As reported yesterday, the Hurricanes have officially agreed to a three-year affiliation agreement with the AHL's Chicago Wolves to once again become a top minor league affiliate.
Carolina spent the 2023-24 season without an AHL affiliate as the Wolves' ownership and management group attempted to operate independently. The results for both clubs this season have proven that it is definitively a lose-or-lose choice.
The Timberwolves, who had gone independent in order to have complete control over hockey operations without oversight or influence from the Hurricanes' staff, struggled without NHL prospects. They received only a select few players from the Hurricanes on loan throughout the season, freezing their roster with only minor league contracts.
As a result, they finished second-to-last in the league with a record of 23-35-7 and 60 points, one point behind last-place Bridgeport. It was a disappointing result for the club, which won the Calder Cup while under contract with Carolina in 2022.
While the lack of full-time players didn't affect the Hurricanes' performance one bit this season, it did have a noticeable impact on some prospects. 2019 2nd round pick Jamison Reese He is coming off a breakout season in Chicago in 2022-23, where he had a career-high 14 goals and 42 points in 65 games. With no agreement in place with the Wolves, the Hurricanes found a home for the center in Springfield, the Blues' main affiliate, where he failed to score a goal and recorded just three assists in 30 games. . He is no longer in Carolina's organization after being traded to the Senators in March.
Returning to full-time affiliation with the Timberwolves provides some certainty for a number of Hurricanes prospects who recently signed entry-level contracts. 2023 first round pick bradley nadeaudefensive prospects scott morrow2024 Hobey Baker Award Finalist jackson blake They are all expected to log significant minutes in the AHL next season, and will do so in a more traditionally controlled environment aimed at developing promising players.
The Hurricanes confirmed in a statement today that they will oversee the Wolves' hockey operations decisions as part of the partnership agreement.
