The NHL’s Golden Knights want to see the Wolves win while their young prospects develop. That’s what they’ve gotten this season.
‘‘It’s a real good balance because any organization wants to win,’’ Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon told the Sun-Times on Thursday. ‘‘We want the Wolves to win because it’s better for our players to learn that way and cut their teeth that way.
‘‘This season, our young prospects have had a real hand in the success that the team’s enjoyed. Because of that, it’s really aided in their development.’’
This season was the Wolves’ first with only Knights players. They spent 2017-18 as an affiliate of the Knights but also took some prospects from the Blues. Though the Wolves have suffered at times from the usual challenges of being an affiliate of an aggressive team, they reached the Calder Cup Finals after winning another division championship.
The Knights’ young defenseman prospects have played an important role in the Wolves’ success this season. That has been true even after the Knights acquired Mark Stone in a trade that sent top prospect and then-Wolves standout Erik Brannstrom to the Senators. McCrimmon also mentioned the growth of forward Keegan Kolesar and the opportunity to get 2017 first-round pick Cody Glass meaningful minutes late in the season.
All of that has continued during the playoffs, something McCrimmon said helps the young players improve. McCrimmon said playing deep into the postseason brings ‘‘situations . . . [that] are immeasurable, and they can’t be simulated.’’
‘‘I’ve always felt that the teams that get to play deep into the playoffs, they get better,’’ McCrimmon said. ‘‘Their players get better because that’s what happens when the stakes are as high as they are, when the games are as competitive as they are, the level of competitiveness required to be successful at this time of year.
‘‘Those are great traits for players to experience and learn from.’’
Of course, the players aren’t the only ones learning. In two seasons, Wolves coach Rocky Thompson has won two division titles and a Western Conference championship. As McCrimmon mentioned, Thompson got the Wolves through injury-plagued stretches of their season while keeping development a priority.
‘‘I think, in Rocky’s case, it’s been a tremendous year for him to experience,’’ McCrimmon said. ‘‘The things that have impressed me [are] the opportunities the young players have received, the ability to have a team jell. We’ve got great veteran leadership on this team, but that starts with the coach, in my opinion.’’
The Wolves enter Game 5 of the championship series Saturday down 3-1 to the Checkers and needing three consecutive victories for their first title since 2008. They know they can do it because they won Games 4, 5 and 6 in the last round to win the West, but they’re trying not to look too far ahead.
‘‘It just means it has been done before,’’ Thompson said. ‘‘We’ve just got to focus on one game.’’