The Chicago Wolves have won its third Calder Cup trophy and first since 2008 after beating the Springfield Thunderbirds 4-0 in Game 5 of the AHL championship series.
It marked the first AHL title awarded in the COVID-19 era, with the 2020 and 2021 championships not taking place. The Wolves — serving as the AHL affiliate of the Carolina Hurricanes for the first time — went 14-4 in the playoffs, with former NHL forward Josh Leivo winning the playoff MVP award with 15 goals and 29 points in 18 games — a higher total than anyone over the past 14 years.
The Wolves are the third Hurricanes affiliate to win the Calder Cup, joining Charlotte back in 2019 and the old Springfield Indians in 1991.
Stefan Noesen (25 points), Jack Drury (24) and Andrew Poturalski (23) were other key components of the playoff run, while Alex Lyon was the goalie of record to close out the series.
The Wolves beat the Rockford IceHogs, the Milwaukee Admirals and the Stockton Heat to get to the final. The Thunderbirds won Game 1, but the Wolves went the rest of the way to finish off the season.
