The Fight of the Year

December 04, 2025

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TURCOTTE DISCUSSES ‘PRETTY CRAZY’ bout

Last season while playing on a professional tryout contract with the Wolves, Yanick Turcotte asked one of the league’s toughest players to drop the gloves so he could showcase his talents as an enforcer to the Wolves hierarchy.

So when the Moose’s Tyrel Bauer asked Turcotte to drop the gloves during the Wolves’ game in Manitoba on Sunday, Turcotte didn’t hesitate to say yes.

The result was what many around the American Hockey League are calling the Fight of the Year.

Turcotte and Bauer stood toe-to-toe and exchanged a flurry of punches in a bout that lasted around a minute and left both players bloodied.

“It was pretty crazy,” Turcotte said. “I know how he fights. He’s a very energetic guy. I know every time I’m going to go with him it’s going to be a war. We went at it and it went pretty well.”

One website counted the combined number of punches thrown by the pair at 80 with Bauer leading the way with 52, landing 28. Turcotte clocked in with 28 punches delivered with 14 finding their target.

“It was a great fight but I’m not real happy with the way I fought,” Turcotte said. “I had a game plan and things kind of went off the rails. I’ll give him props, he did really well in staying active and putting me in trouble. In my opinion, he took that round but we’ll see later this season if we go again.”

While Turcotte has been working diligently on his skating and shooting in an effort to be an all-around player, he knows his main job is to protect teammates and provide a lift with his physicality.

“A couple of times a year you get a fight like that against a known guy like Bauer and it can be good for you,” Turcotte said. “Then when you play other teams they are aware of your presence because of what you’ve done before. That’s really important.

“Every now and then you get a fight like that and it makes you feel better about yourself and it obviously fires up your teammates. We were trailing 1-0 at the time and were able to score two goals after and then went on to get a point (the Moose won 4-3 in a shootout).”

As Turcotte skated to the dressing room, his Wolves sweater was covered in blood—but it wasn’t his own. Bauer’s hands were bloody after hitting them on Turcotte’s helmet and visor.

“I wasn’t cut,” Turcotte said. “It was his knuckles. His knuckles were everywhere.’

For video of the fight, see the CDE Collision of the Week below.

surging seeley

Defenseman Ronan Seeley is one of the longest-tenured Wolves players on the roster as the Olds, Alberta, native is in his fourth season in Chicago.

Seeley’s goal is to make the NHL, but for now, the 23-year-old is a critical piece of the Wolves’ present and future success.

“It’s been a blessing,” said Seeley, who has been with the Wolves since 2022. “I feel like I’m here for a reason and I believe that. It’s fun to see the progress of the guys on the team over the years, guys I’ve spent several years with now and just seeing how life changes. Chicago’s felt like home for me and I never thought I’d say that.”

As an alternate captain, Seeley provides instrumental leadership and guidance to the Wolves’ younger players. He is often seen spending extra time after practice with the team’s more inexperienced defensemen.

What message is the veteran hoping to send?

“It’s a long season so just making sure the guys keep their details up throughout the year,” Seeley said. “Once you get into games early on, it’s easy to make sure you’re really dialed in, but once you get into the grind of the season that’s where you can kind of lose some of those details. So just checking in and reinforcing those traits of playing the right way and encouraging them as they go.”

Seeley is on pace offensively to surpass his career-high in points, set in his rookie season in 2022 (four goals, 21 assists). He has seven points (two goals, five assists) in 20 games so far this season.

“I think I’ve been doing well in some of the things I’ve been trying to focus on from the start of the season,” he said. “For me, just keep going hard, not being stagnant and improving as the season goes along here. So that’s kind of the challenge every year and what I’m focusing on.”

IMPACT NETWORKING PLAY OF THE WEEK

During Sunday’s game in Manitoba, Felix Unger Sorum worked his way to the front of the net and fired a shot that Moose netminder Isaac Poulter stopped before yielding a rebound. Unger Sorum stuck with it and batted the puck into the goal for his eighth marker of the season.

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

During the second period of Sunday’s tilt against Manitoba, Wolves forward Yanick Turcotte and the Moose’s Tyrel Bauer exchanged fisticuffs during this epic brawl.

SAVE OF THE WEEK

Wolves netminder Cayden Primeau kept it a one-score game during Sunday’s tilt in Manitoba with a miraculous save. After Moose forward Colby Barlow’s initial shot went wide, the puck caromed to Nikita Chibrikov, who looked to have an open net but was denied by a diving Primeau.

HELPING HANDS

The Wolves/Vitalant Blood Drive will take place on Dec. 20 from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. in the Allstate Arena Skyline Room prior to the Wolves’ game against the Iowa Wild. During this holiday season, fans have the perfect opportunity to help their community before enjoying an evening of exciting hockey.

All donors will receive two complimentary ticket vouchers to use for any future Wolves game during the 2025-26 season, a limited-edition Vitalant/Chicago Wolves T-shirt and a Wolves hat as well as being entered into a drawing to win a team-autographed Wolves jersey.

While walk-ins are welcomed on the day of the event, the Wolves and Vitalant recommend that appointments be made in advance. Donors must be at least 17 years old—or 16 with parental consent.

The best donation preparation includes eating well, staying hydrated and arriving at the Skyline Room with proper identification. Plan on the appointment lasting about an hour, though the donation takes just 10 minutes. The entire process is both safe and comfortable.

To schedule an appointment, visit vitalant.org/wolves

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Weekly rewind (2-1-0-1)

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 26

Wolves 8, IceHogs 4: The Wolves snapped a three-game losing skid behind an offensive onslaught led by Skyler Brind’Amour’s two goals and two assists. Gleb Trikozov, Josiah Slavin and Gavin Bayreuther each added a goal and an assist while Evan Vierling, Blake Biondi and Ronan Seeley scored and Ivan Ryabkin chipped in with two helpers. The win also ended Chicago’s five-game road losing streak.

SATURDAY, NOV. 29

Wolves 4, Moose 1: Bradly Nadeau had two goals and an assist, Felix Unger Sorum a goal and an assist, Nikita Pavlychev scored and netminder Amir Miftakhov made 23 saves to propel the Wolves to a 4-1 victory.

SUNDAY, NOV. 30

Moose 4, Wolves 3 (SO): Felix Unger Sorum had a goal and an assist and Ryan Suzuki and Nikita Pavlychev each scored to help the Wolves secure a point but Chicago fell when Danny Zhilkin notched the game-winner for the Moose in the shootout. The Wolves extended their points streak to three games and finished the road trip with a 2-2-0-1 record.

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 3

Moose 5, Wolves 0: The Wolves had their three-game points streak snapped when they couldn’t solve Moose goaltender Domenic DiVincentiis, who made 30 saves to record his first shutout of the season.

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First Star of the Week

Where we stand

9-7-3-1, fourth in the Central Division.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE