Bradly Nadeau earns trust as Chicago closes out Grand Rapids

Bradly Nadeau was not just on the ice for the closing minutes. He was there when Chicago needed a forward who could read danger, get back first and make the right play under playoff pressure. With the Wolves protecting a two-goal lead in Game 4 of the Central Division Finals, the 21-year-old winger tracked a puck deep, won the loose battle and sent the outlet that sprang Justin Robidas for the transition chance that finished off Grand Rapids.

That sequence was the kind of moment the Chicago Wolves could point to after their 3-2 win Thursday night at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois. Grand Rapids had forced the game with an overtime win in Game 3 two nights earlier, and the Wolves were facing another elimination test after already surviving a second chance to put away Texas in the previous round. Against the AHL’s regular-season Western Conference champion, Chicago did not just need offense. It needed reliable details in its own end.

Nadeau supplied them. His shift in the final minutes was a reminder that playoff trust is earned in the small stuff: turning back quickly, winning a puck you are supposed to lose and clearing the first layer of pressure without forcing a risky play. That outlet to Robidas did more than lead to a dagger. It showed Chicago that one of its most gifted young forwards can handle the game when it tightens, not only when it opens up.

The Wolves moved on to face the Colorado Eagles in the Western Conference Finals, with Game 1 scheduled for Thursday, May 28, in Loveland, Colorado. Colorado’s run carries its own weight, with the Eagles advancing to the conference final for the first time, but Chicago’s advancement now includes a bigger answer about Nadeau’s role. He is no longer just a scorer waiting for touches. He is part of the group Chicago trusts to close a series.

That matters because Nadeau arrived in the organization with offensive expectations already attached. Carolina selected him 30th overall in the first round of the 2023 NHL Draft, and the AHL lists him at 5-foot-11 and 172 pounds. He finished the 2025-26 regular season with 27 goals, 29 assists and 56 points in 52 games, then added 1 goal and 6 assists in eight Calder Cup Playoff games. Across two AHL regular seasons, he has 114 points in 116 games.

Chicago has seen this trajectory before. Nadeau’s rookie season in 2024-25 brought team honors after he led AHL rookies with 30 goals and seven game-winning goals, becoming the fifth player in league history to score 30 goals before turning 20. Game 4 suggested the next step is already here: a prospect who can score, but also stay on the ice when the season is hanging by a thread.