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Chicago Wolves' Rocky Start: Captain Josiah Slavin on Turning Things Around · stormTRacker Podcast | Carolina Hurricanes & NHL Hockey

• 0:32
  SPEAKER_04: Well, just a few months after that incredible run to the Calder Cup final, the Chicago Wolves opened their season with big expectations, but they're still searching for the first win.
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_04: Wolves were shot out three to nothing in Winnipeg on opening night, and now it's at an 0-4-0 after Sunday's rough 5-1 loss in Grand Rapids.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_04: What's really behind this unexpected slow start?
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_04: What has to tighten up defensively, and how can the Wolves' vaunted offense get unleashed?
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_04: Where are the early bright spots with this young core?
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_04: And how do the Wolves get it right?
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_04: Hosting Iowa this weekend at Allstate.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_04: Joining me as always on this edition of the Chicago Wolves Report, our Chicago Wolves insider, Andrew Rinaldi.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_04: Hey Andrew!
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_01: Hey Tom, got another season of Wolves hockey underway here.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_01: I'm glad uh glad to be back here with you.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_04: Well, of course, and I'm sure we're gonna have a lot of great fun as we did last year.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_04: And today we're delighted to welcome in a very special guest, the captain of the Chicago Wolves, Josiah Slavon.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_04: Josiah, welcome.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_03: Hey Tom, thank you for having me.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_03: Really appreciate you guys having me on here.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_04: Well, listen, it's really our pleasure, and you know, we were so excited with uh the finish to the season last year, we just we're just going nuts.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_04: It's incredible.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_04: In fact, uh funny story is we get started.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_04: We ended up doing a podcast with Dan Price.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_04: I was actually on vacation on a cruise, and so that was really crazy, I gotta tell you.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_04: But fantastic.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_04: Anyway, um, want to talk about the Slavin household.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, you guys had such a great run.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_04: There you are.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_04: You're going towards the Calder Cup.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_04: Next thing you know, and I know I know Jacob was just ecstatic about it.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_04: He said some things about how proud he was about what you were doing.
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_04: And then the next thing, you guys are watching him pick the cup up and raise it after beating Vegas.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_04: That must have been wild in in the Slavin household.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, yeah, definitely.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_03: It was uh definitely a fun year for the Slavin household.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_03: You know, my parents getting to fly back and forth between Stanley Cup games and Caller Cup games, and uh it was just yeah, such a such a cool experience for our family.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_03: And uh to see Jacob hoist the cup was uh a surreal moment.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_03: And to be out there for his Stanley Cup party this summer even made made it even more surreal.
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_03: So uh just so proud of him and just everything that he's accomplished and the fact that even though he's accomplished so much, he still gives the glory to God.
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_04: Which is which is fantastic.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_04: And and you know, we love Jacob, we we talk about him frequently on our podcast, of course, and uh it's great that we have you on today to to kind of shore that story up as well.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_04: That's fantastic, Josiah.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_04: And you know what?
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_04: Talking about uh Jacob, you got to play with him in exhibition.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_03: Uh I got to play with him in exhibition two years ago, and then I got to play a game at the end of the regular season with him last year.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_03: That was yeah, that was right before both of our playoff runs.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_03: So, in like another really special moment for the Slaven family.
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, you know, our our parents got to fly down to Utah uh at the end of the regular season last year to watch me and Jacob play.
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_03: And our sister and her family came out, and my best friend got to come out.
• 4:11
  SPEAKER_03: Like it was it was a really special moment, you know, a moment that we've both dreamed of for so long.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_03: Like I've I've been five years younger my whole life, so I've been playing catch up to him.
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_03: And so just finally to be able to share the ice with him uh on the NHL stage was a really special moment.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_04: Well, it's incredible.
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_04: And I remember with my brothers, we used to play hockey in the basement and outside and all kinds of stuff, and I'm sure you did the same thing with Jacob, so that's fantastic.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_04: Um so you signed a two-year deal uh extending with uh with the Wolves in the summer, and you said there's nothing but excitement to come back.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_04: What made it so easy to to make the decision to come back to Chicago?
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_03: Uh honestly, the the people in the organization.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_03: Um there's so many great people in this organization.
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_03: They treat you so well, and uh so many good teammates that I've created special bonds with over the last two years.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_03: And uh just you know, me and my wife being familiar with the area now, and it just everything made it so easy to come back.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_04: Well, that's great.
• 5:16
  SPEAKER_04: And you know, I think for those of us who follow the wolves, we were very, very excited when we heard the news.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_04: So that's uh that's great stuff, Andrew?
• 5:27
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, Josiah, you got the C back in October of 2024 as the 17th captain in in team history, and you talked about just you know how much joy you get helping these young guys push for their NHL debuts and all.
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_02: You said last year was probably the most fun you've ever had playing hockey.
• 5:45
  SPEAKER_02: Um, you know, how has that leadership role really kind of grown for you through the this uh these kind of experiences?
• 5:52
  SPEAKER_03: Uh yeah, I think my first year was a little bit of an adjustment.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_03: You know, I've never uh I had never been a captain um at the pro level, and so just the adjustment from going from focusing a lot on myself and my game and like trying to get myself to the NHL to like really honing in on like helping these young guys, these prospects, you know, like perfect their craft to be able to make their NHL debuts.
• 6:19
  SPEAKER_03: And I think I made a really big jump in that last year and just uh just the way our team was and um it it made those guys made it really easy for me as well.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_03: Um like they they really dialed it in last year as you saw, like we we made a run, and that can't happen if you're not dialed in.
• 6:39
  SPEAKER_03: And so uh they made it easy for me to be a leader for them as well, which is it was a great situation for everyone involved.
• 6:46
  SPEAKER_02: Absolutely.
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_02: It's yeah, I we've had some great talks, some great guys from that locker room.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_02: I can only imagine just kind of the uh the vibes in there during the run.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_02: I want to talk about that a little more, you know.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_02: I while I think we all kind of had high hopes for this team heading into the postseason, um, I don't know how many people outside of Allstate were expecting them to be, you know, just three games away from the the call to your cup.
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_02: Um it was a lot of fun.
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_02: I was I know Tom and I enjoyed the ride a lot, but yeah, on your side, as a leader in that locker room, you know, what did you kind of notice was like the catalyst or some big factors that led to this team coming together and playing some of their best hockey when the stakes were the highest?
• 7:28
  SPEAKER_03: Uh I honestly think it was the brotherhood that we had in that locker room.
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_03: Um every single guy in there wanted to go to battle for each other.
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_03: And we just we just had such a special bond.
• 7:38
  SPEAKER_03: We were all best friends, we all got along.
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_03: Um, everybody wanted to just compete hard for each other.
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_03: And um it like it it takes a special group to go as far as we did last year.
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_03: And um coming up just short, you know, I think we were all a little little disappointed, but to be there when nobody expected us to be there just just shows how special of a bond our team had.
• 8:01
  unknown: Yeah.
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_02: I feel like, you know, the the defining moment was, you know, those game six and seven going in the Colorado with your backs against the wall.
• 8:12
  SPEAKER_02: And you know, it's it's like, all right, you know, you guys had kind of had a good run, but you just there was a feeling outside of that locker room like this this might be it.
• 8:21
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, those that Eagles team was really good, and you guys pull off not one but two incredible victories on the road to to knock them off in advance.
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_02: So, you know, um again, just kind of try and give us a bit of a mindset in that locker room.
• 8:36
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, yeah, you guys are all going to over each other and everything, but just like I don't know, because like could you even believe it when it was all said and done that you guys were were sitting here moving on, face Toronto in the finals?
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, no, it was uh it was pretty uh pretty unbelievable um what happened in Colorado game six and seven, you know.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_03: Uh Primu got hurt in game five too, so we lost our starting goalie, but uh Mifty stepped up huge in game six and seven.
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_03: Like we we leaned on him so much in those two games.
• 9:09
  SPEAKER_03: He made some incredible saves, and I think that just gave us the the boost that we needed to like get past those guys.
• 9:17
  SPEAKER_03: And uh, you know, like just timely saves, and then we go down and score a goal like right after that, and it just everything just seemed to be clicking for us.
• 9:26
  SPEAKER_03: Um I think both the games we were we came back into.
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_03: I think we were down in both games six and seven, and so like just like to see the the determination of our group just to never quit was really special to see.
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_02: And it was a lot of fun to watch, too, for sure.
• 9:43
  SPEAKER_02: And it was a bit of a unique situation last year, you know, with the the coaching change in December.
• 9:49
  SPEAKER_02: So, you know, you guys were running one assistant coach short and all of that after Spiro's had moved up.
• 9:55
  SPEAKER_02: Um, the Wolves filled that vacancy this offseason with RJ Younger, and you know the coach more than anyone else in the organization.
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_02: You played for him in your days at college.
• 10:04
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, did you put the call in yourself and uh uh you know, try to give us uh fans an introduction to Coach Young and what separates him from the back?
• 10:14
  SPEAKER_03: Uh I did not put the call in myself.
• 10:16
  SPEAKER_03: Um Spiros, Spiros called me uh after all his interviews and everything, and he uh he was just asking about RJ.
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_03: He was like just trying to find a reason almost not to hire him because he liked him so much.
• 10:30
  SPEAKER_03: He was like, What's wrong with this guy?
• 10:32
  SPEAKER_03: Why hasn't he been hired before?
• 10:34
  SPEAKER_03: And so he called me and I was like, look, RJ's great.
• 10:37
  SPEAKER_03: He is a man of faith.
• 10:39
  SPEAKER_03: He gets along with everybody, he stays out there on the ice with every guy that's out there for like the two hours that guys will stay out there on the ice after practice for.
• 10:47
  SPEAKER_03: Like RJ stays the whole time to like help you work on things.
• 10:51
  SPEAKER_03: And uh he's he's a very skilled player as well.
• 10:54
  SPEAKER_03: Like he he played at a very high level and he knows the game inside and out, and I think he's just a great addition to our locker room as well.
• 11:03
  SPEAKER_02: That's awesome.
• 11:04
  SPEAKER_02: I uh I love a little insight there.
• 11:06
  SPEAKER_02: That's and it shows a lot when Spiro's kind of calling you up and seeing, like, you know, I I love the investigative work.
• 11:12
  SPEAKER_02: That's awesome.
• 11:14
  SPEAKER_02: Um as we kind of turn towards you know, this season, it's your third year of the team, third year's captain, you know, you've seen guys come and go, which is you know kind of the nature of the game, especially in the American League.
• 11:25
  SPEAKER_02: Um, you know, some guys lead more vocally and others are a little quieter and they kind of show by example.
• 11:32
  SPEAKER_02: Um, how would you say you kind of approach your role as a captain?
• 11:35
  SPEAKER_02: And do you find that as groups of guy changed, you know, do you change your role as well?
• 11:40
  SPEAKER_03: Uh yeah, I think mainly I lead by example.
• 11:44
  SPEAKER_03: Um, by just how I play.
• 11:46
  SPEAKER_03: I just try to be the hardest working guy on the ice and uh hope that other guys on the team see that and want to do the same thing.
• 11:53
  SPEAKER_03: But I also try to read the situation.
• 11:55
  SPEAKER_03: I try to uh make a relationship with each and every single one of the guys in that locker room so I know how to lead them.
• 12:02
  SPEAKER_03: And I think that helps more than anything, just you know, to have that one-on-one relationship with each and every guy in that locker room.
• 12:09
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, so I know that what they need and what the exact moment that they need it is, you know.
• 12:14
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, absolutely.
• 12:16
  SPEAKER_02: Um and you know, I know Tom and I really are enjoyed our chats with uh with Coach Anastasis.
• 12:23
  SPEAKER_02: And like I obviously don't have that experience from inside the locker room, but I just I get the feeling, the energy just by talking with them, not just his knowledge for the game, but just kind of showing how much he he really cares for the guys, not just on the ice, but off the ice as people as well.
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_02: And you know, when you're looking at kind of setting the tone for the lineup and everything, what advice or what takeaways do you get from from Coach Nastas and just kind of like how he sets the bar?
• 12:51
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, I think he's got some of the most energy out of all of us in the room.
• 12:55
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, so he'll come in with a lot of energy before games and just you know let us know the plan.
• 13:00
  SPEAKER_03: He gets he gets pretty, pretty excited and pretty pumped up during his pregame speeches and his pregame video and stuff like that.
• 13:08
  SPEAKER_03: So I think he kind of sets the tone for us all with just just being excited to be at the rink and just making it fun for us to, you know, we're we're playing a kid's game for for some money, like why not enjoy it?
• 13:20
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 13:21
  SPEAKER_04: That's a great perspective.
• 13:22
  SPEAKER_04: Because with Sparos, uh he is he is one of the easiest uh folks to have on our podcast.
• 13:30
  SPEAKER_04: He he is so, you know, he's so genuine and he's so giving in terms of his uh his discussion.
• 13:37
  SPEAKER_04: And you know, he just uh he always just impresses us with the the type of person he is, just so uh so you know friendly and and so caring.
• 13:45
  SPEAKER_04: And and I can imagine that carries over to the hockey club as well.
• 13:49
  SPEAKER_03: Oh yeah, absolutely.
• 13:51
  SPEAKER_03: Um he's probably my favorite head coach that I've ever played for.
• 13:54
  SPEAKER_03: Uh he's he's so genuine in the locker room too.
• 13:57
  SPEAKER_03: He cares about each and every one of us out there.
• 14:00
  SPEAKER_03: And uh you can you can see it just by the way he he acts around us.
• 14:04
  SPEAKER_03: And you know, there's a lot of head coaches that won't get too personal with players because they have to call them up, send them down, like give them good news, give them bad news, whatever it is.
• 14:13
  SPEAKER_03: But you know, Spiro really makes it a point to create those relationships with us and uh be a personable head coach.
• 14:21
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I just I love that about him.
• 14:24
  SPEAKER_02: But uh, you know, and you got another support meme in the leadership group with a guy with another family connection in the organization, and coincidentally he's on your line often, and that's Skyler Brindamore.
• 14:35
  SPEAKER_02: Um, you team you two seem to compliment each other very well on the ice.
• 14:39
  SPEAKER_02: You're both responsible in your own end, both big assets on the penalty kill with the affiliate finish on the other side.
• 14:45
  SPEAKER_02: Um now you got Viktor Noichiev on the other wing, and seems like that's been the line that kind of stirred the uh drink for this team.
• 14:53
  SPEAKER_02: Uh just kind of talk about a bit the chemistry that's worked out for the three of you on the ice and how those relationships extend off of it.
• 15:01
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, uh me and Skylar are pretty good friends off the ice.
• 15:04
  SPEAKER_03: Uh we we usually sit next to each other in locker rooms and stuff, so we're always talking.
• 15:09
  SPEAKER_03: But uh we are very similar players, and I think that's why we uh have such good chemistry on the ice.
• 15:15
  SPEAKER_03: You know, we're both very predictable and uh can play the cane system exactly how it needs to be played, and uh I think that's why we have the success that we have is just uh feeding off each other's predictability.
• 15:29
  SPEAKER_03: And um as far as uh Nuchev, uh we played that one game with him against the Moose, played pretty well, I thought.
• 15:38
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but uh just the way things are going, everything's getting scrambled every single day, guys getting called up and stuff.
• 15:45
  SPEAKER_03: So uh I don't know if we're gonna be on a line with him anymore.
• 15:49
  SPEAKER_03: Uh so we'll we'll see.
• 15:52
  SPEAKER_04: Well, you know, something interesting that we've talked about and we've had a lot of fun with this is uh, you know, we we compare you and Skylar to Jordan Stahl and Jordan Martin.
• 16:03
  SPEAKER_04: Uh in that you guys play a similar game, right?
• 16:06
  SPEAKER_04: So tough defensive assignments, uh, you know, some heavy lifting out there, and and uh we had a lot of fun last season with that comparison.
• 16:14
  SPEAKER_04: And boy, it worked out quite well.
• 16:15
  SPEAKER_04: Both uh both groups doing extremely well, and we're impressed with your great work with Skyler and of course Jordan, the two Jordans were uh were fantastic for the Canes.
• 16:24
  SPEAKER_04: So so that was uh that's great.
• 16:26
  SPEAKER_04: And and you know it takes it takes players, you know, with the experience, with the savvy, with the consistency that you and Skylar have to really lead these young players, right?
• 16:39
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, absolutely.
• 16:40
  SPEAKER_03: I I think the Jordans are a great player comparison for us both.
• 16:44
  SPEAKER_03: Uh you know, we're both very big, heavy forwards that will get in on the four check and play good defense.
• 16:52
  SPEAKER_03: So uh I I don't know if there's any better player comparison.
• 16:57
  SPEAKER_03: Uh but uh yeah, I mean the consistency for the young guys, you know, there's so many guys that are coming up from juniors in college that have never played the 72 game season along with 27 playoff games.
• 17:14
  SPEAKER_03: And so you have you have to find be able to find that consistency every single night because every every game matters, every two-point matters.
• 17:22
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and so you just you gotta find a way to come come ready to play every single night.
• 17:28
  SPEAKER_03: And I think uh just the way that Skylar and I do that, maybe show them a little insight to how to do that.
• 17:36
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, you know, Spears had told us that uh he was concerned with some of the players that they would hit a wall uh at a certain point.
• 17:44
  SPEAKER_04: And you know, that you you face this.
• 17:46
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, coming out of college where you've played uh significantly less games, and all of a sudden you're you're uh kind of in the in the thr uh thick of it, and not only that, heading into the playoffs, it's just even tougher.
• 17:58
  SPEAKER_04: So he was uh he was trying to explain a little bit about that to us so we'd understand better that some of the things that happen to players is they get you know up in the game count, particularly in their first seasons.
• 18:09
  SPEAKER_04: It's uh it's kind of tough stuff.
• 18:12
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, it is for sure.
• 18:14
  SPEAKER_03: There's it's the season's a grind.
• 18:16
  SPEAKER_03: You gotta learn how to take care of your body, learn how to take care of your load management.
• 18:21
  SPEAKER_03: Um, everything everything goes into how you're gonna feel in February from the start of right now, you know.
• 18:30
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, absolutely.
• 18:32
  SPEAKER_02: And you know, I as we kind of look at the beginning of this season, and you know, it's not really sugarcoat things, you know, it's been a little bumpy.
• 18:41
  SPEAKER_02: And um, you know, I know the standard is is very high in that room.
• 18:46
  SPEAKER_02: So, you know, when you hit a rough stretch like this, especially you kick the season off, how do you, as you know, the guy wearing the C kind of set the tone in practice and you know, off the ice and everything?
• 18:55
  SPEAKER_02: Is it like, hey, this isn't working, let's change it up, or are you more like, you know, we know what we're capable of, let's just kind of stay the course and just keep coming in the rock?
• 19:05
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I think uh I think we all know what we're capable of in that room.
• 19:09
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I think it's a matter of us just finding our identity again.
• 19:13
  SPEAKER_03: Um, you know, we got a few new guys in that locker room, and we have to kind of mold everybody into our identity again.
• 19:20
  SPEAKER_03: Um, you know, we went through a rough patch last year as well, and we had to uh find that identity before playoffs started.
• 19:27
  SPEAKER_03: And so, you know, the fact that we're hitting this rough patch earlier on in the year just just shows us that we need to dial into our details early on and we'll figure it out from there.
• 19:37
  SPEAKER_03: And uh, you know, it's a it's a learning experience.
• 19:40
  SPEAKER_03: Spiros always says that, you know, we win and we learn, we don't lose.
• 19:45
  SPEAKER_03: And so if if if we're losing early on in the year, we're just learning from our mistakes and we're gonna fine-tune those details and make them better for the rest of the year.
• 19:57
  SPEAKER_04: You said after losing to Toronto in five that this group would come back with a chip on its shoulder.
• 20:02
  SPEAKER_04: So that was kind of interesting.
• 20:04
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, how is the room handling it right now?
• 20:08
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, you know, we're just trying to stay positive.
• 20:10
  SPEAKER_03: I think if you if you sulk during these times, you're not gonna dig your way out of it.
• 20:15
  SPEAKER_03: You have to find the positive in every little thing and uh just just work your way out of it.
• 20:21
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, and and I think that's what this room is our room is trying to do.
• 20:24
  SPEAKER_03: And we're also we're trying to build that brotherhood right now as well.
• 20:27
  SPEAKER_03: So uh, you know, it takes time, it takes time to build that special bond between the new guys in the locker room.
• 20:34
  SPEAKER_03: And so we're focused on dialing in our details and building that bond.
• 20:40
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, and and you know, the canes got off to a bit of a strange start.
• 20:43
  SPEAKER_04: They lost their first game in overtime and they got beat up by Washington, and we were kind of wondering, okay, uh what's what's going on, and and uh, and of course, they clearly righted the ship.
• 20:53
  SPEAKER_04: And one thing about Rod Brindamore, and I think it's exactly the same with uh sterosynaastis, is they are going to stay the course.
• 21:00
  SPEAKER_04: Uh they know what works, they know how you win, uh, they're gonna stay with the plan, and uh, and ultimately it it pays off.
• 21:08
  SPEAKER_04: And of course, in a long season, you have a number of times to have the ups and downs in the season.
• 21:14
  SPEAKER_04: So, you know, I think uh, you know, when we stop and take a look, we have to say, hey, wait a minute, there's there's some good things happening too, right?
• 21:21
  SPEAKER_04: So, you know, uh Chase Wheatcroft, he got his first goal uh of the year in the home opener, and that's great.
• 21:27
  SPEAKER_04: And uh a nice play with uh Steven Sardarian.
• 21:30
  SPEAKER_04: And then he came back, Sardarian comes back and scores himself.
• 21:33
  SPEAKER_04: So we you know, new players starting to show that they can uh they can make a difference out there.
• 21:39
  SPEAKER_04: Um who stood out for you?
• 21:41
  SPEAKER_04: Like when you look at the team so far, who's kind of standing out and you're saying, hey, wait, I like what I see here.
• 21:47
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I think uh um we all have our our moments in these games.
• 21:53
  SPEAKER_03: Uh we've all had good moments, we've all had bad moments, but um, you know, the the new guys have really stood out uh this year for me.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_03: Um, you know, we didn't didn't necessarily know what to expect from them uh coming into the year.
• 22:06
  SPEAKER_03: They're playing a new system, they're playing with new people, uh, but they they've really actually played really well the first few games, and uh it's been fun to watch them and um excited to see what happens when we really dial in the details together with them.
• 22:23
  SPEAKER_04: Well, you must have been excited when uh when Kate and Primo was able to uh clear through waivers and head back to Chicago.
• 22:31
  SPEAKER_04: That's probably big news.
• 22:32
  SPEAKER_04: For the room.
• 22:34
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, it's uh really big news.
• 22:36
  SPEAKER_03: Uh Caden's probably one of my best friends I've ever had in the game of hockey.
• 22:41
  SPEAKER_03: And so uh just uh when I saw him sign a two-year contract with the team as well, uh I was really excited and I'm really happy that he cleared waivers because he's a really good goalie and we need him in that room.
• 22:54
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, I think there were several of us who had a a uh sigh of relief uh waiting for the uh the noon bell to go the following day to make sure that uh somebody hadn't grabbed him.
• 23:05
  SPEAKER_04: And it was kind of fortunate.
• 23:07
  SPEAKER_04: It was, again, very smart work by uh by Eric Tulski and the crew who decided to hang on to him a little bit longer before trying to uh send him down to Chicago, and it turned out that a couple of goalies were picked up, and that pretty well cleared the way for him.
• 23:22
  SPEAKER_04: So we didn't want a return of last year where we tried to send him down, and of course he was picked up by Toronto.
• 23:28
  SPEAKER_04: But that's uh that's old news, and we're excited to have him back, of course.
• 23:32
  SPEAKER_04: So, yeah, great stuff.
• 23:33
  SPEAKER_04: And and of course, uh having uh Zach back, uh Zach Sachenko, who was with Chicago a little while ago and comes back to play again.
• 23:42
  SPEAKER_04: That gives you a great uh great tandem there.
• 23:44
  SPEAKER_04: So we're really excited about uh what they can do.
• 23:47
  SPEAKER_04: Now tell us a little bit, just as we're talking about the team too, uh uh Josiah, you know, the defensive core is interesting.
• 23:54
  SPEAKER_04: You've got what we think is a pretty strong decor.
• 23:58
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, you know, you've got some folks coming back from last year, but you've added some folks.
• 24:02
  SPEAKER_04: You've got uh uh Joseph coming in, and you've got, of course, Franson.
• 24:06
  SPEAKER_04: Um tell us a little bit about your thoughts on this decor as it compares to last year.
• 24:12
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I think uh last year we had a little bit older of a decor.
• 24:16
  SPEAKER_03: I think this year it's very young.
• 24:19
  SPEAKER_03: Um I think Joseph's our oldest guy at 26, 27 years old.
• 24:24
  SPEAKER_03: Um so yeah, it's it's a young D-corps, so I think it's gonna take a little bit of getting used to, but they're all really good players.
• 24:34
  SPEAKER_03: Like, I think our decor might be better this year than last year.
• 24:38
  SPEAKER_03: It's just again, like getting into those nitty-gritty details of the Carolina Hurricane system and just dialing that in with the new young guys.
• 24:48
  SPEAKER_03: And uh yeah, I think I think they're gonna be a very strong decor.
• 24:53
  SPEAKER_04: Well, you know, it's interesting.
• 24:55
  SPEAKER_04: When I was up at the uh prospect showcase in Raleigh, uh I was absolutely impressed by Noel Franson, who uh I think was just tremendous.
• 25:06
  SPEAKER_04: And he was making plays that uh, you know, you kind of watch him go into the offensive zone, and you know, his his vision was incredible, and he was making some fantastic plays.
• 25:16
  SPEAKER_04: So I've got lots of uh for him.
• 25:18
  SPEAKER_04: Of course, we lost uh player that we love on Storm Tracker, and that was Don Fensori.
• 25:23
  SPEAKER_04: We thought he was just tremendous last year and working alongside uh Charles Alexis Legaux quite a bit.
• 25:29
  SPEAKER_04: So yeah, we're looking forward to Franzen's contribution.
• 25:32
  SPEAKER_04: And I know uh as a group, uh, as you say, there's tremendous potential with that group.
• 25:39
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, uh I I didn't know Franzon coming into this year, um, and I got to see him in training camp.
• 25:45
  SPEAKER_03: And yeah, he's a he's a heck of a player.
• 25:47
  SPEAKER_03: Got he's so shifty offensively and got great vision offensively as well.
• 25:52
  SPEAKER_03: And so I'm excited to see uh where this pro season takes him this year.
• 25:59
  SPEAKER_04: Absolutely, and of course the UL Nistro as well, because he played great for the Hurricanes last year, and I just think he's he's a tremendous defenseman as well.
• 26:11
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, he is.
• 26:12
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, he he earned that contract that he got um in the 38 games that he played, and uh he's he's a fantastic player, fantastic person off the ice.
• 26:23
  SPEAKER_03: Uh get along with him really well.
• 26:25
  SPEAKER_03: And um just yeah, I'm excited for our decor this year.
• 26:29
  SPEAKER_03: I I think once we get these details dialed in, we're gonna be solid from the goalies to the forwards.
• 26:38
  SPEAKER_02: I agree.
• 26:39
  SPEAKER_02: I feel like it just I mean, I ever obviously the game's not played on paper, but on paper, it just feels like there's even more depth to this team, even then so than last year.
• 26:51
  SPEAKER_02: And you know, that that goes so much further after, you know, we were talking about those 72 games and then the 20 games after that.
• 26:59
  SPEAKER_02: And you know, you got just the between that, the great guys in the locker room, the great coaching staff, just the amount of guys that were back from last year, it you know, it just feels like the sky's limit for this team.
• 27:11
  SPEAKER_02: So I'm really excited to see where that takes them.
• 27:16
  SPEAKER_02: Stepping off the uh back off the ice for a little bit, you know, one of um you know, one of the things I've really admired about this organization, you kind of touched on it, Josiah, but you know, just the wonderful people that fill this this whole organization from top to bottom, and and just how much they connect to the Chicagoland area, the initiatives to reach out and build and give back.
• 27:44
  SPEAKER_02: And obviously, you and and your brother are both, you know, men of God.
• 27:49
  SPEAKER_02: You don't you don't hide that fact from anyone.
• 27:52
  SPEAKER_02: And and back in February, the Wolves hosted a faith and fellowship night to kind of bring everyone together and you know, allow them to connect to with you and share that communal spirit and all.
• 28:04
  SPEAKER_02: And if you could just kind of share a bit on what a night like that does for you, what it does for the fans, and just kind of what you guys talked about and what it means to bring everyone together under that scope.
• 28:15
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, uh the faith, faith and fellowship nights, my favorite night of the year.
• 28:20
  SPEAKER_03: It's my favorite game to play in, and then just to be able to uh just talk to the fans and share my testimony, you know.
• 28:27
  SPEAKER_03: Uh Jesus gave me my testimony for a reason, and so if I'm able to share that and bring somebody to the to Jesus through that, uh that that's more success than I could ever ask for in the game of hockey.
• 28:39
  SPEAKER_03: And so uh, you know, just uh being able to talk to people that are interested about it is one of my greatest joys in life, honestly.
• 28:50
  SPEAKER_03: Uh I'm actually a really bad public speaker.
• 28:53
  SPEAKER_03: Um But when it when it comes to talking about Jesus, you know, the spirit is the spirit speaking through me and uh God's given me the wisdom to be able to like direct people in the right direction.
• 29:07
  SPEAKER_03: So uh it's it's a very special night, and the turnout last year before it was great, and I was I was really excited to just be able to share my testimony.
• 29:18
  SPEAKER_04: Well, I think you know, for for some of us who see you and Jacob and you know the the fine young men that you are and the great work you do and and just uh the strength of your faith uh in this world today is is a beacon for us.
• 29:35
  SPEAKER_04: I gotta say this, and and we we just really you know we really appreciate uh the people you are.
• 29:45
  SPEAKER_03: Well thank you.
• 29:46
  SPEAKER_03: All all the glory is his.
• 29:48
  SPEAKER_03: I can't take any credit for anything about my faith.
• 29:51
  SPEAKER_03: It's all the stuff that he's uh put on my heart.
• 29:55
  SPEAKER_04: Well, that's for sure, and it's uh it's it's wonderful.
• 29:58
  SPEAKER_04: You know, um back to hockey for a minute, we've got a situation where this weekend is huge for you guys.
• 30:09
  SPEAKER_04: Um Iowa, two games, um trying to find a way to kind of get in the winning side and and uh start to uh turn things back around.
• 30:20
  SPEAKER_04: What does get right hockey look like for you and for the team?
• 30:27
  SPEAKER_03: Uh yeah, I think this weekend's gonna be a good test.
• 30:29
  SPEAKER_03: I think Iowa's got a a much better team this year than they did last year.
• 30:33
  SPEAKER_03: And I think our get right hockey is just, you know, we've shown spurts of it in the first few games, but we're having kind of those mental lapses um throughout the game that the other team will score two or three goals.
• 30:49
  SPEAKER_03: And so uh we just have to just dial in our details for a whole 60 minutes because if if we play our game for 60 minutes, I don't know if there's a team in the league that's gonna touch us.
• 30:59
  SPEAKER_03: Like we play such a high, high pace, high stress game that um it's hard for the other team to keep up with if we do that for 60 minutes.
• 31:12
  SPEAKER_04: For sure.
• 31:13
  SPEAKER_04: And you know, I think um, you know, as we've talked about earlier, it's it's the ups and downs of the season.
• 31:19
  SPEAKER_04: It just turns that uh starts out that uh you guys are in a bit of the downside, but we know that uh with this uh with this team that you have and with the outstanding coaching group that you have, with led by Spiroos, and and of course RJ's there and Dan and the rest of the crew, we we just feel like you guys are gonna get back on track and and we'll be having different conversations as the season goes on, as we did last year, and how well things are going and and uh and you know just uh just the good stuff that we're gonna see for sure.
• 31:51
  SPEAKER_04: So as we kind of wrap up on this, Josiah, just uh for closing thoughts, um just whatever you're thinking, just uh please uh share whatever your thoughts are as we kind of wrap things up.
• 32:07
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, uh I think I agree with you.
• 32:10
  SPEAKER_03: Um, you know, we have we're having a little bit of a load of the start, but the season has a lot of ebbs and flows, a lot of ups and downs.
• 32:16
  SPEAKER_03: And uh unfortunate that we started and ended down, but I got nothing but belief for the group of guys that we got in that locker room.
• 32:24
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I think we're gonna be a very good team.
• 32:26
  SPEAKER_03: I think we're gonna be a very competitive team this year.
• 32:28
  SPEAKER_03: And it's gonna be led by led by Spearos and RJ and Dan and even Garrick, our video coach, has been great for us already this season.
• 32:38
  SPEAKER_03: So uh yeah, I I got nothing but excitement for the rest of the year.
• 32:42
  SPEAKER_03: Um I'm excited to get back to battle with these guys against Iowa this weekend and again continue to either win or learn uh no matter what going forward.
• 32:53
  SPEAKER_04: No, for sure.
• 32:54
  SPEAKER_04: And and uh yeah, we're gonna look forward to that as uh the wins start to uh to mount up throughout the season.
• 33:00
  SPEAKER_04: And Andrew, just uh from you, some closing thoughts.
• 33:05
  SPEAKER_02: I'm really envious that you're not on social media.
• 33:09
  SPEAKER_02: Like in this day and age, you avoid so much of that world out there.
• 33:15
  SPEAKER_02: I don't know how you do it, but I I good on you on on that.
• 33:20
  SPEAKER_02: That's uh that's just kind of the only thing that's been sticking in my head.
• 33:23
  SPEAKER_03: Like, wow, he must live a really I uh I still have like my social media accounts, but I just I don't have it on my phone.
• 33:35
  SPEAKER_03: Um it's you know it's something that can be too addicting.
• 33:39
  SPEAKER_03: And uh if I don't have it on my phone, I have a little bit more time to spend in God's word, and uh that's where I'd rather be spending my time than on social media.
• 33:47
  SPEAKER_04: So yeah, but you won't need to go on social media, uh Josiah, because we do have our own app, Storm Tracker.
• 33:54
  SPEAKER_04: So if you want to uh catch any of the Storm Tracker episodes and and some of the past ones with Skylar and Ryan and certainly with Spiro, they're available for you.
• 34:04
  SPEAKER_04: So you don't have to go on social media, you don't you don't have to get on YouTube, you don't have to go on anything.
• 34:09
  SPEAKER_04: Uh but uh you I think you'd really enjoy uh some of the some of the episodes we've had because uh you know we've gotten to know uh a lot of folks in the Chicago Wolves organization extremely well.
• 34:22
  SPEAKER_04: And uh we we just think uh as you said rightfully and and uh we couldn't agree more, what a great, what a great group of people.
• 34:30
  SPEAKER_04: Um just just fantastic.
• 34:33
  SPEAKER_04: And certainly led by the captain.
• 34:35
  SPEAKER_04: So uh so we are so excited you joined us and so thankful that you spent the time with us, Josiah.
• 34:43
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, thank you for having me.
• 34:44
  SPEAKER_03: I really appreciate it.
• 34:45
  SPEAKER_03: It's fun talking to you guys.
• 34:48
  SPEAKER_04: Well, hopefully we'll get a chance to do this again later when when the wolves are on a bit of a run.
• 34:55
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, there we go.
• 34:58
  SPEAKER_04: Make it a little bit easier for you so you don't uh you're not on the hot seat, so to speak.
• 35:03
  SPEAKER_04: In any case, uh thanks again for spending time with us, Andrew.
• 35:07
  SPEAKER_04: As always, it's uh fantastic to have you with uh with us on Storm Tracker and and talking Chicago Wolves.
• 35:14
  SPEAKER_04: Uh for those of you who've been watching or listening, thanks for tuning in to Storm Tracker today.
• 35:19
  SPEAKER_04: And be sure to check out the new Storm Tracker app, which I was just mentioning to Josiah.
• 35:24
  SPEAKER_04: It's now available on all platforms.
• 35:27
  SPEAKER_04: We'd love to hear from you, so if you have questions or comments, please leave them in the comment section or send them our way, and we'll respond just as quickly as we can.
• 35:37
  SPEAKER_04: As always, we're delighted you spend time with us today, and we look forward to getting together with you real soon right here on Stormcracker.
• 35:46
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for joining us.
• 35:48
  SPEAKER_00: Be sure to follow or subscribe.
• 35:53
  SPEAKER_00: And remember, for everything,