Fireside Chats: Chicago Wolves Head Coach Cam Abbott
Photo Credit: Chicago Wolves
On May 2nd, 2024, the Carolina Hurricanes (NHL) and the Chicago Wolves (AHL) reentered into a three-year partnership agreement, effectively renewing their affiliation relationship. With a new affiliation comes new staff and players, the most important of which is the Head Coach.
A month and a half later, the Hurricanes announced the hiring of Cam Abbott as the 14th head coach of the Wolves. For the past seven seasons, Abbott spent his time coaching Rogle BK of the Swedish Hockey League through multiple successful post-season runs.
As of late, Coach Abbott has been able to keep Chicago continuously above .500 and the Wolves are set to smash last year's record of 23-35-7-7.
After talking with Coach Abbott last week, I realized his passion for hockey, his players, and the people in the community is what makes him one of the most special coaches to walk through the doors of All State Arena. A coach like that can turn a franchise around in a heartbeat and set them up for a lifetime of success.
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Elaine Shircliff: How did you get into coaching? Was this something you always wanted to do? Or was it like a right place, right time kind of situation?
Cam Abbott: A little of both. I was playing professionally in Sweden for seven seasons. When I stopped playing, I knew I wasn’t done with hockey. I just had so much enjoyment from the game and being part of a group and working to achieve something special within a team setting.
Soon after I stopped playing, due to injury, I was able to start volunteering with a junior hockey team doing some morning skates with them. Within three or four months, word got out that I was helping the junior team and I was asked if I was interested in interviewing for a head coaching job in the top junior league in Sweden.
A well-prepared interview later, I was offered a position, which I was terribly underqualified for at the time, but we figured it out. It was amazing the first 18 months. I was hooked just helping young players on their journey. We had a lot of success. Took a bottom team to the top of the country and within a short period of time, I was hired to be a head coach in the SHL, which is the Swedish Hockey League, the top league in Sweden at the professional level.
It was a quick turnaround from playing. I was, and still am, thankful for the opportunity because it’s a lot of fun.
ES: Now what was your favorite part about coaching and even playing over in Sweden?
CA: The relationships. The people that you’re able to build with, players, staff, people that work, it’s a very community club-based approach to the game. Everybody very well connected to the organizations that you are playing for have so much passion for the team, for the home. It’s so intertwined with the communities that I was able to play and coach in.
That was the best part, the people.
Also, In many people’s eyes, it’s the second best league in the world. So, the hockey was at a very elite level as well.
ES: When you came over to North America to coach were there any challenges you had to deal with? Were there any differences between the SHL and the AHL?
CA: Ya, for sure. Technically, some differences in style. As well as, believe it or not, the ice rink dimensions and the way the game is played due to those changes is somewhat significant. It poses some different challenges.
I mean the Xs or Os, not a small portion, but just a portion of the role of the coaching. The opportunities to build relationships with players . Especially ones that are on the development kind of aspect of this AHL team we are in is very similar to the opportunity I was in earlier with kind of running the youngest teams in the league and getting excited about helping guys on their own kind of personal journeys at the same time. Being able to set that vision as a team here.
A little bit different in certain ways. But more similarities than anything.
ES: Now, how did you become the Wolves Head Coach? Did you have to interview with Carolina? Did they reach out to you? How did that all come about?
CA: It was a bit of a process. I think it seemed fairly organic. I interviewed with different people in Carolina. And then, thankfully, with the return of the agreement here with Chicago and them working together again, it came to a point where it was possible from Carolina’s side for me to get into this position.
So, it just felt really natural and brought a lot of excitement to the opportunity along with staff we have been able to put together.
It’s been amazing. We have a great group of guys to work with. As well as, the players in the room. It’s been so much fun so far.
ES: Now, for the fans in Chicago, this is basically like a brand new team to them. The past few years it’s been a little bit of a change over, and then basically almost a complete change over from last year to this year. How has the relationship with the fans been for you guys?
CA: Chicago Wolves, you hear from afar, even where I was previously overseas, how this organization is well supported and how professionally it has been run over the years. The championships they’ve won. Behind all of that is the fans and their enthusiasm and loyal support.
We’ve got fans who I don’t think have missed a game in years and years that travel to all of our road games as well. The turnout we get at All State Arena, it’s been great to feel that support. And I think the responsibility that we have is to play entertaining and exciting winning hockey with the Wolves.
I think we are doing our best every day to make sure that’s something we’re bringing as well as the development of all the players within our group. And the fans are a big part of that. Because it’s certainly fun to see their faces at the games and cheering in support of us through the good and the tougher times.
ES: That first home game, the fire is going off at the beginning of it. Did you know that there was going to be pyrotechnics? Did they surprise you guys? What was it like to experience that for the first time?
CA: I don’t think you can get surprised on that. A few people reached out beforehand and said “Get ready for this!”
I think it’s special. It’s obviously quite unique. It’s something that has been a bit of tradition here that is fun for the fans.
It’s for real.
They are loud.
ES: They are loud. I grew up right outside of Chicago. That team came in two years before we moved to Ohio, and I just remember going to those games when I was younger and it was loud covering the team it’s loud now. I’m so glad it hasn’t changed.
CA: I think history is important, too. Traditions within an organization. It’s something that’s obviously worked well here. Everybody is very proud of the product, as well.
The Wolves, in not just the players you see on the ice, the staff, the work that they do to make it a great experience and how professionally it’s run,
Courtney and her whole staff, and Wendell has done an outstanding job to build out this whole brand within the community.
It’s so fun to be part of.
ES: What kind of advice would you give to a coach that was essentially coming into a brand new team with new coaches and new players? What kind of advice would you give them to get ready for the season and have a successful one.
CA: Just be yourself. Set a vision to work towards creating that vision daily. Work that’s necessary and the process and standards that are something you live by. For me, that’s a quick summary of how I approach this.
Everybody’s got their own way.
Be grateful. This is something I carry with me into the rink every day too.
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I didn’t catch this at the time but as the conversation wound down my voice recorder stopped working. I don’t want to misquote Coach Abbott, but I want to touch on the end of the conversation we had.
Towards the end of our phone call, Coach Abbott brought up how hard it can be to be a woman working in hockey and sports. Multiple times he hit on how important it is to have women working in hockey at all levels from media to the front office. The reverence Coach Abbott has for Wolves President of Operations Courtney Mahoney and all women working in hockey was comforting to hear because it was genuine.
My biggest takeaway from this interview is Coach Cam Abbott is a genuine man with a heart full of love for every person he comes in contact with whether they are fans, players, staff, or members of the community.
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*”Fireside Chats” is a series of Q and A style interviews of the Chicago Wolves by Elaine Shircliff of “Graced By Sports” and Andrew Rinaldi of “The Calder Times”. Our goal is to interview as many staff members, coaches, and players as possible during the 2024-25 season to allow fans to get to know the team they love. The title “Fireside Chats” is an homage to the Chicago Wolves pre-game pyrotechnic show during home games at All State Arena.
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More “Fireside Chats” Interviews
Forwards
Coaches
Jake Nitsche - Strength and Conditioning Coach
Cam Abbott - Head Coach
