We feature four premier scorers in this installment of the Chicago Wolves’ Your Favorite Number series, presented by Jewel-Osco. Whether setting up their teammates with pinpoint passes or shoveling pucks past goaltenders, these men stood out for the Wolves.
Over the course of the organization’s first 26 years, most Wolves jersey numbers have been shared by several great players. To celebrate their brilliance, we are creating highlight reels of Wolves who wore the same jersey number and asking you to vote for your favorite.
This week’s clips feature four Wolves who excelled while wearing No. 18: Kamil Piros, Jordan Schroeder, Kenny Agostino and T.J. Tynan.
Piros grew up playing in his native Czech Republic, but made the jump to North America in 2001 when he was 22. The lefty-shooting center debuted with the NHL’s Atlanta Thrashers, but joined the Wolves after appearing in five games. He quickly became a valuable scorer as he stacked up 19 goals and 30 assists in 64 regular-season games during the Wolves’ first season in the AHL. When the playoffs arrived, Piros appeared in all 25 games and contributed 6 goals and 11 assists as the Wolves hoisted their first Calder Cup. Piros split two more seasons between the Wolves and Thrashers and finished with 39 goals and 59 assists in a Wolves sweater.
Schroeder, a slick center from Lakeville, Minnesota, became the Vancouver Canucks’ first-round pick in the 2009 NHL draft. After spending two seasons with the U.S. National Development Team and two more at the University of Minnesota, Schroeder turned pro. He joined the Wolves for the 2011-12 season and posted 21 goals and 23 assists as the only player to appear in every game for the Midwest Division champs. The following year, Schroeder split time between the Wolves and Canucks and concluded his Wolves tenure with 33 goals and 44 helpers in 118 regular-season games.
Agostino spent just one season with the Wolves, but he made it a brilliant one. The New Jersey native and Yale University graduate blended great vision and great hands to pile up 24 goals and 59 assists to lead the Wolves to the 2017 Central Division title. Agostino paced the AHL in points and assists to become the obvious choice to win the Les Cunningham Award as the league’s Most Valuable Player. During the playoffs, Agostino battled through a painful injury to deliver a team-high 5 goals and 10 points in 10 games as the Wolves reached the Central Division Finals.
Tynan, an Orland Park native who grew up playing for the Chicago Mission and then the University of Notre Dame, donned No. 18 for the 2017-18 season and immediately became the Wolves’ top-line center. Tynan produced 15 goals and 45 assists for the 2018 Central Division champions — frequently setting up Brandon Pirri and Teemu Pulkkinen — before raising his game to an even higher level in 2018-19. Tynan led the AHL with 59 assists and shared the team lead with 71 points as the Wolves won their third Central Division title in a row. Tynan then delivered two goals and 11 assists in the postseason as the Wolves pushed all the way to the 2019 Calder Cup Finals.
To vote for your favorite Wolves player who wore No. 18, visit one or more of the team’s social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) and make your opinion known!
If you missed any of the previous episodes, here they are:
Your Favorite Number 2
Your Favorite Number 3
Your Favorite Number 4
Your Favorite Number 5
Your Favorite Number 6
Your Favorite Number 7
Your Favorite Number 8
Your Favorite Number 9
Your Favorite Number 10
Your Favorite Number 12
Your Favorite Number 13
Your Favorite Number 14
Your Favorite Number 15
Your Favorite Number 16
Your Favorite Number 17
