The Wolves are about to have a new parent club.
The Raleigh News & Observer reported Wednesday that the Carolina Hurricanes and Wolves are set to join together on a year-to-year basis next season. The report says the deal will become final when the rest of the 2019-20 AHL season is officially canceled, which could come as soon as next week.
“Nothing’s done yet, but certainly we’re looking at all of our options,” Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell told the News & Observer. “Chicago is certainly one of them.”
The Charlotte Checkers, currently the Hurricanes’ affiliate, released a terse statement confirming the impending Wolves-Hurricanes union.
“While we are aware that the Carolina Hurricanes are nearing an affiliation agreement with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves, the Hurricanes have had little dialogue with us regarding this matter,” the Checkers said. “In an era when NHL teams are placing great value on affiliations with closer proximity between the two clubs, we understand the confusion that such a move would cause. We will explore other options for our affiliation and look forward to continuing in the American Hockey League when play resumes.”
The Wolves haven’t commented yet.
The Wolves, whose three-year relationship with the Vegas Golden Knights is ending when the season is over, have a history with Waddell. He ran the Atlanta Thrashers, who were the Wolves’ first AHL parent club, a pairing that resulted in two Calder Cup titles in Rosemont. That relationship ended in 2011 when the Thrashers moved to Winnipeg, and since then the Wolves have gone through Vancouver (2011-13), St. Louis (2013-17), and now Vegas (2017-20).
The Wolves and the Hurricanes organization have a history that goes beyond Waddell. In 2019, the Checkers beat the Wolves in the Calder Cup Finals, though both rosters have undergone heavy turnover since that series.
The News & Observer also reported that Ryan Warsofsky, currently the Charlotte coach, would carry on with the Wolves. Warsofsky, 32, is in his first season as Checkers head coach.
