Wolves forging affiliation partnership with Carolina Hurricanes

The Chicago Wolves announced Thursday that the American Hockey League organization has signed a three-year partnership agreement with the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes that begins with the upcoming 2024-25 season.

The affiliation renews the relationship between the Wolves and the Hurricanes, who were paired from 2020 to 2023 before Chicago became an independent AHL team during the ’23-24 campaign. Carolina is operating without an AHL affiliate this season.

“We’re looking forward to being affiliated again and moving forward,” said Wolves general manager Wendell Young. “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.”

While previously partnered with the Hurricanes organization, the Wolves recorded a combined 106-54-11-10 record, including a 50-16-5-5 mark during a run to the 2022 Calder Cup championship — the fifth title in franchise history.

The Hurricanes, who have advanced to the second round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, feature several players on their current roster who have appeared in a Wolves sweater, including forwards Jack Drury, Seth Jarvis, Stefan Noesen and Ryan Suzuki, defensemen Jalen Chatfield, Ronan Seeley and Dylan Coghlan and goaltenders Pyotr Kochetkov and Antti Raanta.

The Wolves’ home opener for the 2024-25 season will be Oct. 12 at Allstate Arena.

“We’re excited to reestablish our AHL affiliation with Chicago, and thankful that we could find a solution which worked for both clubs,” said Hurricanes president and general manager Don Waddell. “Many of our prospects have already had success with the Wolves, both individually and as a team, and we’re happy to have secured a consistent environment for their development.”