, you just beat the Eagles in a just an incredible series. And uh a great shout-out from all of us to the Wolves players and staff. Congratulations, guys. Well done.

SPEAKER_02 1:14

Thank you, Tom. Thanks, Andrew, as well. Thanks for having me on. Really looking forward to the chat. And yeah, it's been a wild ride so far. The players have um they've really dug in, as you can see. They're they're very committed to this whole process. They're having fun while they're doing it. But man, I've really been impressed just by the complete level of buy-in and commitment from every player on the team.

SPEAKER_00 1:37

Yeah, and it certainly shows. I mean, they're they're just playing their hearts out, and it's boy, it's exciting. And hey, they just keep going. It doesn't matter what's happening on the ice, they're gonna bounce back, they're gonna do what's necessary, so that's great stuff. You know, talking about great stuff, how about this? We've got the Hurricanes and the Wolves in the final series. Isn't that incredible?

SPEAKER_02 1:58

It's incredible. The um it's so interesting, too, to see the different storylines between the two teams and in their respective series uh based on the style of play of you know, Carolina and Chicago, the style of play of their opponents, some of the storylines with the goaltending as well, special teams, a lot of parallels that I think have made it even more interesting over the last few weeks.

SPEAKER_00 2:22

Yeah, and you know, through the season, Andrew and I talked a lot about parallels with the two teams, you know, players like we had a lot of fun with uh with Skylar Brindemore, him and Josiah Slavin, and we said, hey, you're just like Martin Hook and Stall, you know. So we had a lot of fun with stuff like that, so it's great. Um okay, so I thought you know we'd just spend a minute and talk a little bit about your background, Dan. Um and this was interesting. Um you had quite the circuitous route to becoming an assistant with the wolves. In fact, you started out in law. So how does that happen?

SPEAKER_02 2:58

It's true. I I did start out in a completely different profession, and it and it was the legal profession, you're right. So hopefully no one holds that against me. Yeah, that was um that was my academic

Dan Price From Law To Coaching

SPEAKER_02 3:11

pursuit when I stopped playing competitive hockey. So um I played uh Canadian college or university level hockey. And once that wrapped up, my my uh my continuation, I guess, of just of my academics and my professional life was to go to law school in Saskatoon. I played hockey at the University of Regina, also in Saskatchewan. Went to law school school in Saskatoon just a couple hours up the road, and just felt that would be my career, that I'd you know, be a lawyer, and and that would be what I did professionally. There were some parallels there too. You know, I was in the litigation group at the firm that I worked at. So, you know, there's a lot of preparation, it's competitive, long hours, there's some strategic elements, things like that. And I really did enjoy it. It was only for a few years, it was a very short time, but it didn't um really satisfy me in the same way that athletics did. And I know it's different. You know, everyone when they finish playing, it's a whole adjustment to, you know, basically to real life. But there was just something about the cycle of the seasons, the being part of a team, the winning and the losing, uh, you know, just really being in something together in the athletic world that I I missed very deeply. And I remember, it was about three years into my law practice. I remember being uh at my desk in my office really late one night. And, you know, as I mentioned, it's long hours in that profession, just like in coaching. And um, I remember thinking to myself, you know, this is an incredible opportunity. I'm really grateful for it. It's an amazing job, but I I just should be happier than I am. I couldn't quite figure out why I just didn't have that feeling of you know excitement coming into work every day. And so I really owe my my dad our all the credit for this. I just decided that I would talk to him about it, give him a call. And it was it was quite late. It was like 10:30 at night, almost 11. And uh I called him. He said he I hadn't woken him up, but I'm sure I did. And I just kind of felt the need to confide in him about what I was feeling. I was just you know, really feeling it strongly at that moment. And uh to his undying credit, I'll always be grateful to him for this. He actually got himself up and drove downtown to where my office was at the time. And there was like a little lounge sort of pub thing on the ground floor of this office building that I worked at. And we just went for a beer and he just let me talk, and I kind of unpacked all the reasons why I was feeling this way. And basically at the end of that, what I said to him was, but I mean, what am I gonna do? I can't just walk into the law firm tomorrow and you know, quit and start a whole new career. And, you know, again, to his credit, he said, Why not? You know, why can't you do that? You only get one life, you need to be happy in what you're doing. This training and experience and time that you've spent in this other profession will still serve you well in whatever you decide to do. So if I were you, I know it's a big risk, but I would do what makes you happy. And if that's coaching, then find a way to pursue it. People will understand. And so I took that advice and slowly started trying to put some building blocks in place to transition into coaching as a profession. That would have been um roughly 2003, 2004 in that range. And so it's been, you know, 20 plus years later. Um, that's kind of brought me to this point in Chicago.

SPEAKER_00 6:53

That's amazing. That's uh that's a fabulous story. And you know what? That's like us uh on Star Treker. We just love what we do, so it's great. So um, yeah, that that's great, Dan. Um, yeah, Andrew, over to you.

SPEAKER_01 7:07

Absolutely. So I kind of want to like let's let's roll the film back to uh go back to March where you know the team's kind of going through a bit of a rough stretch. And I don't think anyone around the league was thinking that Chicago was gonna end up in in this spot in the Call of the Cup finals, but you guys battled through the adversity of that stretch, and and here you are just four wins away from the Call of the Cup. You know, we've talked a lot on this show about the team's mental toughness and the ability to

March Adversity And Team Resilience

SPEAKER_01 7:39

battle back from adversity. So, like, what do you see from behind the bench that you know gets these guys to face these challenges head on and to rise above them?

SPEAKER_02 7:49

I think the that stretch in March was a really important stretch for us in a good way. And what it did was it really tested the group, it tested all the players, it tested all the staff, specifically our leadership group as well, you know, both the players that wear letters and then other players who are part of that leadership group that don't necessarily have a letter on their jersey. And there are many, but just a couple of examples would be like uh Yusuf Alamaki, Caden Primo, um, in addition to the actual letters, you know, guys like Seeley and Robodah and Slavin. Um but the leadership group itself, I thought did a tremendous job just staying steady through that whole stretch. Every team goes through it. You're gonna have these dips in the season where whether it be just energy or execution, game density, travel, injuries, you know, um uh quality of competition or whatever it might be, puck luck, teams getting hot or cold around you. It's just it's going to happen. And then how you respond to that is the most important thing. So, of course, we were working as hard as we could to try to get out of it quickly, but as a coach, you're also in a uh a large part an observer at that time, too. You're watching to see how players handle it, who steps up, who does what. And so that was really the players in the room. That was the leadership group, knowing that we would get through it, being confident that we would, and still, you know, being demanding and pushing each other to get through it, but just never panicking. And then once we finally turned the corner, we felt like, okay, we're through the briar patch here. And we just felt really confident how our April and hopefully May and June might look. And we just really started taking a very narrow approach of let's make sure we're improving, like really actually improving every day. Something Rod in Carolina talks about all the time, just like get 1% better every day. And I know that can sound like a cliche, but when you've got a group of players that really understand what that means and and really care about doing it, you can see the progression, even when you go through little rough patches like that. You can see it happening in real time. And for me, that really has been the difference. And then sort of go to the second part of your question about how is that manifesting in-game, it's it's from moments like that where you know you give up a lead late, let's say, or you get down in the game early, or you know, in the Texas series as an example, they score late to tie the series. You've got to come all the way back now for game five. Moments like that, if you've been tested throughout the season and you have those reps and know how to handle it, you're, I think, in a better position to um, you know, get through them again and have success later on in the season. And the most recent example, of course, was this Colorado series where we lost by a big margin at home and had to go to Colorado and win two in a really difficult building. But it was that steadiness of the leadership group, I think, that really set the tone and carried us through.

SPEAKER_01 11:08

Yeah, absolutely. I think that you kind of hit the nail on the head there. You can kind of see just this team getting stronger, getting better throughout this postseason run. I mean, you just look at some of the guys that you played for Texas, the team that had, you know, your number during the regular season was like seven out of eight wins, I think it was. And Grand Rapids is there, you know, or juggernaut in the division, and it just, you know, knock them both out. I mean, in the in the locker room, do you think the guys embrace this challenge of like playing the dragons, or is it more like it doesn't matter who's in front of us because the things stick to our game?

SPEAKER_02 11:46

It was a little bit of both. I think, you know, again, the team has really been very internally focused all year on, you know, playing to our own strengths and and really trying to, you know, buy in and execute Rod and Carolina's system. And I think I think that system does lend itself really well to our group. So we were most up and focused on us, and you know, that would lend itself towards whoever our opponent is, you know, we're gonna try to play a very similar style of play to Carolina. But I will say I do think it was an advantage getting Texas in the first round because I think psychologically we needed to slay that beast. Like we needed to climb that mountain because of how the regular season had gone as far as our record versus that team. And those games, I don't know if you agree or not, but I really felt like those games were all so close. And many of the games that we lost, we felt like maybe we we could have won those or maybe even should have won those at times. And so the series itself felt much more even than the record indicated. And so psychologically having to face that really big hurdle, that really big challenge early and get through it and find success, I think did wonders for the group's overall confidence and resilience going into the next series against GR, who was we know was like set in records like crazy, and then Colorado, who was you know almost unbeatable in the West and specifically at home. But that foundation was set, I think, by getting through the Texas series. So I do think we were fortunate, and that was an advantage to get them first. As difficult as it was, it helped us.

SPEAKER_01 13:33

Yeah, yeah, and it's uh it was kind of fun to watch from from my end, you know. You kind of get that that that even on your on your back, and I again I agree. I think when when they came out of that Texas series on top, I mean, just the way they took the grippins down was uh I think just the all of the momentum kept rolling, and here we are, and I think they're still riding it. Um kind of focusing on uh the Colorado series a bit, you know, you guys are are game planning for that long and uh game one in Loveland, and you know, you gotta get I'm sure that that game plan includes a healthy dose of Felix Hunter Storm, as you know, we've literally had him every single game the season up until game three. Um, but then he comes out of the little lineup and immediately your depth gets tested against this you know really good Eagles team. So how do you kind of strategize from practice to game

Depth Solutions After Key Injuries

SPEAKER_01 14:29

time how to like mix and match the lines and try and get the most out of your group without a player like him in?

SPEAKER_02 14:36

Well, the first thing I would say is, you know, as coaches, you have to play the hand you're dealt. And yeah, when Felix went out, that that made the hand more difficult to play for sure. But it starts with Carolina, with you know, Tom and Eric and Darren and the way they've been to help us assemble the roster and the depth through Carolina all the way through Chicago as well. So I do think our depth has been an advantage. It's been really helpful to be able to move players around. There are many players on the team, forwards just as an example, who can play all three forward positions, center or either side of the ice. They can play up and down the lineup from first line to fourth line or anywhere in between. Um we've got defensemen who are versatile as well that can play both sides of the ice. We've got tremendous depth in goal, as we know. And so, like when a player like Felix goes out, of course it's not ideal, but you have the pieces to reconfigure and and move things around in order to get what you need. And so the two clear, the two like most obvious examples, I think, of that for us were where Felix plays on the power play, Noah Philp, as a righty that has a you know a similar skill set, slightly different, of course, but a lot of similarities, was able to step in and really keep it seamless uh with that first power play group. And then the second way was you know, in those top two lines, we were able to move some players around. So Josiah Slavin moved up from Skylar's line and played more with Suzuki and Robodaw. And then um Ivan Ryabkin, who had been mostly either with Skylar on that third line or with Pavlichev on the fourth line, was able to move up and provide some support for Philp and Nidot when Nado moved. And so it really gave us two full uh lines again in that top six. And then the third line didn't miss a beat because Schuyler and Gunler and Veerling were absolutely outstanding in the Colorado series. And then most nights, because of the D-depth, we were able to dress seven defensemen and then just double different players through that fourth line with Pablachev. And so all of a sudden you go from thinking, like, oh, this might be tough without Felix to go on like actually, we've got some pretty cool looks here that we can throw at teams. Um, and again, it's just based on the depth that as coaches, like we inherited, we didn't we didn't create that depth. We're just you know trying to play the hand that we're dealt. So I think that's really where it started.

SPEAKER_00 17:06

Well, an interesting comment that uh I had uh when uh Spiros was on. Uh, we were talking about that's when you got Noah Phillip and uh Viktor Noichev. Uh and we were talking about uh Nikita Pavlichev and Evan Bierling. And I said, Man, this is amazing. These guys have been on the second line with uh Felix for a good part of the season and looking good. And now you got them on the fourth line. This is incredible.

SPEAKER_02 17:33

Yeah, for sure. We felt the same way. Like this is amazing. Uh our our fourth line group had been the second line for most of the year. So again, it just speaks to the depth, I think.

SPEAKER_01 17:44

Yeah, I I the biggest change that I saw in there looking into it was that 11 and 7 lineup. You know, how what goes into that decision where you feel like the advantage is in the extra defender versus bringing in uh another forward to fill in the gap?

SPEAKER_02 18:01

And there are there are uh pros and cons to each for sure. Um with this group, there's so much depth on the back end. You know, like you look at Hamo Salmi, who's you know, he can be on the power play, penalty kill, five on five against any quality of competition, and he's not even in the lineup most nights right now. So what what we really felt was you know, we had great candidates to come at forward, come in at forward as well, you know, uh Trikozov, um Smith, and Turkot as a couple of examples, among others, like Beyondi, Gandhian, et cetera, as well. Um, but a player like Hamo, uh, we felt if he came in, it just gave us more flexibility. Um, you know, if you go down a defenseman, you've still got a defenseman that can easily play top six, top five, top four minutes, including special teams PP and PK. And uh we trusted our fitness level as well. So just the robustness, the physical robustness of the group, where um if Riyabka needed to double, Nado needed to double, Suzuki needed to double, whomever, we really felt like we could uh accomplish that just based on their fitness levels and durability. And the other cool thing about it too is you know, even if we had brought one of those um forwards in, it would have made our fourth line very strong, and we would have loved that fourth line. But there is a different element if Nadeau is there, let's just say, as an example. So now you've using Colorado again as an example, you probably noticed uh that Gagne Middleton pairing, they were matching them really hard against our first line, which initially was Suzuki and Nadeau and Robodah. Now, if you've got Nadeau on the second line and also on the fourth line, what do you do? How do you match against that? And because you still have to deal with Suzuki and Roby. And um, so what ended up happening was Colorado, for the most part, split that pairing, especially in Chicago. And so it just gave us more breathing room. And um, because now they had to deal with uh like a real legitimate threat, no matter which forward line we deployed. Um, and that that really helped. So that was that was part of the reason. There's a little bit more to it than that, but those were the two main reasons that we went with that configuration.

SPEAKER_01 20:22

Absolutely. And you know, when it comes to, I mean, now you're in uh the conference finals, it's now a seven-game series, it gets it's longer than the earlier ones, and it's all kind of about managing the roller coaster of emotions, right? The highs are highs and the lows are gonna be low. You know, you you have a big win in in Colorado, then you kind of get one kind of ripped out of your chest at home in Chicago. It's it's all about just kind of managing that uh,

Staying Level Through Playoff Swings

SPEAKER_01 20:54

like I said, managing that roller coaster. But do you get want the guys to kind of lean into the waves of emotion as they come, or is it about more like keeping them grounded despite the intensity of the moment?

SPEAKER_02 21:05

It's more the second one. You know, I think you're no matter what, you're going to be riding the waves a little bit. I mean, it's just it's just human nature to feel the elation or the disappointment, whatever. But the more you can flatten those curves and stay steady through it, um, I think the better off you are. And, you know, Spearless does a really good job with that messaging. The leadership group, as I mentioned, does a really good job with that messaging and then also sort of you know living it and acting in that way. Um, but yeah, it's it's really easy to get too high or too low. You know, you win that first game in Colorado, and you're thinking, okay, or it would be easy to think, okay, like we're world beaters, but you you have to remember like that's just one game, it's just by one goal. Colorado's an exceptional team. There's a lot more work to do, and you've got to stay really humble and consistent. But similarly, in that Game two as an example where you lose the lead late, you also can't be despondent. You have to realize, like, hey, this is what the playoffs are like, especially at this level, and in a long series, and there are going to be all these ups and downs through it as you described, Andrew. And you really need to think of it as like almost like plot points in a story. Like, okay, at the end of this book, once we write the final chapter of, let's just say this Colorado series, hopefully we'll have we will have won. And let's look back at that late lead in game two as a plot point. It didn't, you know, it didn't ultimately affect the outcome of the series, but it was a storyline through the series that we learned from, grew from. And let's use that to make sure we write the ending in the way that we want it to be written. That that surely was the psychology of it.

SPEAKER_01 22:52

Well, a really big plot point in this in this series and ultimately in this postseason, you know, Caden Primo goes down at and game five, and you you guys are gonna we mentioned before, having to go on the road down three games to two and having to go back to back in Colorado with Amir Miftakov. And not just he hasn't started a game since you know mid-April at that point, and not just one, but two incredible

Miftakhov Steps In And Delivers

SPEAKER_01 23:23

performances there and against the Eagles to real to solidify your team's performance and and carry you guys here to the Calder Cup uh finals. Could you tell maybe in you know in practice or pregame that this guy was just going to be as dialed in as he was? Uh or was Stan Dubicki putting something in his food? I mean, this guy was sensational.

SPEAKER_02 23:44

Yeah, for sure. I mean, uh Stan uh Dubicki and Jason Vizzotti um are the two guys that work with the goalies the most. Zach Richards, actually, as well, our our video coach slash assistant coach has a goaltending background. And so uh led by led by Stan and Jason, um, but I'd say supported by Zach, they've they've always done such a great job of making sure the goalies are prepared technically, tactically, um, that they're supported emotionally and psychologically too, and that they they feel like happy and and grounded and confident. Um, and it also goes to our training staff, you know, um Austin and Jim and Jack on the strength and conditioning side and the equipment staff as well, um, with Luke and Bubba. Like it's just such holistic wraparound care for the players. And obviously the goaltend position is so demanding physically and mentally that when you've got that type of wraparound care, I feel like each player to a man feels prepared if and when their number is called, including a mere. And so I do think it's really started with that. Um, then his preparation has been excellent as well. One of the things I think he did very well preparation-wise, was he did a great job of staying like very in the moment and calm and confident and loose himself. It'd be easy to be like, you know, kind of like negative or frustrated if you're not playing that much, especially for that many games in a row. But, you know, an example would be uh when we're out for for morning skate, and once the the main like 200-foot drills are done and everyone splits off, you've got the forwards and you've got the D. And Mifty was usually in my end with the forwards. And he just had this like real lightness and fun and and joy about him. So like when he would finish in the net as an example, let's say your Ruslan would come in to take some. You know, MiFT would grab a player stick and he'd be dangling and doing some shots on Roos. And just he really struck that balance of without going too far, of being, you know, just like loose and and easy going and having fun in the moment. And so that calmness and relaxation, I think, was super important because you come into, as you mentioned, a s a pretty stressful situation. You're on the road in this like crazy loud, intense building against a very tough opponent, and you have to win both. There's no way you can do that unless you are just centered and and very much in the moment. And um, that I think was a big key to Amir's success.

SPEAKER_01 26:23

Yeah, he he rose to the occasion, and you know, between him, Ruslan, and and a couple years ago, having Killer Pacheco come in. Uh I think Chicago fans have have another name to add to their favorite crazy Russian goalies in here. And he's he's certainly become a full hero, and I can't wait to see what the next chapter has. But I know, you know, for another name for us in this show, a big name that's come up a lot, is uh Ivan Ryabkin. I mean, talk about an X Factor these last few games, you know, laying some heavy hits, scoring the winning goal. He's out there in the final minutes defending that lead when Colorado hit the empty net. I mean, talk about what you saw from him early in the season, and then after he's come out of the assignment from the QMJHL as just kind of a way more complete player in this league.

Ivan Ryabkin’s Growth Into An X Factor

SPEAKER_02 27:20

For sure. You know, I think that was such an important time for him uh going to the queue and playing huge minutes and like being relied upon in these in these uh really important situations and playing in the playoffs and all those things. So that was great for him. Um and he's still a young player too, so it helped him uh develop. You know, it developed his pace, it developed him physically. He came back like really lean and looked faster and more agile, um, which is a necessary step for any young player. You know, we've seen that with with Nidot and Felix and all these young guys too. They need to continue to develop physically, and and Ivan did a great job of that while he was away. Um and then, you know, again, you it's a you have to build a body of work and you have to learn about the league, and the coaches have to learn about you, and you and your line mates have to learn about each other, or your teammates have to learn about each other. So it's a process and it takes some time. And when Ivan got back, uh there was an adjustment period for sure, because now it's a whole new level again. He hadn't been in the American League for a while, and the league had only been getting faster and more physical the entire time while he was away, too. So he's stepping into a whole other speed than it was when he left. And so it took him a little while, understandably so, to ramp up to that speed. But to his credit, he stuck with it. He worked really hard in the games when he was called upon, worked really hard in practice, took the coaching and the video and the and the one-on-one discussions to heart. And you could just see this like steady, steady improvement. And just like with our team, there were there were like ebbs and flows to it, too. There were a couple times in the Grand Rapids series where you know we needed to close out a game or whatever, and you're down to maybe nine forwards in the third period or the last 10 minutes of the third. And it's no disrespect to him, but there were he might not have been one of those nine forwards at the time. He could have easily been, but there were just like nine guys that had kind of had it locked down and were in a rhythm. So he and maybe a couple other players didn't play much. Um, and again, that's not a negative on them. It was just the way the game was going. And so you have those little ebbs and flows, and then now he's in a position where uh, you know, Felix goes out, as you mentioned, we reconfigure the top nine, he gets an opportunity on the second line, and he's completely ready for it. And that's where those skills that we've been learning about him, that obviously, you know, um Eric and Darren and their staffs saw when they drafted him, those are now really starting to emerge at the American League level. So it's more than just tenacity and physicality for him. He's got tremendous vision. Like he's a really creative player. He sees interesting options, interesting passing lanes, not just obvious ones. And he can make the plays. He's got an incredible touch on the puck. He's an excellent passer, he's got a really heavy shot. He goes to the net, as you know, like the game-winning goal in game seven. He that was a big time battle against Middleton, who's what, 6'4, 6'5? And he won that battle to score. So, you know, he's physically strong too. He's aggressive and tenacious, all those things. But those are really starting to emerge now, like in spades, because he put the work in to put himself into that position to be ready when his number was called. And now it's been called and he's been a really important player for us.

SPEAKER_00 30:50

Well, the one thing I was gonna mention that uh I thought was fun was the Russia line. So uh you put him out there with Noychev and uh Pavlychev, and boy, that seemed to really that seemed to kickstart him a little bit. He uh that line was uh they were wrecking havoc out there, and uh and they were making some plays. And the next thing you know, he's as you say, he moved up with uh with uh the second line with Philip and of course Nadil, which was tremendous for him. But yeah, we've loved him all year. Uh we talked a lot about his trip to uh to Charlottetown, and actually Sparros was talking about that as well and said that the coach down there, who he has a lot of very high regard for, uh, he felt was doing some excellent work with uh with Ivan as well. So yeah, that's a great story.

SPEAKER_01 31:36

Yeah. One of the things that really has kind of stood out to me on this run is just how well this team plays on the road. I mean, taking not one, not two, but three games in a in a madhouse at the Blue Arena in Colorado. Um, you took both games away from the Griffins, who, you know, we've all know how good they were at at Van Handel. Um and one more in Texas. That's you know what, six and two on opposing ice? Kind of what's the secret behind the success on the road for this team that gets them up in the opponent's

Why The Wolves Win On The Road

SPEAKER_01 32:09

house?

SPEAKER_02 32:10

So a few things come to mind for me. Uh, one of them is, again, just that inward focus on you know, the Chicago style of play, the Carolina style of play, just kind of trusting that in any environment and against any opponent. That would be the first thing. Um, the second thing is going back to the training staff and the support staff, like how well they prepare the players for the demands of the season and the game density and the travel. Just everything from like workload and games, workload and practices, reporting to the coaches on those things, nutrition, hydration, sleep, game day schedule. It's like it's really meticulous. And uh, so I do think that creates a big advantage for the players when you're dealing with travel and difficult opponents on the road. Um, and then the final thing is is the is one of the things we've talked about already, which is just the steadiness of the leadership group and you know, just how consistent they are in their preparation. For me, the best recent example was in game seven, when uh you guys probably noticed Colorado has that tradition, I think they call it the minute of madness.

SPEAKER_00 33:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 33:21

And the first 60 seconds of every third period, the crowd does not stop. Like they are standing up, there's like I I'm assuming like noisemakers, cowbells, whatever. They're screaming at the top of their lungs, they're pounding on the glass, like, and those are small benches too. So as a coach, you're like rocking back and forth because the glass is pounding. And I'm not exaggerating, the players during that minute, the players can't hear the line calls like from the coaches. So you have to be like grabbing them by the shoulder and like yelling in their ear who's up. It's that loud. And sure enough, Colorado comes out and scores in that first minute of uh of the third period of game seven. And but again, it's just like you would almost never know it. Like, yeah, that it sucks and it's annoying, and you wish it didn't happen. But the players are just like, okay, let's let's get back to it. And I think three or four shifts went by, and then you and then Suzuki. Suzuki was like, okay, like enough of this. And you could just see him grit his teeth, and he was so determined on that entry, made that little move, got some separation, just like buried it, uh high blocker. And that was you could just tell, like, from the moment he touched the puck, you know, thinking this is this is a goal. Like, he's not gonna be denied here. But it was in response to a moment where you know, anyone, the team or any player could have easily kind of like sunk back or regressed a bit, but instead, the group and specifically Ryan, they took a step forward, they got on their front foot, they punched back. Um, so that was to me really impressive. And again, it just speaks to the you know, the leadership, I think, on the team among the players.

SPEAKER_01 35:07

That was that was that was such a nice one. We we were I was doing a uh a live watch along with the uh the claims prospect guys, and we were just left speak with. You saw why this guy was in the first round for sure. Yeah. Um so you know, here we are, Western Conference champions, just kind of wrapping it up. What's your your main takeaway from the series about this team as you uh get ready to take on Toronto?

SPEAKER_02 35:42

Uh main takeaways as far as like Toronto as an opponent?

SPEAKER_01 35:45

Main takeaway, like what like I kind of asked Burosa a similar question after after Grand Rapids. You know, is there anything you kind of learned new about this team, or have you just been affirmed that you know this is this is who we are and this is how we play Chicago Wolf hockey?

SPEAKER_02 36:02

Yeah, the um again, kind of a multi-part

Scouting Toronto And Finding Margins

SPEAKER_02 36:06

answer here. That that is yes to that for sure. Like this is how we play. We play Carolina's style, pressure, consistency, physical, skating, angling, all those things. Like that, that is something that you you know, at this level and this deep in the playoffs, you have to have that foundation, right? You have to have something you can rely on no matter what, when it's difficult, it's going good, bad, doesn't matter. You've got to have that rock that you can fall back on. And I think that is a big part of that. And again, that starts with with Rod and the hurricanes. Um, the second thing would be, you know, these anecdotes about, you know, for example, the Suzuki goal and you know, responding to Colorado scoring in the first minute in the third period. So just the resilience that we've seen over time consistently that we know is there in that group. And that's partly innate because of the people that they are, but it also takes hard work to develop that, right? You've you've again you need those reps, like we talked about in March. You've got to go through those sort of trials and tribulations to develop those calluses and that skill set. So I think the players have done a great job of that. Um, but the third thing is there is room on the margins to try to find advantages based on who you're playing. And there are similarities among all three opponents that we've seen so far, but there are also like substantial differences. And the game keys against Texas and against GR and against Colorado are actually kind of different. And so there's these little storylines that you're looking for. Um, like I won't go into too much detail, but like as an example, just think about like attacking through the neutral zone versus Texas. They're in that 1-1-3 neutral zone four check where you try to get up ice and like all three chambers are completely congested at the defensive, like or offensive blue line for us, defensive blue line for them. So you need to do certain things to get through that and to create offense. And you know, Grand Rapids, they were in a 1-1-3 at times, but not very often. Colorado is in a 1-2-2, Toronto is in a one-two-two. Like, you do need these little uh areas on the margins where the players can be flexible and it and still stay true to who you are, but adjust a little bit in order to uh yeah, try to try to find these advantages against what your opponent tends to do. There are many more storylines than just the neutral zone, obviously, but though that's like one obvious one. And um the players done a great job of that. They're it's not easy to do to strike a balance between sticking to your foundation, but also adjusting, tweaking here and there in order to, you know, to maximize each shift that you have and each situation that you have. And I think the players have done a tremendous job, you know, taking the coaching and applying it on the ice.

SPEAKER_00 39:02

Well, as we take a look at uh at the lineup, and you know, Andrew and I have done this with all the teams that uh you face so far. And and boy, I'll tell you, these teams are loaded. And and one thing for sure, we're seeing a lot of veteran players um with uh NHL experience. Like it seems like it grows from one team to another. There seem to be more and more. If we look at the Marleys, um they've got uh on their defensive core, they've got guys like Henry Thrun. We know he was with New Jersey for a while. I mean, uh with uh San Jose, of course, Matt Benning, Dakota Mermotts, he was with the Leafs uh for a period of time. These guys have been up and down lots of games in the NHL. And up front, gosh, same thing. Uh Alex Neelander, gosh, he was a he was an eighth overall pick in 2016 with Buffalo. And, you know, he's been up. He had a pretty good period with Columbus and some other guys, and Logan Shaw, Vinny Lateri, Travis Boyd. These guys all have lots of NHL experience. I mean, they're not uh shy. And they've got some young studs as well, like Easton Cowan, who was up with the Leeds all year. Uh basically, he comes down for the playoffs, and then they got uh Jacob Quillum. We know him from Quinipiac because, of course, uh some Kane guys from Quinippia. Uh Bull Grew, we saw him with Anaheim, so he's been up, he's been in the NHL for a while, and Luke Haynes is a free agent out of Dartmouth. These guys are interesting, but the guy that's uh really catching my attention is uh Arthur Aktimyov, who uh is their goalie and has, I guess, has been lights up. Is there anybody on their team? Like when you get up in the morning and you do the hey, let's look at the Marley's, is there anyone on that squad that uh jumps at you or any of these guys that you kind of say, hey, let's keep an eye on those guys?

SPEAKER_02 40:43

All of those is the answer. Yeah. They're um yeah, it's similar to to the series that we've been in so far. Like all three of these teams so far have been so deep, uh, so talented, so hardworking, so well coached, and Toronto's the same. Um, it's just there's no easy ice, there are no easy minutes, there's no easy match, you know, among the four lines and the deep pairings. Like every every shift, every situation is such a grind. And um, yeah, it's really impressive. Toronto's got great depth as well. They're very well structured, they've got threats on every line that can score, that can check, that can have speed. Their decor is extremely deep and experienced, like you mentioned, and then we've got tremendous depth in goal too. So um you definitely want to have a sense of like those top players what their tendencies are. And so, you know, Zach helps Sparos and I a lot with that on sort of pre-scouting, you know, uh what we think we might see from certain lines or certain players. And then you are trying to find, yeah, uh some advantages for sure as far as like who might play against who. But at the same time, you know, going back to Carolina, like you also have to trust your style of play. And you have to trust whoever's on the ice will execute the style of play and like and win their match in that moment, even if it's not their their specific match that they're gonna get, you know, most of the time. Whoever they're on, that's your match in that moment, and and you've got to win it. So we try to look at we look at it, excuse me, more like macro at that level, but also you know, micro to on a granular level, as far as like you know what each player tends to do in certain situations. And where that really comes into play is obviously on special teams, where you know the margins are that much more important on you know, PK structure, power play structure, uh, you know, tendencies in all three phases of it. So that's but that's really part of the fun of it. That's that's part of the um going back to the long hours in the previous profession and this one, like spending the time digging into that. Um the day goes by really quickly, uh, but it's it's so fun. You know, it feels like five minutes, even though it's been a lot longer than that. So um we're we talked about some of those things today in practice, and we're looking forward to seeing how that goes in game one tomorrow.

SPEAKER_00 43:11

Well, you know, I looked at uh one last show. One last game. Yeah, that's great. I was just gonna say, I was I was looking at the stats, and you know, we've kind of compared stats uh for the teams in the previous series. Uh uh there were some areas of significant difference. But in this one, not so much. Um you had 87 points, they had 82. That's pretty close. Um goals four, they had 229, you had 225. Goals against, they had 228, you had 218. So I mean they're really close, right? Power play, you talk about special teams, their power play was 16.8%, yours was 16.9. I mean these are close, right? And look at the PK. They're at 83.4 percent, and you checked in at 84.1. This is, I mean, incredibly close. Close in terms of the stats between the two teams. You can you can just yeah, it's right there. So uh that's a little bit different as we mentioned. I mean, some of them like talking about Texas when you know you had had some struggles with them. And uh we were andrew and I were a little bit concerned heading into that series and saying, oh boy, this is a handful. Uh but this looks a lot closer. So do you feel that way as well?

SPEAKER_02 44:25

Uh we really felt like every opponent so far, regardless of of what the you know the season stats said, we really felt like like every opponent so far, the games uh against us were all so close. So like all the Texas games, they definitely had the advantage of the overall record, but like every game was so tight. Grand Rapids was the same way, you know, we were cannibalizing each other for points constantly in overtime and all those things. Um, and then Colorado too, it was only four games, but like comebacks and OT and like winning late on the power play, and I mean it was just like every opponent, every game against each opponent was such a grind. And Toronto was similar, right? Those are really close games, the two here and the two there. So we looked at it more through that lens of like what were the games like as between the two teams. And in that way, I think it feels really similar to the first three opponents, just like nothing easy. It's gonna be it's gonna be really uh really challenging and really fun.

SPEAKER_00 45:30

Yeah, well that's uh I think that's to be expected, right? You're gonna have a handful just like uh the hurricanes. Um okay, I thought we'd uh we'd wrap up with some closing comments. Uh Andrew, closing thoughts, man.

SPEAKER_01 45:47

Just one for my my curiosity. I had to to go to your your hockey DV page and I saw you were part of that 0405 Motor City Mechanics team that included Darien Hatzer and Chris Chelios and And a little me in in Detroit out there watching you guys while the lockout was going on. Um how was uh how was that locker room, like when you got big games

Mistaken Identity And Closing Thanks

SPEAKER_01 46:14

like that coming down in the uh in the minor leagues air?

SPEAKER_02 46:18

So uh this actually um this storyline uh or this type of question kind of comes up a lot. It's so random, this is so so weird, but there are actually two 1974-born Canadian hockey players named Dan Price. Okay, and one of them was a Canadian university goalie that never played pro, who's from Alberta, and the other is an Ontario-born, I think forward that played in the NAA, I want to say maybe bowling green, and then had a really good pro career. And so this happens all the time. Uh in fact, one funny story that the uh that the other coaches here, Spiro S and Zach, never let me live down, is one of our first trips to Raleigh. I can't remember if it was for training camp or development camp, but we walked out of the building and there were some fans out there with like hockey cards and they wanted autographs and stuff. And they said, Hey Dan, you know, Mr. Price, whatever, can you can you please sign this hockey card? And it was the American Ontario-born forward, not me. So when I had to tell them, like, hey, I I actually never played pro, I was a goalie in Canadian university. They were like so disappointed. And uh, of course, they didn't want my autograph, they had nothing for me to sign, so I just tried to like walk away in defeat, and like, oh man, I heard about that all day from the rest of the coaches, and rightfully so. But so unfortunately, I can't speak to that locker room. It sounds like an incredible locker room, but a different guy.

SPEAKER_00 48:03

So that's a great story, Dan. Okay. Dan, over to you for uh closing thoughts as you get ready to uh to battle the Toronto Marleys.

SPEAKER_02 48:17

Uh well, two things. First, I just wanted uh say thank you. I really appreciate uh you thinking of us and thinking of me and being able to talk about our great players and our great staff. So super grateful for that. I've really enjoyed the conversation. And you know, as you guys know, you're really well prepared. I'm I've really been impressed with the um just the thoughtfulness and the questions. So I just mostly wanted to say thanks. Um but I was also really curious, I apologize, I don't know the background of the podcast. And we talked a bit about me and my background, which I appreciate you asking, but I'd be really curious to know more about you guys and like what are your backgrounds and what's the origin story of the podcast.

SPEAKER_00 48:55

Okay, well, I'll kick it off. Uh I I actually I've kind of I've been a Manic hockey fan forever. Um, and um I had actually been writing for some web publications maybe 15, 20 years ago, on and off for about the canes. Um and then uh you know life gets in the way and and I finally had a chance when I retired. I said, you know, I I'm gonna take a shot at this. And uh and you know, kind of picked up uh the idea of a podcast,

The Podcast Origin Story And Wrap

SPEAKER_00 49:27

started it. And then uh after my first year, I decided it would probably be wise to get some collaborators. Uh that was probably the big move for us. And and then uh Andrew joined, and I'm delighted that he did, of course, and Nick Bass, who handles uh Kane's prospects, you might know Nick, and and then uh a couple of fine ladies, uh Katie Bartlett and Aaron Manning, who joined me for most of the uh the the hurricane stuff. So that's how we kind of got going. And uh and Andrew, of course, had already been out there doing it uh with uh with his work with both uh the wolves and uh and the griffins. So Andrew, over to you.

SPEAKER_01 50:06

Yeah, I you know I've I've been a manic hockey fan. I grew up, you know, obviously around the uh Motor City. Um, you know, I went to four Stanley Cup parades before I graduated high school. And that's fun to think about when my team hasn't made the playoffs in 10 years and counting. Um and then during during COVID, you know, you there's all this extra time, and I saw uh an ad on social media that was looking for writers to cover the American Hockey League. Um I live not too far from Grand Rapids, and I was like, why not give it a shot? Um the publication that I applied to had already had a Grand Rapids writer, and they were like, would you do Chicago? Um I know Chicago is uh is uh you know it's a little further away, but that this they're a storied franchise that had won several championships, and I was like, sure, yeah, I'll I'll give it a shot. And um, you know, I've I've you know I've met Chris Cook, Lindsay Wilhite before him. Uh yeah, I've had a couple great chats with Courtney Mahoney. The organization has really kind of you know in embraced me coming in and being part of the community, and I've loved interacting with the fans and everything. So even though, you know, I'm I'm a state over, it's it's really kind of I've been writing about them since yeah, since 2020. And it's you know, it's it's been great. I've met some wonderful people here, and I just I love being part of the game. I love interacting with you know the coaches and the players and the staff and and just kind of getting to to to know the unique stories of everybody. It's it's it's really you know a privilege and an honor to to be able to to do what I do. And you know, I hope I get to continue to do it for many more years in the future.

SPEAKER_02 51:58

That's awesome. Oh, I appreciate you guys sharing that with me. That's uh that's super interesting. And you're right, just um I've noticed that too, just within the Hurricanes organization and the wolves organization, just such quality people. They're just like amazing people to work with and interact with. So yeah, cool that we all get to experience that.

SPEAKER_00 52:18

Yeah, and and as you know, for us, uh all the folks we've been involved with, with uh the wolves and hurricanes, just fantastic. And earthly many others, you know, that's for us that's uh amazing. So yeah. So Andrew, uh as always, it's great to have you on board, man, and uh have lots of fun talking with us and hey Dan. This has been awesome. Thank you so much for spending time with us. Thank you.

unknown 52:56

Perfect.

SPEAKER_00 52:57

And for those of you who've been watching or listening, of course, we're delighted you spent time with us. If you like this episode, please press the like button. If you have any questions or comments, please leave those in the comment section. And of course, if you want to be alerted about future episodes of Storm Tracker, please press the subscribe and the bell buttons, and we'll make sure you're made aware just as soon as they'll be. As always, thanks so much for spending time with us, and we look forward to getting together with you real soon right here.