Cam Abbott ’06 Named Head Coach of AHL’s Chicago Wolves
RALEIGH, N.C. — Eric Tulsky, the newly-appointed general manager of the Carolina Hurricanes, announced Thursday that former Cornell men’s hockey player Cam Abbott ’06 has been named the head coach of the Chicago Wolves, the franchise’s American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Cam to our organization. He brings a long history of excellence in developing NHL stars,” said Darren Yorke, the Hurricanes’ assistant general manager, in a statement. “Cam’s meticulous attention to detail, clear communication, and ability to inspire and motivate his teams to achieve success make him the perfect fit for our organization.”
Abbott returns stateside after coaching Rögle BK in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). He spent part of seven seasons as the team’s head coach, serving in the role for five full seasons after joining as a mid-year replacement in 2017-18. This past Dec. 12, Abbott and his twin brother, Chris ’06, stepped down as head coach and general manager of Rögle BK, respectively.
Under Abbott’s leadership, Rögle garnered a silver medal in the 2021 SHL Finals before concluding the 2021-22 season with an SHL-leading 100 points (32-11-9), meriting Abbott of SHL Coach of the Year honors.
Before joining Rögle, Abbott served as head coach of the Växjö Lakers’ under-20 team, where he spent over a year with the club before assuming head coaching duties with Rögle BK.
Following his 2006 graduation from Cornell, Abbott spent seven of his eight professional seasons overseas, primarily in Sweden. His first year of professional hockey in 2006-07 was split between three teams across two leagues: Stockton Thunder and Long Beach Ice Dogs of the ECHL and the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs in the now-defunct Central Hockey League (CHL). Abbott played with his twin brother in Stockton and Bossier-Shreveport, before the pair made the move to play professionally in Europe.
The Abbotts suited up for Frisk Asker in Norway’s EliteHockey Ligaen (EHL) during the 2007-08 season before departing for Sweden, where they would play from 2008 to 2015. Their inaugural year in Sweden would be with Rögle BK, before making the 700-plus-mile venture to the SHL’s northern-most team — Luleå HF — from 2009-15. Cam missed the entire 2011-12 season due to concussions, which was documented in a 2021 feature written by The Athletic‘s Scott Wheeler.
While enrolled at Cornell, Abbott appeared in 125 games with the Big Red from 2002-06, amassing 62 points (23 goals and 39 assists). Abbott aided Cornell to three NCAA Tournament appearances (2003, 2005, 2006), three Ivy League championships (2003, 2004, 2005), and a pair of ECAC Hockey regular-season and championship titles (2003, 2005) during his time on East Hill.
