Jacob Stoller of The Hockey News is reporting that the Chicago Wolves have e-mailed agents to let them know that the club is planning to end its affiliation with the Carolina Hurricanes at the end of this season and operate as an independent organization without an NHL affiliate. They will become the first AHL independent organization since 1994-95.
In an e-mail that was obtained by The Hockey News Wolves GM Wendell Young reportedly let NHL teams know that Chicago would be open to receiving NHL players on loan. Young was also quoted in an article from The Athletic as saying this about the club’s relationship with the Hurricanes, “some organizations are development-only, but we think if we have development and win playoff games, guys learn how to win, which you’re trying to do all the time. That’s changed. It’s time to go independent and follow our own philosophy.”
Stoller tweeted today that he doesn’t see this as a surprise and that he thinks this is what Chicago has always wanted. It is hard to argue with Stoller’s thinking, given what Young had to say in the media. Stoller added that he doesn’t think any NHL team would sign an affiliation agreement with the Wolves.
The news today gives Chicago a lot of flexibility heading into next season, but it also makes Young’s job as general manager a whole lot more difficult. He will no longer have an NHL club providing players to the Wolves, which will require him to sign a lot more players to AHL contracts. The Wolves will also still be required to follow the AHL’s development roster rule which states that 13 of 18 skaters must have played 260 games or less of pro hockey.
Good for the Wolves. There was a time when AHL cities weren’t automatically the buttmonkeys of NHL clubs, and were free to consider their own bottom lines and their own fan bases.
21 of 32 AHL are owned outright by their NHL affiliate. Others, such as Washington and Hershey, have excellent working relationships.
Buttmonkeys (eyeroll). Do you actually learn about a subject, before you spout off on it?
Beats me. Have you ever been a season ticketholder in the AHL?
No, I didn’t think so. Feel free to sit down and shut up.
Are you actually capable of disagreeing with someone without insults? Talk about trolls.
Answering a question with a question. Interesting.
I used to go to Baltimore Skipjacks and Bandits games all the time. And watched every Hershey Bears game for the last 5 years on AHL TV. So yeah, I know a lot about the AHL.
Trang does it all the time. He doesn’t serves it. But the funny is, he dishes it out constantly, but can’t take it.
That wasn’t much of an insult, just pointing out that he lacks knowledge of a subject, but acts like a know-it-all
It will be very difficult for the Wolves to put together a competitive roster. There are veterans limits that states you can only play 5 veterans & one exempt veteran a game. So, they can’t load up with vet players to fill out their roster. They will have to find college free agents who are willing to give up a chance at the NHL for a year to try & make a name for themselves. It will be a tough task
It could be but they can also get loaned players from any NHL team. They’ll still be able to find solid players I’m sure. Otherwise they wouldn’t do this
Maybe, but it still might be difficult. It will be interesting to see how NHL teams view the Wolves. NHL teams usually want their best minor leaguers/prospects playing in their system. They want them to be able to understand the way they play & then can fill them in if they need to be recalled. The Wolves won’t be able to provide that to these teams. It will interesting to see how it plays out. It is a big risk that the Wolves are taking
They’ll be pulling “pro” players from Europe more than North American college players.
European pro games still count towards the vet rule. They can’t circumvent the vet rule that way. The Wolves will have to dip into the college player ranks for at least a few players because those players won’t be anywhere close to the vet games played limit.
Not really, ericl. There’s one strong pool of players they can go for: the ones NHL teams aren’t all that interested in. 5’6″ junior scoring stars. Goalies who aren’t over 6′ tall. Players who don’t skate as fast as the NHL wants to see. The Patrice Lefebvres, Bruce Boudreaus, Mitch Lamoreauxs, Peter Whites — or more recent examples like Keith Aucoin, Chris Bourque or Darren Haydar — are out there in carload lots.
So how would this work? Would all the Canes farm players still play for the Wolves, but “on loan” from them?
No, the Canes need to find a new affiliate. Hopefully they go back to Charlotte.
so we’re going to have an ECHL team in the AHL? nice!
@Donovan, many already are. Most teams who have spent the last few years being contenders have spent their own AHL teams resources trying to expand their championship contention and have few top picks to build their systems. Happens often. Build, burn, rinse, repeat.
Phoenix Desert Canes
I’m curious to see where the Hurricanes AHL affiliate goes
Same. Charlotte would be nice but I think Florida has one year left on their agreement with the Checkers.
@brianfs Technically the two teams could share an affiliate. Hartford and Washington did that, long ago, but it doesn’t seem like a common thing, anymore. I don’t know how that sort of things works legally, but like I said, it has been done.
It has been done, Seattle shared Charlotte with Florida last season. The Panthers were the lead affiliate and that meant it was their system that was played. That is the biggest thing with a shared affiliate. The second team doesn’t have the chance to let their players play & learn their system.
Will be the best team in the A for years to come…pick from the best that is leftover…
Not that simple. You can’t just sign a bunch of veteran players because an AHL team is only allowed to play 5 vets every game. Still have to have younger players and that is where the Wolves will have to get creative to fill out their roster
Blues don’t have an echl team. Wonder if they could have 2 ahl teams? One would just be echl players. I’m sure there’s rules for echl that’s different than the ahl that would make that impossible
This has happened a bunch of times, actually. A team isn’t required to send its players to its formal affiliate, and any number of times a NHL team’s sent excess players to another squad.