2023 Chicago Wolves Offseason Player Tracker

SEASON SYNOPSIS

With new head coach Brock Sheahan behind the bench, the Chicago Wolves were hoping to (at the very least) make it deep into the playoffs. They knew recreating the magic of the past two seasons would be hard without former head coach Ryan Warsofsky and half of their roster, but they tried their best and were able to finish above .500. Despite their hard work and ability to adapt to most situations, the Wolves found themselves one point out of the playoffs, finishing sixth in the Central.

Forward Malte Strömwall led the Wolves with 51 points and eight power play goals. He also was second on the team with 33 assists behind Max Lajoie (34). Stromwall was always the player to watch on the ice but somehow managed to consistently sneak under the radar and score without being detected by the opposition. 

Goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov played in a mere 26 games for the Wolves this season, but the memories he left behind will sit with fans forever. On March 3, Kochetkov scored a goal and, after celebrating the occasion, proceeded to get into a fight with a member of the Manitoba Moose. The next game, he tried to fight another member of the Moose and was ejected. After those two games, Kochetkov amassed 44 minutes worth of penalties to help give him the most PIMS by a goaltender (54).  

What a WILD week for Canes goalie Pyotr Kochetkov in the AHL 😱

-Scored a goalie goal
-Ejected for fighting after scoring the goal
-Ejected the next night for trying to fight again pic.twitter.com/9lXZEjjmNx

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) March 6, 2023

In April, it was announced that the Wolves would not be renewing their affiliation with the Carolina Hurricanes once it expired at the end of the season. They will be an independent AHL team come the start of the 2023-24 season.

(List updated as of Sept. 19th, 3:15pm ET)

UNDER CONTRACT AND RE-SIGNINGS

Forwards

• Josh Melnick – Signed one-year AHL contract extension on June 19
• Nathan Sucese – Signed one-year AHL contract extension on June 19

Defensemen

• Alex Green – Signed one-year AHL contract extension on May 17
• Cavan Fitzgerald – Signed a one-year AHL contract on August 2

Coaches

• Bob Nardella – Announced as head coach on June 13

NEW ADDITIONS

Forwards

• Cory Conacher – Signed one-year AHL contract on May 31 (played for the Charlotte Checkers in 2022-23); signed a PTO with Carolina on August 29
• Connor McClennon – Signed two-year AHL contract on May 31 (played for the Winnipeg ICE of the WHL in 2022-23)
• Hank Crone – Signed one-year AHL contract on June 14 (played for the Allen Americans of the ECHL in 2022-23)
• Tim Doherty – Signed one-year AHL contract on June 14 (played for the Maine Mariners of the ECHL in 2022-23)
• Peter Abbandonato – Signed a one-year AHL contract on July 10 (played for the Laval Rocket in 2022-23); signed a PTO with Pittsburgh on September 19
• Hudson Elynuik – Signed a one-year AHL contract on July 10 (played for the Tucson Roadrunners in 2022-23)
• Dominic Franco – Signed a one-year AHL contract on July 10 (played for the Charlotte Checkers and Florida Everblades of the ECHL in 2022-23)
• Kyle Marino – Signed a one-year AHL contract on July 10 (played for the Henderson Silver Knights in 2022-23)
• Cole Schneider – Signed a one-year AHL contract on July 10 (played for the Milwaukee Admirals in 2022-23)
• Chris Terry – Signed a one-year AHL contract on July 10 (played for the Bridgeport Islanders in 2022-23)
• Isaac Ratcliffe – Signed a one-year AHL contract on July 18 (played for the Milwaukee Admirals and Lehigh Valley Phantoms in 2022-23); signed a PTO with St. Louis on August 24

Defensemen

• Matt Donovan – Signed one-year AHL contract on June 14 (played for Asler Mannheim of the DEL in 2022-23)
• Tory Dello – Signed a one-year AHL contract on July 10 (played for the Laval Rocket in 2022-23)
• Tyson Feist – Signed a one-year AHL contract on July 10 (played for the Syracuse Crunch and ECHL’s Orlando Solar Bears in 2022-23)
• Owen Headrick – Signed a one-year AHL contract on July 18 (played one game for Texas and 61 games for the ECHL’s Idaho Steelheads in 2022-23)
• Austin Strand – Signed a one-year AHL contract on July 18 (played for Anaheim, San Diego, and Rochester in 2022-23)
• Mitch Vande Sompel – Signed a one-year AHL contract on July 18 (played for the Colorado Eagles in 2022-23)

Goaltenders

• Adam Scheel – Signed a one-year AHL contract on July 10 (played for the Texas Stars and ECHL’s Idaho Steelheads in 2022-23)
• Keith Kinkaid – Signed a one-year, two-way NHL contract with New Jersey on September 13; originally signed a one-year AHL contract on July 18, said to be assigned to the Wolves if he is sent down to the AHL this season (played for the Colorado Avalanche & Eagles and Boston & Providence Bruins in 2022-23)

DEPARTURES

Forwards

• Mackenzie MacEachern – Signed one-year, two-way NHL contract with the St. Louis Blues on July 1
• Joseph LaBate – Signed a one-year contract with Barys Astana of the KHL on July 4
• Zach Senyshyn – Signed a one-year contract with Schwenninger Wild Wings of the DEL on July 16
• Logan Lambdin – Signed a one-year contract with ECHL Florida on August 1 (played 37 games for the Wolves on loan from Florida in 2022-23)
• Malte Strömwall – Signed a two-year contract with Frölunda HC of the SHL on August 10
• Brendan Perlini – Signed a PTO with Carolina on August 29
• Ryan Dzingel – Signed a PTO with Arizona on September 6

Defensemen

• William Lagesson – Signed a one-year, two-way NHL contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs on July 1
• Max Lajoie – Signed one-year, two-way NHL contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs on July 1

Goaltenders

• Zachary Sawchenko – Signed a one-year, two-way NHL contract with the Vancouver Canucks on July 1

Coach

• Brock Sheahan – Announced as assistant coach of the University of Notre Dame on June 20
• Patrick Dwyer – Announced as assistant coach for the Iowa Wild on July 5

DEPARTURES (Under Contract with Carolina)

These players currently have a contract with the Carolina Hurricanes. As of July 17, the Hurricanes do not have an AHL affiliate to send their players to at the start of the season.

Forwards

• Alexander Pashin – Loaned to Spartak Moskva on July 13
• Blake Murray
• Jack Drury
• Jamieson Rees
• Noel Gunler
• Ryan Suzuki
• Tuukka Tieksola – Loaned to Lukko on July 17
• Vasily Ponomarev 

Defensemen

• Anttoni Honka
• Griffin Mendel
• Ronan Seely

Goaltenders

• Pyotr Kochetkov

FREE AGENTS

Forwards

• Jack Dugan – UFA
• Stelio Mattheos – UFA (was not extended qualifying offer by Carolina on June 30)

Teams

• Carolina Hurricanes

(Special thanks to CapFriendly and Elite Prospects for all the contract terms and definitions for this offseason player tracker!)

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Other 2023 AHL Off Season Trackers :

Links will be updated as articles are released.

Central

• Chicago Wolves
• Grand Rapids Griffins
• Iowa Wild
• Manitoba Moose
• Milwaukee Admirals
• Rockford IceHogs
• Texas Stars

Pacific

• Abbotsford Canucks
• Bakersfield Condors
• Calgary Wranglers
• Coachella Valley Firebirds
• Colorado Eagles
• Henderson Silver Knights
• Ontario Reign
• San Diego Gulls
• San Jose Barracuda
• Tucson Roadrunners

Atlantic

• Bridgeport Islanders
• Charlotte Checkers
• Hartford Wolf Pack
• Hershey Bears
• Lehigh Valley Phantoms
• Providence Bruins
• Springfield Thunderbirds 
• Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins

North

• Belleville Senators
• Cleveland Monsters
• Laval Rocket
• Rochester Americans
• Syracuse Crunch
• Toronto Marlies
• Utica Comets