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WOLVES THRIVED AS CLOSE-KNIT GROUP
In the end, the Wolves fell just short of their ultimate goal for the 2025-26 American Hockey League season—a Calder Cup championship.
But what the players, coaches and team support staff did skate away with following their loss to the Toronto Marlies in Game 5 of the Calder Cup Finals that ended the Wolves season was a bond they will share for the rest of their lives.
To a man, the Wolves said the ’25-26 squad was as close-knit of a team on which they’ve ever played.
“It’s the closest group I’ve ever been with, hands down,” Wolves captain Josiah Slavin, 27, said. “In pro hockey, you don’t find that often. Everybody in that locker room loves each other and everybody cares for each other and that’s why we ended up getting to where we were.”
Said alternate captain Ronan Seeley: “It’s definitely the closest group I’ve ever been with and that’s why we were able to persevere through hard months of the season and hard series in the playoffs.
“Even up to (Game 5), I thought we had it all the way because we trust each other and love each other,” Seeley, 23, continued. “I think it stems from the coaching staff down. I’ve never been on a team that loves each other this much and it’s a heartbreaker to lose that way but I love each and every one of these guys.”
That togetherness didn’t just make the ups of a season that much more enjoyable and the downs easier to handle, it got the Wolves through a month of March during which they went 3-8-2-1 and then through the trials and tribulations in postseason series against the Texas Stars, Grand Rapids Griffins, Colorado Eagles and, finally, the Marlies.
“It’s the closest team I’ve ever been a part of, including a couple of championship teams and what that let us do is to continuously believe and continuously fight for each other and that’s the biggest reason we made it that far,” head coach Spiros Anastas said. “We had all odds stacked against us in every single series from Texas giving us fits all regular season to playing the best team in the West in Grand Rapids to playing a very heavy veteran team in Colorado to a much older, more experienced team in Toronto, but that belief and that camaraderie and that connection that all these guys had just kept pushing us forward. We did everything we could for each other and that’s what it’s all about.”
In the dressing room in Toronto after being eliminated, Anastas’ message to the players focused on the victories—both individually and team-wise—that occurred throughout the season.
“I told the guys, ‘you can’t leave this rink in defeat, you have to consider all of the victories that we had this season. We came a long way,’ ” Anastas said. “I’m just proud of this team. It’s the best team I’ve ever coached. I’m excited to continue coaching some of them and the ones I don’t I’ll be connected with the rest of their careers and their lives.”
ROBIDAS CONTINUES TO DREAM BIG
Among the players who made the biggest strides in their games this season was forward Justin Robidas.
The 23-year-old finished second on the Wolves in scoring during the regular season with 23 goals and 37 assists for 60 points, topped the team in plus-minus rating (plus-20), shorthanded goals (two) and shots (191). In the postseason, Robidas’ seven goals tied Bradly Nadeau for the team lead.
Robidas was also named to the AHL All-Star Classic for the first time and played two games in the NHL with the Hurricanes.
“It’s been a huge learning curve,” Robidas said of the season. “I’ve enjoyed playing this season. I’ve learned a lot from the veterans and coaching staff and this playoff run was a great experience. It’s definitely fun to continue in a positive direction.”
Robidas has been recalled to the NHL for brief stints in each of the previous two seasons and his sights continue to be set on sticking in reaching the NHL and remaining there.
“That’s the goal for everyone,” said Robidas, a fifth-round selection (No. 147 overall) by the Hurricanes in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. “We were playing to win (the 2026 Calder Cup Finals) but it’s an experience you can take with you the rest of your career and then hopefully do it on the big stage.”
In which areas does Robidas believe he needs to improve the most to take the next step in his career?
“Getting stronger and faster,” the Plano, Texas, native said. “On the ‘D’ side of it, it’s making smarter plays, simpler plays and not complicating the game too much.”
Robidas said at times it can be difficult to remain patient in his quest to reach the NHL on a more permanent basis but, “there are a lot of good hockey players and especially as a smaller guy it won’t be easy.”
At 5-feet-8-inches and 180 pounds, Robidas realizes the road may be more difficult, but his size hasn’t deterred him from envisioning being an NHLer.
“You see a lot of smaller guys in the league, guys like Tyler Johnson who I looked up to a lot growing up and, right now, Brayden Point is a smaller guy and a center,” Robidas said. “And there are guys like Cole Caulfield who scored 51 goals this season. The game has evolved and if you’re smart enough, you can make it.
“I like my game where it is right now,” Robidas added. “I think I have the tools to one day be an NHLer. I just have to be patient with it and keep chipping at it, and I believe one day it will happen.”
ANASTAS’ JOURNEY TO THE TOP
Perhaps no one in the Wolves organization had a more roller-coaster season than head coach Spiros Anastas.
After joining the Wolves as an assistant coach to begin the 2024-25 campaign, Anastas was named interim head coach in December of ’25 and then permanent head coach on April 21, 2026, just in time to spearhead the team’s deep postseason run.
“There were some ups and downs over a course of 16 months of my tenure as an assistant coach and I wasn’t sure which direction my career would go,” Anastas said. “Then you get an opportunity and it’s a lot of pressure, but privileged pressure. I’m really thankful for (assistant coaches) Dan Price and Zach Richards because without them, we couldn’t have made it this far.
“You can never predict your journey and things change overnight, but it was such an easy group to hit the ground running with,” he continued. “I’m just very grateful and blessed for the way everything panned out.”
When does Anastas shift his focus on the 2026-27 Wolves season?
“Probably next week,” he said with a smile. “I have to be at (Hurricanes) development camp on June 28 so we’re going to meet some future Wolves there. Then I’ll take a little time off and by the time we hit July, which is right around the corner, we’ll start making preparations. We’ll get right into video and start (seeing) what our roster is going to look like. That’s the fun stuff—just preparing for training camp and the first week.”
IMPACT NETWORKING PLAY OF THE CALDER CUP FINALS
Viktor Neuchev’s overtime winner in Game 4 of the 2026 Calder Cup Finals against the Toronto Marlies on Thursday night kept the Wolves’ season alive.
C.D.E. COLLISION CENTERS’ COLLISION OF THE finals
During the third period of Game 1 on June 12 at Allstate Arena, Wolves forward Yanick Turcotte delivered the boom on the Marlies’ Dakota Mermis with a crushing check.
SAVE OF THE FINALS
Early in Game 1, Wolves goaltender Amir Miftakhov went post-to-post to deny Toronto’s Alex Nylander’s one-timer from the left circle.
For information on Wolves tickets for the 2026-27 season, visit ChicagoWolves.com or call 1-800-THE-WOLVES.
