Recently the Chicago Wolves have been conducting a new documentary-type series called Chicago Wolves Unmasked.  In their most recent upload on YouTube, General Wendell Young and Assistant Coach Nolan Baumgartner talk about Pinnizotto and Lack recovering from injury.  They discuss how injuries can disrupt how a team plays more than anything.

“You can’t control it and you have to beckon to that. At the NHL you aren’t worried about call ups, you’re worried about injuries.”-Young

The video goes on to outline how difficult and frustrating it can be for an injured player to go from playing and getting their game back to having to sit on the other side of the glass and watch from the stands and watch your team win and lose. The key word being tossed around was frustration, especially when the topic of Eddie Lack came up. Lack has been injured since late November and should be back on the ice from his groin injury, according to all of the tests the organization has run.  Unfortunately, the frustration begins to set in as Lack still feels immense pain in his groin area and isn’t comfortable getting between the pipes. The timetable for his return, still undetermined.

Andrew Gordon (Photo Credit: JLR Puck)

With the end of the lockout the AHL is going to experience a lot of changes with their rosters.  The Chicago Wolves and Oklahoma City Barons had numerous gaps on their benches as players fled the city to report to their respective NHL homes, but that didn’t stop the Wolves from sailing to a 6-3 victory in arguably their best game of the new year.

Despite missing key players the Wolves were able to step up their game and come out victorious with Andrew Gordon and Derek Joslin picking up the slack from the players missing.  Both men recorded two goals for the Wolves along with tallies from Brad Hunt and Brett Sterling, Sterling getting his 399,400 and 401st AHL career point.

The Wolves started out really rough as they were scored on within the opening five minutes to play, but were able to turn the ship around and push themselves to a 6-3 victory. The win comes after a shutout loss to the Griffins Saturday night after giving up the lead late in the third period.

The Wolves are scheduled to play again on Friday, January 11 against the Abbotsford Heat at 7pm.

Ice Hogs against the Chicago Wolves (Photo Credit: the_mel/Flickr)

As the majority of you have ll heard/read/seen the NHL lockout is ‘tentatively’ over.  The framework for a new Collective Bargaining Agreement is in place and we can expect to have a 48-50 game season commencing in the next couple of weeks.  With the end of the lock out comes the changing of a lot of differen rosters. For instance, the Chicago Wolves.

For today’s game the Wolves will be without Longpre and Friesen because of injury, but also Kassian, Schroeder, Tanev and Ebbett.  Kevin Connauton is also expected to report to Vancouver, but will do so after today’s game against the Oklahoma City Barons. The Wolves aren’t the only team playing without big names, as the Barons are also going without Hall, Eberle and Schultz.

A number of transactions are going to be occurring over the next few days, with some already taking place today as the Wolves signed right wing Alexandre Grenier and recalled Kenton Miller. Each are in their professional season debuts.

This is the first meeting for the Wolves and Barons this season and should prove to be interesting as both teams adjust to the significant roster changes made today.  Without their leading scorers today’s match will provide a somewhat level playing field (not that it wasn’t before) with a skill set a little less dramatic as we have been seeing from the Barons.

Face off is at 4pm, let’s hope despite the changes the Wolves can finally pull off a victory!

#GoWolves

Tonight the Wolves are ready to ‘heat’ up the ice with a victory after they lost 3-2 to the IceHogs Thursday evening. While Zack Kassian was able to lend a couple helpers and Sterling’s powerplay goal led him to the top of the pack, they were unable to light the lamp just one more time.

Tonight marks the first meeting between the two teams since the 19th of December when the Wolves clinched a 1-0 victory with none other than Matt Climie between the pipes.  He is expected to once again get the nod in net as he has appeared in ten consecutive games for the Wolves.

The main man the Wolves should be concerned about from the Heat is goaltender Barry Brust who is ranked #1 in the American Hockey League.  Brust currently holds an 8-3-1 record and has a .951 save percentage and 1.26 goals against average.

While Ben Street holds a team high 20 points for the Heat, their key goal scorer remains Roman Horak who has 13 goals in 29 games.  The Wolves leading scorer is Brett Sterling with 9 in 23 games played.

Tonight’s game is being aired on SportsNet for all of Canada to see, for those of us residing in the US, we can see the game on AHL Live for a small fee (of course) or listen to it for free on the same site.

Faceoff is at 5pm CT/8pm ET.  #WindaTurd

10/14/12: Matt Climie during warm-ups against the IceHogs (photo credit: the_mel/Flickr)

Last night the Chicago Wolves headed to Rockford to take on the IceHogs in hopes of finding themselves back in the win column after losing 2-1 to the Grand Rapid Griffins in overtime on the 22nd.  Despite Matt Climie being able to stop 36 shots, he let three slide by giving the Hogs a 3-2 win.

Much like the last meeting between the Wolves and Hogs Andrew Ebbett opened up the scoring just 3:22 into the period with a backhanded pass from Zack Kassian. As easily as the Wolves scored, the Hogs pulled off the same fashion and came back with Rob Flick slipping one past Climie.  The Hogs went on to dominate the first period and posted 21 shots against Climie, 3 short of their current season-high record of 24 shots in a single period.

Beginning the second period the Wolves still had 1:46 on the penalty kill after Desbiens found himself in the box for a holding penalty.  They came out ready to play and killed off the penalty only to find themselves right back in the box as Brett Sterling served two minutes for a delay of game. This time the Hogs took advantage and Andrew Shaw got his goal he had looked for in the first period on penalty shot that Climie easily pushed away.  Shaw’s goal gave the Hogs their first lead of the night just four minutes into the second frame.  At the 15:54 mark Zack Kassian would find the open man again and send the puck to Brett Sterling to tie the game once more, this time at two goals a piece. Yet, once again the Hogs answered right back with Martin St. Pierre throwing a long shot at Climie and re-directing his own rebound past Climie for a 3-2 advantage to end the second frame.

Third period play was fairly matched as each team was hungry for the two points in the standings.  The Wolves dominated the opening minutes of the frame and were able to keep the IceHogs from scoring through the final twenty minutes, unfortunately unable to score themselves. Despite having 25 shots on goal, they only managed to post the two and lost their second straight consecutive game 3-2.  They are now four points behind the Hogs in the Division and sit in 3rd place.

The Wolves next game is December 29 against the Abbottsford Heat at 7:00pm CT.

Game Notes…

• Goaltending: Matt Climie made 36 saves on 39 shots he faced.  He fell to 6-9-0 on the season while Carter Hutton improved to 12-11-1 with 23 saves out of 25 shots.
• Shots on Goal: Chicago 10-9-6 (25) Rockford 21-10-8(39)
• Power Play Opportunities: Chicago 2/4 Rockford 1/3
• Three Stars of the Game:
  1. Martin St. Pierre – game-winning goal (Rockford)
  2. Nick Leddy – 2 assists (Rockford)
  3. Andrew Ebbett – 1 goal, 1 assist (Chicago)

(Photo: Loxy!!/flickr)

Many Canucks fans were less than ecstatic after hearing about the acquisition of Zack Kassian at last season’s trade deadline, particularly due to what it cost to bring him to Vancouver: Cody Hodgson. Not surprising, considering that prior to the trade deadline, there were talks of Hodgson being a potential candidate for the NHL’s Calder Trophy as Rookie of the Year. Kassian’s less than stellar start with the Canucks (1 goal and 2 assists in 17 games played), did not help matters either. More recently though, after dedicating himself to an intense off-season training program and following it up with extra allotted development time (as a result of the NHL lockout), Zack Kassian is showing that Mike Gillis’ investment in the 6’3, 214 pound, youngster will eventually pay for itself.

In 7 games played this season with the Canucks’ AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves, Kassian stands as the team’s current leading scorer, having recorded 5 points (4 goals and 1 assist) thus far, illustrating that he has more to offer than just size and strength. This past weekend, he pleasantly surprised many Canucks fans present for a 2 game match-up seeing the Chicago Wolves face off against the Abbotsford Heat. Kassian notched a goal in each game and did not hesitate to showcase his multidimensional game-play, by dropping the gloves and coming out victorious. His newly found offensive skill is especially hard to overlook, with him having scored the first goal in four of the Wolves last five games (x).

The Windsor, Ontario native credits his recent success to the summer training program designed for him by the Canucks, which had him traveling to receive specialized training in Vancouver, Portland, and Winnipeg. Kassian’s training program consisted of training for 7 days in Vancouver with the Sedin twins, 10 days in Portland’s Nike High Performance Centre, and 3 weeks in Winnipeg with skills coach, Glenn Carnegie (x). His time with the twins proved to be extremely influential, Kassian explains, “[t]hose guys are great role models…They are always doing extra. When you see players like that with their caliber of skill working that hard it is kind of an eye-opener as a rookie to work even harder” (x).

Canucks General Manager, Mike Gillis is thrilled by how Kassian’s development has progressed: “You can see that the pace of his play is much higher…When he takes off now with the puck he is pulling away from people…He worked really hard and is getting results because of it” (x). Gillis went on to say that he and assistant General Manager, Lorne Henning believe that the young gun may be a stride or two ahead of where he was last season, which is promising news for Canucks fans.

Kassian’s development is a result of his positive attitude and strong mindset, which will be an invaluable asset for his future in the NHL. Chicago Wolves coach, Scott Arniel discloses that “[Kass is] eager to learn and recognizes the opportunity that’s been put in front of him” (x), something that can be hard to find in young players.

The big right-winger has noticed the difference in his game, proclaiming, “I feel quicker…I feel like I got a step faster” after having lost a few pounds and put on lean muscle (x). He adds that with playing more minutes, he is starting to feel confident with the puck, and is making more smart plays every game; the numbers speak for themselves. Kassian’s determination and willingness to learn should assure his future success with the Canucks, especially when he’s declared, “[m]y goal is to make my teammates and my coaches happy. I’m prepared to do whatever it takes” (x).

Canucks fans should find comfort in knowing he has shown signs of becoming something the team has been lacking, and desperately needing, since the days of Todd Bertuzzi, a strong, dominate power forward. There is no telling how far perseverance can take a player like Kassian, but Mike Gillis seems confident that “[i]f he continues doing what he’s doing I don’t see why [Zack] wouldn’t get a great opportunity with our team to show what he can do” (x).

‘Hear me Roar’ – House Lannister

Welcome to Abbotsford! (Photo: canucks.com/Naki Edits)

Last weekend, on Canucks in Wonderland; the Chicago Wolves made an appearance in Abbotsford, for 2 of the 4 games that they will play here in BC during the AHL season.

The bad news is, the Wolves lost one of the 2 games last weekend.

The good news is, there is a Behind the Lens.

• Behind the Lens: A collection of Off Ice Pictures of the Canucks (or in this case, the Chicago Wolves). Usually taken during road trips by photographer Jeff Vinnick (unless stated otherwise). Captions by journalist Derek Jory (unless stated otherwise).

Last weekend’s Behind the Lens collection can be found in the multimedia section of Canucks dot com. Or here.

…

I miss hockey.

Today on Canucks in Wonderland…

Watch for pucks! …Or the Lack Thereof (Photo: Naki Edits/canucks.com)

The National Hockey League has cancelled all regular season games from now to October 24th.

Fortunately, this means that if Gary and Co and the NHLPA somehow manage to come to an agreement before October 24th, the Vancouver Canucks will open up the season against the Tampa Bay Lightning and former Canuck Sami Salo, who come to Vancouver once every other year.

Let me also remind you that despite the fact that we will not be able to see the Vancouver Canucks in action for a while longer; there is still hockey going on in the city of Vancouver.

Kevin Bieksa (and friends) is holding a charity hockey game VS the UBC Thunderbirds at Thunderbird Arena on Wednesday October 17th, 2012 at 7 pm. Tickets are $20 each and  can be purchased through Ticketmaster. All proceeds go to the Canuck Place Children’s Hospice, Canucks Autism Network and Canucks Family Education Centre.

The Vancouver Giants of the WHL and the Chicago Wolves of the AHL are unaffected by the NHL lockout and will continue playing throughout the season and I suggest you check them out!

Today on Canucks in Wonderland, news goes that the Vancouver Canucks’ 2011 1st round draft pick Nicklas Jensen plans to play in Sweden should he not make the team next season.

Nicklas Jensen (Photo: mattiasohlund/tumblr)

And so comes the News... (Photo: Adrienne C./screen shot)

News 1130 (their twitter, mind you) also goes on to say that Jensen’s agent Thun has:

“…informed both the Canucks and the Oshawa Generals of the OHL” (x)

and that

“…he’s [Nicklas Jensen] talking to 3-4 teams in Sweden and will pick the team in next two weeks.” (x)

Anton Thun then proceeds to say that

“…Jensen needs to play pro hockey next season as a 19 year old if he doesn’t make the Canucks.”

Now, should we be concerned?

the News 1130 team seems to think so (Photo: Adrienne C./screen shot)

So the News 1130 people seem to think so and I agree.

Yes, we should be a little concerned about this.

I mean, the kid’s amazing.

After suffering a first round defeat to the Niagara IceDogs in the OHL playoffs with the Oshawa Generals, Nicklas Jensen was then assigned to the Chicago Wolves, who had yet to end their regular season and begin playoffs.

His AHL career, however ended and ended quickly having suffered a concussion, but dear Nicklas Jensen had already made his mark.

He ended his AHL career with 8 games in the bag (2 of which were playoff games) and with 6 points, all of which are goals, 3 of which, was the result of a hattrick against the Peoria Rivermen.

Pretty amazing right?

First 6 games as a professional and he manages his first hatty.

So, the answer is yes, I would be concerned that he’s making the decision to play in Sweden should he not make the Canucks next season.

He’s an amazing player and is definitely a key part of the Oshawa General’s roster. And who knows, he could be a key part of the Canucks’ roster in the future, should he change his mind and decide to stay with us.

And I think he should stay with us.

But ultimately, the decision belongs to Nick and it looks like he’s made his decision.

Good Luck Nicklas! All the best in Sweden if  you decide to go!

3 months. 3 months is too far for me to be predicting this. Good Luck though. Wow. 

(Photo: visentinempire/Tumblr)

Denmark may not be known for the sport of hockey, but the presence of Danish players within the Canucks organization is growing. Jannik Hansen admits that hockey ranks fifth as a national sport in Denmark behind soccer, tennis, hand-ball and gymnastics, but that has not hindered the Canucks from scouting strong Danish talent. Hansen, 26, drafted in 2004, is no longer the lone Danish player to dawn a Canucks jersey, joined now by fellow country man Nicklas Jensen.

Jensen, 19, selected 29^th overall in the 2011 NHL entry draft, has shown the potential to become a dominant power forward, having showcased his ability to score on every level he has played. He has extensive experience playing internationally, having represented Denmark in the World Junior Championships (U18 and U20) from 2009-2012. And despite being drafted only last year, Jensen has also picked up a plethora of valuable North American playing experience since last July.

After having an impressive training camp with the Canucks, in which he received accolades from head coach Alain Vigneault, Jensen went on to play the season with his junior team, the OHL’s Oshawa Generals, tallying 58 points (25Gs and 33A) in 57 games played. At the end of the Generals season, Jensen joined the Canucks AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves, playing in six regular season games (scoring four goals) and two playoffs games (scoring another two goals). Jensen’s ability to perform at a professional level with the Wolves exemplifies his capacity to elevate his game at any level and come up big in the clutch.

Jensen’s supreme scoring talent is not the only positive thing the young Dane has going for him that will assure a bright future with the Canucks. He has a level head, good attitude going forward, and is making the most of every opportunity he’s given to learn new things and further develop his game. Jensen knows that talent can only get you so far, and that one has to always be willing to perfect their craft. “ [I've been working on] playing a complete game and working on the defensive part [of my game] because it’s one of the main things you really have to work on to make it to the next level [and] be a part of the Canucks” (x) explains the prospect.

Jensen’s humility and willingness to learn has not gone unnoticed by the Canucks organization nor his fellow Dane, Hansen. Hansen acknowledges that the experience Jensen has gained in such a short time will benefit him in the long run, knowing that “there’s a lot of grooming that goes on [in North America by] playing a lot more games than you do back in Denmark” (x). Given Jensen’s exceptional play this season, Hansen (who was named Denmark’s player of the game in their opening game of IIHF World Hockey Championships) was expecting Jensen to join him at the tournament. Unfortunately, Jensen was unable to join team Denmark due to a concussion he received during his second playoff game with the Chicago Wolves.

While Jensen may have not had the opportunity to play beside Hansen at the 2012 World Hockey Championships, his dedication to the game,constant strive to be better and ambition to apply new knowledge will assure his place on the Canucks roster next to his fellow country man for many years to come. Meaning, sooner rather than later, Jannik Hansen may not be the only Great Dane excelling in Canucks blue.