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.
FORWARD GEARING UP FOR STRONG FINISH
Noel Gunler is showing signs that he’s ready to break out of a scoring drought.
In the last three games—all Wolves victories—Gunler has a goal and an assist after being limited to one goal in the previous 10 contests.
“It’s a long season and there are going to be ups and downs,” Gunler, 23, said. “It’s about trying to keep slumps short. My mindset has been good the whole season and I feel ready to go every night even though maybe I haven’t produced as much as I want.”
The Lulea, Sweden, native ranks fifth on the Wolves in scoring with 12 goals—two of them game-winners—and 11 assists in 47 games. Gunler tops the team with five power-play goals and he boasts a shooting percentage of 14.6.
After a season with Karpat of the Swedish Elite League, Gunler returned to the Wolves and believes he is making strides to display the ability that convinced the Carolina Hurricanes to select him in the second round (No. 41 overall) of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft.
“I had a little bit of injury problems the last two years so it’s been tough,” Gunler said. “But I’ve for sure been happy with the steps I’ve taken this year and I’ve shown that I can be a very good player here and help the team win.
“You just have to prepare for every game and be ready to go and good stuff will happen,” he added. “I’m just trying to enjoy this and have fun with the guys. Of course, it’s more fun when we’re winning.”
TRIKOZOV READY TO RETURN
Gleb Trikozov’s long road to recovery is finally coming to an end.
After missing nearly three months due to a high-ankle sprain suffered against the Grand Rapids Griffins on Dec. 7 at Allstate Arena, the forward is scheduled to be in the lineup when the Wolves face the Wild on Wednesday night in Iowa.
“I’m ready for a game,” Trikozov, 20, said. “It was a long time to be out but right now I feel good and I think step by step I’ll be better.”
The Omsk, Russia, native suffered the injury when his skate blade got caught in some soft ice and “my blade made a bad turn. I don’t really know what happened but it was bad.”
In his first season with the Wolves, Trikozov, a second-round selection (60th overall) by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, had two goals and an assist in 18 games before suffering the injury.
Trikozov, who was slated to skate on a line alongside Skyler Brind’Amour and fellow winger Noel Gunler against the Wild, said his recovery was made easier by the encouragement he received along the way.
“Thank you to the fans for the support and thanks to my family,” Trikozov said. “It was really helpful for me.”
IMPACT PLAY OF THE WEEK
Wolves forward Bradly Nadeau added to his highlight reel with this gem, taking a pass from fellow rookie Scott Morrow, skating in on Rockford IceHogs goaltender Mitchell Weeks and scoring his second goal of the game–and 21st of the season–during Sunday’s game at Allstate Arena.
C.D.E. COLLISION CENTERS’ COLLISIONS OF THE WEEK
During the second period of Thursday’s game against Milwaukee at Allstate Arena, Wolves defenseman Aleksi Heimosalmi sent the Admirals’ Kieffer Bellows to the ice with this open-ice hit.
SAVE OF THE WEEK
Wolves goaltender Spencer Martin committed highway robbery on the Iowa Wild’s Graeme Clarke during Saturday night’s contest at Allstate Arena.
Weekly rewind (3-0-0-0)
THURSDAY, FEB. 20
Wolves 3, Admirals 1: Noel Gunler led the way with a goal and an assist while Skyler Brind’Amour and Josiah Slavin also scored as the Wolves skated to a victory in front of a sold-out crowd. Yanick Turcotte chipped in with two assists to help the Wolves snap a four-game losing skid.
SATURDAY, FEB. 22
Wolves 4, Wild 1: Josiah Slavin, Skyler Brind’Amour, Justin Robidas and Nikita Pavlychev scored for the Wolves, who won for the second game in a row while handing the Wild their third consecutive defeat. Ryan Suzuki and Nick Swaney each chipped in two assists for Chicago.
SUNDAY, FEB. 23
Wolves 4, IceHogs 2: Bradly Nadeau had two goals, Scott Morrow a goal and two assists and Nick Swaney also scored as the Wolves ran their winning streak to three games. Justin Robidas added three assists to help Chicago top Rockford for the seventh time in 10 meetings this season.
First Star of the Week
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JOSIAH SLAVIN, FThe Wolves captain had two goals and posted a plus-3 plus-minus rating to help his team capture three victories over the last week. For the season, the 26-year-old Slavin has nine goals and six assists in 43 games.
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Where we stand
27-20-2-0, fourth in the Central Division.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
| DATE | OPPONENT | TIME | LOCATION | TV INFO |
| Wednesday, Feb. 26 | Iowa | 7 p.m. | Wells Fargo Arena | FloHockey |
| Saturday, March 1 | Texas | 7 p.m. | H-E-B Center at Cedar Park | FloHockey |
| Sunday, March 2 | Texas | 5 p.m. | H-E-B Center at Cedar Park | FloHockey |
| Friday, March 7 | Milwaukee | 7 p.m. | UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena | FloHockey |
For information on Wolves ticket plans for the 2024-25 season—everything from single-game tickets to Flex Packs to group outings—visit ChicagoWolves.com or call 1-800-THE-WOLVES.
