‘It means the world to me’

February 12, 2025

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YANICK TURCOTTE SECURES A DEAL

Yanick Turcotte stepped off the ice following Tuesday’s practice and was greeted with the news that the Wolves had signed the forward to a Standard Player Contract.

“Really? When? No way,” said Turcotte, who had been playing under a Professional Tryout Contract (PTO) since joining the Wolves in December. “Come on! That’s awesome.”

The deal, which was completed by the Wolves and Turcotte’s agent while the 28-year-old was on the ice, capped a significant step in Turcotte’s professional hockey journey.

“It means the world to me,” Turcotte said. “I’ve been working for this for eight years, trying to get to the AHL. I always believed in myself that I had the tools to be at this level.”

Other than two brief stints with the American Hockey League’s Bridgeport Sound Tigers totaling five games, Turcotte has spent the past eight years in the ECHL with Worcester, South Carolina, Adirondack and Fort Wayne.

When injuries and NHL recalls depleted the Wolves roster, Turcotte got the call to return to the AHL under a PTO.

“Before this year I really questioned if I was going to come back to the ECHL and do it again because I played there for so long,” Turcotte said. “I’ll always be grateful for the opportunity that the Wolves have given me.”

It was up to Turcotte to take advantage of the opportunity and the Quebec native immediately stepped into the role as the Wolves’ most physical player and the team’s enforcer.

Turcotte endeared himself to teammates when he got into a fight in his Wolves debut and in the five games he’s appeared in since, has dropped the gloves in three of them.

During their 6-0 victory over the Manitoba Moose on Feb. 1, the Wolves amassed a league-high 115 penalty minutes—106 of them during a third-period melee. Right in the thick of things was Turcotte, who ended up with 37 minutes in penalties from Roughing, Fighting, Misconduct – Continuing Altercation, Game Misconduct – Aggressor and Game Misconduct – Third Major/Second Fight.

“I’m not going to tolerate any team pushing us around,” Turcotte said. “I want to make sure every time I’m going out there that the players feel safe and they don’t feel like they’re going to be pushed around or intimidated. That’s pretty much my job, assuring that presence, as well as bringing some physicality and some energy.”

While Turcotte knows his role, he’s also determined to improve beyond the physical game and has been working with Wolves coach Cam Abbott on his skills.

“I just want to be able to be reliable and not a liability when I go on the ice,” Turcotte said. “It’s not so much about offense but more about helping the team to win by controlling the puck in the offensive zone. I don’t think my game is ever going to translate into how many points I get each season. I’m not here for that but if I can set up the other lines for success by finishing my checks and killing time in the offensive zone, I think it’s going to be beneficial to the team.”

Now with a little more job security in the form of the new contract, Turcotte intends to make the most of it.

“I’ve been working so long for this, waiting for this opportunity and finally I got it,” he said. “I’ll do everything every night to stay here and help this team.”

JUHA JAASKA BACK ‘HOME’

With the National Hockey League on a break for the 4 Nations Face-Off, Juha Jaaska is back with the Wolves.

Jaaska and Scott Morrow were reassigned to the Wolves from the Carolina Hurricanes and should provide a boost to the lineup as Chicago heads into a stretch of three games in three days, beginning Friday night against the IceHogs in Rockford.

While the stint in Carolina was Morrow’s second of his career, Jaaska is basking in the aftermath of his first NHL action. The forward made his debut Jan. 2 and appeared in 17 games, recording four assists and a plus-3 plus-minus rating.

“It was amazing, of course,” Jaaska said of his time with the Hurricanes. “It was nice to be there for so long—one month. I could really get used to the game and used to the rhythm of what is normal life in the NHL. It was a really good experience and now I know what I need to get better at.”

What were the biggest differences between playing in the NHL versus the AHL?

“Every detail,” Jaaska said. “The guys are bigger, stronger, faster and have more skill. The fourth line isn’t that big a difference but with those first-line guys it’s incredible how good they are.”

In 26 games with the Wolves, Jaaska has seven goals and nine assists along with a plus-5 rating. The Helsinki, Finland, native said the motivation now is to develop beyond being “an up-and-down guy.”

“Every day you don’t even unpack your stuff because every day you can get sent down,” Jaaska said. “The next dream is to be an NHL player and know you’re going to stay there.”

To get to that point, Jaaska is embracing his return to the Wolves, or “back home” as he called it.

“I know this is really good for me,” he said. “The game is so hard up there so I need to get way better and this is the perfect spot to develop my game with this group and these guys.”

IMPACT PLAY OF THE WEEK

The Wolves were skating shorthanded during overtime of Friday night’s game against the Condors in Bakersfield, Calif., when Domenick Fensore ended it following a terrific feed from teammate Ryan Suzuki.

 

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

While rookie Bradly Nadeau leads the Wolves with 17 goals this season, the forward showed he isn’t afraid to deliver a big hit during Saturday night’s game against the Condors.

 

SAVE OF THE WEEK

Goaltender Spencer Martin made 27 saves during the Wolves’ 4-3 victory over the Condors on Friday night, including this gem against Bakersfield’s Connor Corcoran to keep the game knotted at 1-1.

Weekly rewind (1-1-0-0)

FRIDAY, FEB. 7

Wolves 4, Condors 3: Domenick Fensore scored the game-winner in overtime with the Wolves shorthanded, Bradly Nadeau had a goal and an assist and Felix Unger Sorum and Ty Smith also tallied.

SATURDAY, FEB. 8

Condors 4, Wolves 0: The Wolves were unable to solve Bakersfield goaltender Collin Delia and Chicago settled for a split of the back-to-back contests in the second of a three-game road trip.

First Star of the Week

Where we stand

24-17-2-0, fourth in the Central Division.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE