Wolves chase rare double as Carolina eyes Stanley Cup and Calder Cup

Chicago did not reach the Calder Cup Finals as a smooth favorite. It arrived in Rosemont with a chance to help the Carolina Hurricanes pull off something the sport has not seen since 1995, when the New Jersey Devils and Albany River Rats won the Stanley Cup and Calder Cup in the same spring.

The Wolves opened the best-of-seven Finals against the Toronto Marlies on June 12 at Allstate Arena carrying a 10-6 playoff record, three series wins and a larger organizational mandate. Carolina had already banked Calder Cups with Charlotte in 2019 and Chicago in 2022, and this run gave the franchise a third Finals berth in the last eight seasons through its affiliates. A title would reinforce that development model on the biggest AHL stage.

Chicago’s path to the Finals was built on survival and adjustment. The season began with Cayden Primeau expected to be the No. 1 goaltender, but waivers and NHL movement quickly scrambled the plan. The Wolves cycled through Ruslan Khazheyev, Amir Miftakhov and Nikita Quapp before Primeau briefly returned, then changed coaches when Cam Abbott was removed after 22 games. Spiros Anastas took over on an interim basis Dec. 12, 2025, and the Wolves answered with a 25-14-5-6 finish in his first 50 games before Carolina named him head coach on April 21, 2026.

That turnaround carried into the standings. Chicago finished the regular season 36-21-8-7 for 87 points, good for second place in the Central Division, then carried that form into the postseason. The Wolves beat Texas in five games, handled Grand Rapids in four, and survived the deepest test of the spring by beating Colorado in seven. Ryan Suzuki delivered the go-ahead goal in Game 7 against the Eagles, a score that sent Chicago to its sixth conference championship in 25 seasons as an AHL member.

The roster that powered the run was heavy on contributors and playoff experience. Bradly Nadeau, Ryan Suzuki and Justin Robidas were among the scoring leaders, Felix Unger Sörum led the team in regular-season points before injury intervened, and Miftakhov supplied critical emergency goaltending minutes when the Wolves needed them most. Chicago entered the playoffs with 114 career Calder Cup Playoff games on its roster, led by Primeau’s 24, a reminder that this team combined improvisation with a core that had already seen high-pressure hockey.

For Chicago, the Finals were about more than one series. A Calder Cup would cap a season of constant resets and place the Wolves alongside Carolina’s other affiliate champions as proof that the pipeline still works when the stakes are highest.