HELPING ANIMALS IN NEED

January 16, 2025

Welcome to Wolves Insider, presented by Are You Really Winning?: The weekly report that gives you an inside look at the latest Chicago Wolves news and happenings. Look for a new edition of Wolves Insider each week.

ADOPTION AWARENESS THIS WEEKEND

This weekend, the Wolves will once again display the organization’s commitment to helping animals in need when it features an Animal Adoption Awareness Jersey Auction that will benefit local charities.

During games against the Bakersfield Condors on Saturday and Sunday, Wolves players will don commemorative Animal Adoption Awareness jerseys, presented by Campfire Marshmallows.

The jerseys will then be auctioned to own through a variety of initiatives with proceeds benefiting Border Tails Rescue, Wright-Way Rescue, Anderson Humane as well as Chicago Wolves Charities, driven by Kia.

“This is a cause close to the heart,” Wolves President of Operations Courtney Mahoney said. “It’s really important to our owner, Don Levin, and it’s certainly trickled down throughout our organization.

“With these jerseys it’s another opportunity for those folks who maybe already have a dog or who aren’t quite ready to have one that they, too, can contribute to the cause.”

The special jerseys have a tie-in with another promotion during Saturday night’s game, Superhero Night, as well as another in a series of Adopt-A-Dog Nights at Allstate Arena.

Wolves Creative Director Imran Javed brought the themes together in the design of the commemorative jerseys.

“The theme of our Adopt-A-Dog program is to be a superhero and take a sidekick home so we tied in the jersey to be a superhero theme,” Mahoney said. “The color is kind of unique. It’s not often we get to shake from our normal colors of burgundy, white and Storm. (Javed) did a really wonderful job with the attention to detail with the teeny paw prints along with some of the superhero logo.”

The jerseys are expected to be in high demand both online and at Allstate Arena, allowing fans to provide support in a unique way.

“With these jerseys we’re raising awareness,” Mahoney said. “There are things people can do–they can volunteer at these shelters, they can certainly fundraise for them or they can take a dog home, which is ideal. But if they can’t, here’s a great thing to support by donate to these shelters.”

The Animal Adoption Awareness jerseys will be available for auction and raffles in the following ways:

Blind Auction: Jerseys for Wolves players Nikita Pavlychev, Josiah Slavin, Spencer Martin, Scott Morrow, Ruslan Khazheyev, Bradly Nadeau, as well as mascot Skates and a team-signed jersey will be available in a blind auction that can be entered online and at Allstate Arena.

Silent Auction: A silent auction will be held for all remaining Animal Adoption Awareness jerseys, including jerseys for Wendell Young, Wayne Messmer, Steve Maltais and Billy Gardner. The silent auction can also be entered online and at Allstate Arena.

A Golden Raffle Ticket featuring a jersey worn by forward Skyler Brind’Amour is sold out.

WOLVES’ FAVORITE MARTIN

Wolves netminder Spencer Martin has quietly worked his way among the leaders in American Hockey League goaltending statistics.

Since his recall from the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League on Dec. 2, 2024, Martin has gone 7-2-0-0, including his first shutout of the season, a 20-save effort against the Rockford IceHogs on Jan. 4.

Following that stretch, the 29-year-old ranks seventh in the league in goals-against average (2.16) and ninth in save percentage (.918).

“It’s a business so of course I’m pushing myself to produce those numbers,” Martin said. “It’s just focusing on doing everything I can to prove where I’m at in my career. I have aspirations of getting back to the NHL so I’m doing everything I can since I’ve been here.”

Martin has appeared in 66 NHL games in his career with the Colorado Avalanche, Vancouver Canucks, Columbus Blue Jackets and Hurricanes. This season with Carolina, Martin is 3-4-1-0 with a 3.89 goals-against and .846 save percentage in nine contests.

While Martin is enjoying his time with the Wolves, the Oakville, Ontario, native is eyeing a return to the NHL.

“You never know when something may happen or when a break may appear,” Martin said. “Especially for a goalie it can happen just out of nowhere and then you can go on a stretch where you’re here for a while. It’s a cliché to say, but I’m just trying to stay in the moment and make sure I enjoy my time here as well.”

IMPACT PLAY OF THE WEEK

Veteran forward Nick Swaney notched his first goal of the season during Sunday’s game against the Firebirds in Coachella Valley.

 

C.D.E. COLLISION CENTERS’ COLLISION OF THE WEEK

During Saturday night’s game against Coachella Valley, Wolves defenseman Riley Stillman lowered the boom on the Firebirds’ Luke Henman.

 

SAVE OF THE WEEK

On Wednesday night, Wolves goaltender Ruslan Khazheyev made this brilliant stop on the Grand Rapid Griffins’ Shai Buium to keep the game scoreless.

Weekly rewind (0-3-0-0)

SATURDAY, JAN. 11

Firebirds 5, Wolves 2: Bradly Nadeau and Jordan Martel scored but in the end the Wolves came up short in the first-ever meeting between the franchises.

SUNDAY, JAN. 12

Firebirds 5, Wolves 2: Aleksi Heimosalmi and Nick Swaney had goals but it wasn’t enough to prevent the Wolves from being swept by the Firebirds in back-to-back games. Nikita Pavlychev chipped in with two assists.

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 15

Griffins 5, Wolves 2: Nikita Pavlychev and Jordan Martel scored but when the dust settled, the Wolves had dropped their fourth game in a row. Elmer Soderblom and Nate Danielson each had a goal and an assist to help the Griffins snap a three-game losing skid.

First Star of the Week

Where we stand

17-14-2-0, fourth in the Central Division.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE