The Wolves are set to embark on the 2026-27 American Hockey League season with a collective chip on their shoulders.
After capturing the Western Conference championship last season before falling short in the 2026 Calder Cup Finals, the Wolves will hit the ice for the season opener against the Moose on Saturday in Manitoba looking to take the next step.
“It’s really exciting to get going,” Wolves coach Spiros Anastas said. “Once you hit August you start thinking about the next season and you start chomping at the bit. This is a real big opportunity for us, especially after what we accomplished last year.
“We have a lot of guys coming back who feel like they have some unfinished business, whether it’s in their personal development in making the next step in their careers or our team goal of playing as long as we can,” Anastas continued.
While the final roster for the season opener hasn’t been finalized, it’s likely 15 players will be making their returns following the deep run in ’25-26.
“We have a lot of familiarity with our system and each other but we also have a group of guys still feeling the sting of coming up just short and I think that will really propel us to a good start early on,” Anastas said. “It can be beneficial if you remember that sting (of losing to the Toronto Marlies in Game 5 of the Calder Cup Finals) and how every inch matters. But at the same time, last year’s story is over and this is an opportunity for us to create a new story.”
Barring some last-minute transactions, the Wolves will enter the season with much of their core group intact, including Bradly Nadeau, Josiah Slavin, Justin Robidas, Felix Unger Sorum, Skyler Brind’Amour, Juha Jaaska, Ronan Seeley, Juuso Valimaki, Aleksi Heimosalmi, Dominik Badinka and Cayden Primeau, among others.
Newcomers include Charlie Cerrato, Noel Fransen, Pierre-Olivier Joseph and Chase Wheatfcroft, among others.
No matter who is on the ice, expect more of the same system-wise from the Wolves, who emphasized moving the puck and skating at top speed last season.
“Predominantly, we’re going to be a high-paced, high-stress team,” Anastas said. “There will be little tweaks in terms of clock-specific scenarios such as what we can do late in the game. We do need to get better at holding leads. I think that was one of our biggest weaknesses last season. But our overall style of play will be very similar.”
Following the games Saturday and Sunday against the Moose, the Wolves will return to Chicago to prepare for the 33rd Home Opener in franchise history when they host the Moose on Oct. 10 at Allstate Arena.
The team will embark on a new journey in search of a sixth league championship while keeping in mind the sting of coming up just short last season.
“If you rest on your laurels of that loss thinking we did a great job making it to the Finals, you can find yourself in a tough spiral,” Anastas said. “Learning the lessons and moving on and building a new story this year is going to be a big part of our messaging.”
Here is the Wolves’ season-opening roster:
Forwards (15)
Stiven Sardarian, Gabriel Seger, Matthew Quercia, Felix Unger Sorum, Charlie Cerrato, Ivan Ryabkin, Skyler Brind’Amour, Josiah Slavin, Chase Wheatcroft, David Gagnon, Evan Vierling, Juha Jaaska, Viktor Neuchev, Bradly Nadeau, Justin Robidas
Defensemen (8)
Dominik Badinka, Juuso Valimaki, Pierre-Olivier Joseph, Ronan Seeley, Joel Nystrom, Aleksi Heimosalmi, Bryce Montgomery, Noel Fransen
Goaltenders (3)
Cayden Primeau, Zach Sawchenko, Ruslan Khazheyev
For information on Wolves tickets for the 2026-27 American Hockey League season, call 1-800-THE-WOLVES or visit www.chicagowolves.com.
