ROSEMONT, Ill. – On Thursday, May 2 the long standing rumors finally became official. The Chicago Wolves, after a full year of independent operations, were reuniting with the Carolina Hurricanes. After several loans from Carolina over the course of the 2023-24 season and negotiations that went on for months, the reaffiliation was official.
The Wolves and Carolina announced a three-year affiliation agreement – the same that originally brought these franchises together in 2020.
The reaffiliation was perhaps the worst-kept secret in hockey, and there’s no hiding the unmitigated disaster of a season that the Wolves went through in their attempt to revitalize the 90’s IHL mindset. It felt inevitable, and it eventually was. Despite hurt feelings and a war of words, the two sides are back in business together.
“It’s for the benefit of the Chicago Wolves, the Carolina Hurricanes and the American Hockey League that we have 32 NHL teams and 32 AHL affiliates. It’s good to be partnered with the Hurricanes.”
Chicago GM Wendell Young
Which begs the question: what is the next chapter in this saga?
Price to be Paid
General Manager Wendell Young is a Chicago Sports icon. He spent six seasons in the Wolves’ net, where he backstopped two Turner Cup championships for the Wolves in their IHL days. He has his jersey hanging from the rafters at Allstate Arena. Young was an assistant coach for the Calder Cup victory in 2008 and has spent 15 seasons under several different affiliations building winners in Chicago. His latest masterpiece in a 2022 championship with the original Carolina affiliation felt like it was only the beginning.
And now it’s over.
It was understood in the initial announcement of the affiliation agreement that Carolina would be taking over the decision making in player personnel but never expanded upon that notion.
It wasn’t until Friday that the North State Journal reported that Carolina GM Don Waddell had announced that Wendell Young was being relieved of his position as Wolves GM.
It’s a tough pill to swallow for Young, especially considering the work that he, Waddell, and Carolina’s Director of Hockey Operations Aaron Schwartz put in to make that 2022 championship team come together. At the same time, considering the bridge that was napalmed in April of 2023, this seemed like the only way to get Carolina on board.
On Friday it was also announced by the Wolves that Young was being promoted to Vice Chairman and Governor of the team. After 30 years of being with the organization Wolves owner Don Levin was not about to let Young simply walk away from the team that he’s seen five championship titles with.
“I’ve been here since Day 1—the full 30 seasons of the Chicago Wolves—and being a part of the Chicago Wolves family means something. We say in our core covenant that it’s family first here and it’s being shown every day by Don Levin.”
Wendell Young
What does this mean for Young going forward? He remains on the AHL’s board of governors and will oversee the Wolves’ on-ice performance. He will also act as the primary liaison between the Wolves and Hurricanes. Even though he no longer gets the call on player personnel, Young is still very much involved in the operation in Chicago.
Carolina has yet to announce who will be managing the Wolves. Possible names to consider are the Hurricanes’ assistant general managers Eric Tulsky and Darren Yorke. The aforementioned Aaron Schwartz could be in the mix as well.
They have also not yet spoken of any changes to the coaching staff, though it can be well assumed that Bob Nardella won’t see a second season as head coach of the Wolves.
Ice Level
With Carolina taking over, what does this mean for the Wolves on the ice? For one – the Hurricanes will once again be providing their prospects to the system. Newcomers like Bradly Nadeau and Justin Robidas join faces that Wolves fans are familiar with like Domenick Fensore from this past season and Noel Gunler from the prior affiliation.
The Carolina system is rife with talented prospects to fill the Wolves’ roster with key depth pieces that were sorely missing from last year’s team. Carolina will also be taking over the management of AHL level contracts, which include fan favorites like Nate Sucese, Josh Melnick, and Adam Scheel.
The affiliation should see immediate dividends on the ice. After finishing with their historically worst season in franchise history, there really is only one way for the Wolves to go. Historically, however, the relationship with Carolina has shown to provide a competitive team in the Central Division with a cumulative 106-54-21 over the initial three years.
This doesn’t just benefit Chicago but the Hurricanes as well. With the lack of an affiliation, Carolina was forced to disperse their prospects around the globe. Players like Tukka Tieksola and Alexander Pashin returned to their home countries after just a single season in North America.
Perhaps most hurt by this development was Jamieson Rees. The former Wolf was a budding star in Chicago until the break up forced him to find his way in Springfield. Rees struggled to find playing time for an organization with no vested interest in his development. His situation deteriorated to the point where Carolina traded him to the Ottawa organization for a penance just to find a fresh start.
With this agreement, Carolina’s prospects can mold together into the same system and rise through the ranks to contribute to the parent club as Jack Drury, Jalen Chatfield, Stefan Noesen and Pyotr Kochetkov had done through that same pipeline.
Owning Up
The landscape of the AHL isn’t the Wild West that it used to be. More and more franchises in the NHL are recognizing the importance of having their hands on in the affiliate to lead their young prospects through the system with the team’s vision in mind.
If anything, this saga highlights not just the need to have that NHL talent in the system but to have that pipeline leading right to the parent club. Carolina’s control in hockey operations decisions is a kind of system the Wolves hadn’t previously dealt with in any of their affiliations.
How far can they take that control?
Many fans of the Hurricanes, during the season without an affiliation, had hoped that Carolina owner Thomas Dundon would purchase their own AHL affiliate.
The AHL of 2024 is in an unprecedented era of stability. Coming out of Covid with financially sound franchises and the dream of finally achieving a 1:1 balance of teams with the parent league, the options were limited for Carolina.
Don Levin founded the Wolves in 1994. He’s been the man since inception. The team has been a staple in the Rosemont community and Levin wants to keep it that way. The three-year affiliation does offer long-term stability to the roster and the team.
What happens beyond then? It’s becoming more and more common for parent NHL teams to bring their AHL affiliates locally into their backyard. Can the long-distance relationship work with an independently owned Chicago? Or can Dundon facilitate a purchase? That’s another bridge to cross when we get there – and hopefully one that doesn’t also get the napalm treatment.
It does provide something to think about as this relationship evolves. We’re hearing the death rattle of truly independent minor league hockey. That IHL spirit that the Wolves went into for old time’s sake now truly is gone with the measures Carolina is taking to reaffiliate with Chicago. This is the modern American Hockey League – one with a hands-on approach to the business. To truly compete – to survive – is to play by the rules.
On the ice and off it, the hope is that the next step leads to more W’s and success for both sides involved.
