Breakaway Magazine - Volume 13 - Issue 3

OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE CHICAGO WOLVES

VOL. 13 ISSUE 3

HOME AGAIN Winnetka native Jack Drury is following his family lineage, yet setting his own standards

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ARE YOU LEADER OF THE PACK?

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ALL TIMES ARE CENTRAL. DATES, AND TIMES SUBJECT TO CHANGE

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GROUP OUTINGS | PRIVATE HOSPITALITY | BIRTHDAY PARTIES

CHICAGO WOLVES 2021-22 PROMOTIONAL SCHEDULE SATURDAY, JAN. 1

SUNDAY, FEB. 20

SUNDAY, APRIL 3

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SATURDAY, JAN. 8

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SATURDAY, APRIL 9

• ADOPT-A-DOG NIGHT, PRESENTED BY PREMIER VETERINARY GROUP

• WOLVES SNOW GLOBE GIVEAWAY, COURTESY OF JEWEL-OSCO • ADOPT-A-DOG NIGHT, PRESENTED BY PREMIER VETERINARY GROUP • POSTGAME SKATE. PRESENTED BY CHICAGOLAND JIFFY LUBE

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FRIDAY, JAN. 28 • HEALTHCARE HEROES JERSEYS, PRESENTED BY TURTLE WAX

SATURDAY, APRIL 23

SUNDAY, MARCH 6

• FIRST RESPONDERS NIGHT, PRESENTED BY TURTLE WAX • ADOPT-A-DOG NIGHT, PRESENTED BY PREMIER VETERINARY GROUP

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SATURDAY, APRIL 2 • SALUTE TO MILITARY FAMILIES, PRESENTED BY KIA • YEAR-END MERCHANDISE SALE

• WOLVES TRADING CARDS GIVEAWAY, COURTESY OF VIENNA BEEF

EVERY WEEKNIGHT • CRAFT BEER NIGHT

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, CALL 1-800-THE-WOLVES (800-843-9658), VISIT CHICAGOWOLVES.COM OR VISIT US DURING THE GAME AT THE TICKET TABLE BEHIND SECTION 109

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HOME AGAIN OPERATIONS Courtney Mahoney Dan Harris Imran Javed Troy Mueller Ross Dettman Mark Abernethy Ron Storto Jason Shaver Bill Gardner Gabriel McDonagh Lindsey Willhite Alli Vellucci Gabby Hogan Andrew Gallagher Leo Theodore Tristen Wilbers Austin Zima

President of Operations Senior Director of Operations Digital Content Manager Creative Services Manager Team Photographer Marketing Executive TV Producer Play by Play Announcer Color Analyst Production Assistant Director of Public Relations Social Media Coordinator Sr. Community Relations Coordinator Community Relations Coordinator Mascot Coordinator Motion Designer Graphic Designer

BUSINESS OPERATIONS

FRONT OFFICE & HOCKEY OPERATIONS

Jon Sata Kevin Dooley Greg Sprott Jackie Schroeder

Seth Gold Wayne Messmer Norine Gillner

Stefanie Evans Eric Zavilla Tim Weaver Pawel Sienko Brett Bennick Chris Friederich Mike Jucaban Leslie Metcalf Anissa Patterson Colette Hankin Nick Aikman Brett Bavcevic Joshua Katz Abigail Kruzel Spencer Lhotka Kevin Horan Jake Schneider

President of Business Operations Sr. Executive Director of Ticket Sales Sr. Director of Partnership Sales Sr. Director of Ticket Retention and Services Sr. Director of Program Development Executive Director of Ticket Sales and Retention Sr. Manager of Partnerships and Media Sales Sales Development Manager Client Services Manager, Partnerships Partnerships Sales Executive E-Business Specialist B2B and Group Event Specialist Client Services Coordinator, Partnerships Sales and Services Coordinatoror Account Executive Group Sales Account Executive Group Sales Account Executive Group Sales Account Executive Account Executive: Group Sales and Youth Hockey Inside Sales Representative Inside Sales Representative

Director Senior Executive Vice President Hockey Operations Assistant

MEDICAL STAFF Scott Logue, MD A.J. Acierno, DDS

Team Physician/Orthopedics Team Dentist Jolie Holschen Caravello, MDEmergency Medicine/Sports Medicine David Hamming, MD Serafin DeLeon, MD

GAMEDAY STAFF Chris Dubiel Brittney Hillebrand

Public Address Announcer In-Arena Host

Nick Alaimo, Tommy Acierno, Ivanne Bandera, Gianna Belcastro, Danielle Biewald, Stephanie Breakey, Ben Campbell, Joe Capozzi, Anthony Chicalace, Morgan Chicalace, Tyler Cristofaro, Nate DeBolt, Ian Dwyer, Rebecca Erken, Hailey Falat, Lily Freedman, Tom Fumagalli, Matt Glavach, Peter Gniech, Jessica Golden, Alex Gordon, Christopher Jackson, Nolan Kacer, Steve Laures, Alexia Matthews, Jon Midlock, Esmeralda Natividad, Seth Novoselsky, Kelly O’Connor, CJ Reif, Justin Sata Lauren Stoeck, Kelly Tragas, Dean Valera, Alex Vara, Jillian Windbiel

BREAKAWAY MAGAZINE

Editorial Producer: Courtney Mahoney Publication Writer: Lindsey Willhite Publication Photographer: Ross Dettman Publication Designers: Christina Moritz, Morgan Prato Creative Support: Imran Javed, Troy Mueller

BREAKAWAY MAGAZINE  1

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2021-2022 SEASON

Dear Fans, It is my pleasure to welcome you to the 2021-22 American Hockey League season, the latest chapter in a tradition of excellence that can be traced back more than eight decades.

SCOTT HOWSON PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER AMERICAN HOCKEY LEAGUE

We’re thrilled to have 31 teams back on the ice this fall, and we’re especially excited to have our passionate fans back to cheer on our players inside arenas across North America. Our clubs remain dedicated to ensuring everyone’s health and safety, allowing us to continue our role as the top development league for nearly all of the players, coaches, executives, trainers, broadcasters and officials in the National Hockey League today.

On behalf of all of our teams across the United States and Canada, thank you for your continuing support of the AHL, and I will see you at the rink.

Sincerely,

SCOTT HOWSON PRESIDENT & CEO | AMERICAN HOCKEY LEAGUE

BREAKAWAY MAGAZINE  3

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WOLVES HIS TORY // FOUR CHAMPIONSHIPS // The Chicago Wolves are extremely proud of their four league championships.

They’re a testament to the vision of Wolves founders Don Levin and Buddy Meyers and their willingness to provide the resources and support necessary to try to win it all every year.

They’re a tribute to the ability of the Hockey Operations Department, led for 12 years by general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff, to find great players all over the world and bring them together in Chicago.

They’re proof of longtime head coach John Anderson’s tactical excellence during games — and how his choice to treat his players like men instead of machines brought out the best in them.

Most important, the four league championships are a lasting monument to all of the Wolves players who dedicated their lives to the pursuit of excellence.

While no championship happens without countless years of toil and sweat, all that work culminates in a specific day when the final series is won and the Cup is finally lifted toward the sky. These are the four dates when the Wolves woke up with high expectations and went to bed (eventually) as champions!

1998 TURNER CUP FINALS: GAME 7 //

Monday, June 15 • Rosemont Horizon • vs. Detroit Vipers One night after Michael Jordan sank a last-second jumper in Utah to set off the Bulls’ sixth NBA championship celebration in eight seasons, Chicago’s eyes turned toward the Wolves as they tried to secure the franchise’s first International Hockey League title.

Considering the Wolves and the Vipers had three days between Games 6 and 7 to allow their emotions and their nerves to build, both teams were particularly on edge while more than 16,000 revved-up fans filed into the arena.

The fireworks started just as warmups ended. Detroit tough guy Andy Bezeau, as he headed off the ice, fired a puck into the Wolves net while goaltender Stephane Beauregard was still there. That drew the ire of Wolves backup goaltender (now general manager) Wendell Young and others, which led to a brawl at the west end of the rink as players from both teams left the locker room to return to the ice and exchange blows. The Rosemont police had to break up the melee, which delayed the start of the game.

When play finally began, the tension built to a nearly unbearable level as neither team scored during the opening 40 minutes.

But early in the third period, defenseman Bob Nardella raced down the slot and flipped a shot that Vipers goaltender Jeff Reese steered into the corner. Nardella chased down the rebound and centered it quickly to Chris Marinucci for a redirect that gave the Wolves the lead with 14:56 to play. Postseason MVP Alexander Semak added two insurance goals and Beauregard rejected all 29 shots he faced to wrap up a 3-0 win and set off a wild celebration in Rosemont.

“I JUST REMEMBER STEPHANE BEAUREGARD COMING IN (TO THE DRESSING ROOM AFTER THE FIGHT) AND HE WAS OUR GOALIE THAT NIGHT & HE SAID, ‘THEY SHOULD NOT HAVE PISSED ME OFF.’ ”

— Wolves defenseman Bob Nardella

BREAKAWAY MAGAZINE  5

2000 TURNER CUP FINALS: GAME 6 //

Monday, June 5 • Van Andel Arena • at Grand Rapids Griffins After producing the IHL’s best record and scoring the most goals during the 1999-2000 regular season, the Wolves were favored to win their second championship in three years. But the Griffins, who posted the league’s second-best record, didn’t make it easy on their rivals.

The Wolves had a chance to wrap up the title in Game 5 and a franchise-record 18,412 wins showed up at Allstate Arena to watch it happen, but Grand Rapids spoiled the party with a 6-4 win. That forced the Wolves (and a bunch of their fans) to make the three-hour drive to Grand Rapids for Game 6.

The Griffins drew a sellout crowd of their own and the hosts rode their energy to a scoreless draw through the first 20 minutes, but then late-season acquisition Derek Plante swung into action.

Plante slapped home a loose puck at 6:54 for the game’s first goal, then added another just 26 seconds later when goaltender Jani Hurme was wiped out of the play because a Griffins defender threw Wolves center Guy Larose into Hurme.

Grand Rapids sliced the Wolves’ lead to 2-1 by the end of the second period, but All-Star center Chris Marinucci gave Chicago some breathing room with an unassisted goal at 12:25 of the third.

Goaltender Andrei Trefilov took it from there — finishing with 26 saves to earn his third win of the Finals as well as the Most Valuable Player honors.

2002 CALDER CUP FINALS: GAME 5 //

Monday, June 3 • Allstate Arena • vs. Bridgeport Sound Tigers Though the final result couldn’t have been any sweeter, the Wolves’ shift from the International Hockey League to the American Hockey League didn’t always go as smoothly as everyone hoped.

The Wolves needed extra time to blend their legendary veterans with the Atlanta Thrashers’ promising youngsters, which meant the team settled for the Western Conference’s seventh seed and had to win a best-of-three qualifying round just to get to the quarterfinals.

Chicago went the distance in each of its first three playoff series, but needed just five games to dispatch Houston in the Western Conference Finals to set up a shot at a Calder Cup. More than 15,000 fans turned out to see whether the Wolves would wrap up the title in Game 5.

The crowd’s roars got progressively louder as Wolves all-time leading scorer Steve Maltais produced two goals in the first eight minutes and added a third at 3:07 of the second. Not only did that stake the Wolves to a 3-0 lead, it inspired dozens of fans to fling their hats to the ice. But Bridgeport rallied to score three goals in the second period to pull even.

The suspense kept building as Wolves goalie Pasi Nurminen and Sound Tigers goalie Rick DiPietro didn’t allow any more goals for more than 40 minutes. Then Wolves forward J.P. Vigier raced up the left wing and sauced a perfect pass ahead to Yuri Butsayev, who spied open space between DiPietro’s skates and made history in the second overtime.

2008 CALDER CUP FINALS: GAME 6 //

Tuesday, June 10 • Allstate Arena • vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins John Anderson’s 2007-08 Wolves were dominant from Day 1. Six weeks into the season, they owned a 13-0-1 record and wound up with the Western Conference’s best record.

It’s hard to imagine anyone in the organization doubted the team’s worthiness to be a champion, especially after taking the first three games of the Calder Cup Finals against Wilkes-Barres/ Scranton by a combined 15-6 margin. But when the Penguins rallied to take Games 4 and 5, it added a little bit of tension to Game 6 in Rosemont.

The Wolves raced to a 2-0 lead as defenseman Nathan Oystrick whistled home a power-play goal and Jason Krog buried a bad Penguins pass into the back of the net. But Wilkes-Barre/Scranton made it 2-2 after two periods.

That’s when the Wolves’ overwhelming skill took over again. Jesse Schultz led a 2-on-2 rush but, instead of feeding the puck ahead to Darren Haydar, he spotted Krog open trailing the play and the league MVP wristed it home from the faceoff dot for a 3-2 lead 4:44 into the third.

Then defenseman Arturs Kulda lobbed a pass 100 feet ahead to Krog, who was waiting alone at the blue line. He zipped a forehand past goaltender John Curry with 4:37 left in regulation to complete his hat trick and send the crowd into hysterics. When Brett Sterling stuffed home a rebound with 2:18 remaining, everyone knew the Wolves’ fourth championship was in the bag.

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BE SOCIAL.

CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD / GOVERNOR

/ DON LEVIN //

founded DRL Enterprises, Inc., in 1969. The Glenview-based company has holdings in many industries including tobacco processing, aircraft and medical equipment leasing, licensed sports product manufacturing and distribution, and motion picture production and distribution.

Levin’s film company has made nearly 20 motion pictures distributed in the U.S. and overseas. His films have featured such stars as Emilio Estevez, Charlie Sheen, Sharon Stone, Rodney Dangerfield, and Chuck Norris.

Levin founded the Chicago Wolves with Buddy Meyers and Grant Mulvey in January 1994 and has served as the team’s chairman of the board since the franchise’s inception. Levin donates his time and energy extensively and serves on the board of directors for several charitable organizations.

The Chicago native was recognized at the Boy Scouts of America’s Northwest Suburban Council’s Distinguished Citizens Banquet as its 2005 Honoree. Under Levin’s direction, the Wolves organization has held a scout night for the Northwest Suburban Council at a home game for the last 20 seasons.

Levin was inducted into the Illinois Hockey Hall of Fame on Jan. 27, 2013. He was honored as the International Hockey League’s Executive of the Year for the 1999-2000 season, which concluded with the franchise’s second of four championships.

Before beginning his business career, Levin served in the United States Marine Corps, from which he was honorably discharged.

VICE CHAIRMAN

/ BUDDY MEYERS // a principal owner of the Wolves who founded the franchise with Don Levin and Grant Mulvey in January 1994, has been involved in the world of hockey for more than 45 years. He is a former certified agent of the National Hockey League Players’ Association and is past attorney for the Soviet Red Army Hockey Team (CSKA).

He is a practicing attorney and the principal in the law firm of William Buddy Meyers, Ltd. His concentration is in the areas of worker’s compensation and personal injury litigation. Additionally, he is a member of the Illinois Bar Association, Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, and Illinois Workers Compensation Lawyers Association; a former director of the Better Boys Foundation and River North Association; and a recipient of the Shomrim Society of Illinois’ Man of the Year Award in 2006. He also supports numerous charitable and environmental organizations.

Meyers, who was inducted into the Illinois Hockey Hall of Fame on Jan. 26, 2014, is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and holds a juris doctor degree from the Illinois Institute of Technology/Chicago Kent.

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GENERAL MANAGER

/ WENDELL YOUNG // is in his 13th season as the Chicago Wolves general manager. Since being hired as GM in August 2009, the Wolves have compiled a .597 regular-season winning percentage and captured seven division titles: the 2010 West, 2012 Midwest, 2014 Midwest, 2017 Central, 2018 Central, 2019 Central and 2021 Central. The Wolves also reached the 2019 Calder Cup Finals.

Young has been a member of the Wolves organization in virtually every capacity – including player, coach, and executive --- since the team’s inaugural campaign in 1994.

He served as assistant coach and executive director of team relations for six seasons before transitioning into the general manager role.

The 58-year-old stands as the Wolves’ all-time leader among goaltenders in games (322), wins (169), saves (8,467), minutes (17,912), and shutouts (16), and was a member of Chicago’s 1998 and 2000 Turner Cup championship squads. His jersey number “1” was retired on Dec. 1, 2001 – becoming the first Wolves player to receive the honor.

ASSISTANT GENERAL MANAGER

/ BILL BENTLEY // is in his 13th season as the Chicago Wolves assistant general manager and stands as one of a handful of people who has been a part of the organization since the team’s inception in 1994. Bentley has been instrumental in the hockey operations department for more than 15 years, which includes all four seasons that ended with a championship.

The Chicago native joined the organization as a statistician in 1994 and was promoted to team services manager a year later. The 50-year-old spent 12 seasons as the director of hockey administration — handling team travel, immigration, and accounting for the hockey operations department — before assuming the assistant general manager role in August 2009.

A graduate of Quincy College, Bentley served as the Director of Media Relations for the Chicago Cheetahs of the now-defunct Roller Hockey International during the 1993-94 season.

SENIOR ADVISOR / DIRECTOR OF HOCKEY OPERATIONS

/ GENE UBRIACO //

who has been with the Wolves since the franchise’s inception in 1994, is in his 25th season as the team’s director of hockey operations and 13th as senior advisor.

Ubriaco was hired in 1994 as the Wolves’ first head coach and guided the expansion team to a 34-33-14 record and a berth in the 1995 Turner Cup playoffs.

“Ubie” began his coaching career at Lake Superior State University in 1972-73. Four years later, he led the Milwaukee Admirals to the Turner Cup playoffs to become the first International Hockey League coach to lead an expansion team into the postseason.

In 1988-89, Ubriaco moved on to the National Hockey League to coach the Pittsburgh Penguins. Under his tutelage, the Penguins shattered several team records and advanced to the Stanley Cup Playoffs after a seven-year absence. Ubriaco gained international coaching experience by heading up the Italian Olympic Team during the 1992 Winter Games in Albertville, France.

The Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, native also played professional hockey for 10 years, which included three seasons in the NHLwith the Pittsburgh Penguins, Oakland Seals and Chicago Blackhawks. He posted 39 goals and 35 assists in 177 NHL games.

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TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS PROGRAM, CALL 1•800•THE•WOLVES OR VISIT CHICAGOWOLVES.COM

MAKINIEMI FOR THE SAVE GOALTENDER EETU MAKINIEMI MAKES HIS NORTH AMERICAN DEBUT /

BY LINDSEY WILLHITE

has definitely bought into that. He listens. He wants to see video. Very invested to get better and make the next step. He doesn’t give excuses when goals go in. He wants to know how to correct it.”

Makiniemi has been a goalie since he was 7 — he raised his hand when the coaches asked for volunteers go into the net, perhaps because his favorite player at the time was Niklas Backstrom, a superstar in Finland who spent 2006-16 excelling for the NHL’s Minnesota Wild and Calgary Flames.

SCAN TO WATCH MAKINIEMI’S BEHIND-THE-BACK GLOVE SAVE

This is rookie goaltender Eetu Makiniemi’s first time in America — he doesn’t really count the five-day mini-camps he did with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2017 and 2019 — and the 22-year-old from Vantaa, Finland, has no complaints.

“I have liked being here,” Makiniemi said.

“It’s lots of new things for me, so it’s really nice to learn how things work here.”

Though he visited downtown Chicago a few times with his teammates, he didn’t do much other exploring for his first three months in town. Among other reasons, he didn’t have access to a car, so he didn’t even make time to tour the Woodfield Mall complex that’s not far from his hotel.

Mostly, Makiniemi has been busy making a name for himself with the Wolves.

In his first 10 starts in North America, the affable 6-foot-3, 195-pound goalie produced a 7-2-1 record with a 2.20 goals-against average and .919 save percentage. That ranked him fifth in the 31-team American Hockey League in wins and seventh in goals-against average. He also produced one of the

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league’s most amazing saves during a 3-1 win over Grand Rapids on Nov. 28 (to see it, use the QR code above).

At the rate he has been improving, the Hurricanes’ fourth-round pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft will have plenty of time to explore North America in years to come while playing at the highest level.

“Any time a young guy comes in, you don’t know what you’re going to get,” said Wolves general manager Wendell Young, a fourth-round pick in the 1981 draft who played professionally for 19 years and won titles everywhere he went. “But I think he has exceeded expectations at this point. (Carolina) projected a high upside for him, but I think his development is farther ahead than they thought.

“I think the first thing with him is his attitude off-ice: Upbeat, always smiling, always working hard,” Young added.

“He’s very coachable. You want guys that listen to their coaches because we’ve basically told the players that the coaches are here to make them better, to help them make the next step. He

Just as Backstrom enjoyed immediate success when he traded in Europe’s wide rinks for North America’s more compact ice surfaces, Makiniemi believes the AHL/NHL rinks are better suited for his skill set.

“When the players come across the blue line, you need to be ready all the time,” Makiniemi said. “It doesn’t matter if the puck is on the boards, you need to be ready for the shot. And the tempo, it’s way faster here. Everything happens so much faster. For me, I maybe like it even more here. In Finland, there is sometimes maybe too much time for a goalie. For me, everything comes naturally. I don’t overthink it. When the rink is smaller, you don’t have time to think.”

In his second start for the Wolves, Makiniemi earned his first pro shutout in North America. But whether he’s blanking an opponent or giving up a goal here or there, you’ll never be able to tell.

“I’m a pretty calm guy normally,” Makiniemi said. “On the ice, it’s pretty much the same. That’s the style I like to play. Of course, I have the mentality that I want to win, but you can’t see it on the ice. I’m trying to keep it as calm as possible all the time. Of course if I make a huge save, I can feel it inside me, but I’m not showing it on the outside.” 

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/ MEET THE WOLVES //

3

4

5

C // STEPHEN HARPER

D // JOEY KEANE

D // JALEN CHATFIELD

8

9

10

H: H: 6-2 W: 215 May 25, 1995 Hamilton, Ontario

D // MAX LAJOIE

H: 6-1 W: 190 Nov. 5, 1997 Quebec City, Quebec

17 C // MAXIM LETUNOV

H: 6-3 W: 186 Feb. 20, 1996 Moscow, Russia

H: 6-1 W: 185 July 2, 1999 Chicago, Illinois

LW // C.J. SMITH

H: 5-11 W: 183 Dec. 1, 1994 Des Moines, Iowa

H: 6-1 W: 196 May 15, 1996 Ypsilanti, Michigan

LW // JOSH LEIVO

H: 6-2 W: 192 May 26, 1993 Innisfil, Ontario

18

20

F // SPENCER SMALLMAN

D // CAVAN FITZGERALD

H: 6-1 W: 200 Sept. 9, 1996 Summerside, Prince Edward Island

H: 6-1 W: 200 Aug. 23, 1996 Boston, Massachusetts

6

7

C // RYAN SUZUKI H: 6-1 W: 190 May 28, 2001 London, Ontario

12

RW // STELIO MATTHEOS H: 6-1 W: 200 June 14, 1999 Winnipeg, Manitoba

22

LW // DAVID COTTON H: 6-3 W: 190 July 9, 1997 Parker, Texas

15

C // JACK DRURY H: 6-0 W: 185 Feb. 3, 2000 Winnetka, Illinois

23

C // ANDREW POTURALSKI

H: 5-10 W: 185 Jan. 14, 1994 Williamsville, New York

RW // STEFAN NOESEN H: 6-1 W: 207 Feb. 12, 1993 Plano, Texas

BREAKAWAY MAGAZINE • 15

PRESENTED BY

PROCEEDS BENEFIT

VISIT THE CHICAGO WOLVES CHARITIES TABLE BEHIND SECTION 105 FOR MORE INFORMATION AND THE CHANCE TO WIN!

/ MEET THE WOLVES //

24 D // ARTYOM SERIKOV

H: 6-1 W: 203 Dec. 28, 2000 Dmitrov, Russia

29 LW // DOMINIK BOKK

H: 6-1 W: 190 Feb. 3, 2000 Schweinfurt, Germany

25

26

27

RW // IVAN LODNIA

C // JAMIESON REES

RW // DAVID GUST

H: 6-0 W: 194 Aug. 31, 1999 Los Angeles, Calif.

32 D // JESPER SELLGREN

H: 5-11 W: 186 June 11, 1998 Ornskoldsvik, Sweden

H: 5-10 W: 182 Feb. 26, 2001 Hamilton, Ontario

37

H: 5-10 W: 175 Feb. 21, 1994 Orland Park, Illinois

34

35

G // ALEX LYON

G // EETU MAKINIEMI

H: 6-1 W: 201 Dec. 9, 1992 Baudette, Minnesota

LW // SAM MILETIC H: 6-1 W: 196 May 4, 1997 Detroit, Michigan

28 D // JOSH JACOBS

H: 6-2 W: 220 Feb. 15, 1996 Shelby Township, Michigan

36

H: 6-3 W: 195 April 19, 1999 Vantaa, Finland

F // KYLE MARINO

H: 6-3 W: 225 June 1, 1995 Niagara Falls, Ontario

D // DANIEL BRICKLEY

38

H: 6-3 W: 203 March 30, 1995 Sandy, Utah

/ HOCKEY OPERATIONS //

KEVIN KACER

RYAN SHOUFER

STAN DUBICKI

LESTER TIU

Head Athletic Trainer

Equipment Manager

Goaltending Coach

Asst. Equipment Manager

BREAKAWAY MAGAZINE • 17

HOME AG

I KNEW I WOULDN’T BE ABLE TO SLEEP AFTER A GAME, SO I’D HAVE THE CLASS AFTER.

GAIN Winnetka native Jack Drury is following his family lineage, yet setting his own standards

BY LINDSEY WILLHITE | PHOTOS BY ROSS DETTMAN

IN

July 2020, with the COVID-19 pandemic causing chaos and uncertainty across North America’s sports landscape, the Ivy League canceled all games and practices through Dec. 31 at a minimum.

For Winnetka native Jack Drury, that presented a big dilemma.

On one hand, as the Carolina Hurricanes’ second-round pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, he needed to keep progressing on the ice. If Harvard wasn’t going to play any of its 202021 season, then how would he stay on track toward his projected future in the NHL? On the other hand, as a juniorto-be at Harvard University, he needed to stay in school and keep working toward his degree in Psychology. Who gives away a year of an Ivy League education?

But when it came time to make the decision, he landed on a typical Jack Drury solution: Instead of settling for A or B, he opted for A AND B. Drury signed a one-year deal to play center for the Vaxjo Lakers in the Swedish Hockey League — the best

competition he could get outside of the NHL or Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League.

“I was fortunate to find that connection in Sweden,” Drury said. “It couldn’t have worked out better. I got to go to a great organization, a great city and I had a lot of fun there.”

And, thanks to Sweden’s time zone being six hours ahead of Boston’s, he figured out a way to be a full-time professional athlete and a full-time student.

He practiced and ate lunch at the rink from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., then returned to his all-expenses-paid apartment and logged on to Zoom to take live classes with other Harvard students from 3 to 7 or 8 p.m.

Then he’d cook himself dinner, study and do it all again the next day.

As an example of how much Drury pays attention to details, he noticed the Lakers played most of their midweek games on Thursday nights. So he scheduled a Thursday class that started at midnight Vaxjo time.

“I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep after a game, so I’d have the class after,” Drury said.

“Which was not bad.”

Those late-night marathons

proved to be invaluable experience in May when Vaxjo qualified for the SHL Finals — at the same time Harvard scheduled its final exams. On the night of May 6, Drury and the Lakers played Game 3 of the best-of-7 finals against Rogle BK. Then he went back to his apartment and took his Human Trafficking final exam from midnight to 3 a.m.

Again, in typical Jack Drury style, he made the best of everything despite his hectic

schedule. Vaxjo captured the SHL championship in five games as Drury, despite being the second-youngest player on the roster, ranked second in the league in postseason scoring with 5 goals and 6 assists in 14 games. And that Human Trafficking final? He aced it with a score of 93.

I ALWAYS KIND OF KNEW HARVARD WAS WHERE I WANTED TO GO. WITH MY PARENTS GOING THERE, WE VISITED A LOT WHEN I WAS A KID.

MEET THE DRURY FAMILY By now, you might have (correctly) figured out Jack enjoys achieving and winning as much as humanly possible.

But where does this drive come from? While it’s neither fair nor correct to suggest he’s a triumph of DNA, we’re going to provide a quick review of the Drury family tree if only so you become familiar with Jack’s roots.

His mom, Liz (nee Berkery), earned All-America honors three years out of four while playing lacrosse at Harvard.

In her freshman season, she helped lead the Crimson to the national championship. In her senior season, she was named the national player of the year (the only one in Harvard history) as well as the school’s Senior Female Athlete of the Year.

Olympic team, then returned to Harvard and claimed the Ivy League Player of the Year honor while also being recognized as a finalist for the 1993 Hobey Baker Award that goes to the nation’s best collegian. Then he represented the United States again in the 1994 Olympics before moving directly into his eight-year NHL career.

(Longtime Wolves fans remember Ted helping Chicago reach the 2001 Turner Cup Finals as he stacked up 21 goals and 21 assists in 68 regularseason games and five goals in 14 postseason contests.

When Jack made his Wolves debut Oct. 16, they became the second father-and-son combo in franchise history — joining Chris and Jake Chelios.)

Ted’s younger brother, Chris, played even longer in the NHL as he racked up 255 goals over 12 seasons — six of them as team captain. Chris played on three Olympic teams and is in his first year as the New York Rangers’ general manager and president of hockey operations.

One more impressive note: Liz and Ted Drury were inducted into Harvard’s Athletic Hall of Fame together in 2008 — their first year of eligibility.

mature and willing to take a leadership role,” Liz said. “We have joked around that Jack would basically parent himself.

When he was younger, he’d come up to us and say, ‘You know what? I need to go to bed earlier. I’ve been staying up too late.’ I used to call him the self-cleaning oven. It wasn’t parenting — he was a selfcleaning oven.”

“When Jack was 6 or 7, I remember saying to Liz, ‘I think Jack thinks of us less like parents and more like peers,’ ” Ted said. “He talked to us like we were all on the same level.”

“His nickname was ‘Father’ for a while in our family,” Liz said. “We had Mom and Dad and ‘Father’ and we joked around that he was part of the parenting team. For any decision, he’d say, ‘Let’s pull in the parenting team.’ ” And while he loved playing baseball at Loyola Academy (he was a speedy left-handed center fielder) and was encouraged by his parents to investigate other prestigious universities, no one in the family was stunned when Jack committed to play

She also was a brilliant enough all-around athlete that she lettered on the basketball team as a freshman — and in high school she was a state finalist as a swimmer.

His dad, Ted, started at Harvard the same year as Liz (1989) and promptly made a difference on the hockey team as he won the Ivy League Rookie of the Year award. He spent a season away from school in order to play for the 1992 United States

“It was definitely valuable to see some other places,” Jack said. “College hockey is such an incredible experience, you’ve got to make sure you go the right path. But I always kind of knew Harvard was where I wanted to go. With my parents going there, we visited a lot when I was a kid. It’s just an awesome place with really good people. Just great guys on the team and great people on the campus.”

Jack needs just four more classes to complete his degree requirements, so he plans to take two courses each of the next two summers to wrap it up.

That means this season is his first where he has been able to focus on hockey full-time. At the outset, it became clear he would either make a massive jump straight to the NHL — or he’d have the chance to build on his skills with the Wolves.

Though he had a strong fall and stayed on the Hurricanes’ roster until the end of training camp, Jack was loaned to the Wolves right before the AHL season began.

JACK DRURY

“Many will say she’s the better athlete,” Ted said.

Photo credit Harvard Athletics

hockey at Harvard before his junior year of high school.

2021-22

So, yes, there’s some precedence for athletic and academic excellence in the Drury family, which also features Lilly (19), Owen (16), Teddy (14) and Ryan (10). Lilly is a freshman on Boston University’s lacrosse team while all three of Jack’s brothers play AAA hockey for the nascent Chicago Reapers organization based in Mount Prospect.

But life is what you make it — and Jack always has set his own expectations and standards rather than having them imposed on him.

“He has always been pretty

TED DRURY 2000-01

with each other. Or we’re yelling about football rankings and why Notre Dame’s ranked too low.”

INSTEAD OF THE HOUSE FEELING MORE CROWDED WITH JACK COMING BACK IN, IT FEELS LIKE THERE’S MORE ENERGY AND MORE FUN.

Uh, what?

– Liz Drury

“FATHER” COMES HOME In yet another trademark Jack Drury move, he was eager to move back into his boyhood bedroom when he joined the Wolves. But he did so on one condition: That he be allowed to pay rent.

“He offered and I said, ‘You know, this is supposed to happen when you have no job and you’ve been living at home for three years and eating all of our food. You’re taking all of the fun out of it,’ “ Ted said.

“But he insisted. He did the math and came up with what he said was the right number.”

Otherwise, most things are the same as when Jack moved to Waterloo, Iowa, in 2016 at the age of 16 to start climbing the junior hockey ladder and prepare for Harvard.

“Honestly, the biggest issue was amping up the food production,” Liz said with a laugh. “And for Jack, it was everyone being a little bit older. His youngest brother was 6 the last time Jack was living at home. Now he’s 10.

And now his oldest brother is taller than him.”

Instead of just three Drury boys acting like little kids while playing knee hockey in the house and football in the yard and punching each other everywhere, now there are four again.

“It’s pretty funny being at home right now and messing around with all my brothers,” Jack said. “It’s definitely good to be around those guys.

We’ve enjoyed being physical

“My youngest brother, for some reason, loves Notre Dame. So to give it to him, me and my older brothers always say why Notre Dame is ranked too high and their quarterback isn’t too good — and he gets really upset about it. It’s kind of funny.”

Alas, this type of fun won’t get to last forever. At some point in the not-too-distant future, Jack will move out of the family home and on the NHL. So the Drurys are all enjoying the “madhouse,” as

Liz calls it.

“Instead of the house feeling more crowded with Jack coming back in,” she said, “it feels like there’s more energy and more fun.”

“He’s a really thoughtful kid,” Ted said. “He’s aware of the people around him. He’s really funny. He likes to laugh.

It’s great to see him with his brothers. It’s nice to get to see him a lot.” 

“I’M A WINNER”

When this season began, Wolves play-by-play broadcaster Jason Shaver approached each player and asked them to voice a short Monday Night Football-style introduction so Wolves fans could get to know them.

Shaver requested each player state their name, number, school or junior hockey team and then declare what type of player they are. Some said “scorer” or “playmaker” or “grinder.”

When it came Jack Drury’s turn, he capped his spiel by saying “I’m a winner” with a smile on his lips and a glint in his eye. Later, Drury declared he was more than half-kidding — but his resume suggests his statement was no joke.

Last year, he won a title in the Swedish Hockey League with Vaxjo. In 2018, he captained and served as the leading scorer for the Waterloo Black Hawks squad that posted the USHL’s best regular-season record.

During the Winnetka native’s multi-year junior hockey career with the Chicago Mission, he captained multiple teams and played big roles on others that stood out on a national scale. In 201516, his 16U AAA team was coached by Rockford interim head coach Anders Sorensen and Wolves assistant coach Bob Nardella.

“He’s the same,” Nardella said. “He was very serious then. A very good two-way player. All the same stuff he does now. He hasn’t changed his personality or his demeanor — and that’s really what’s gotten him here. He’s very talented and he’s serious about what he does.”

It’s common to see Drury and Nardella working extra after practice as the 21-year-old seeks to refine tiny details of his game.

“I’ve always worked on little things and tried to get better,” Drury said. “It’s been nice having coaches who value that here. I think I enjoy that about the game. That’s what coming to the rink every day is all about – just trying to get a little bit better and finding things you need to work on and get better.”

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HEAD COACH

/ RYAN WARSOFSKY // is in his second season as Chicago Wolves head coach after leading the team to the 2021 Central Division title.

The 33-year-old North Marshfield, Massachusetts, native ranks as the American Hockey League’s youngest head coach and launched his coaching career in 2012 at Curry College in Milton, Massachusetts.

After one season as a Curry assistant, Warsofsky became an assistant coach for the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays working with current Toronto Maple Leafs assistant coach Spencer Carbery. After three years as an assistant, Warsofsky was promoted to head coach and led South Carolina to the Kelly Cup Finals in his first year.

Warsofsky posted an 88-44-10-2 record (.653) in two seasons at South Carolina before joining the Charlotte Checkers prior to the 2018-19 season. Serving as an assistant for Mike Vellucci, Warsofsky helped lead the Checkers to the 2019 Calder Cup championship.

Upon Vellucci’s departure, Warsofsky became Charlotte’s head coach on July 10, 2019, and directed the Checkers to a 34-22-5-0 mark (.598) during the pandemic-shortened 2019-20 season.

ASSISTANT COACH

/ PATRICK DWYER // is in his second season as a Chicago Wolves assistant coach. He rejoined the organization in Sept.

2020 after serving as the Charlotte Checkers’ assistant alongside Ryan Warsofsky in 2019-20.

Dwyer, 38, is no stranger to the Wolves. Selected by the Atlanta Thrashers in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft Dwyer graduated from Western Michigan University in 2005 and spent his first full year in professional hockey with the Wolves. The right wing posted 16 goals, 29 assists and a +15 plus/ minus rating during the 2005-06 season. He ranked fifth on head coach John Anderson’s squad with 45 points.

The Spokane, Washington, native then moved to the Carolina Hurricanes organization, where he split the next nine seasons between Carolina and the AHL’s Albany River Rats. Dwyer delivered 42 goals and 51 assists in 416 NHL regular-season games from 2008-15. He added 94 goals and 102 assists in 354 AHL appearances for the Wolves, Albany (2006-10) and the Charlotte Checkers (2016-17).

After wrapping up his professional playing career for the EIHL’s Belfast Giants in 2019, Dwyer launched his coaching career with Charlotte in 2019-20. He helped guide the Checkers to a 3422-5-0 record (.598) and a third-place finish in the AHL’s Atlantic Division.

ASSISTANT COACH

/ BOB NARDELLA // one of the most accomplished players in Chicago Wolves history, was promoted to assistant coach on July 12, 2017, after serving for two seasons as skills development coach and three seasons as a part-time assistant for the franchise. During his four seasons as a full-time assistant, Nardella has helped to lead the Wolves to the 2018, 2019 and 2021 Central Division crowns along with the 2019 Calder Cup Finals.

Nardella ranks second on the team’s all-time regular-season list for games (476), fifth in assists (239) and sixth in points (298) after spending six full and three partial seasons with the Wolves.

He was a key player when Chicago captured the 1998 and 2000 Turner Cups as well as the 2002 Calder Cup. The 53-year-old Melrose Park native made his Wolves debut during the team’s inaugural season in 1994-95. After spending one season in Italy and another in Germany – punctuated by his first of two appearances in the Winter Olympics with Italy’s national team – Nardella returned to the Wolves from 1997 to 2002.

BREAKAWAY MAGAZINE  27

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BREAKAWAY MAGAZINE  29

/ TIM BRESLIN // When the Chicago Wolves began in 1994, the hockey operations department made it top priority to find proven professionals who knew what it took to build a new franchise. Prospective Wolves needed to good on the ice AND in the community — and if they grew up in the Chicago area, even better.

Therefore, it was no surprise when Addison native Tim Breslin, three years of International Hockey League experience on his resume, became one of the first three players signed by the Wolves.

For five years, the versatile forward gave everything he had to the Wolves organization. He stacked up 37 goals and 82 assists in 330 regular-season games — and appeared in 21 of the 22 postseason games when the Wolves seized their first league championship in 1998.

Off the ice, Breslin never passed up a chance to help others. He operated hockey clinics for adults (“Hockey Skilz”) and for children (“Breslin on Blades).” He spoke at libraries, visited hospitals and donated his time freely to raise money for multiple charities. The International Hockey League recognized his efforts by naming Breslin its Man of the Year for the 1996-97 season.

Breslin retired after the 1998-99 season, which enabled him to spend more time with his wife, Jami, and their young children: Shane, Paige and Chase. But in late 2004, he was diagnosed with appendiceal cancer. With unforgiving haste, the cancer spread through his body and claimed his life on Feb. 9, 2005, at the age of 37.

The Chicago hockey community rushed to help the family of the man who had helped so many others. On June 10, 2005, the Wolves alumni team and the Chicago Blackhawks alumni hosted an exhibition game that drew 10,000 fans to Allstate Arena to raise money for the Breslin family.

In addition, the Wolves honored Breslin’s life by creating the Tim Breslin Unsung Hero Award — given annually to the Wolves player who best exemplifies his on-ice spirit, team-first attitude and level of community involvement.

TIM BRESLIN UNSUNG HERO AWARD WINNERS: 2019-20: D Jake Bischoff

2015-16: D Andre Benoit

2011-12: D Mark Matheson

2007-08: D Brian Sipotz

2018-19: D Zac Leslie

2014-15: D Brent Regner

2010-11: D Jaime Sifers

2006-07: D Brian Fahey

2017-18: C T.J. Tynan

2013-14: D Brent Regner

2009-10: F Matt Anderson

2005-06: C Kevin Doell

2016-17: F Bryce Gervais

2012-13: F Bill Sweatt

2008-09: C Steve Martins

2004-05: D Tim Wedderburn

/ DAN SNYDER // Dan Snyder joined the Chicago Wolves two years after Breslin retired — arriving just as the Wolves moved from the IHL to the AHL. While Snyder and Breslin didn’t necessarily have matching personalities, they were remarkably similar when it came to being great teammates who also devoted themselves to helping the Chicago community.

Among the highlights of Snyder’s two seasons with the Wolves: He tied the AHL’s all-time postseason record with five game-winning goals to help Chicago capture the 2002 Calder Cup. His ability to produce goals earned him a midseason promotion to the NHL’s Atlanta Thrashers in 2002-03 —and he was all set to be on their Opening Night roster for 2003-04.

But on Sept. 29, 2003, Snyder was critically injured after the Ferrari 360 Modena driven by his teammate, Dany Heatley, struck a wall along Atlanta’s Lenox Road. Both players were ejected from the car, which was split in half by the force of the impact. Snyder suffered a fractured skull and internal brain

injuries due to the car’s rapid acceleration and deceleration. The 25-year-old lapsed into a coma following emergency surgery, and died six days later on Oct. 5.

Snyder made a difference everywhere he went — as proven by the numerous organizations that established permanent awards in the Elmira, Ontario, native’s memory. The Wolves created the Dan Snyder Man of the Year award, which remains the highest honor a Wolves player can receive. The Snyder Award commemorates the player each year who demonstrates the most dedication to the Chicago community.

DAN SNYDER MAN OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNERS:

30

2019-20: G Oscar Dansk

2013-14: F Michael Davies

2007-08: D Nathan Oystrick

2018-19: F Tyler Wong

2012-13: F Michael Davies

2006-07: D Brian Sipotz

2017-18: F/D Scooter Vaughan

2011-12: RW Darren Haydar

2005-06: LW Karl Stewart

2016-17: LW Brett Sterling

2010-11: RW Spencer Machacek

2004-05: LW Karl Stewart

2015-16: C Pat Cannone

2009-10: LW Brett Sterling

2003-04: D Kurtis Foster

2014-15: RW Shane Harper

2008-09: LW Jordan LaVallee

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ALL-T IME F R ANCHISE

/ RECORDS & AWARDS //

/ BY THE NUMBERS //

ALL-TIME POINTS LEADERS

GOALS LEADERS

1. STEVE MALTAIS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 951 2. ROB BROWN. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 483 3. DARREN HAYDAR. . . . . . . . . . . . 368 4. BRETT STERLING. . . . . . . . . . . . 362 5. JASON KROG. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 342 6. BOB NARDELLA . . . . . . . . . . . . . 298 7. STEVE LAROUCHE . . . . . . . . . . . 228 8. CHRIS MARINUCCI. . . . . . . . . . . 220 9. STEVE MARTINS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193 10. DEREK MACKENZIE. . . . . . . . . . . 184

1. STEVE MALTAIS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 454 2. BRETT STERLING. . . . . . . . . . . . 193 3. ROB BROWN. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157 4. DARREN HAYDAR . . . . . . . . . . . 128 5. CHRIS MARINUCCI . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 6. JASON KROG. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 7. STEVE LAROUCHE . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 8. J.P. VIGIER. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 DEREK MACKENZIE. . . . . . . . . . . . 83 10. SCOTT PEARSON. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

4/

ALL-TIME WINS LEADERS

GOALS-AGAINST AVERAGE LEADERS

(GOALTENDERS)

(MINIMUM 25 APPEARANCES)

1. WENDELL YOUNG. . . . . . . . . . . . . 169 2. MATT CLIMIE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 3. KARI LEHTONEN. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 4. JORDAN BINNINGTON . . . . . . . . 59 5. OSCAR DANSK. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 6. MICHAEL GARNETT . . . . . . . . . . . 56 7. RAY LEBLANC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 8. ONDREJ PAVELEC . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 9. NORM MARACLE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 10. PETER MANNINO. . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

1. RICHARD SHULMISTRA. . . . . . . . 1.89 2. JAKE ALLEN. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.03 3. KARI LEHTONEN. . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.33 4. ANDREI TREFILOV . . . . . . . . . . . 2.36 5. KASIMIR KASKISUO. . . . . . . . . . 2.38 6. EDDIE LACK. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.46 7. OSCAR DANSK. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.50 8. MATT CLIMIE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.52 9. PHEONIX COPLEY. . . . . . . . . . . . 2.59 10. MAX LAGACE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.60

ALL-TIME GAMES LEADERS

LEO LAMOUREUX MEMORIAL TROPHY

1. STEVE MALTAIS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 839 2. BOB NARDELLA . . . . . . . . . . . . . 476 3. BRETT STERLING. . . . . . . . . . . . 408 4. DEREK MACKENZIE . . . . . . . . . . 377 5. KEVIN DOELL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 375 6. ROB BROWN. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 369 BRIAN SIPOTZ. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 369 8. TIM BERGLAND. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 361 9. DARREN HAYDAR. . . . . . . . . . . . 342 10. TIM BRESLIN. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 330

(IHL REGULAR-SEASON SCORING CHAMPION)

LES CUNNINGHAM AWARD (AHL REGULAR-SEASON MVP)

DARREN HAYDAR . . . . . . . . (2006-07) JASON KROG . . . . . . . . . . . . (2007-08) KENNY AGOSTINO . . . . . . . . . (2016-17) DANIEL CARR . . . . . . . . . . . . (2018-19)

WILLIE MARSHALL AWARD (AHL’S LEADING GOAL-SCORER)

BRETT STERLING . . . . . . . . (2006-07) JASON KROG . . . . . . . . . . . . (2007-08) WADE MEGAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . (2016-17)

YANICK DUPRE MEMORIAL AWARD (AHL MAN OF THE YEAR)

KURTIS FOSTER. . . . . . . . . . (2003-04) SCOOTER VAUGHAN . . . . . . . (2017-18)

ROB BROWN. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (1995-96) ROB BROWN. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (1996-97) STEVE MALTAIS . . . . . . . (1999-2000) STEVE LAROUCHE. . (2000-01) Shared

JOHN B. SOLLENBERGER TROPHY (AHL’S LEADING REGULAR-SEASON SCORER)

STEVE MALTAIS . . . . . . . . . (2002-03) DARREN HAYDAR . . . . . . . . (2006-07) JASON KROG. . . . . . . . . . . (2007-08) KENNY AGOSTINO . . . . . . . . . (2016-17)

IHL MAN OF THE YEAR AWARD (OUTSTANDING COMMUNITY SERVICE)

TIM BRESLIN . . . . . . . . . . . . (1996-97) CHRIS MARINUCCI . . . . . . . (1998-99) WENDELL YOUNG . . . . . . . . (2000-01)

THOMAS EBRIGHT AWARD (CAREER CONTRIBUTIONS TO AHL)

WENDELL YOUNG (2017-18)

Since the Wolves joined the American Hockey League prior to the 2001-02 season, four Wolves have earned the Most Valuable Player award: Darren Haydar (2006-07), Jason Krog (2007-08), Kenny Agostino (2016-17) and Daniel Carr (2018-19). No other AHL team has produced as many MVPs over the last 20 years.

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The Wolves led the Central Division race from start to finish in 2021, which earned the organization’s fourth Central Division title in the last five years and their ninth division crown since joining the AHL in 2001. No other AHL franchise has won more than six division titles over that time.

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Wolves legend Darren Haydar owns the American Hockey League record for longest point streak as he scored at least one point in 39 consecutive games to start the 2006-07 season.

Haydar piled up 24 goals and 55 assists from Oct. 7, 2006, to Jan. 6, 2007, to tie Wayne Gretzky for the fourth-longest point streak in professional hockey history.

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The Wolves roster features top-flight prospects every year — as evidenced by the 54 National Hockey League first-round draft picks who have played for the Wolves over the years. Four first-rounders wore the burgundy and gold last season: Dominik Bokk, Seth Jarvis, Ryan Suzuki and Phil Tomasino.

55 /

Left winger Brett Sterling burst on the scene in 2006-07 and stacked up an American Hockey League-leading 55 goals in 77 games. Not only did Sterling earn the AHL’s Rookie of the Year award, he was voted to the First All-Star Team.

397 /

Of the 691 players who have suited up for the Wolves since the team’s first game on Oct. 1, 1994, a remarkable 397 of them have played in the National Hockey League. That means more than 57 percent of all Wolves have reached the NHL. Defenseman Joey Keane, a native of south suburban Homer Glen, became No. 397 when he made his debut with the Carolina Hurricanes on May 10.

BREAKAWAY MAGAZINE  33

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WHAT'S THE DIFF? Find the 10 differences in the two photos below.

WHAT'S THE DIFF? ANAGRAM ALIAS Rearrange the letters of the following names to spell out Wolves s players.

iner Combo Ink K o J e m a s e S id

Ally Oxen Gal

vanized Craft

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BREAKAWAY MAGAZINE  35

WHAT'SYEAR’S THE DIFF? CROSSWORD NEW 1 3

2

4

5 6 7 8 9

10

11 ACROSS 4. Opposite of noon 5. Word for “night before” 7. Number of months in a year 9. Last month of the year 10. First month of the year 11. Common saying “_____ New Year!”

DOWN 1. A bell or phone does this 2. What the Wolves set off before every game 3. Ten years is a _______ 6. Every four years is a ____ year 8. Month with fewest days

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