The path to any championship is a gauntlet, and the Chicago Wolves have experienced that since beginning their Calder Cup Playoff journey in April. Now, they need just four wins to stake their claim as the top team in the American Hockey League (AHL). Standing in their way is the Toronto Marlies, the East's representative on a magical run.
After beating Texas in five games and Grand Rapids in four to win the Central Division, the Wolves went the distance in the Western Conference Finals. While they led 2-1 over the Colorado Eagles, the Wolves found themselves in a tight spot, trailing 3-2 and heading back to Colorado. On back-to-back nights, the Wolves won on the road, beating the Eagles 3-2 and 4-3 to win the West.
The Wolves were forced to contend for the conference crown without regular-season leading scorer Felix Unger Sorum for the last several games. Then, Cayden Primeau went down during a Game 5 loss, forcing Amir Miftakhov into action for the first time in almost two months. He was excellent on both nights to seal the series for Chicago.
It has taken that kind of mindset for the Wolves this postseason. While their top point producers are doing their jobs, like Bradly Nadeau with his team-leading 14 points, it has taken a village to get them here. Only two players with at least one appearance haven't recorded a point for Chicago this postseason. Charlie Cerrato has only played one game, and Miftakhov is a goalie.
The availability of Unger Sorum and Primeau is a story to watch for the Wolves heading into the Calder Cup Final. The Wolves played most of the conference finals with seven defensemen, and they played well, but getting Unger Sorum back would add another level to the offense. The same goes for Primeau. Miftakhov has performed well in his three appearances, but Primeau has gotten them here.
The Marlies are battle-tested and have fought for their spot
While the Marlies won the same number of games as the Wolves during the regular season (36), a tougher division and more regulation losses put them in fourth in the North Division. This forced them to contend with the best-of-three opening round when the postseason began. The Marlies have met that challenge head-on.
Entering the Calder Cup Final, they have played one game fewer than the minimum for a team in their position. It took them three games against Rochester, five games against both Laval and Cleveland, and six games against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in the Eastern Conference Finals. That's 19 of a possible 20 games, meaning a lot of hockey for the Marlies.
Offensively, Toronto has three of the top five goal and point scorers in the AHL this postseason. Vinni Lettieri is tied for first in points (17) and second in goals (8). William Villenueve leads all defensemen in scoring (16) behind a league-best 14 helpers. Logan Shaw is tied for fourth with 15 points and tied for third in goals with teammate Easton Cowan with seven.
These two teams met four times during the regular season, both during back-to-backs. They split in Chicago in early November before doing the same to close February and open March in Toronto. On both occasions, Chicago won the first game and dropped the second. The Wolves used four different goalies in four games, while Dennis Hildeby and Artur Akhtyamov played twice each for the Marlies.
The Wolves are in the Calder Cup Final for the third time since 2019. They lost to the Charlotte Checkers, when the Canes were their affiliate, in 2019, before winning it all for the third time in franchise history in 2022. The Marlies are looking for their second Calder Cup title to pair with their win in 2018. It's their third trip to the finals and the first time these two have met at this stage.
Everything begins in Chicago on Friday night. The first two games will be played at Allstate Arena, with Game 2 coming on Sunday night. Like in the Western Conference Final, the next three are on the road. They'll play two games for sure in Toronto next Tuesday and Thursday. If Game 5 is needed, they'll turn right around and play on Friday. Beyond that, the final two games would be on home ice.
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