Carolina Hurricane assigns 13 more players to Chicago Wolves – Hockey Writer – Carolina Hurricane
The Carolina Hurricanes provided 13 players to the American Hockey League (AHL) Chicago Wolves on Tuesday. After dismissing seven players in the past two days, the Hurricanes have now reduced their roster to 26. Who are the 13 players who moved from Carolina to Chicago?
Eight wolf moves
On Tuesday morning, Hurricane assigned Nikita Quapp, Bradly Nadeau, Justin Robidas, Ivan Ryabkin, Gleb Trikozov, Felix Unger Sorum, Bryce Montgomery and Joel Nystrom to the Wolves. Additionally, they put Noel Gunler, Tyson Jost, Josiah Slavin, Ryan Suzuki and Gavin Bayreuther on the immunity with the intention of sending it to Chicago.
Surprisingly, Nado and Robidas were automatically assigned to Wolves after a strong prospect display cabinet, a solid training camp and five of the six preseason games. Of the two, Nado is more likely to crack the Hurricanes roster when the Hurricane shows his NHL ready, plus his ability to stay away from the hockey. His two-way game and physical condition have also improved significantly during the offseason.
After Nado was cut off, Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’amour said: “It’s difficult because, yes, we’re happy to keep him here, but we also have to figure out what makes sense. You can see that we’re going a lot, which doesn’t make much sense at this point, so in the way the schedule keeps his efforts.
Related: Carolina Hurricanes Start Lineup Cut to Camp Last Week
If the Hurricanes need a winger, Nadeau makes his case one of the earliest calls of the season. After scoring 32 goals for Wolves last season, he was only 20 years old to prepare. Robidas, who scored 20 goals and 55 points in 70 games in 2024-25, looks poised to take the next step.
After a strong training camp and preseason, he can compete with Suzuki for the first-tier center position this season. Robidas entered his third professional season after entering the minor’s sophomore campaign, his first game with the Wolves. Hopefully he reaches 60 points this season.
After a shaky 2024-25 season, the Hurricanes tried to play in the midfield, scoring five goals and 20 points in 61 games, Unger Sorum looked more comfortable in the preseason. During his time in Sweden, he was primarily a winger, passing through the Leksands IF system. However, in his first season in North America, he was tried in the center, but it didn’t work as the season progressed.. He may be another player in the next step of development this season.
It’s worth watching Gunler and Suzuki, who have to clear the saving throws before assigning them to the wolf. The deadline for any of them is Wednesday, October 1, 2pm Eastern. Gonler ended the game last season with 13 goals and 26 points in 58 games. In 2023-24, he played in Finland with Kärpät of Liiga, where he scored 8 goals and 18 points, and he returned to the Wolves with a clear development.
In 2022-23 with Wolves, he scored 8 goals and 18 points in 31 games in his first full season with the team. His season was cut off due to injury, but he took a step forward in his second run with the team. Now, he seems ready for a second straight season with the Wolves.
Related: Hurricane Sophomore Mindset and Reliefs to Keep Long-term
Suzuki scored 12 goals and 59 points in 69 games in 2024-25. Last season was by far the healthiest to date since being drafted by the Hurricanes in 2019. He finally stayed healthy last season after being injured after an injury. Hopefully he can bring it into the upcoming season to build his best year in hockey in hockey after 2024-25. He may be competing with Robidas for a front-line central position, but he will be that occasion and be one of the first central calls for the hurricane.
In addition to the players assigned to Wolves, the Hurricane released Oliver Kellington and Kevin Laukan from their Professional Trial Contract (PTO). Labanc was a surprise. He showed a lot of hope in the five preseason games he played.
Two PTO releases and 13 allocated players have adjusted the Hurricanes’ roster to 15 forwards, eight defensemen and three goalkeepers as they enter their final preseason game against the Nashville Predators Saturday, October 4.
