‘We Know How Good We Are’

October 15, 2026

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.

Despite slow start, wolves remain confident

Despite looking at the American Hockey League standings and seeing an 0-4-0-0 record staring back at them, there is no sense of panic among Wolves players.

“It’s obviously not an ideal start,” forward Skyler Brind’Amour said. “Nobody is happy with it but it’s a long season and you can’t lose all hope after four games. We’re still a confident group; we have a lot of really good players and eventually it’s going to turn here.”

After being swept in back-to-back games by the Moose in Manitoba on Opening Weekend, the Wolves fell to the Moose and Grand Rapids Griffins last weekend and are off to their worst start in franchise history.

While that appears bleak, the good news is that the 2026 Western Conference-champion Wolves still have 68 regular-season games ahead of them, including hosting the Iowa Wild in back-to-back games beginning Saturday night at Allstate Arena.

What makes the Wolves believe better times are ahead?

“We know how good we are,” captain Josiah Slavin said. “Everybody in that room knows it and it’s a matter of continuing that belief through this little blip and getting on the right side of things.”

History is on the Wolves’ side. During the 2009-10 season, the team dropped six of its first seven contests before turning things around to finish with a 49-24-0-7 record for 105 points and a first-place finish in the West Division.

“We have a lot to learn from the first couple of weekends,” Slavin said. “We are learning from our mistakes and building on it for the next 68 games. Every step we take is another step in the right direction.”

–Chris Kuc

Wheatcroft EMBRACES ALLSTATE ARENA ‘roar’

Chase Wheatcroft vividly remembers the challenge of playing at Allstate Arena as a member of the visiting Texas Stars.

The 6-foot-2-inch forward appeared in 121 games with Texas over the previous three seasons, facing the Wolves in several matchups he remembers as some of the toughest on the schedule.

“The Wolves have been good the last three years, and it’s always been hard to come into Allstate (Arena) with the energy and roar in the crowd,” the 24-year-old Wheatcroft said. “They have good fans, and it’s always a hard matchup.”

Now, Wheatcroft gets to experience that atmosphere from the home side. The Calgary native signed a one-year AHL contract with the Wolves on July 24, making Chicago his new home for the 2026-27 season.

He wasted little time making an impression, scoring his first goal in front of his new fans during the Wolves’ Home Opener against the Manitoba Moose on Saturday at Allstate Arena.

Wheatcroft is excited for a fresh start after an injury plagued most of his season with the Stars in 2025-26. He did manage to produce 27 points (10 goals, 17 assists) for Texas the prior season.

The opportunity to join a winning group and a chance to work with second-year head coach Spiros Anastas were two motivators in signing with Chicago.

“You look at the team last year and how close they got in the end (of the Calder Cup Finals),” Wheatcroft said. “There’s a lot of good offense here, and I think I can help in that department. I’ve heard nothing but good things about the coaching staff and the organization.”

What type of impact is Wheatcroft expecting for himself with his new team?

“I like to create offense,” said Wheatcroft, who produced 43 points (13 goals, 30 assists) in 121 games with Texas. “But I’m also responsible and like to get physical and be in on the forecheck. Creating offensive opportunities is kind of my bread and butter.

“I’m excited to be on the other side of it this year and help the team win,” he concluded.

–Danny Karmin

IMPACT NETWORKING PLAY OF THE WEEK

During the second period of Sunday’s road matinee in Grand Rapids, Wolves forward Stiven Sardarian recorded his first career American Hockey League goal off a Viktor Neuchev rebound.

 

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

Forward Ivan Ryabkin lowered the boom on the Manitoba Moose’s Davis Burnside during the Wolves’ Home Opener on Saturday night at Allstate Arena.

 

SAVE OF THE WEEK

On Saturday night at Allstate Arena, Wolves goaltender Cayden Primeau dashed post-to-post to deny Manitoba’s Tysom Empey’s one-timer from the right circle.

HELP STICK IT TO BREAST CANCER

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and the Wolves have again partnered with A Silver Lining Foundation to help raise awareness for the all-too-common disease.

On Saturday, Oct. 24 when the Wolves take on the Milwaukee Admirals, it will be Breast Cancer Awareness Night at Allstate Arena and fans can do their part to honor a breast cancer survivor by purchasing a Breast Cancer Survivor Stick.

The $175 donation equals the cost of a mammogram for someone who cannot afford one. Wolves players will write the name of the survivor on their sticks and fans who purchase a stick will have the opportunity to greet the player after the Oct. 24 game.

Fans purchasing a Breast Cancer Survivor Stick will also receive two free tickets to the Oct. 24 contest.

Weekly rewind (0-2-0-0)

SATURDAY, OCT. 10

Moose 6, Wolves 1: Chase Wheatcroft scored for the Wolves, but when the dust settled Chicago had dropped its third game in a row—all to the Central Division-rival Moose.

SUNDAY, OCT. 11

Griffins 5, Wolves 1: Stiven Sardarian scored for the Wolves but Jesse Kiiskinen had three goals and an assist to propel the Griffins in the first meeting of the season between the Central Division rivals.

First Star of the Week

Where we stand

0-4-0-0, seventh in the Central Division.

For information on Wolves tickets, visit ChicagoWolves.com or call 1-800-THE-WOLVES.