Join your fellow Rinkrats below to discuss what the Blackhawks accomplished (or didn’t accomplish) this year as the market opened.

Player	Pos	Previous Team	Age	Ht / Wt	Term/Dollars	Notes
Malcolm Subban	Goaltender		26	6'2" / 215	2 years / $870K AAV
Dominik Kubalik	Forward		25	6'2" / 179	2 years / $3.7M AAV	RFA - extended
						---

These are Blackhawks trades relevant to this offseason

Team	Departing Assets	Incoming Assets	Notes
	Dylan Sikura	Brandon Pirri
	Olli Maatta	Brad Morrison

The post Blackhawks 2020 Real-Time Free Agency Ticker appeared first on The Rink.

Pirri spent the last three seasons in the Vegas Golden Knights organization, but mostly with the Chicago Wolves of the AHL. In his first stint with the Blackhawks, he spent the majority of his time in Rockford, putting up 200 points (68 goals, 132 assists) in the process. He was never able to crack the NHL lineup consistently and was traded to Florida on March 2, 2014. His career has been much of the same since leaving the Blackhawks, with a mixture of mostly AHL playing time and some sprinkles of NHL time. His career-high of games played in the NHL is 60 with the New York Rangers in 2016–17, where he scored 18 points (eight goals, 10 assists).

The Blackhawks selected Pirri in the second round of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, 59th overall.

The Blackhawks re-acquired Brandon Pirri on Monday afternoon. (Photograph courtesy of CBS Chicago)

The 26-year-old Sikura leaves Chicago with similar failed promises to Pirri years earlier. Sikura was Bowman’s self-proclaimed “trade deadline acquisition” in March of 2018, but was never able to find his game in the NHL. He leaves with just one goal and 13 assists in his Blackhawks career. Sikura’s brother, Tyler, has been a veteran presence in Rockford for the last three seasons.

It remains to be seen where Pirri will play, but conventional wisdom would say that he will be one of the top players in Rockford with recently signed Cody Franson. Pirri can definitely find the back of the net, but his defensive deficiencies are what has kept him from full-time jobs with the Blackhawks, Panthers, Ducks, Rangers and Golden Knights. At 29 and after playing in five other organizations, one would think that has not changed much.

The post BREAKING: Blackhawks trade Dylan Sikura to Vegas for ex-Blackhawk Brandon Pirri appeared first on The Rink.

Stock Up

There is a lot to be excited about for this IceHogs team, especially as it currently stands. As of writing this article, Rockford is in fourth-place in the AHL Central Division with 25 points and sits in third-place based on points-percentage at a 90.4-point pace. Last season, 87 points was enough to make the Calder Cup Playoffs out of the Central Division. Rockford is also 5-1-1 in their last seven contests with key games ahead against the Central Division leading Milwaukee Admirals. With one of the youngest rosters in the AHL, the IceHogs have leaned on rookie production and solid goaltending performances to sit in their current spot.

Goaltending

Coming into the season, Collin Delia and Kevin Lankinen were penciled into the number three and four spots in the Chicago Blackhawks goaltending depth chart. Lankinen was coming off a World Championship Gold Medal performance with Finland and Delia finished the 2018-19 season as one of the top goalies in the AHL. Fast-forward to this moment in time in December and Lankinen has played his way into the number three spot, followed by Matt Tomkins taking over the number four spot. Lankinen has a 5-2-1 record with a 2.48 GAA and a .924 save percentage while Tomkins sports a 4-1-0 record, 2.38 GAA and a .921 save percentage in his first substantial action in the AHL of his career.

Kevin Lankinen of the Rockford IceHogs. (Photo courtesy of the Rockford IceHogs)

The IceHogs have held all three goaltenders on their roster this season, rotating Lankinen, Delia and Tomkins based on their levels of play or short-term injury. While Delia has seen the most starts this season, it is Lankinen and Tomkins who have had the most success. With Corey Crawford and Robin Lehner holding court in Chicago, it will be interesting to see if the organization continues to hold the three goalies in Rockford or attempt to make a roster move with one of the three. For the time being, in between the pipes continues to be the most consistent bright spot for the IceHogs.

Sikura Brothers

While they are three years apart in age, the Sikura brothers are identical on the stat sheet through their time with the IceHogs this season. Both hold the team-lead in goals with eight and both hold the team-lead in points with 14. Dylan Sikura, the younger brother, having played in one fewer game than older brother Tyler Sikura, who has skated in every game for Rockford this season.

Rockford IceHogs forward Dylan Sikura. (Courtesy: Rockford IceHogs)

For Dylan this season, it has been more of the same for his role with the IceHogs. He is producing points, being a danger in the offensive zone and putting up a team-leading 86 shots, 40 more than any other teammate. Dylan and Tyler have been linemates for a decent amount of games this season, with Tyler’s workman-style of play rubbing off on Dylan as his game has grown from being a perimeter playmaker to a more two-way forward with a skilled set of hands. Whether or not his NHL future is with the Blackhawks is still up in the air as he has been passed over for call-ups so far this season, but don’t rule out Chicago recalling Dylan if they are in need of a spark offensively.

Tyler Sikura of the Rockford IceHogs. (Photo courtesy of the Rockford IceHogs)

Tyler has enjoyed a bounce-back season with Rockford through the first 21 games this year. After posting a career-best year for the IceHogs in 2017-18, leading to his first NHL contract, he suffered a setback in production last season. His eight goals this season has already surpassed his goal total from last year and he continues to be one of the more effective two-way forwards for Rockford this season. Not to mention, Tyler has been one of the leaders of this young IceHogs roster all year, culminating in head coach Derek King naming Tyler the IceHogs’ Captain following the exit of Kris Versteeg. Knowing the person Tyler is, seeing his hard work being rewarded so early on this season is a much needed positive for the IceHogs.

Rookie Forwards

The IceHogs have one of the youngest and most inexperienced rosters in the AHL. Playing sometimes up to 10 rookies a game, the IceHogs could have had their youth hurt them to begin the year. While it was mostly an up and down start, the production of a few standout rookie forwards has put the IceHogs right in the thick of the Calder Cup playoff picture as Christmas approaches.

Brandon Hagel of the Rockford IceHogs. (Photo Courtesy of the Grand Rapids Griffins)

Two of the more notable rookie forwards for the IceHogs this season are a pair of non-Chicago drafted players in Brandon Hagel and MacKenzie Entwistle. Hagel leads all rookies with 11 points on the season with Entwistle behind him with ten points on the season. Hagel is second on the team with 46 shots on goal and Entwistle leads all rookies with .56 points per game, .01 better than Hagel. Both players have been key on both the powerplay and penalty-kill teams for the IceHogs and play significant minutes at even-strength.

MacKenzie Entwistle of the Rockford IceHogs. (Photo courtesy of the Rockford IceHogs)

Along with Hagel and Entwistle, Rockford’s rookie forwards are highlighted by Philipp Kurashev and Reese Johnson sitting third and fourth in rookie scoring, and by Tim Soderlund who has been getting more ice-time in recent games and scored his first professional goal with the IceHogs on November 30 against the Grand Rapids Griffins.

Stock Level

Granted everything can’t be bright and rosy for the IceHogs. They have been benefiting from a number of different factors this season, but there have been a few areas where there hasn’t been consistency, or rather there hasn’t been much to help or hurt Rockford. Things are either even-keel or have been so far up and down that it’s hard to get a reading from them. Rookie blueliners and the veterans of the young IceHogs squad fit this category so far this season.

Rookie Defesemen

There might not have been two players with more eyes on them to begin the season with the IceHogs than rookie defensemen Adam Boqvist and Nicolas Beaudin. The two first-round draft picks by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2018 NHL Draft have been developing at a minor-rate to begin the year with Rockford. While it’s not all bad, there is less eye-popping good so far through the first 21 games of the season.

Adam Boqvist of the Rockford IceHogs. (Photo Courtesy of the Grand Rapids Griffins)

For Boqvist, a player many thought could have made the Blackhawks roster out of training camp, the season has been a bit of a roller coaster. He began the year with Rockford and came out of the gate a bit slow for his lofty expectations. He scored his first professional goal on October 30, his first point of the AHL season, and was promptly recalled to the Chicago Blackhawks for a handful of games before returning to the IceHogs in mid-November. Boqvist looked like he had turned a major corner upon his return from the NHL, tallying five assists in three games following his reassignment. But in four games since then, he has been held without a point for the IceHogs with five shots on goal and a plus-two rating. He’ll continue to be a factor on the IceHogs’ powerplay unit and will be in the top-four rotation for head coach Derek King, but finding consistency at both ends of the ice is still the main focus for the former eighth overall pick.

Nicolas Beaudin of the Rockford IceHogs. (Photo courtesy of the Rockford IceHogs)

In the case of Nicolas Beaudin and the other rookie defensemen for the IceHogs, finding positive consistency is the focus for them to turn the corner following the first 21 games of the season. Beaudin hasn’t been factoring into too many of the highlight-reel plays for the IceHogs but has been given the opportunity to play a key role on special teams by head coach Derek King. His five assists ranks in a tie for second among rookie skaters as Boqvist, Hagel and Entwistle all have five helpers on the season, trailing Kurashev with six. Beaudin has been consistently average for Rockford as a whole this season, but he iss beginning to see an upswing in his production with all five of his points coming in his last 12 games played. The IceHogs will need him to take the next step up if they are to continue their current streak of play.

Veterans

While the theme for the IceHogs so far this season has been production from their youth, it’s the veterans that have been relatively steady in the middle for Rockford. That’s the role they’ll need to play as the team continues to stay near the top of the Central Division. While the Sikura brothers have been the standouts, players like Matthew Highmore, Jacob Nilsson and John Quenneville have been key in keeping the IceHogs afloat in tough times.

Jacob Nilsson of the Rockford IceHogs (Photo Courtesy of the Rockford IceHogs)

Last year, Jacob Nilsson was named the IceHogs’ team MVP. It was a down year offensively for Rockford following the most successful year in the AHL in the franchise’s history in 2017-18. Nilsson has continued his steady play this season, getting key minutes at even-strength and being a contributor to the special teams play. Nilsson is a jack of all trades but master of none type of player. He can do a bit of everything, but nothing is going to blow you away. Nothing wrong with that. He’ll continue to be a leader on the team and be relied upon to show the rookies how to be successful at the professional level.

Matthew Highmore of the Rockford IceHogs. (Photo courtesy of the Rockford IceHogs)

While still young and in the early stages of their careers, players like Matthew Highmore and John Quenneville have played important roles for Rockford and their experience shines compared to the rest of the roster. Highmore is coming off shoulder surgery and missed nearly all of last year. He’s rejoined the IceHogs at full health and has come up big in spurts. Same goes for Quenneville after returning to the lineup after an injury kept him out for a handful of games early on this season. Highmore was called up to the Blackhawks for a short stint earlier this season and it may not be the last time he gets a call-up, but he’ll need to be consistently on the scoresheet for the IceHogs to keep seeing the level of success they have in the last few games. He ranks in a tie for second on the team in scoring with 11 points in 19 games. Quenneville has four of his five points on the season in his last six games played.

Stock Down

Finally, not to end on a downer note, but the IceHogs are not immune to some blemishes so far this season. While these are the two glaring areas that they have struggled this season, there is definitely room and ability for improvement. While earlier we said goaltending was the biggest bright spot for the IceHogs through 21 games, it’s goaltending as a whole. Excluding the play of Lankinen and Tomkins, Collin Delia is in need of finding his form from the 2018-19 season to help the IceHogs as they gun for the top spot in the AHL Central Division. Also holding Rockford back is their play on special teams, which ranks at the collective bottom of the league.

Collin Delia

Delia is a solid goaltender. That fact is hard to dispute. But his play in net has not been up to the quality that Blackhawks and IceHogs fans have seen from him since late in the 2017-18 season. Delia was a key player in getting the IceHogs to the Calder Cup Western Conference Finals in 2018 and he was a bright spot in a rather dreary 2018-19 campaign for the Blackhawks. He finished last season in the AHL with a 13-8-4 record, 2.48 GAA and a  .922 save percentage. He ranked ninth in GAA and second in save percentage in the AHL among qualified goalies. This season, he is third on the team in both categories.

Collin Delia of the Rockford IceHogs. (Photo Courtesy of the Grand Rapids Griffins)

But there is hope for Delia since his recent track record shows he is better than his current form. In his most recent outing, Delia made 37 saves on 39 shots in an IceHogs win over the Manitoba Moose. An upswing in Delia’s play would give the IceHogs potentially one of the best goaltending trios in the AHL. (Maybe the only one?)

Special Teams

Rockford’s special teams this season, without sugarcoating it, are awful. 29th in the AHL on the powerplay at 10.8 percent and dead-last in the league on the penalty-kill at a 75.6 percent kill-rate. It’s nothing new for the powerplay as they finished last season in the same 29th spot with a 14.5 percent success rate, but the penalty-kill has seen a significant drop from last year’s 10th-ranked 82.3 percent kill-rate.

The Rockford IceHogs celebrate a goal against the Grand Rapids Griffins. (Photograph courtesy of the Rockford IceHogs)

Scheme may be at play here, but the more likely cause of the low numbers more likely is attributed to the inexperience of the roster. Rockford is playing the majority of their special teams time, both on the penalty-kill and on the man-advantage, with almost exclusively rookies. While the powerplay will rotate two units, a more veteran unit and an all rookie unit, it’s the rookie units that see the majority of the time in the ice while on the advantage.

The penalty-kill units are more mixed in their personnel, but while ranking in the bottom half of the AHL in times short-handed (90), there shouldn’t be the struggles that the IceHogs have endured. Rockford has six short-handed goals this season, tied for third-most in the AHL, so the skill is there across the board for the IceHogs, but it comes down to clearing bodies and giving whichever goalie is in net the best chance to be the best asset on the penalty-kill. On paper, the IceHogs are more talented than their numbers suggest. There is room for and belief in the special teams improving by the AHL All-Star break.

What’s Next?

The Rockford IceHogs are back in action on Friday night as they travel to take on the Grand Rapids Griffins. Puck drop for Friday is set for 6 p.m. CST at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Rockford holds a 2-2-0 record against the Griffins this season. Following Friday’s action, the IceHogs return home for a Saturday night contest against the Milwaukee Admirals. Saturday night’s game is also set for a 6 p.m. CST puck drop at the BMO Harris Bank Center in Rockford. It is the first meeting between the IceHogs and Admirals this season, with the teams squaring-off twelve times this year.

The post Stock Report: Rockford IceHogs after 21 games appeared first on The Rink.

IceHogs take three of six points over Texas road trip

Starting on Saturday in Cedar Park against the Stars, the IceHogs’ offense was on full display in a 7-6 loss via the shootout. The six goals was the third time this season that the IceHogs have hit the 6-goal mark or better. Highlighting the effort on Saturday was a three-point breakout game for rookie defenseman Adam Boqvist. After returning to the IceHogs from the Chicago Blackhawks, Boqvist tallied three assists against the Stars, including a helper on the game-tying goal from Brandon Hagel late in the third period. John Quenneville, Anton Wedin, Alexandre Fortin, and Tyler Sikura all added multi-point efforts along with Boqvist against the Stars. Kevin Lankinen made 29 saves on 35 shots faced, but allowed two goals in the shootout in the loss.

Tyler Sikura (right) celebrates a goal with Adam Boqvist for the Rockford IceHogs. (Photo Courtesy of the San Antonio Rampage)

For a follow-up effort, Boqvist notched another multi-assist game as the IceHogs traveled to take on the San Antonio Rampage in the first of a two-game set between the teams. The Rampage took a 2-0 first period lead, forcing the IceHogs to chase the game for the final two periods of action. Mid-way through the third period, Tyler Sikura scored his team-leading eighth goal of the season to cut in to the San Antonio lead. Rockford pushed for the game-tying goal and with just three seconds to spare in regulation, Dylan Sikura tallied the equalizer and sent the game into overtime. In the extra frame, Jacob Nilsson quickly found the back of the net on a breakaway attempt to give the IceHogs the 3-2 win. Matt Tomkins made 21 saves on 23 shots faced in the overtime win, giving him a 3-1-0 record on the year with a 2.48 GAA and a .915 save percentage. Adam Boqvist had the primary assists on the Tyler Sikura goal and the game-winner from Nilsson, giving him six points through nine games played at the time. He has six points through ten games this season for the IceHogs.

The Rockford IceHogs celebrate a goal against the San Antonio Rampage. (Photo Courtesy of the San Antonio Rampage)

After a Monday off-day, the IceHogs and Rampage went toe-to-toe again in another tightly contested affair. The teams split the first four goals of the game, scoring one each in the first and second periods. The Rampage would get the game-winning goal in the third period and the IceHogs were unable to find the same late-game magic they had two nights before. Kevin Lankinen had the start in net and made 37 saves on 40 shots faced, seeing his record move to 4-2-1 on the year with a 2.69 GAA and a .919 save percentage.

Following the road trip, the IceHogs hold a 9-8-1 record on the year with 18 games played, the fewest in the AHL Central Division, sitting in sixth-place. Based on point-percentage, the IceHogs would be in fourth-place and Central Division playoff position. Rockford was three-for-seven on the powerplay over the road trip and 10-for-15 on the penalty-kill. For the season, the IceHogs rank 26th in the AHL in powerplay percentage (11.4) and last in the league in penalty-kill percentage (74.0).

What’s Next?

Rockford Is back in action after American Thanksgiving, playing at home on Black Friday. The contest is set for a 7 p.m. CST puck drop against the Chicago Wolves. The IceHogs have a 4-0-0 record against the Wolves this season in the Illinois Lottery Cup Rivalry series. Following Friday’s game, the IceHogs host the Grand Rapids Griffins in a 5 p.m. CST start time on Saturday. The Griffins have the advantage over the IceHogs, winning two of three games between the teams this season.

The post IceHogs break even over Texas road trip appeared first on The Rink.

IceHogs perfecting art of the comeback

Starting on Saturday night, the IceHogs were coming off a 6–2 win over the San Antonio Rampage in a “great-right” effort from a disastrous weekend prior. It would be the first game for Rockford since the recall of rookie defenseman Adam Boqvist to the Chicago Blackhawks. Special teams would not be in favor of the IceHogs, as they allowed power play goals in the first and second periods to fall to a 2–0 hole heading into the third period.

Rockford would attempt to power their way out of the deficit, outshooting the Wild 28–21 in the second and third periods combined. Late in the final frame came the first breakthrough with Lucas Carlsson‘s first goal of the season, scoring on a slap shot from the top of the right circle. Just 28 seconds later, with Kevin Lankinen pulled, the IceHogs tied it up thanks to Tyler Sikura tipping a shot from Carlsson to tie the game at 2–2.

Sikura’s fifth of the season sent the game into overtime, where Matthew Highmore found the game-winning goal on a two-on-one break to give the IceHogs the 3–2 win in extra time.

Lankinen stopped 30 of 32 shots faced in Saturday’s contest to notch his second win of the season. Lankinen is now 2–1–0 on the year in three appearances with a 2.31 goals against average and a .926 save percentage for Rockford, leading the team in both categories.

After the thrilling overtime win over the Wild, the IceHogs turned their attention to their Illinois Lottery Cup rivals, the Chicago Wolves, on Sunday afternoon for the third meeting between the teams in the season series. Rockford came into Sunday’s contest already with two wins over the Wolves in their first two meetings of the year and had never started a season with three consecutive wins over Chicago in the Illinois Lottery Cup rivalry series history.

Much like Saturday’s start, the IceHogs were flat out of the gate and found themselves down 2–0 after 20 minutes of action. As the game approached the midway point, Rockford had surrendered a third goal before Jacob Nilsson stopped the bleeding for the moment with a rare power play goal to make it a 3–1 game in the second period. The Wolves would add a second goal in the middle frame to extend their lead to 4–1.

From that point on, the IceHogs would respond in a big way, outscoring the Wolves 6–0 on their way to a 7–4 win. MacKenzie Entwistle cut the Chicago lead in half at 4–2 just over a minute after the 4–1 goal to give the IceHogs life heading into the third period.

In the third period, that life turned into a five-goal onslaught for Rockford. Just over 10 minutes into the period, Dylan Sikura pulled the IceHogs within one, scoring the 4–3 goal while on the power play. Nearly a minute and a half later, Brandon Hagel tallied his first professional goal to tie the game up at 4–4. Another minute and a half would go by before the younger Sikura would net his second goal of the period to give the IceHogs the 5–4 lead, marking his fourth multi-goal game in his AHL career. Three minutes after that, Sikura would complete the hat trick with a goal assisted by his older brother, Tyler, to give Rockford the 6–4 lead, capping a stretch of four goals in six minutes of the third period for the IceHogs. The hat trick is the first in Sikura’s professional career and gives him the team-lead in goals with six on the year.

Reese Johnson would finish the goal frenzy for the IceHogs with a shorthanded empty-net tally to seal the win for Rockford 7–4 over Chicago, giving the IceHogs their first ever three-game win streak to begin a season over the Wolves. Collin Delia backstopped the IceHogs in the win, making 21 saves on 25 shots faced and improving his record this season to 2–3–0. The win also pulled the IceHogs to an even .500 record this season at 5–5–0 through 10 games, good for sixth in the Central Division.

Hot Hogs through 10 games

After a rough start to the 2019–20 season, the IceHogs have balanced themselves out with impressive efforts over their last three games, albeit the last two had to be pulled from behind, but wins nonetheless. Through the first 10 games of the season, these are a few players who have been driving the IceHogs.

• Dylan Sikura — Forward
  • Leads team in goals (six)
  • Leads team in points (nine)
  • Leads team in shots on goal (34)
  • First career four-point game vs. Chicago on Nov. 3

Dylan Sikura of the Rockford IceHogs carries the puck up ice. (Photograph courtesy of the Rockford IceHogs)

• Tyler Sikura — Forward
  • Second on the team in goals (five)
  • Tied-second on the team in points (seven)
  • Leads team in plus/minus (+4)
  • Currently on three-game point streak (Oct. 30–Nov. 3)

Tyler Sikura of the Rockford IceHogs prepares for a game during warmups. (Photograph courtesy of the Rockford IceHogs)

• Matthew Highmore — Forward
  • Tied for second on the team in points (seven)
  • Game-winning goal vs. Wild (Nov. 2)
  • Five points in last three games (Oct. 30–Nov. 3)

Matthew Highmore of the Rockford IceHogs skates with the puck against the Chicago Wolves. (Photograph courtesy of the Rockford IceHogs)

• Anton Wedin — Forward
  • Tied for second on the team in assists (four)
  • Third on the team in points (six)
  • Third on the team in shots on goal (21)
  • Recorded three assists vs. Wolves on Nov. 3 to snap five-game point drought

Anton Wedin of the Rockford IceHogs carries the puck. (Photograph courtesy of the Rockford IceHogs)

• MacKenzie Entwistle — Forward
  • Tied for first on the team in rookie goals (four)
  • Tied for first on the team in rookie points (four)
  • Three points in last three games (Oct. 30–Nov. 3)

MacKenzie Entwistle of the Rockford IceHogs skates up ice against the Chicago Wolves. (Photograph courtesy of the Rockford IceHogs)

• Philip Holm — Defenseman
  • Leads defensemen, tied for third on the team in points (six)
  • Leads defensemen, second on the team in shots on goal (23)
  • Currently on three-game point streak (Oct. 30–Nov. 3)

Philip Holm of the Rockford IceHogs breaks out of his own zone. (Photograph courtesy of the Rockford IceHogs)

What’s next?

The Rockford IceHogs are back in action on Wednesday, as they host the Toronto Marlies for the first of two meetings this season. It is the first time since the 2014–15 season that the IceHogs and Marlies have faced each other, with Rockford holding an all-time series record of 8–5–3 against Toronto since joining the AHL in the 2007–08 season. Puck drop for Wednesday’s contest is set for 10:30 a.m. CST at the BMO Harris Bank Center in Rockford. It is a ‘School Day’ game, as the start time would tell.

The post Rockford IceHogs extend win streak to three games appeared first on The Rink.

IceHogs notch first win of 2019-20 season

Prior to last night, the Rockford IceHogs were getting off to a much slower start than anticipated for the 2019-20 season. Coming into the year with a fresh group of highly-skilled rookies, expectations were set high for the young IceHogs. They promptly lost their first three games of the season in regulation, the first time that had happened for an IceHogs team in their short AHL history. While not sweating the sluggish start, head coach Derek King was adamant that if things didn’t turn around soon for Rockford, that changes were going to need to be made.

Luckily for the IceHogs, they were able to get the monkey off their back in game four of the regular season as they took down the Chicago Wolves in the first of 12 meetings this season, winning 3-2 and opening the Illinois Lottery Cup rivalry up the right way.

The two main goals for Rockford in Friday night’s contest were to get off to a fast start and to maintain that momentum for a full 60-minute effort. They emphatically checked the first box, putting three goals on the board against the Wolves in the opening period. The second box, was penciled-in, just enough, to get the win at home.

Dyl pickle puts the boys up 1-0! pic.twitter.com/OJ6vz58Ss1

— Rockford IceHogs (@goicehogs) October 19, 2019

Dylan Sikura put the IceHogs ahead with the 1-0 goal early in the first period just after a Rockford powerplay had expired. The goal marked Sikura’s third in the first four games of the season. Sikura was paired with Matthew Highmore and Kirby Dach to begin the game on the top line for the IceHogs, but a hip/mid-section injury to Kris Versteeg in the first period caused the lines to be jumbled as the game went on.

Seven minutes later, while on the penalty-kill, the IceHogs were able to cause a turnover in the neutral zone with Alexandre Fortin and John Quenneville on the two-on-one rush. Fortin shot the puck on net, but Wolves goaltender Garret Sparks was able to make the initial save. After the bouncing puck found it’s way back to Fortin, he setup Quenneville at the far post for the 2-0 goal, Quenneville’s first as an IceHog this season.

The Rockford IceHogs celebrate a goal against the Chicago Wolves. (Photo Courtesy of the Rockford IceHogs)

While the IceHogs had to kill off six minutes of penalty time in the opening period, they were able to fend off the Wolves man-advantage. As the opening period neared a close, Rockford was able to score what would become the game-winning goal—once more in chaotic fashion. Jacob Nilsson drove the puck to the net, but was stopped by Sparks and the Wolves defense, but Anton Wedin was there to gather the loose puck and fire home the 3-0 goal, his second of the season.

The Hot Hog stays hot pic.twitter.com/C2zZ7PViHE

— Rockford IceHogs (@goicehogs) October 19, 2019

The IceHogs outshot the Wolves 17-4 in the first period and were outshooting opponents 39-33 in the opening period though the first four games this season. The biggest challenge for the IceHogs would not be getting off to a good start—but holding on to that good start. Second and third periods have not been the best collective efforts for Rockford so far this season, so having a large lead heading into the final 40 minutes of the game might prove helpful.

It may not have been a pretty final 40 minutes, but the IceHogs did enough to get the win. They allowed a goal to the Wolves in the second period as goaltender Collin Delia was drawn far out of his net on a cross-crease pass and Chicago was able to re-center the puck and catch Delia out of position. Rockford was outshot 27-16 in the final two periods and had to kill-off four Wolves powerplay opportunities to close out the game. Chicago tallied a powerplay goal in the third period to cut the Rockford lead to 3-2, but the defense and Delia were able to hold off the Wolves attack just enough to seal the first win of the season for Rockford. The Hog netminder made 29 saves on 31 shots to earn his first win of the season and has a .912 save-percentage this season through three starts.

Injury Updates: Boqvist took a puck to the face during morning skate and was held out tonight.

Versteeg tweaked an old hip/mid-range injury and departed tonight's contest.

Nothing serious for both and all ok per King's comments. https://t.co/BzilJmzUyN

— Joseph Zakrzewski (@JoeyZRadio) October 19, 2019

Versteeg did not play the second and third periods for the IceHogs but after the game was said to have sustained a non-serious mid/lower-body injury. Also of note was the absence of rookie defenseman Adam Boqvist from the starting lineup. According to head coach Derek King after the game, Boqvist had taken a puck to his face during the morning skate. Rockford finished the game 0-for-5 on the powerplay and 5-for-6 on the penalty-kill.

Kirby Dach recalled to Chicago Blackhawks

Shortly after both the IceHogs and Blackhawks finished their games on Friday night, Chicago recalled rookie forward Kirby Dach from Rockford to end his conditioning assignment. Dach had 14 days and a possible five games available to play while he was with the IceHogs, he only played in three of those games over a seven day period. While he didn’t tally his first professional point while with the IceHogs, Dach did show little to no rust after missing nearly a month of action due to a concussion suffered in the Traverse City rookie tournament.

Kirby Dach with the Rockford IceHogs against the Grand Rapids Griffins (Photo Courtesy of the Rockford IceHogs)

The Blackhawks seemed to want to be patient with Dach’s recovery process in Rockford, but felt he was ready in just half the projected time. He joins the Blackhawks now, but it remains to be seen if/when he’ll make his NHL debut. From there, Chicago has a nine-game window to play Dach in the NHL before they have to make a decision to either keep him with the club and burning the first year of his three-year entry-level contract, or send him back to the Saskatoon Blades of the WHL.

IceHogs need overtime heroics for Saturday sweep

With Dach out of the lineup and Boqvist and Versteeg missing a second game, the IceHogs faced the Wolves again on Saturday night with three new bodies in the lineup and a new goaltender in net. Matt Tomkins, MacKenzie Entwistle, Nick Moutrey and Reese Johnson found their way back into the Rockford lineup for the back-half of the home-and-home. Tomkins made his first AHL start for the IceHogs since April 7, 2018 against the Texas Stars. He has spent the majority of his time in the Blackhawks system with the Indy Fuel in the ECHL.

Tomkins would be tested early. Having to make two post-to-post saves within the first ten minutes of action, but he was up to the task. The IceHogs controlled most of the opening period, including a powerplay chance, but were unable to break open the scoring in the same fashion they did the night prior. That would be until Tyler Sikura got the IceHogs on the board with a tally with just over seven minutes to play in the first period. It would be Sikura’s first goal of the season and would be the fifth game in a row that the IceHogs scored the opening goal of the game.

Sikura 2 Sikura pic.twitter.com/cWtcayVHyF

— Rockford IceHogs (@goicehogs) October 20, 2019

The 1-0 lead would be short-lived as the Wolves knotted the game at 1-1 with just under five minutes to play in the opening frame. Following the Chicago goal, the IceHogs quickly regained the advantage as Dennis Gilbert was hit with a double-minor high-stick in his face. Gilbert would go to the locker room for maintenance while the IceHogs went on the powerplay to end the period.

The second period started much like the first with neither team getting too many high-quality chances. The Wolves hit a post early in the period but could not get the go-ahead goal, while Moutrey and Wedin had decent chances for Rockford to no avail.

The stalemate continued late into the period with Wolves starter Garret Sparks keeping a trio of chances out of the net as the IceHogs increased their pressure offensively. Nilsson had an open net chance from a cross-crease pass from Brandon Hagel, but couldn’t control the puck to get it on net. Rockford out-shot the Wolves in the second period and the teams would head to the third tied 1-1

JohnsonSaarelaHolm

2-1 good guys pic.twitter.com/7TeWZTpL0Y

— Rockford IceHogs (@goicehogs) October 20, 2019

The IceHogs would be pressured in their own end in the first five minutes of the third period, having trouble getting possession away from the Wolves. But it would be an opportunity on the rush that would lead to Philip Holm scoring the 2-1 goal early in the third period to give Rockford the lead. Holm’s second goal of the season, coming against his former AHL club.

Rockford was forced to defend a heavy attack late in the game from the Wolves with Chicago hitting a second goal post clean, but would not go in. A delay of game call with less than five minutes to play would come back to haunt Rockford as they gave up the game-tying goal just under a minute into the kill. The tying goal went in off a sliding Gilbert as he went to breakup a two-on-one breakaway just moments after Fortin was unable to convert on his own breakaway chance. The Wolves kept the pressure up and Rockford held for the overtime period.

SIKURA, SIKURA

3-2 OT Win for the Hogs pic.twitter.com/waM7kPDZy2

— Rockford IceHogs (@goicehogs) October 20, 2019

In the extra frame both teams would have their chances, but the IceHogs would leave it late as Joni Tuulola flipped a puck to a streaking Tyler Sikura and he buried the overtime winner behind Sparks for the 3-2 victory. Sikura’s second goal of the game, and first multi-goal game since April 7, 2018, gave Rockford a two-game sweep of Chicago in the home-and-home series.

Tyler Sikura playing with a heavy heart tonight after the loss of a family member. He responded his first multi-goal game since April ‘18. After the game, “I wanted to show something for them, came in the form of a couple goals. I’m thinking of them.” #IceHogs #RFDvsCHI #AHL

— Mario Tirabassi (@Mario_Tirabassi) October 20, 2019

Matt Tomkins was named the third-star of the game, making 37 saves on 39 shots faced. Rockford out-shot the Wolves 39-33 and for the first time this season, out-shot an opponent in both the second and third periods of a single game. With the win, the IceHogs improve to 2-3-0 on the season.

What’s Next?

Following the weekend home-and-home with the Wolves, the IceHogs are not back in action until Friday, October 25 when they travel to take on the Cleveland Monsters. Rockford will be in Cleveland to take on the Monsters in back-to-back road games Friday and Saturday. Puck drop for Friday’s game is set for 7 p.m. Eastern Time and Saturday’s puck drop is set for 1 p.m. Eastern Time. These will be the first two of four meetings this season between the IceHogs and Monsters. Rockford held a 1-3-0 record against Cleveland last year.

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In usual preseason fashion, the Blackhawks only dressed a few regulars for the road matchup against the Capitals. The lines were as follows:

Quenneville – Carpenter – Perlini

Nylander – Kampf – Saarela

D. Sikura – Highmore – Wedin

McLaughlin – Nilsson – Versteeg

Gilbert – Boqvist

Koekkoek – Gustafsson

Dahlstrom – Beaudin

Delia

First period:

The early portion of the first period was not full of much excitement. Neither team was able to generate any meaningful offense. With both teams sitting many key players and it being the first game of the season, it was expected that the game would begin slow. 

However, at the 7:20 mark in the first period, the Blackhawks finally got it going. A nice play on the boards by the highly controversial winger Alexander Nylander led to an open pass from the young Swede to fellow Swede Erik Gustafsson. Gustafsson ripped a big slap shot on net and Aleksi Saarela got just enough on the shot to redirect the chance and get credit for the tally. 

The Blackhawks' first (preseason) goal of the 2019-20 season belongs to Aleksi Saarela! pic.twitter.com/9idGOa5q6c

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) September 16, 2019

The Blackhawks took the 1–0 advantage into the first intermission in Washington without anything getting past goaltender Collin Delia. The Blackhawks also took their 11–6 shots on goal advantage into the intermission as well. 

Second period:

The second period opened up with the Capitals finally putting a shot past Delia. After the Capitals dug a puck out from behind the net, the puck ended up on the stick of defenseman Tyler Lewington. Lewington was only able to get a weak shot off toward the net, but Washington first round pick Connor McMichael slid a beautiful backhand pass to Damien Riat, who tied the game.

About two minutes after the opening goal for the home team, Nylander scored his first goal in a Blackhawks uniform. Adam Boqvist put a shot on net with no net front presence of any kind, possibly looking for a rebound. Right before the puck made it to the net, Nylander was able to get a stick on the low shot, corral the puck and finish off a backhand shot to give the Blackhawks the lead once again. 

Nylander gets on the board for #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/Racqd8GeTd

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) September 17, 2019

Sadly, the 2–1 lead did not last for long. Roughly three minutes after Nylander’s tally, the Capitals capitalized (pun fully intended) on a power play opportunity. After a failed clearing attempt by the Blackhawks’ penalty kill, Washington kept it in and put the puck into the slot. Aliaksei Protas, from the slot, found a wide open Travis Boyd on the left wing faceoff dot and he buried the chance to tie the game at two apiece.

The 2–2 draw did not last either, as both teams traded goals in the early half of the period. This time, Protas was the beneficiary of a rebound chance from Beck Malenstyn and recorded his second point of the night to give the home team a 3–2 lead. The Capitals’ third goal came just over a minute after the equalizer. 

Despite the rally from the Capitals, the Blackhawks refused to go away easily. Just before the 13 minute mark of the period, Matthew Highmore was able to get a pass to Dylan Sikura in the offensive zone. Sikura attempted a shot on net, but the puck bounced toward the right wing boards where Boqvist picked it up. Boqvist batted the puck a few times in mid air, brought the puck under control and walked out from behind the net to Copley’s right side and fired a rocket over Copley’s left shoulder. The goal was Boqvist’s first of the preseason and tied the game at three each.

.@BoqvistAdam is a defenseman pic.twitter.com/A8NnM68CgJ

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) September 17, 2019

The Blackhawks showed resilience, responding after two quick goals by the home team, which is an excellent sight to see, even in the preseason. Not only was the score deadlocked, but each team had 19 shots on goal through two periods as well.

Third period:

The final frame of regulation played out very differently than that of the second period. Rather than both teams trading goals as they did in the middle frame, both teams buckled down defensively and did not allow the opposing team to score the potential game winning goal. 

There were a few quality chances during the period. However, neither team capitalized on power play chances or at five on five. The game required overtime to decide a winner. 

Overtime:

The overtime frame was just as exciting as one would hope. Early in the frame, the Capitals had a two on one opportunity but could not capitalize on the chance.

The best chance of the night for the Blackhawks came via a stretch pass from Nylander, who was very involved in this game. Nylander found Gustafsson at the opposing blue line before he found an open Ryan Carpenter, who had a breakaway from the blue line in. However, Carpenter could not convert on the chance.

Later in the overtime frame, after some sustained pressure by the Capitals, bulldozing forward Tom Wilson was able to dip his shoulder on Sikura and tuck the puck past Delia to give the Washington Capitals the 4–3 overtime win against the Blackhawks.

Quick hits:

• The kid with the blonde hair: Alex Nylander was very good in this game. He was all over the ice offensively, contributing a goal and an assist, and also showed off a beautiful stretch pass during the overtime period. Despite a brutal showing at the Blackhawks’ prospect camp, Nylander seems to have rebounded nicely entering actual game action. If Nylander continues to look like this during the preseason, there is a very good chance he gets a chance on the opening night roster. 
• Boqvist will be the real deal: The young Swede looked like a superstar with the puck on his stick. His goal said it all, as Boqvist was able to bat the puck out of mid air, control it and walk to the front of the net before ending the play with a snipe to the top corner of the net. There is zero doubt Boqvist is going to be a star in the NHL, but the moral of the story is that he should not be rushed. Let him do that all year in Rockford and, if need be, bring him up if he earns it or due to injury.

The Blackhawks jet off to Detroit to take on the Red Wings on Tuesday. Puck drop is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CST and will be broadcasted on NBCSCH+.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks fall to Capitals in overtime appeared first on The Rink.

Winger Dylan Sikura and recently acquired center John Quenneville both signed identical two-year $1.5 million contract extensions. The deals are both two-way deals this coming season ($700,000 NHL/$250,000 AHL) and transition into one-way deals ($800,000) for the 2020–21 season, which simply means that if they are sent to Rockford this coming season their salaries will drop to $250,000.

Sikura was a bit of a disappointment for Chicago this past season, and has yet to score a single NHL goal despite his eight assists. He was a crucial part of the Rockford Icehogs ,as their second leading scorer, with 35 points (17G, 18A) in 46 games.

The 6-fott-1, 194-pound Quenneville was acquired from the New Jersey Devils on draft weekend for John Hayden to help fill out the center depth in the Blackhawks organization. He is a former first round draft pick in 2014 and was also a crucial part of his AHL team, the Binghamton Devils, tallying 39 points (18G, 21A) in just 37 games last season.

Both players are expected to compete for NHL spots this season in training camp.

Dylan Sikura

John Quenneville

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IceHogs roster: Signed through 2019–20

Top to bottom for all three positions, here is the running list of players that are already signed on for the 2019–20 season or beyond for the Chicago Blackhawks and Rockford IceHogs. AHL-only contracts specified for the players who are only eligible to play for the IceHogs or the ECHL’s Indy Fuel, without signing a contract with the Blackhawks.

Forwards

• Liam Coughlin
  • AHL contract
• Mackenzie Entwistle
• Alexandre Fortin
• Brandon Hagel
• Matthew Highmore
• Mikael Hakkarainen
• Reese Johnson
• Graham Knott
• Dominik Kubalík
• Philipp Kurashev
• Dylan McLaughlin
  • AHL contract
• Nick Moutrey
  • AHL contract
• Jacob Nilsson
• Nathan Noel
• John Quenneville
  • Acquired from New Jersey Devils
• Jack Ramsey
  • AHL contract
• Aleksi Saarela
  • Acquired from Carolina Hurricanes
• Dylan Sikura
• Tim Soderlund
• Mathew Thompson
  • AHL contract
• Kris Versteeg
  • AHL contract
• Anton Wedin

Defensemen

• Nicolas Beaudin
• Adam Boqvist
• Lucas Carlsson
• Carl Dahlstrom
• Dennis Gilbert
• Henri Jokiharju
• Slater Koekkoek
• Chad Krys
• Josh McArdle
  • AHL contract
• Dmitry Osipov
  • AHL contract
• Joni Tuulola

Goalies

• Collin Delia
• Kevin Lankinen
• Chase Marchand
  • AHL contract
• Matt Tomkins
  • AHL contract

With the Blackhawks making multiple trades over draft weekend, the potential for a few new names to be added to the list has come up. Notably, with the additions of Calvin de Haan and Olli Maatta to the Chicago defensive group, players like Boqvist and Jokiharju may be all but certainties to begin the year in Rockford with the IceHogs. While Boqvist still has the ability to return to the London Knights of the OHL, there is almost no benefit to that, since his best option is likely to begin developing his game and logging meaningful ice time against men, not teenagers.

Carl Dahlstrom lines up for a face off during a Rockford IceHogs game. (Photograph courtesy of the Grand Rapids Griffins)

Also becoming possible NHL-casualties of the de Haan and Maatta additions by the Blackhawks are bottom-pair defensemen Slater Koekkoek and Carl Dahlstrom. While both players would have to clear waivers in order to be sent to the IceHogs, the additions made by Chicago are creating a crowded NHL blue-line group with more than enough bottom-pair defensemen available to Blackhawks head coach Jeremy Colliton. Dahlstrom and Koekkoek, while playing fine for their roles last season, are not the movers of the defensive needle that the Blackhawks need them to be. There is a potential for one or maybe both players to be traded, but if one is dealt, the other may find himself with the IceHogs early in the season.

Aleksi Saarela of the Charlotte Checkers playing in the Calder Cup Finals against the Chicago Wolves. (Photograph courtesy of the Charlotte Checkers)

In the trade with the Hurricanes, the Blackhawks sent Anton Forsberg and Gustav Forsling to Carolina and acquired de Haan and Saarela. In Saarela, the Blackhawks get a proven AHL-level scorer, as he has tallied 61 goals and 107 points in his 147 AHL games with the Charlotte Checkers. Saarela also notched 15 points in 17 Calder Cup Playoff games this year with the Checkers on their way to winning the Calder Cup. He has an outside chance of making the Blackhawks’ roster out of training camp, but more likely he will be the top-end goal scorer that the IceHogs have needed in recent years.

Dylan Sikura skates for the Rockford IceHogs last season. (Photograph courtesy of the Rockford IceHogs)

Finally, on players that are signed through next season, the Blackhawks announced on Friday that they had reached deals with Sikura and newly acquired Quenneville, who they received from the New Jersey Devils in exchange for John Hayden in a trade on day two of the NHL Entry Draft. Both players entered the offseason as restricted free agents, and both signed identical deals worth a $750,000 annual average value over two years. Both contracts are two-way deals in the first season and one-way pacts in the second year. While it currently looks like both players have a better-than-not chance at making the Blackhawks’ roster, depending on training camp performances and possible free agent additions, one or both of Sikura and Quenneville could see time with the IceHogs next year.

IceHogs roster: Already gone

Not everyone fits into the future plans of the Rockford IceHogs, or reversely, the IceHogs do not always fit into every players’ future plans. For Rockford, there are already a few players from the 2018–19 squad who will not be re-signing with the club, let alone any North American team.

• Viktor Ejdsell — Farjestad BK (Sweden)
  • 2018–19 with IceHogs: 61 games, 12 goals, 17 assists
• Anton Forsberg – Carolina Hurricanes
  • 2018–19 with IceHogs: 32 games, 15-15-2, 2.64 goals against average, .919 save percentage
• Peter Holland — Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg (KHL)
  • 2018–19 with IceHogs: 21 games, seven goals, nine assists
  • 2018–19 total: 73 games, 27 goals, 38 assists
• Jordan Schroeder — Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod (KHL)
  • 2018–19 with IceHogs: 62 games, 19 goals, 26 assists
• Brett Welychka – Esbjerg Energy (Denmark)
  • 2018–19 with IceHogs: 18 games, 0 points, -4

Anton Forsberg guards the goal for the Rockford IceHogs last season. (Photograph courtesy of the San Antonio Rampage)

The major skaters lost leave a big hole in the carried-over offensive production from last year’s IceHogs squad. Holland and Schroeder were producers for Rockford late in the season as they pushed for a Calder Cup Playoff spot, and Ejdsell showed flashes in 2018–19 of the player he was supposed to be, but could not produce on a consistent basis. While Ejdsell is going back to Sweden, the Blackhawks did extend to him a qualifying offer to retain his NHL rights should he want to come back to North America.

The next biggest departure from the IceHogs is Forsberg. Leading the IceHogs in net along with Collin Delia last season, Forsberg has more than established himself as a solid goaltender at the AHL level. His NHL opportunities though have not been as productive as hoped. With Delia and Lankinen becoming more and more likely the No. 2 and 3 goalies on the Blackhawks depth chart, respectively, Forsberg’s spot with the organization was lost and a change of scenery will be best for him in Carolina.

IceHogs roster: Unsigned

While there is a larger number of players left unsigned that would more likely be in play for the Blackhawks, here is the list of remaining players left unsigned that are likely in play for the IceHogs and the Indy Fuel.

Unrestricted free agents

• Radovan Bondra
• Terry Broadhurst
• Andrew Campbell
• Brandon Davidson
• Blake Hillman **
• Luke Johnson **
• Anthony Louis **
• Andreas Martinsen
• Connor Moynihan
• William Pelletier
• Tyler Sikura
• Spencer Watson **

(**Did not receive restricted free agent qualifying offer)

Luke Johnson battles for a puck during a Rockford IceHogs game. (Photograph courtesy of the Rockford IceHogs)

Adding to the list of unrestricted free agents are the four players that were left without restricted free agent qualifying offers. Johnson, Louis, Hillman and Watson were left without offers from the Blackhawks. While any of these players could re-sign with the organization once free agency opens on July 1, it is likely that no one from this list returns to the Blackhawks or IceHogs.

It was perhaps most surprising to see that Johnson was not extended a qualifying offer. Johnson played 15 games with the Blackhawks early on last season, notching just one assist, but was liked by then-head coach Joel Quenneville and his staff early on as a fourth-line option. In his AHL career, Johnson has 39 goals and 78 points in his 199 games with the IceHogs. With the incoming prospect class for Rockford and the returns of both Highmore (health) and Nilsson, Johnson’s spot with the organization became much like Forsberg’s.

Anthony Louis plays with a puck prior to a Rockford IceHogs game. (Photograph courtesy of the Rockford IceHogs)

Same can be said about Louis. After leading the IceHogs in scoring in the 2017–18 season, Louis failed to live up to his billing as one of the top scoring options for the IceHogs in 2018–19. Tallying 34 points in 74 games played, Louis had a lot riding on his shoulders for a team that had trouble putting the puck in the next on a consistent basis. He never got a shot at the Blackhawks’ roster during the regular season, but could get an opportunity elsewhere. In 157 AHL games with Rockford, Louis tallied 27 goals and 81 points.

This IceHogs roster will begin to take more shape as the summer roles along. The next edition will provide an even more clear picture as unrestricted free agency will be fully underway and the Blackhawks’ development camp will have come and gone. As the summer progresses, so will this list. Keep tuned in for edition 3.0 later in July.

The post Early edition: Rockford IceHogs 2019–20 roster 2.0 appeared first on The Rink.

Blackhawks submit handful of qualifying offers, according to reports

Through the NHL Draft weekend, the Chicago Blackhawks had 11 players that were restricted free agents with Victor Ejdsell, Anton Forsberg, Gustav Forsling, Blake Hillman, Luke Johnson, David Kampf, Anthony Louis, Brendan Perlini, John Quenneville, Dylan Sikura and Spencer Watson meeting the RFA status.

Quenneville was acquired on Day Two of the draft in a trade with the New Jersey Devils that sent forward John Hayden to New Jersey. Also involved in a trade were RFAs Anton Forsberg and Gustav Forsling that sent them to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Aleksi Saarela and Calvin de Haan.

As the 4 p.m. Central deadline for RFA qualifying offers to be submitted, it was reported by Scott Powers of The Athletic, that Ejdsell, Kampf, Perlini, Quenneville and Sikura were given qualifying offers and some were already in new contract negotiations. Adding to those reports, Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times confirmed that Perlini was in negotiations for a new deal with the Blackhawks.

NOTE: since publishing this article, reports have surfaced that David Kampf did not receive an offer from the Blackhawks, but it still negotiating a deal with the team. 

Mar 13, 2019; Toronto, Ontario, CAN: Chicago Blackhawks forward Dylan Sikura (95) skates with the puck against Toronto Maple Leafs in the first period at Scotiabank Arena. (Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports)

For a player as divisive around the Blackhawks fan community as Dylan Sikura became last season, Chicago is not giving up on the former sixth-round draft pick. After showing promise in his brief first NHL stint, and then proving himself in the AHL in 2018–19, Sikura failed to show the same production or growth in the NHL this past season. He is still a young player that can continue to develop his game to fit more of the NHL style, and, if he does that, can be a quality option for Chicago up and down their lineup on either wing.

While it may be confusing that Chicago would extend an offer to Ejdsell after he confirmed that he was moving back to Sweden to play in the SHL next season, the Blackhawks are doing so to keep his NHL rights if he were to decide to return to North America in the near future. Worth a shot in the dark on Ejdsell, who showed promise at times, but lacked consistency. Also reported by both Powers and Pope was that RFA Luke Johnson was not confirmed to have had a qualifying offer given to him, stating his agent had not returned an answer to their inquires.

Note: since publishing this article, it was confirmed that Luke Johnson did not receive an offer from the Blackhawks. 

Nov 23, 2018; Tampa, FL, USA: Chicago Blackhawks center David Kampf (64) chases the puck during the second period against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena. (Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports)

Chicago is keen on keeping Kampf around to play in their bottom-six forwards group. Having made himself a key piece on the fourth line with the Blackhawks, Kampf looks to return to that role and potentially be the replacement for unrestricted free agent Marcus Kruger, who is not expected back with the Blackhawks.

Also in the mix for Chicago in the bottom-six group is Perlini. Acquired from the Arizona Coyotes along with Dylan Strome for Nick Schmaltz, Perlini was a bit of an added bonus for the Blackhawks in that deal last season. While Strome was the focal point as the year went on, Perlini showed flashes of potential as a piece to Chicago’s bottom-six forward group. His deal is tricky, as he was scratched at times late last year, but his potential did show enough for the Blackhawks to want him to stick around.

Brendan Perlini (center) and the Blackhawks celebrate a goal last season. (Photograph by Kevin Sousa/NHLI via Getty Images)

Making a one-for-one trade is always a tricky spot to be in. Chicago and New Jersey reached a deal to swap big-bodied forwards, giving both players a change of scenery and the ability to grow their games with new opportunities ahead of them. Quenneville, the second cousin of former Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville, is expected to sign with Chicago and could very well find himself also in the mix for a bottom-six role with the organization. Since being a first-round selection by the Devils in 2014, Quenneville has skated in 33 NHL games and 138 AHL games, tallying five career NHL points and 119 career AHL points.

As for players not receiving offers, the really is no surprise. Spencer Watson was an ECHL/AHL in-betweener, while Blake Hillman and Anthony Louis had their opportunities with the Rockford IceHogs but failed to show the organization enough talent and growth to keep them in the fold, given the amount of promising younger talent coming to the IceHogs for the 2019–20 season.

What’s next?

With the passing of the 4 p.m. Central qualifying offer period on Tuesday, the next time and date to know is 11 a.m. CT on Wednesday, June 26. That is when NHL teams can officially begin talking to and interviewing RFA players, although official deals cannot be announced until July 1. Following that, the next date to look out for is June 30, when the first player buyout window closes. Then, NHL free agency officially opens on July 1.

The post Report: Blackhawks qualify handful of RFA players appeared first on The Rink.

IceHogs roster: Signed through 2019–20

Top to bottom for all three positions, here is the running list of players that are already signed on for the 2019–20 season or beyond for the Chicago Blackhawks and Rockford IceHogs. AHL-only contracts specified for the players who are only eligible to play for the IceHogs or the ECHL’s Indy Fuel, without signing a contract with the Blackhawks.

Forwards

• Kris Versteeg
  • AHL contract
• Nathan Noel
• Jacob Nilsson
• Nick Moutrey
  • AHL contract
• Dylan McLaughlin
  • AHL contract
• Graham Knott
• Reese Johnson
• Mathew Thompson
  • AHL contract
• Philipp Kurashev
• Matthew Highmore
• Mackenzie Entwistle
• Tim Soderlund
• Jack Ramsey
  • AHL contract
• Liam Coughlin
  • AHL contract
• Brandon Hagel
• Mikael Hakkarainen
• Alexandre Fortin
• Anton Wedin
• Dominik Kubalík

Defensemen

• Nicolas Beaudin
• Adam Boqvist
• Chad Krys
• Lucas Carlsson
• Henri Jokiharju
• Joni Tuulola
• Dennis Gilbert
• Josh McArdle
  • AHL contract
• Dmitry Osipov
  • AHL contract

Goalies

• Collin Delia
• Kevin Lankinen
• Chase Marchand
  • AHL contract
• Matt Tomkins
  • AHL contract

Of the players already signed for the upcoming 2019–20 season, there are a few that will most likely begin the season in Chicago with the Blackhawks. Collin Delia, Henri Jokiharju and Dominik Kubalík have a chance to make the NHL roster out of camp as it stands now.

Adam Boqvist skates during a preseason game last fall. (Photograph courtesy of Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

A wildcard in the group is 2018 draft pick Adam Boqvist, who is eligible to play in the AHL in the 2019–20 season if he does not make the Blackhawks’ roster out of training camp. The defensive group is already crowded, and this is before the NHL Entry Draft in June, where Chicago may select top defenseman Bowen Byram, who some believe could be NHL-ready right out of the gate.

Another name to look out for is goaltender Kevin Lankinen. After a decent rookie season in the AHL, Lankinen burst onto the Blackhawks scene with his performance in net for Team Finland at the IIHF World Championships. Lankinen put up a 1.50 goals against average and a .942 save percentage in the tournament on his way to winning the gold medal alongside Jokiharju.

Kevin Lankinen celebrates with the IIHF World Championship Trophy after Team Finland’s 3–1 win over Team Canada in the gold medal game. (Photograph courtesy of Matt Zambonin/HHOF-IIHF Images)

If the Blackhawks do not add anymore goaltenders that could play at the NHL level, Lankinen looks ready to shoulder the load for the IceHogs and could even push Delia for the Blackhawks’ backup role. One thing for certain is that the 2019–20 roster for the IceHogs already is shaping up to be a youthful group.

IceHogs roster: Already gone

Not everyone fits into the future plans of the Rockford IceHogs, or reversely, the IceHogs do not always fit into every players’ future plans. For Rockford, there are already a trio of players from the 2018–19 squad who will not be re-signing with the club, let alone any North American team.

• Viktor Ejdsell — Farjestad BK (Sweden)
  • 2018–19 with IceHogs: 61 games, 12 goals, 17 assists
• Peter Holland — Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg (KHL)
  • 2018–19 with IceHogs: 21 games, seven goals, nine assists
  • 2018–19 total: 73 games, 27 goals, 38 assists
• Jordan Schroeder — Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod (KHL)
  • 2018–19 with IceHogs: 62 games, 19 goals, 26 assists

Peter Holland lines up for a face off during an IceHogs game. (Photograph courtesy of the Rockford IceHogs)

These three players leaving already puts a big hole in the carried-over offensive production from last year’s IceHogs squad. Holland and Schroeder were producers for Rockford late in the season as they pushed for a Calder Cup Playoff spot, and Ejdsell showed flashes in 2018–19 of the player he was supposed to be, but could not produce on a consistent basis. The IceHogs have already added a number of promising offensive talents, so the level of production left from these players should be filled and possibly even exceeded in 2019–20.

IceHogs roster: Unsigned

While there is a larger number of players left unsigned that would more likely be in play for the Blackhawks, here is the list of remaining players left unsigned that are likely in play for the IceHogs and the Indy Fuel.

Unrestricted free agents

• Radovan Bondra
• Terry Broadhurst
• Andrew Campbell
• Brandon Davidson
• Andreas Martinsen
• Connor Moynihan
• William Pelletier
• Tyler Sikura

Restricted free agents

• Anton Forsberg
• Blake Hillman
• Luke Johnson
• Anthony Louis
• Dylan Sikura
• Spencer Watson

This is where the IceHogs and Blackhawks roster construction gets interesting and dicey. Obviously the organization will have cap room to use this offseason, but they are not going to be spending a ton to keep these unrestricted and restricted free agents around. Most of this group does not have much of NHL futures with the Blackhawks outside of perhaps Dylan Sikura, Forsberg or Johnson.

Cap space and the 50-player roster limit in mind, it would not be surprising to see most of the unrestricted players in the group remain unsigned. Pelletier could still receive another AHL contract this summer after missing a large portion of the season due to injury. For players like Martinsen and Tyler Sikura, their place in the organization is getting buried and younger, more promising talent has already been added who could fill their roles with the Blackhawks and IceHogs.

Anthony Louis skates during an IceHogs game. (Photograph courtesy of the Rockford IceHogs)

In the restricted free agent pool of players, there is enough to like for the Blackhawks to bring back players who will challenge for NHL ice time but more than likely end up playing major roles for the IceHogs in 2019–20. Hillman, Johnson and Louis can and should all play leading roles for the IceHogs to begin the season, should they be re-signed.

Dylan Sikura skates with the puck during an IceHogs game. (Photograph courtesy of the Texas Stars)

Same goes for Dylan Sikura if re-signed. Sikura came into the Blackhawks with high hopes of jumping into the NHL roster and being a reliable middle-six forward. While he was able to get 33 games with Chicago this season, he played the majority of his first full professional season with the IceHogs. His time in Rockford showed that he has the abilities to produce and be a playmaker, but at the AHL level for now. In 46 games with the IceHogs, Sikura tallied 35 points, but is still looking for his first career NHL goal after tallying just eight assists in his time with Chicago in 2018–19. If the Blackhawks believe his future trajectory includes the ability to crack their NHL roster, it is a no-brainer to keep the younger Sikura around.

The Blackhawks could bring back Forsberg in net to make sure they have an abundance of depth at the goalie position, but with the recent emergence of Lankinen and Chicago’s perceived investment in Delia, his spot with the organization might be getting buried. If not re-signed, Forsberg could surely land with another NHL team and have a legitimate shot at their backup role.

This IceHogs roster will begin to take more shape as the summer roles along. The next edition will provide an even more clear picture as the NHL Entry Draft will have already taken place and the restricted free agent window will have opened. As the summer progresses, so will this list. Keep tuned in for edition 2.0 later in June.

The post Early edition: Rockford IceHogs 2019–20 roster 1.0 appeared first on The Rink.

Rockford IceHogs exit interviews

The Rockford IceHogs put a cap on their season with their annual end-of-the-year exit interviews. After finishing the regular season in seventh place in the AHL Central Division, the IceHogs missed the Calder Cup Playoffs for the second time in the last three years. Paired with the Chicago Blackhawks missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the second year in a row, this year marks the first time since becoming the AHL affiliate of the Blackhawks that Chicago and Rockford both missed the postseason.

There are a number of reasons why there is not playoff hockey being played in Rockford this season: coaching changes, injuries, recalls and assignments of key players, etc., but the IceHogs simply could not support their stellar team defense with enough scoring on a regular basis to get them over the hump and into the Calder Cup Playoffs. The league’s best goalie group of Collin Delia, Kevin Lankinen and Anton Forsberg were regularly let down by the league’s lowest scoring offense. Rockford finished the season with a 30–2–2 record when scoring three or more goals in a game, while on the flip side, lost 19 games this year when holding their opponents to two or fewer goals in a game.

But let’s not beat a dead horse any longer.

Interim head coach Derek King

IceHogs head coach Derek King did pretty much as well as he could have been asked after taking over the IceHogs from Jeremy Colliton in early November. King inherited the reigns of a 6–3–3 IceHogs team on Nov. 6 and finished the season with a 35–31–10 record, a 29–28–7 record with King as head coach. As of Wednesday, King’s status with the organization is still undecided, but one would figure he managed his position well enough to be given a chance to remove the interim tag from his coaching position.

Dylan Sikura (46 games played, 17 goals, 18 assists)

One of the brightest spots for the IceHogs this season was Dylan Sikura‘s emergence as a force to reckon with at the AHL level. While his well-hyped arrival in the Blackhawks organization has not lived up to the billing at the NHL level (11 points in 38 NHL games, no goals), Sikura tied Peter Holland for the highest points per game rate for the IceHogs this season at 0.76 points per game. In his first full professional year, Sikura finished third on the team in scoring, having played nearly 20 fewer games than the other Rockford scorers in the top five. He also finished eighth in rookie goal-scoring with 17 tallies on the year. Sikura becomes a restricted free agent this summer after completing a two-year deal with the Blackhawks organization.

Jordan Schroeder (62 games played, 19 goals, 26 assists)

Veteran forward Jordan Schroeder had one of his best AHL seasons of his career in 2018–19 with the IceHogs. Finishing with a career-high 45 points, Schroeder was consistently one of the most relied-upon players for the IceHogs. Paired with Holland down the stretch of the season, Schroeder found scoring chemistry with his newly acquired teammate and it showed. Over his final 25 games of the season, Schroeder tallied 21 points, including a five-game point streak and four multi-point games. Schroeder becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer after completing his one-year deal with the Blackhawks organization. 

Henri Jokiharju (30 games played, two goals, 15 assists)

While there is some debate whether or not Henri Jokiharju actually needed to play with the Rockford IceHogs this season, it showed that his time in the AHL made an impact on him on the ice. Jokiharju finished second on the team in scoring for defensemen (excluding Darren Raddysh), having played half as many games as the leading scorer in Lucas Carlsson. Jokiharju logged heavy minutes with the iceHogs and played in all situations. His 0.57 point per game pace was the highest on the team for defensemen and his plus-7 rating was tied with Sikura for the best rating on the roster. Jokiharju will be joining Finland’s World Championships camp this Summer. Jokiharju has two years remaining on his entry-level contract with the Blackhawks.

Luke Johnson (53 games played, 18 goals, 13 assists) 

After starting the season with the Chicago Blackhawks, Luke Johnson joined the IceHogs in late November for the remainder of the season, save for two games in December. Johnson set new AHL career-highs in goals and points this season, playing all over the lineup. One of the more consistent players on the roster this season, Johnson’s physical aspect of his game seemed unchanged as his ability to score and generate scoring chances improved from last season. Johnson becomes a restricted free agent this summer after completing his entry-level contract with the Blackhawks organization.

Collin Delia (26 games played, 13–8–4, 2.48 goals against average, 0.922 save percentage)

Along with Sikura, another major bright spot for the IceHogs and Blackhawks this season was the continued improvement and development of goaltender Collin Delia. After joining the organization last season and ascending from the ECHL Indy Fuel to the Chicago Blackhawks in one season, Delia again played major roles for both the Blackhawks and IceHogs. Finishing this season with the second-best save percentage in the AHL, Delia, along with Lankinen and Forsberg, made up the best goaltending group in the league this season based on save percentage. Many have speculated that he projects to be the future No. 1 goaltender in the Blackhawks organization and if he continues his development trajectory, he will be. Delia signed a three-year, $3 million contract extension with the Chicago Blackhawks this season, which kicks in next year.

Dennis Gilbert (63 games played, five goals, nine assists)

Winner of the team’s ‘Most Improved’ award this season, defenseman Dennis Gilbert truly came a long way from the beginning of the season. His confidence grew as the year progressed and his ice time increased. At the beginning of the year, Gilbert seemed to do little more than throw his weight around on the IceHogs’ blue line. But as they year went on, he began to open up more in the offensive zone while continuing to be a menace defensively. Gilbert ranked third on the active roster for scoring defensemen and led the team with seven fighting majors. Gilbert has two years remaining on his entry-level contract with the Blackhawks.

Matthew Highmore (12 games played, three goals, six assists) 

The 2018–19 season could have been much different for the Rockford IceHogs had Matthew Highmore been healthy the full year. After tallying seven points over his first eight games of the year, Highmore was lost to a shoulder injury for nearly five months. He returned at the beginning of April, only to re-injure the shoulder and not finish the season on the ice for the IceHogs. Highmore had a lot of promise heading into this season, having set the AHL franchise rookie goal scoring record in 2017–18. Highmore probably would have been like Sikura was this season, up and down with the Blackhawks had he been healthy, but his games lost for the IceHogs truly had an impact across the board. Highmore has one year remaining on his entry-level contract with the Blackhawks.

Anton Forsberg (32 games played, 15–15–2, 2.64 goals against average, 0.919 save percentage)

Much of what was said about Delia before can be repeated for Anton Forsberg this season. Consistently under-supported offensively, Forsberg took the majority of starts for the IceHogs this season after beginning the year as the backup in Chicago. His .919 save percentage finished as the fourth-best in the AHL this season. Forsberg becomes a restricted free agent this summer after completing a two-year contract with the Blackhawks he signed in the summer of 2017.

Victor Ejdsell (61 games played, 12 goals, 17 assists)

It is hard to label Victor Ejdsell‘s 2018–19 season a complete disappointment, but the expectations on him heading into the year certainly did not help his cause. Many, including myself, felt Ejdsell had a better than 50–50 chance of making the Chicago Blackhawks’ NHL roster coming out of training camp. He did not, nor did he receive a recall to the Blackhawks all season. Ejdsell dealt with injuries at times this year and only recently had found his stride within the offense. He still can show flashes of the scoring and playmaking ability that made him an intriguing prospect for the organization, but putting it all together consistently remains his issue. Ejdsell becomes a restricted free agent this summer after completing his two-year entry-level contract that he signed with the Nashville Predators in May of 2017.

Andrew Campbell (64 games played, three goals, five assists)

While there was little chance he would suit up for the Chicago Blackhawks this season, Andrew Campbell did everything asked and expected of him for the Rockford IceHogs this season. As he mentions in his exit interview, there is more to be measured that just numbers for his success this season. He was named a playing captain for the AHL Western Conference at the AHL All Star weekend this year, a testament to his longevity and leadership at the AHL level. Campbell served as a sort of assistant coach for the IceHogs this season, providing a veteran leadership presence for a young locker room. Campbell becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer after completing his one-year contract with the Blackhawks organization.

Alexandre Fortin (47 games played, six goals, six assists)

After a quick two-game stint with the IceHogs to begin the year, Alexandre Fortin joined the Blackhawks for a generous portion of the season, skating in 24 games at the NHL level, before rejoining the IceHogs for the remainder of the season. At multiple points over the two years that Fortin has spent with the Blackhawks and IceHogs organizations, he as shown the abilities to be a dangerous speedster who can create space and scoring chances with his feet. His downfall is his ability to actually finish those chances. Over the final 21 games of the season, Fortin tallied just three points. The abilities are there, but putting them together needs to be the next step for Fortin. He has one year remaining on his entry-level contract with the Blackhawks.

Andreas Martinsen (38 games played, three goals, eight assists)

Another forward who played a good portion of his 2018–19 season with the Chicago Blackhawks before coming to the Rockford IceHogs, Andreas Martinsen was exactly as expected in his time with the IceHogs: a physical player who can now and again contribute offensively and provide a veteran presence in the locker room, same as his role last season with the IceHogs. The problem is that he has more than likely reached his ceiling with the Blackhawks and IceHogs organizations. Martinsen becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer after completing his one-year contract with the Blackhawks.

Tyler Sikura (50 games played, seven goals, 12 assists)

Similar to the season of Victor Ejdsell, Tyler Sikura‘s 2018–19 campaign was a let down. After playing his first full season in the AHL last year and finishing second in the team in goals and third in points in 2017–18, the elder Sikura failed to reach that productivity this season. Hampered by injuries for a while this year, Tyler was now and again the net-front presence he was last season, but did not reach his same ice time nor did he have the same opportunities on the power play that he had last year. Like Martinsen, Tyler has more than likely also reached his ceiling with the IceHogs organization. He becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer after completing his one-year contract with the Blackhawks.

William Pelletier (41 games played, seven goals, 10 assists)

Rockford’s 2018–19 ‘Man of the Year,’ William Pelletier bounced back from missing nearly half of the season due to injury to provide jump and energy into the lineup late in the season. Pelletier’s highlight of the year came from scoring back-to-back goals just 13 seconds apart against the San Antonio Rampage on April 2 to spark an epic comeback win. Unfortunately, those were his final two points of the season. Pelletier plays above his 5-foot-7 frame and can provide a bit of offense at the AHL level. He becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer after completing his one-year AHL contract with the Rockford IceHogs.

Terry Broadhurst (40 games played, four goals, eight assists)

Hampered by injuries this season, Terry Broadhurst‘s return to the IceHogs did not really live up to what both he or the team maybe would have hoped for. Broadhurst started hot with five points in his first eight games with the IceHogs, but tallied just seven more points over his other 32 games played this season. At 30 years old, it is unclear what the next step will be for Broadhurst in his playing career, as he becomes an unrestricted free agent after completing his one-year contract with the Rockford IceHogs.

Blake Hillman (54 games played, one goal, three assists)

In and out of the lineup for a portion of the season, Blake Hillman seemed to stall in his development in his first full professional season. After joining the organization late last season, Hillman looked like he might be in line for a shot at the NHL roster entering last summer. He never took that next step. Inconsistent with the puck on his stick, Hillman still has a lot of hockey ahead of him and could be brought back into the mix next season. He becomes a restricted free agent this summer after completing his two-year entry-level contract with the Blackhawks.

Nathan Noel (46 games played, two goals, four assists) 

It is hard to get a true read on Nathan Noel. He has dealt with injuries the last two seasons with the IceHogs, but when healthy, he looks the part of a decent depth AHL player. He mixes speed, physicality and a good touch with the puck on his stick at times, but cannot find it consistently. He has one year remaining on his entry-level contract with the Blackhawks.

Josh McArdle (19 games played, one goal, two assists)

The first Rockford-area native to play for the IceHogs, Josh McArdle was a solid ECHL call-up for Rockford this season. He was able to step in during a thin stretch of the season for the iceHogs when they were dealing with injuries to the blue line. He played 33 games with the Indy Fuel in the ECHL this season, his first full professional season. McArdle becomes an unrestricted free agent after completing his one-year contract with the Rockford IceHogs.

Dmitry Osipov (Eight games played, zero goals, two assists)

A big-bodied defenseman like Dmitry Osipov was missing from the IceHogs roster for the majority of the season. While Gilbert and Campbell both weigh in at over 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds, Gilbert was the only true physical presence in the defensive group for Rockford. Osipov, coming in at 6-foot-4 and 234 pounds, provided a physical element that King wanted more of in his lineup. Osipov played in 66 games with the Indy Fuel in the ECHL this season, totaling 13 points. He becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer after completing his contract with the Indy Fuel.

Reese Johnson (Six games played, zero goals, four assists)

A late-season signing from the Red Deer Rebels of the WHL, Reese Johnson stepped into the IceHogs’ lineup late in the season alongside his Red Deer teammate Brandon Hagel and made an immediate impact. Johnson showed flashes of playmaking skill and a high motor in his small sample of AHL play. He looks to be a part of the IceHogs’ lineup next season as he begins he three-year entry-level contract with the Blackhawks.

Brandon Hagel (Eight games played, zero goals, one assist)

Speaking of Hagel, the WHL’s fourth-leading scorer this season joined the IceHogs late in the year after signing as a junior free agent in October. While he only tallied one assist in his eight games with Rockford, Hagel’s scoring ability should make him a key figure for the organization to keep an eye on going into next season. He begins a three-year entry-level contract with the Blackhawks next season.

Philipp Kurashev (Three games played, zero points)

Another late-season addition for the IceHogs this year was QMJHL standout Philipp Kurashev. After leading the Quebec Remparts in scoring this season, Kurashev joined the IceHogs for their final three games of the season. While not tallying a point in those three games, Kurashev’s 125 points over the last two seasons with Quebec, paired with him showcasing his abilities at the World Juniors this past January, make him an exciting prospect for the Blackhawks and IceHogs heading into the summer. He begins a three-year entry-level contract with the Blackhawks next season.

The IceHogs’ 20th anniversary season did not end with another run at the Calder Cup, but it was far from unsuccessful.

https://twitter.com/goicehogs/status/1118597418000560128

For the depth of the Chicago Blackhawks organization, the IceHogs have plenty of players to be excited about for the future and be encouraged for how many of them are progressing in their careers.

What’s next?

A giant thank goes out to the great media and communications staff with the Rockford IceHogs for providing all the videos of the exit interviews.

The Calder Cup Playoffs begin this week, but not for the IceHogs. Stay tuned to The-Rink for more news and analysis on the Chicago Blackhawks organization, top to bottom, as the spring and summer roll along.

The post Rockford IceHogs 2018–19 season exit interviews appeared first on The Rink.

IceHogs complete comeback in overtime vs. Milwaukee

On a night where the physicality was turned up and Dmitry Osipov and even Collin Delia got into tussles, the IceHogs were able to keep their heads about them enough to come away with a win in their AHL-leading 26th game that went into the extra period of play.

The IceHogs got off to a fast start just 40 seconds into the game, as Luke Johnson ripped home his 17th goal of the season off a face-off won by Reese Johnson, now known as the “No Tears Line” (Johnson and Johnson products, get it?). Luke Johnson tied his AHL season-high in points with 30 on the game’s opening goal. From there, the Admirals would score three unanswered goals from Cole Schneider, Anthony Richard and a second-period goal from Justin Kirkland to give Milwaukee a 3–1 lead midway through the contest.

Looking for life in the second period, Anthony Louis won a board battle and Lucas Carlsson was able to skate the puck in between the circles and score his ninth goal of the season to cut the Milwaukee lead to 3–2. Carlsson’s first goal since Feb. 9 pulled the IceHogs within striking distance heading into the third period.

In the final period of regulation, the IceHogs grabbed control of the pace of play, out-shooting the Admirals 12–4 and finding the game’s equalizing goal from Sikura with 15:22 to play. Sikura’s 16th goal of the season was enough to tie the game and force overtime for the 26th time this season for Rockford.

In the extra period, the IceHogs again controlled the pace of play, continuing to cycle in and out of their offensive zone nearly at will against Milwaukee. With just over 90 seconds remaining, Sikura found space in the Admirals’ zone and fired home his 17th goal of the season and second of the game for the 4–3 overtime-winner.

Sikura, along with Reese Johnson and Carlsson all tallied multi-point nights for the IceHogs while Delia made 14 saves on 17 shots as his record improved to 13–8–4 this season. Delia has won six of his last eight starts for the IceHogs since March 1.

Since returning to the IceHogs on April 2, Sikura has five points in four games, including two multi-goal games. With 35 points in 44 games, Sikura ranks third on the IceHogs in scoring and his 0.80 points per game pace is tied with Peter Holland for the team lead.

Finally, two notes to finish the thrilling win. First, with the 4–3 overtime win, the IceHogs record this season when scoring three or more goals in a game improved to 30–2–2. Secondly, on a sour note, Matthew Highmore took a big hit in the first period and did not return to the game from then on. He suffered a shoulder injury in early November that required surgery and had just returned to the IceHogs lineup at the beginning of April. After the game, interim head coach Derek King said Highmore bruised up his shoulder but would be fine.

Calder Cup Playoff race

With the win on Tuesday night, the IceHogs move within one-point of a Calder Cup Playoff spot. Milwaukee earned a point to move to 84 points, which is also the maximum amount of points that the IceHogs could reach with two games remaining.

1. x- Chicago Wolves (73 games played) – 43–21–9 – 95 points (at Iowa, vs. Manitoba, vs. Manitoba)
2. Grand Rapids Griffins (73 games played) – 38–24–11 – 87 points (vs. Iowa, vs. Manitoba, at Milwaukee)
3. Milwaukee Admirals (74 games played) – 34–24–16 – 84 points (vs. Grand Rapids, at Rockford)
4. Manitoba Moose (73 games played) – 37–29–7 – 81 points (at Grand Rapids, at Chicago, at Chicago)
5. Iowa Wild (73 games played) – 34–26–13 – 81 points (at Grand Rapids, vs. Chicago, vs. Rockford)
6. Texas Stars (73 games played) – 36–29–8 – 80 pts (vs. San Antonio, at San Antonio, vs. San Antonio)
7. Rockford IceHogs (74 games played) – 35–29–10 – 80 pts (at Iowa, vs. Milwaukee)
8. e – San Antonio Rampage (73 games played) – 29–37–7 – 65 pts (at Texas, vs. Texas, at Texas)

x = Clinched Playoff Spot
e = Eliminated From Playoff Spot
(Remaining Games)

The Iowa Wild, Texas Stars and Manitoba Moose will all play at least one game before the IceHogs take the ice again, with the Wild and Stars playing twice. Rockford will pull for those three teams hopefully coming away with no points over those games to keep their playoff chances as high as possible in the Central Division.

What’s next?

The Rockford IceHogs are back in action on Saturday night, as they travel to take on the Iowa Wild, then return home for their season finale against the Milwaukee Admirals on Sunday night. Saturday’s puck drop is set for 6 p.m. Central Time at the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa. Rockford this season holds a 4–4–1 record against the Wild in their nine previous meetings. Sunday’s puck drop at the BMO Harris Bank Center in Rockford is also set for 6 p.m. Central Time against the Admirals. Rockford this season holds a 5–5–1 record over the Admirals in their previous 11 meetings.

The post IceHogs keep playoff hopes alive with win over Admirals appeared first on The Rink.

IceHogs in the driver seat

It is a tall task to string together five wins in a row at any point in the season, let alone in the final five games of the year. For the IceHogs, winning the final five games of this season would all but lock them into a spot in the Calder Cup Playoffs. The final five games this season are against teams that are above them in the Central Division, meaning each game has a possible four points on the line, rather than the usual two (in theory).

Rockford is first tasked with a Friday-Saturday set against the Texas Stars, a team the IceHogs have taken points from in four of the six meetings this season. Following that are road games against the Milwaukee Admirals and Iowa Wild, before closing the season at the BMO Harris Bank Center in Rockford against the same Admirals on April 14. Depending on how the next week goes, that April 14 game against Milwaukee could every well mean the difference between making or not making the postseason for both clubs.

A couple of things that the IceHogs have going in their favor heading into the last stretch of the season include their AHL-leading goaltending and a shot in the arm offensively coming back from the NHL.

Rockford IceHogs goaltender Collin Delia makes a save against the San Antonio Rampage. (Courtesy: Rockford IceHogs)

First, the IceHogs continue to be at the top of the AHL when it comes to stopping the puck. Goaltenders Anton Forsberg and Collin Delia continue to sit atop the league leaders in save percentage this season. Forsberg’s 0.920 save percentage ranks fourth in the AHL among qualified goalies, while Delia leads the league with a 0.923 save percentage. Although he has not played since March 10, Kevin Lankinen‘s 0.911 save percentage this season is nothing to scoff at.

A key for the IceHogs will be the continued play in net from Delia and Forsberg down the stretch. Last season, Delia was the work-horse that led the IceHogs into the postseason and through the first two rounds of the Calder Cup Playoff run for Rockford. If he can duplicate that kind of success keeping the puck out of the net, Rockford will be able to win these meaningful games with the minimal goal support they have created for their goalies this season.

But, that brings about a second, and maybe more important, key for Rockford if they are to make the Calder Cup Playoffs and make some noise: the goal scoring. Rockford has been at or near the bottom of the AHL all season in creating goals and scoring chances this season. While some of it can be chalked up to some bad luck, the personnel the IceHogs have had to play with has not been littered with high-quality finishers for most of this season.

Rockford IceHogs forward Peter Holland awaits a face-off during a game this season. (Courtesy: Rockford IceHogs)

After losing Matthew Highmore early this season to injury, the IceHogs had to make up his depletion in goals. Players like Jordan Schroeder, Anthony Louis and Dylan Sikura did their best to pick up the scoring slack. But a cold streak from Louis and Sikura being up and down with the Blackhawks had stalled the offense.

But in the last half of the season, and more importantly the last few days, the IceHogs have been able to add firepower back into their offense. Making a trade for Peter Holland in January added a veteran player who can create and finish at the AHL to the Rockford offense. This season, Holland ranks ninth in the AHL in scoring with 62 points in 69 games, with 13 points coming in his 17 games with the IceHogs. His 62 points and 25 goals this season are new AHL career highs for Holland.

Rockford IceHogs forward Dylan Sikura fires a shot against the Grand Rapids Griffins. (Courtesy: Rockford IceHogs)

Along with Holland’s addition, the IceHogs benefitted from the return of Dylan Sikura to the lineup on Tuesday night after playing the better part of the last two months with the Chicago Blackhawks. On Tuesday night, Sikura scored his first two goals in nearly two months with a pair of tallies against the San Antonio Rampage.

This season with the IceHogs, Sikura ranks tied for third on the team in scoring with 32 points in 41 games. His 0.78 points per game pace is tied with Highmore for the highest on the team. The re-addition of Sikura into the lineup and getting Matthew Highmore back healthy should surely rejuvenate the Rockford offense, as was evident in the 5–3 win over the Rampage on Tuesday night.

William Pelletier named Rockford IceHogs’ ‘Man Of The Year’

On Wednesday, the AHL announced their list of every team representative for the IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year awards. The awards are presented to players for their outstanding contributions to the local community and charitable organizations during the 2018–19 season.

Last season, Collin Delia was named the IceHogs’ ‘Man of the Year,’ and he is followed this season by William Pelletier. By being awarded the team’s ‘Man of the Year’ award, Pelletier is now in the running for the AHL’s Yanick Dupre Memorial Award for the league’s ‘Man of the Year’ title.

Rockford IceHogs forward William Pelletier skates onto the ice prior to a game this season. (Courtesy: Rockford IceHogs)

From the Rockford IceHogs:

“Pelletier spearheaded Rockford’s Brovember campaign this year, helping raise awareness and funds for the fight against men’s cancer. Pelletier’s father was diagnosed with prostate cancer two years ago and Will has since led the IceHogs locker room’s efforts in the Brovember initiative.

Pelletier and the IceHogs also took the lanes of Cherry Bowl on March 3 for the Hogs’ annual Bowl-A-Thon fundraiser. Brovember Inc. was the primary benefactor of the event, and the IceHogs players generously donated their time to help raise money for the local charity.

Overall, Pelletier helped the IceHogs raise more than $30,000 for the fight against cancer this season. That total includes more than $8,000 at the annual Bowl-A-Thon and more than $22,000 through Hockey Fights Cancer. “

Roster moves

On Thursday afternoon, the Chicago Blackhawks and Rockford IceHogs announced a number of roster moves being made.

First, after being recalled to the Blackhawks on Wednesday and making his NHL debut for Chicago against the St. Louis Blues, defenseman Dennis Gilbert was re-assigned back to the IceHogs. Gilbert played 12:46 minutes against the Blues on Wednesday night, recording a team-high six hits in the process. Gilbert has played in 59 games this season for the IceHogs, recording 14 points and a team-high 65 penalty minutes.

Rockford IceHogs defenseman Dennis Gilbert carries the puck during an IceHogs game this season. (Courtesy: Rockford IceHogs)

Also announced on Thursday was the addition of Dmitry Osipov and Philipp Kurashev to the Rockford IceHogs. Osipov rejoins the IceHogs on a PTO contract after playing in four games for Rockford two weeks ago. As for Kurashev, he joins the IceHogs following his third full season in the QMJHL with the Quebec Remparts. In his QMJHL career, Kurashev has played in 183 games and has tallied 179 points.

Quebec Remparts forward Philipp Kurashev joined the IceHogs this week. (Courtesy: Quebec Remparts)

A fourth-round pick by the Blackhawks in 2018, Kurashev set his QMJHL career highs in goals (29) and points (65) this season. Adding Kurashev to the forwards group comes at a perfect time for head coach Derek King, as the team’s second-highest scorer in Jordan Schroeder went down with a lower-body injury on Tuesday night against the Rampage.

Calder Cup Playoff race

The Central Division at one point this season was a two-spot race with the first and fourth spots up for grabs. As the season has wound down, the Iowa Wild have hit a cold streak and the third-place spot is now in play for the final five teams searching for a Calder Cup Playoff position.

1. x – Chicago Wolves (70 GP) – 42–2–8 – 92 pts.
2. Grand Rapids Griffins (71 GP) – 38–23–10 – 86 pts.
3. Iowa Wild (72 GP) – 34–25–13 – 81 pts.
4. Manitoba Moose (71 GP) – 36–28–7 – 79 pts.
5. Milwaukee Admirals (71 GP) – 32–24–15 – 79 pts.
6. Texas Stars (71 GP) – 35–29–7 – 77 pts.
7. Rockford IceHogs (71 GP) – 33–28–10 – 76 pts.
8. e – San Antonio Rampage (72 GP) – 28–37–7 – 63 pts.

x – Clinched playoff spot
e – Eliminated from playoff contention

All five of the remaining games for the IceHogs come against teams ahead of them with two games against Texas, two games against Milwaukee and one game against Iowa left to play.

What is next?

The Rockford IceHogs are back in action on Friday night as they begin a four-game road trip. On Friday and Saturday night, the IceHogs travel to take on the Texas Stars. Both games are set for 7 p.m. CT puck drops at the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park in Cedar Park, Texas. Rockford holds a 2–2–2 record against the Stars this season in six previous meetings. Texas sits one point ahead of the IceHogs in the Central Division.

The post Rockford IceHogs control their playoff destiny appeared first on The Rink.

IceHogs Numbers That Matter

74 – Points in the standings, currently, for the IceHogs heading into their final six games of the season.
A 32-28-10 record for Rockford so far this year.

3 – Point-differential between Rockford in seventh-place and the Texas Stars and Milwaukee Admirals who are tied for fourth-place in the Central Division.
*Reminder: the top four teams in each Division make the Calder Cup Playoffs. NO WILD CARDS.

168 – Goals scored by the IceHogs this season. The least in the AHL.

2.4 – Goals per game the IceHogs are averaging. Not surprisingly, also the least in the AHL.

15.2% – Powerplay percentage for the IceHogs this season, ranking 29th in the AHL.

The Rockford IceHogs celebrate Peter Holland’s overtime winner against the Cleveland Monsters. (Courtesy: Rockford IceHogs)

197 – Goals allowed by the IceHogs this season. Ranks 11th in the AHL

2.81 – Goals allowed per game by the IceHogs.

82.3% – Penalty-killing percentage for Rockford this season, ranking eighth in the AHL.

254 – Times short-handed for the IceHogs this season, ranking fifth-least in the AHL.

674 – Penalty minutes for the IceHogs this season, ranking 30th in the AHL.

.918 – Combined team save-percentage for the IceHogs this season, the best in the league thanks to Collin Delia and Anton Forsberg.

.925 – Collin Delia’s save-percentage this season, the best among qualified goalies in the AHL.

Rockford IceHogs goaltender Collin Delia makes a sprawling save against the Grand Rapids Griffins. (Courtesy: Rockford IceHogs)

0 – Number of shutouts by the IceHogs, so far this season.

2 – Number of games Rockford allowed more than 5 goals, so far this season.

1 – Number of games Rockford has scored more than 5 goals, so far this season.

18 – Number of losses (Regulation/OT) by the IceHogs in games they allowed 2 or fewer goals. Out of 38 losses this season, almost half have come in games that they have held their opponent under three goals. Otherwise known as “winnable” games.

Rockford IceHogs forward Jordan Schroeder (Courtesy: Rockford IceHogs)

45 – Career-high in points set by Jordan Schroeder this season.

7 – Number of fights by Dennis Gilbert for the IceHogs so far this season. Gilbert’s seven fights ties Jake Dowell‘s seven fights in the 2016-17 season, and is four off the pace set by the entire IceHogs team in the 2017-18 season.

Roster Moves

On Tuesday afternoon, the Rockford IceHogs made two roster moves that should hopefully have a major impact on their team’s offensive production. First, the team announced that the Chicago Blackhawks had reassigned Dylan Sikura to the AHL. Sikura this season has played in 33 games with the Blackhawks and has tallied eight assists.

Mar 13, 2019; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Chicago Blackhawks forward Dylan Sikura (95) skates with the puck against Toronto Maple Leafs in the first period at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

For the IceHogs, Sikura has played in 40 games and has 30 points. He re-joins the team on a four-game point streak. Sikura has not played with Rockford since February 2.

Second announcement coming on Tuesday was that forward Matthew Highmore had been cleared to return to the lineup. Highmore, who set the IceHogs AHL franchise record for rookie goal-scoring last season, has been out of the Rockford lineup since mid-November. Highmore went down with a shoulder injury in November and underwent surgery to repair the damage.

Matthew Highmore of the Rockford IceHogs. (Courtesy: Rockford IceHogs)

Before the injury, Highmore had seven points through his first eight games in Rockford. Highmore is expected in the lineup Tuesday night against the San Antonio Rampage.

Additionally for the IceHogs this week, WHL prospects Reese Johnson and Brandon Hagel made their professional debuts with the team.

Johnson, who was signed by the Blackhawks in early March, skated in 187 WHL games with the Red Deer Rebels and tallied 100 points in his Junior career. Johnson served as the Rebels’ Captain this season, tallying 53 points and finishing second on the team in scoring in his final year in the WHL.

Rockford IceHogs forward Reese Johnson. (Courtesy: Rockford IceHogs)

As for Hagel, who signed with the Blackhawks in late October, his final year with Red Deer was his most productive. Scoring 102 points to lead the Rebels in scoring, Hagel ranked fourth in the WHL overall. In four seasons with Red Deer, Hagel skated in 259 games and tallied 279 career points.

Rockford IceHogs forward Brandon Hagel. (Courtesy: Rockford IceHogs)

With the additions of Hagel, Johnson, Highmore, Sikura, and the hot-start for another rookie in Chad Krys (3 assists in 3 games), the Rockford offense may be getting more punch down the final stretch.

Calder Cup Playoff Race

Heading into their final six games of the season, the IceHogs have a tough draw as they face a three-point gap to get to the fourth-place spot in the AHL Central Division.

1. x – Chicago Wolves (70 GP) – 42-20-8 – 92 pts
2. Grand Rapids Griffins (70 GP) – 38-22-10 – 86 pts
3. Iowa Wild (70 GP) – 34-24-12 – 80 pts
4. Milwaukee Admirals (70 GP) – 31-24-15 – 77 pts
5. Texas Stars (71 GP) – 35-29-7 – 77 pts
6. Manitoba Moose (69 GP) – 34-28-7 – 76 pts
7. Rockford IceHogs (70 GP) – 32-28-10 – 74 pts
8. e – San Antonio Rampage – (70 GP) – 28-35-7 – 63 pts

x – Clinched playoff spot
e – Eliminated from playoff contention

Looking realistically at the final six games, Rockford would be well-off if they won five of those six games remaining. They are, essentially, not allowed to lose in regulation the rest of the season, given that their final six games are against Division opponents, with the final five games of the season coming against teams ahead of them in the standings.

What’s Next?

The Rockford IceHogs come off a weekend where they took a regulation win against the Grand Rapids Griffins and a regulation loss against the Milwaukee Admirals, and face the already eliminated from playoff contention San Antonio Rampage on Tuesday night.

The game closes a five-game homestand for the IceHogs, where they went 1-3-0 through the first four games. It will also be the second to last home game of the year for the IceHogs as they will play their following four games on the road before closing the regular season at home against the Admirals on April 14. Rockford holds a 3-3-1 record against San Antonio this season. Puck drop on Tuesday night is set for 7pm CT at the BMO Harris Bank Center in Rockford.

The post Rockford IceHogs By The Numbers With Six Games Left appeared first on The Rink.

7:30pm CST

United Center

TV/Radio: NBCSCH/WGN

PROJECTED STARTERS

Chicago – Corey Crawford (9–15–2, SV%: .899, GAA: 3.31)

Arizona – Darcy Kuemper (22–15–5, SV%: .920, GAA: 2.48)

TEAM STATISTICS

Power Play

Chicago (21.0%, 11th)

Arizona (17.0%, 24th)

Penalty Kill

Chicago (73.1%, 31st)

Arizona (85.1%, 2nd)

Shorts for/against

Chicago (32.4, 11th; 34.9, 30th)

Arizona (30.8, 20th; 30.8, 12th)

Shooting %

Chicago (10.2%, 8th)

Arizona (8.6%, 28th)

Faceoff %

Chicago (49.4%, 20th)

Arizona (47.0%, 30th)

Avg. height/weight

Chicago 6’1”, 195lbs

Arizona 6’1” 194lbs

PROJECTED LINES/PAIRINGS

Chicago Blackhawks

Brandon Saad–Jonathan Toews–John Hayden

Dominik Kahun–Artem Anisimov–Patrick Kane

Alex DeBrincat–Dylan Strome–Brendan Perlini

Chris Kunitz–David Kampf–Marcus Kruger

Duncan Keith–Brent Seabrook

Carl Dahlstrom–Connor Murphy

Slater Koekkoek–Erik Gustafsson

Arizona Coyotes

Alex Galchenyuk–Nick Cousins–Christian Fischer

Richard Panik–Christian Dvorak–Clayton Keller

Michael Grabner–Brad Richardson–Vinnie Hinostroza

Lawson Crouse–Mario Kempe–Josh Archibald

Oliver Ekman-Larsson–Niklas Hjalmarsson

Jakob Chychrun–Alex Goligoski

Jason Demers–Jordan Oesterle

Analysis

After it was made clear that tryout time had begun in Chicago, the Blackhawks traveled to Dallas and won a tight 2-1 game against the playoff sitting Dallas Stars. The win featured Alex DeBrincat scoring his 37th goal of the year and David Kampf scoring his first goal since returning from injury.

Key players to keep an eye on for Chicago continue to be Dylan Sikura, John Hayden and Brendan Perlini. These three players have some questionmarks as to where they fit in the organization, and certainly need an opportunity to prove themselves to the front office for next season. It is safe to expect similar lines to last game; the only difference may be Sikura riding the bench again when Hayden gets a shot with Jonathan Toews.

The Coyotes have been an interesting team all season long. As a group, they have lost numerous critical players throughout the year. Notable names that have missed a lot of time include Jason Demers, Christian Dvorak, Nick Schmaltz and Derek Stepan, who was recently sidelined. Despite the injuries, the Coyotes are still winning games and keeping themselves in the playoff discussion.

This game is very important for Arizona. The Coyotes are only one point out of the final wildcard spot with a game in hand over the Minnesota Wild. A win over the Blackhawks in Chicago puts the former-Blackhawk heavy roster in a playoff spot. The Coyotes have been carried by great defense all season long, especially considering their leading point scorer hasn’t broken the 50 point mark (Keller) and their leading goal scorer has 16 goals (Richardson). The Coyotes prove that you can win with great defense, even if lacking the scoring ability.

Comment below in our live game thread tonight!

And look for the internet’s most robust recap of the game tomorrow morning on the-rink.com.

The post Preview/Game Thread: Blackhawks vs Coyotes appeared first on The Rink.

I am here to tell you something that you might find surprising coming from the “noted Stan Bowman basher.” The Blackhawks standing pat yesterday is good for the long term future of this team. Certainly, better than most of the alternatives, that is.

Welcome back…

This is exactly the scenario John Jaeckel, Tyler Cameron and I spoke about on last week’s Rinkcast. Outside of a few big names, at the all wrong positions, there was not much of a market for what the Blackhawks need. Defense comes at a premium price and an even higher price at the deadline. Rather than pillaging what little depth they have in the system; Stan Bowman chose to survive to fight another day.

I can respect that.

Another thing that this told me is that maybe (just maybe) the front office was smart enough to not buy into this recent playoff nonsense and were able to look at this team from 30,000 feet. The Blackhawks are a team using several improbable hot streaks to make their team look better than any of the supporting statistics. To put it bluntly, the defense is far too bad to fix with a panicked over payment at the deadline.

The Blackhawks need to be smarter than everyone else. Like I have been saying for weeks, they need to be shrewd with their moves. Sometimes shrewd means packing up your briefcase and calling it a day.

Still, the internet (and casual fan) outrage is almost embarrassing. There is simply too much irrational outrage over this year’s lack of deadline moves. Either people are not properly informed, or they just want the team to make moves for the sake of making moves. Regardless of need or common sense.

Let me debunk some myths and meatball outrage that’s floating around this wonderful thing called the internet.

The Hawks could have and should have made and offer for Mark Stone.

Sure. They might have been able to put together a comparable deal to what Vegas did in acquiring the former Ottawa wing. He is a great player. I cannot deny that. Mark Stone is definitely an upgrade over Dominik Kahun, Dylan Sikura, or John Hayden. The question is: Does Mark Stone, alone, make this team a legit Stanley Cup contender?

No, he does not.

Mark Stone can put a very good team in the conversation as a contender. Much like another meatball pipe dream, Artemi Panarin, Mark Stone does nothing to help keep the puck out of the back of the Blackhawks net. This is not the only conundrum, though. If the Blackhawks were to “beat” the Vegas offer, it would have started with a deal resembling Adam Boqvist, David Kampf (who is injured), and a second-round draft pick. This also takes absolutely nothing else into account.

One would have to assume that if the Senators were going to deal Stone, it was going to be to a legit cup contender. Not some house of smoke and mirrors that will most likely end up in the lottery before the playoffs. Then the only thing you’re really acquiring is the right to sign Stone to an extra eight year on a long-term deal. Is giving up your top prospect worth still getting swept in the first round or not making the playoffs at all?

No, it is absolutely NOT worth it.

Another thing that the casual observers are discounting is that Mark Stone is a top line right wing that will make roughly $9.5M (we’ll talk about this later) and expects to play 20 plus minutes a night. Guess who else is a top line right wing that makes $10.5M and expects to play 22 plus minutes a night?

Patrick Kane.

There is simply not enough time in a game to accommodate these players. One of these players would have to cut their time significantly and when you’re paying $20M for two players, that is a tough pill to swallow. I promise you Patrick Kane is not getting pulled off the ice for anyone.

The Blackhawks top six of Caggiula, Toews, Kane, DeBrincat, Strome and Kahun is pretty solid. Keep in mind, this scenario still has Brandon Saad playing on the third line. If you swap Saad for Caggiula, that’s an even more solid top six. Mark Stone is a very nice player, if you don’t have Patrick Kane. Would he ever earn his keep? Probably not.

The last point that needs to be brought up is the tax-vs-salary implications. Now, I am certainly no accountant but this might add a wrinkle into the “supposed” UFA deal Stan Bowman could have offered Stone.

Quick note on Stone’s new 8-year, $9.5M AAV deal… Vegas has no state tax. That’s equivalent to almost $13M in Ottawa

— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) February 25, 2019

In Illinois, this would equate to approximately $350,000. Little things make a difference.

This brings me back to my original point. Who is helping to keep the Blackhawks from facing 35 shots a night and the most high-danger chances against in the league? Not a right wing, that’s for sure. Can he help? Certainly “some“, but not enough to drop a second mortgage on the United Center.

Why didn’t the Hawks trade for the defenseman/defensemen they need? Buncha failures!

My gripe with the casual outrage on this subject is that the market for defenseman was either nonexistent or grossly overpriced. The defensemen that were moved Monday were Nick Jensen, Ben Lovejoy, Connor Carrick, Brandon Montour, Adam McQuaid, Oscar Fantenberg, Erik Gudbranson, Bogdan Kiselevich, and Chris Wideman. Do any of these guys keep the puck out of the Blackhawks net?

Maybe; but probably not. They are certainly not worth over paying to acquire and none of them make this current Blackhawks team a legit cup contender.

Bowman would be better off dealing at the draft, or during the summer, to acquire defensemen. He will get better market value and will have more roster flexibility. I said this on twitter yesterday, but it looks to me that the front office took a “lose-without-losing-on-purpose” mentality. We should all be OK with this.

Where I would have liked to see some movement is players that don’t have a place with the team going forward, like Gustav Forsling, but not worth making an issue over. Let’s see what Bowman does at the draft in June before we freak out, eh?

The post Analysis: How Did Stan Bowman do at the Trade Deadline? appeared first on The Rink.

Corey Crawford Activated Off IR

As the NHL trade deadline ticked down on Monday afternoon, the Chicago Blackhawks announced that goaltender Corey Crawford would be activated off of the injured reserve list. Crawford has been dealing with a concussion/concussion symptoms since December but reports over the last few days pointed towards his return being sooner rather than later.

On NHL trade deadline day, the Blackhawks made no moves besides activating Crawford and assigning goaltender Collin Delia to the Rockford IceHogs.

Before going down with his injury this season, Crawford held a 6-14-2 record with a 3.28 GAA and a 0.902 save-percentage.

Blackhawks Make Pair Of Players Eligible For AHL Roster

As a part of the NHL trade deadline day, players who are to be eligible for AHL rosters beyond February 25 needed to be on the AHL roster by the 2pm CT deadline time. For the Blackhawks, two players were made available to the IceHogs with Collin Delia and Dylan Sikura being placed on the IceHogs roster. Additionally, newly acquired forward Spencer Watson, acquired in the deal for Matheson Iacopelli, was also on the AHL roster at deadline time.

Collin Delia makes a save against the San Antonio Rampage. (Courtesy: Rockford IceHogs)

With the Blackhawks this season, Delia made it known that he was ready to take the next step in his career and become an NHL-caliber goaltender. In his 15 appearances with Chicago, Delia had a 6-4-3 record with a 3.48 GAA and a team-leading 0.908 save-percentage. While the GAA is high, take it with a grain of salt as the Blackhawks have given up the most goals in the NHL this season.

Delia returns to the AHL with the IceHogs sitting in fourth-place in the AHL Central Division, three points clear of a Calder Cup Playoff spot. His 2.34 GAA and 0.933 save-percentage in the AHL this season lead the IceHogs in both categories and ranks fifth and first among goalies to play at least 15 AHL games this season.

Rockford IceHogs forward Dylan Sikura fires a shot against the Grand Rapids Griffins. (Courtesy: Rockford IceHogs)

For Dylan Sikura, his transaction was a paper transaction as he was recalled back to Chicago once the 2pm CT trade deadline passed. Sikura with the Blackhawks this season has skated in 18 games and has tallied six assists. In his 40 games with the IceHogs this season, Sikura has 30 points. Both players are eligible for any potential Calder Cup Playoff run for Rockford.

What’s Next?

For the Rockford IceHogs, they return to action on Tuesday night on the road against the Chicago Wolves. Rockford closes a four-game road trip against Chicago, having gone 1-1-1 in the previous three games on the trip. Puck drop is set for 7pm CT at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont. Rockford holds a 5-3-1 record against Chicago this season.

For the Chicago Blackhawks, they return to the ice on Wednesday night as they begin a three-game California road trip. On Wednesday, the Blackhawks take on the Anaheim Ducks for a 9pm CT puck drop at the Honda Center in Anaheim. The Ducks and Blackhawks have split the first two meetings between the teams this season.

The post Blackhawks Activate Crawford, Assign Delia and Sikura appeared first on The Rink.

6:00pm CST
TD Garden
TV/Radio: NBCSN/NBCSCH/WGN

PROJECTED STARTERS

Chicago – Collin Delia (6–2–3, SV%: .923, GAA: 2.98)
Boston – Tuukka Rask (17–8–4, SV%: .922, GAA: 2.36)

TEAM STATISTICS

Power Play
Chicago (21.5%, 10th)
Boston (26.4%, 3rd)

Penalty Kill
Chicago (73.9%, 31st)
Boston (80.0%, T16th)

Shorts for/against
Chicago (31.5, 17th; 35.3, 30th)
Boston (33.1, 6th; 30.7, 12th)

Shooting %
Chicago (10.2%, 10th)
Boston (8.7%, 26th)

Faceoff %
Chicago (49.7%, 17th)
Boston (51.3%, 8th)

Avg. height/weight
Chicago 6’1”, 195lbs
Boston 6’1” 197lbs

PROJECTED LINES/PAIRINGS

Chicago Blackhawks

Drake Caggiula–Jonathan Toews–Patrick Kane

Alex DeBrincat–Dylan Strome–Dominik Kahun

Brandon Saad–Marcus Kruger–Brendan Perlini

Chris Kunitz–Artem Anisimov–John Hayden

Duncan Keith–Brent Seabrook

Carl Dahlstrom–Connor Murphy

Slater Koekkoek–Erik Gustafsson

Boston Bruins

Brad Machand–Patrice Bergeron–Danton Heinen

Peter Cehlarik–David Krejci–David Pastrnak

Jake DeBrusk–Sean Kuraly–David Backes

Joakim Nordstrom–Noel Acciari–Chris Wagner

Zdeno Chara–Charlie McAvoy

Torey Krug–Kevan Miller

John Moore–Brandon Carlo

Analysis

This Winter Classic re-match features a red-hot Chicago Blackhawks team taking on one of the top Eastern Conference teams, the Boston Bruins. The Blackhawks are riding a seven-game win streak heading into Boston on Tuesday evening. The key so far to the Blackhawks success has been the play of Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Alex DeBrincat and Dylan Strome, who all rank in the top four in league scoring since January 20th.

On the heels of a brand-new three-year contract extension, Collin Delia is likely to man the crease when the Blackhawks travel to beantown. Delia was rewarded for his strong play so far this season with a three-year/$3 million extension, paying him an AAV of $1 million a season. This contract may prove to be a gamechanger for Stan Bowman, as he has now locked up a possible future number one goalie for this team at an insanely good price.

Another move that grabbed the attention of Blackhawks’ fans was the promotion of forward Dylan Sikura from Rockford. Sikura is currently the leading scorer in Rockford and will serve as the Blackhawks’ 13th forward, after playing numerous games with only 12 forwards on the roster. Sikura may draw into Tuesday’s contest against Boston, likely taking the place of either Brendan Perlini or Chris Kunitz.

The Bruins are not an easy win for this red-hot Blackhawks team. The Bruins currently sit in third place in the Atlantic Division, only one point back of the second-place Maple Leafs. They have won four of their last five games, taking points in all five of those games (their only loss was a shootout loss to the first-place New York Islanders). Expect the Bruins to come out flying, especially with the chance to leapfrog the Maple Leafs in the standings.

Much like the Blackhawks, the Bruins’ scoring has come from a select number of players. David Pastrnak leads the team with 66 points followed by Brad Marchand who has 65. They are followed by Patrice Bergeron (51), David Krejci (43) and Torey Krug (39). After those five players, the next highest scorer is Jake DeBrusk with 19 points. The key to a Blackhawks win on Tuesday night will be shutting down the big guns in the Bruins’ top six.  

Comment below in our live game thread tonight!

And look for the internet’s most robust recap of the game tomorrow morning on the-rink.com.

The post Preview/Game Thread: Blackhawks at Bruins appeared first on The Rink.

IceHogs Split Weekend Against Tucson, Move Into Tie For Fourth

The Rockford IceHogs took a five-game win streak into the weekend as they prepared to host the Tucson Roadrunners for back-to-back games as they continued their current home stand.

Rockford IceHogs def. Tucson Roadrunners, 3-1

Getting the start in net on Friday night was Kevin Lankinen, coming off of wins in his last two starts for Rockford. The IceHogs got on the board first as Anthony Louis netted his 11th goal of the season late in the first period to give Rockford the 1-0 lead after 20 minutes of play.

The IceHogs extended their lead to 2-0 after Luke Johnson netted his ninth goal of the season six and a half minutes into the second period. The Roadrunners would answer back in the second period with a goal from Lane Pederson to make it a 2-1 game heading into the third period. In the final frame, Lankinen was able to stop all six shots he faced in the period, and Jacob Nilsson scored his 12th goal of the year, coming on a powerplay, to seal the IceHogs 3-1 win and extend their win-streak to six games.

Lankinen made 23 saves on 24 shots faced to earn his third win in-a-row, and improve his record on the season to 5-5-3, with a 2.35 GAA, and a 0.913 save-percentage. Lankinen has not allowed more than three goals in a start since October 19.

Tucson Roadrunners def. Rockford IceHogs, 5-3

Following the win on Friday, the IceHogs turned to Anton Forsberg in net for the second of the back-to-back contests. Forsberg came into Saturday night’s game on a three-game win streak of his own, holding down a 0.959 save-percentage over those three games and allowing just four goals over that span.

The IceHogs got on the board first in the opening period as Lucas Carlsson netted his eighth goal of the season, on a powerplay, to put the IceHogs up 1-0. The lead wouldn’t last long, though, as the Roadrunners answered back less than 30 seconds later to make it a 1-1 game at the mid-way point of the first period. Tucson would grab the 2-1 lead later in the first period on a goal from Jeremy Gregoire to give them the one-goal advantage heading into the second period.

The Roadrunners would net a powerplay goal in the second period to extend their lead to 3-1 in the middle frame and take the advantage into the third period. Rockford was not going away quietly, though, as Jordan Schroeder scored his 11th goal of the season, on the powerplay, to make it a 3-2 game. 40 seconds later, the IceHogs tied the game at 3-3 after Dennis Gilbert scored his first career AHL goal just beyond the mid-point of the third period.

The comeback effort of the IceHogs would be derailed late in the period as Tucson scored their second powerplay goal of the game with 2:20 minutes left in the game to make it a 4-3 Roadrunners lead before potting an empty-net goal to seal a 5-3 win and snap the Rockford six-game win streak. Anton Forsberg made 34 saves on 38 shots faced and saw his record this season move to 11-10-1, with a 2.63 GAA and a 0.920 save-percentage.

Rockford was 3-for-11 on the powerplay and 2-for-4 on the penalty kill over the weekend. This season, the IceHogs rank 30th in the AHL on the powerplay with a 15.2-percent success rate, while they rank 13th in the league on the penalty-kill with a 81.9-percent kill-rate.

With the weekend split, the IceHogs move into a tie for fourth-place in the AHL Central Division with the Milwaukee Admirals. Having both played 51 games this season, the IceHogs and Admirals are tied with 54 points in the standings, four points behind the Chicago Wolves in third-place and three points ahead of the Texas Stars in sixth-place.

Rockford holds a 4-2-1 record against Milwaukee in seven games this season. The two teams do not meet again until March 22, the first of three games in-a-row between the IceHogs and Admirals. After that, the two will meet twice in April, including the IceHogs season finale on April 14 in Rockford.

Roster Updates

The Chicago Blackhawks made a pair of moves over the last few days that have affected the Rockford IceHogs. First, the Blackhawks recalled forward Dylan Sikura on Monday morning. Sikura, who was riding a four-game points streak (G, 3 A) coming out of this weekend’s action, has 12 points in 14 games with the IceHogs since returning from Chicago in early January.

Rockford IceHogs forward Dylan Sikura. (Courtesy: Rockford IceHogs)

In 11 games this season with the Blackhawks, Sikura has 3 assists and is a plus-one rating. In his 16 career NHL games with the Blackhawks, Sikura has six assists.

Dylan Sikura back with #Blackhawks: pic.twitter.com/8HJ3ANBzZd

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) February 11, 2019

The other move that Chicago made regarding the IceHogs roster came to completion on Monday morning as defenseman Luc Snuggerud cleared unconditional waivers and has been released from his contract with the organization.

Luc Snuggerud of the Rockford IceHogs (Courtesy: Todd Reicher)

Snuggerud was a fifth-round draft pick by the Blackhawks in the 2014 NHL Draft out of Eden Prairie High School in Minnesota. After playing three seasons at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, Snuggerud joined the IceHogs late in the Spring of 2017. Injuries during the 2017-18 season, as well as a concussion early this season, have hindered Snuggerud’s ice-time and development since his promising start with Rockford. In 57 career AHL games, he tallied six goals and 18 assists.

Andrew Campbell Plays In 700th AHL Game

On Saturday night, IceHogs defenseman Andrew Campbell skated in his 700th career AHL game. In 11 AHL seasons, Campbell has suited up for the IceHogs, Tucson Roadrunners, Toronto Marlies, Portland Pirates, and Manchester Monarchs with 414 of his 700 AHL games coming with the Monarchs. He has served as a Captain or Alternate Captain for all five organizations he has played for in his AHL career.

Andrew Campbell of the Rockford IceHogs. (Courtesy: Rockford IceHogs)

Campbell, a former third-round pick by the Los Angeles Kings in the 2008 NHL Draft, was the Western Conference playing Captain at this year’s AHL All-Star Weekend. In his 700 career games, Campbell has 145 points and is a career +96. With the IceHogs this season, Campbell has skated in 45 games with  three goals and one assist.

What’s Next?

The Rockford IceHogs are back in action on Tuesday night, continuing their season-high six-game home stand. On Tuesday, the IceHogs host the Texas Stars in a Central Division showdown. Puck drop is set for 7pm CT at the BMO Harris Bank Center. The IceHogs hold a 1-1-2 record against the Stars this season and are three points ahead of them in the Central Division standings heading into Tuesday night.

The post IceHogs Move Into Playoff Position, Dylan Sikura Recalled appeared first on The Rink.

IceHogs Improve Winning Streak To Four Games

The IceHogs concluded a 40-game stretch of the season against AHL Central Division opponents with wins over the Chicago Wolves and Milwaukee Admirals this weekend. Starting on October 28, the IceHogs have only faced teams within their own Division and took out of it a 17-16-7 record.

They will enter their next game (Wednesday against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins) with a 21-19-8 record and 50 points in the standings. A record good enough for fifth-place in the Central Division for now, the IceHogs have played in 48 games this year, tied for the most in the Division with the Admirals and the Grand Rapids Griffins.

Rockford IceHogs defenseman Henri Jokiharju celebrates his first career professional goal against the Chicago Wolves. (Courtesy: Rockford IceHogs)

Rockford will need to continue their winning ways to keep their ground in the Calder Cup Playoff chase and will need to theoretically reach the mid-80’s range for season points this year to make the playoffs out of the Central Division. To do that, they will need to win at least 16 of their last 28 games to finish the season. Luckily for the IceHogs, 16 of their final 28 games this year will be played at the BMO Harris Bank Center in Rockford, including a six-game home stretch this month and another five-game homestand in late March.

Notching wins over teams ahead of them in the Central Division, such as they did over the Wolves and Admirals this weekend, the IceHogs may just have started to find their footing to make a late-push into the Calder Cup Playoff picture.

Rockford IceHogs def. Chicago Wolves, 5-2

The IceHogs improved their record against the Wolves this season to 5-3-1 after a 5-2 win on Friday night in Rockford. With Chicago Blackhawks Owner Rocky Wirtz and Hall of Fame goaltender Tony Esposito in the building, the IceHogs used a three-goal second period effort and a 28-save performance from Kevin Lankinen to secure their third win in-a-row at the time and take the lead in the Illinois Lottery Cup Rivalry this year.

Helping Lankinen get his fourth win of the season (4-5-3, 2.46 GAA, 0.910 save%) with five goals of support, the IceHogs saw multi-point efforts from Alexandre Fortin (2 goals) and Terry Broadhurst (2 assists) as well as the first North American professional goal from rookie defenseman Henri Jokiharju in his first ever AHL game.

In his first game with the IceHogs after being assigned earlier in the week, Jokiharju stepped into the Rockford lineup and played on the top-pairing with fellow rookie Lucas Carlsson. Jokiharju netted the 1-1 game-tying goal in the first period and played like he doesn’t want to be with the IceHogs for long, which is a good thing for him personally. Jokiharju’s assignment is to re-focus his development and give him the ice-time the Blackhawks feel he needs that he would not be seeing in Chicago.

For the IceHogs, they’ll benefit from any time that Jokiharju spends in Rockford, especially if he continues to play at the level he displayed over the weekend.

Rockford IceHogs def. Milwaukee Admirals, 3-2 (OT)

Following Friday night’s win over the Wolves. the IceHogs headed North to take on the Milwaukee Admirals in Milwaukee. With a 3-2-1 record against the Admirals coming into Saturday night’s contest, the IceHogs would have to win the war of attrition between them and the Admirals through 40 minutes of play. Finally in the third period, the floodgates would open, for both teams.

The IceHogs would get the opening goal of the game just under three minutes into the third period as Dylan Sikura netted his team-leading 13th goal of the season. With four points in his last four games, including a goal against the Admirals, Sikura tied Anthony Louis for the team-lead in points this season with 27. Following the 1-0 goal, just past the mid-way point of the final period, William Pelletier added to the IceHogs lead with his fourth goal of the year to make it a 2-0 lead for Rockford.

With Anton Forsberg in net, staring down Rockford’s first shutout of the season, the Admirals would pot two goals in the final 2:22 of the third period to complete the comeback and force overtime. Forsberg made 26 saves on 28 shots in regulation, but would not need to face any shots in the overtime period as Darren Raddysh for the overtime winner, his eighth goal of the season, just a minute and a half into overtime. With the 3-2 overtime win, Forsberg improved his record to 10-9-1 this season with a 2.64 GAA and a 0.917 save-percentage.

WILD STAT: The win over Milwaukee was the eighth win for the IceHogs this season in overtime, the single-season franchise record. Rockford is tied for the most overtime games this season with 17.

WILD STAT: With the 5-2 win over the Wolves and the 3-2 (OT) win over the Admirals, the IceHogs improved their record when scoring at least three goals this season to 19-1-2.

Roster Update: Forward Matheson Iacopelli has been assigned to the Indy Fuel. In 27 games with the IceHogs this season, Iacopelli has 2 goals and 2 assists.

What’s Next?

The Rockford IceHogs take their four-game winning streak up against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Wednesday night in Rockford. Puck drop is scheduled for 7pm CT at the BMO Harris Bank Center for the first of two meetings this month between the IceHogs and the Penguins. Wednesday night’s home game also is the first of a six-game homestand for the IceHogs that sees them face the Penguins, Tucson Roadrunners (twice), Texas Stars, Iowa Wild, and San Antonio Rampage over a 12-day span.

The post IceHogs Extend Winning Streak To Four Games appeared first on The Rink.

Grading The Rockford IceHogs: Forwards

This season has been a frustrating one for the IceHogs offensively. They rank last in the league in goals per game (2.28) and total goals scored (105) and have a -25 goal differential. Much different from last season, where the IceHogs ranked 7th in total goals (239) and averaged 3.14 goals per game. Rockford lost one of their major contributors offensively early this season when Matthew Highmore went down with a shoulder injury in November. Pairing that with a few players under-achieving based on their performances last season and the IceHogs find themselves in their current position, lacking consistent offense.

Incompletes (Less than 15 AHL games played)

• William Pelletier (14 GP, 2 G, 4 A, +3, 12 PIM)
  • Pelletier started the season on the sidelines, out with an upper-body injury. Since joining the IceHogs regular lineup, he has provided a bit of an energy spark, with the ability to provide some offense. Pelletier’s speed and ability to play above his size are his best assets.
• Andreas Martinsen (9 GP, 0 G, 3 A, +/-0, 8 PIM)
  • After beginning the season with the Chicago Blackhawks, Martinsen made his AHL debut with the IceHogs earlier in January. Since joining Rockford, Martinsen has provided a physicality element that the IceHogs hadn’t had in the first half of the season. He’ll continue to be a large-body forward that can cause troubles around the net.

Matthew Highmore of the Rockford IceHogs. (Courtesy: Rockford IceHogs)

• Matthew Highmore (8 GP, 3 G, 4 A, +2, 6 PIM)
  • As mentioned before, Highmore was lost from the IceHogs lineup in November due to a shoulder injury. Surgery will potentially keep him away from the ice for the rest of the regular season. If Highmore can return later this season and jump back into the lineup, the IceHogs hopefully will not be far from the playoffs so Highmore could be the extra offensive push they need.
• Justin Auger
• Brett Welychka
• Hunter Fejes
• Radovan Bondra
• Connor Moynihan

IceHogs Forwards Report Cards

• Anthony Louis (46 GP, 10 G, 17 A, -3, 14 PIM)
  • Leading the IceHogs in scoring, Louis has done everything asked of him from the IceHogs as far as point-production goes. The under-sized winger is a key figure on the powerplay, but a powerplay that ranks 30th in the AHL (15.1%). Grade: B
• Jacob Nilsson (43 GP, 11 G, 9 A, -6, 18 PIM)
  • For his first season playing professionally in North America, Nilsson has been pretty much as advertised for the IceHogs. Playing in the top-six forwards group and on both the powerplay and penalty-kill, Nilsson plays a well-rounded game for the AHL level, but an extra-gear in his game would be welcomed for Rockford. Grade: B-
• Alexandre Fortin (21 GP, 2 G, 4 A, +4, 4 PIM)
  • Beginning the season with the Chicago Blackhawks, Fortin was supposed to be a speed and energy spark at the NHL level. His finishing ability wasn’t up to the big league standards and his assignment to Rockford this season has seen the same results. Fortin is fast and always a danger on breakouts, but his finishing ability still leaves much to be wanted. Grade: C

Dylan Sikura of the Rockford IceHogs. (Courtesy: Rockford IceHogs)

• Dylan Sikura (35 GP, 12 G, 14 A, +4, 6 PIM)
  • One of the few bright spots with the IceHogs offensive attack, Sikura has just about lived up to his billing coming into his first full season playing professionally. While his role with the Blackhawks was thought to be more of a top-nine scoring option, his abilities are still rounding out in the AHL. His speed and scoring touch have helped push Rockford but he needs more help. Grade: B+
• Luke Johnson (25 GP, 7 G, 7 A, -8, 18 PIM)
  • Johnson started the season as a bottom-six option for the Blackhawks as former head coach Joel Quenneville was a fan of his game. Since being assigned back to the IceHogs, Johnson has shown what got him to the NHL in the first place, in bursts. Physical, hard-working, and with ability to score, Johnson’s filled his role with Rockford well, but development beyond last year seems marginal. Grade: C+
• Matheson Iacopelli (27 GP, 2 G, 2 A, -7, 19 PIM)
  • Once thought to be on the cusp of being a top-nine forward option for the Blackhawks just less than two years ago, Iacopelli has yet to find his consistent role at the AHL level. Having spent quick stints with the Indy Fuel both last season and this season, Iacopelli may be falling out of favor with the Blackhawks organization in their long-term plans. Grade: C-
• Jordan Schroeder (37 GP, 10 G, 14 A, -8, 8 PIM)
  • One of the more consistent offensive options the IceHogs have been able to call on this season, Schroeder has played his role as the veteran scorer perfectly. Holding the highest point-per-game rate of regular skaters this season, Schroeder may not be getting the call from the Blackhawks this season, but he continues to show why he has never had trouble scoring at the AHL level. Grade: B

Jordan Schroeder of the Rockford IceHogs. (Courtesy: Rockford IceHogs)

• Nick Moutrey (29 GP, 0 G, 1 A, -5, 18 PIM)
  • Size and aggressive play are the keys to Moutrey’s game for the IceHogs. Not looked at as a scoring option, head coach Derek King is a fan of using Moutrey in an energy role to help spark his teammates and be a pain to play against. But for a team that is at the bottom of production in the AHL, Moutrey will need to chip in a point here and there. Grade: C-
• Nathan Noel (38 GP, 2 G, 4 A, -5, 47 PIM)
  • While Noel plays his role well for the IceHogs, his development beyond a pesky bottom-six forward hasn’t been there this season. While he plays with an edge, Noel is not the player you want to rely on to be a physical presence for your team. A bit more offensive production could show his skill-set is rounding out and make him more of a key figure for the IceHogs. Grade: C
• Victor Ejdsell (35 GP, 6 G, 11 A, -5, 16 PIM)
  • It’s hard to call Ejdsell the most disappointing player on the IceHogs this season, given that his production is in the top-third of the team. When he made his debut with the IceHogs and Blackhawks last season, it appeared Ejdsell was next to be a fixture in Chicago’s forwards group. If Ejdsell could find his scoring touch on a more consistent basis, he could play his way back into consideration in Chicago and get Rockford back into the Calder Cup Playoff push. Grade: C

Victor Ejdsell of the Rockford IceHogs. (Courtesy: Rockford IceHogs)

• Terry Broadhurst (32 GP, 4 G, 5 A, -9, 12 PIM)
  • Broadhurst, much like Schroeder, was brought into the Rockford organization to provide a veteran presence to a young locker room and hopefully chip in offensively to push the team forward. While his locker room presence is regularly praised, his offensive output hasn’t been up to the level he has shown in the past. If he could regain a bit of that regular production, the Illinois native could help the IceHogs from a bottom-six perspective. Grade: C-
• Henrik Samuelsson (40 GP, 2 G, 5 A, -8, 33 PIM)
  • Another player for Rockford that plays a physical game first, then focuses on offensive production, Samuelsson has shown in the past that he has more to offer. Scoring at nearly a half-point per game pace last season, he has yet to find that kind of pace this season. If Samuelsson could chip in an extra bit, the IceHogs could find themselves fighting out of the Divisional cellar. Grade: C-
• Graham Knott (44 GP, 3 G, 7 A, -6, 20 PIM)
  • Knott has yet to show why the Chicago Blackhawks used their 2015 second-round draft pick on him in over a year and a half of AHL playing time. His skating and willingness to play physically has improved from last season to this season, but if there is more to see from Knott, he has yet to tap into it. On the positive side, he has already topped last season’s point total (9). Grade: C-
• Tyler Sikura (33 GP, 6 G, 8 A, +2, 14 PIM)
  • Similar to the situation that Ejdsell is in from last season to this season, the elder Sikura has yet to find the form that made him third on the IceHogs last season in scoring. While Tyler’s game remains the same, playing as a net-front presence and being able to play on both the powerplay and penalty-kill, he has not found the same scoring touch that he had last season. Battling injuries, Sikura can hopefully return to the regular Rockford lineup and help improve the goal-scoring around the net. Grade: C+

While the IceHogs haven’t been playing too far below average for what their roster makeup currently consists of, it’s clear why the offensive production from the forwards group has been low. Missing from the equation this season is a legitimate AHL-level finisher for players like Louis, Schroeder, and Sikura to feed pucks to.

The potential for late-season reinforcements to arrive in Rockford is there, it hopefully will not be something that the IceHogs rely on. If they can find a way to increase production from within, they will have a shot at yet again making a late-season Calder Cup Playoff push. If not, it will be a short Spring at the BMO Harris Bank Center.

Up next on Wednesday we will give out grades for the Rockford IceHogs Defenseman group.

What’s Next?

The Rockford IceHogs return to action following the AHL All-Star break on Friday, February 1 as they host the Chicago Wolves in another installment of the Illinois Lottery Cup Rivalry this season. Following Friday night’s game in Rockford, the IceHogs travel North to Milwaukee to take on the Admirals on Saturday night.

Puck drop on Friday at the BMO Harris Bank Center is scheduled for 7pm CT. The IceHogs hold a 4-3-1 record against the Wolves this season. On Saturday night, puck drop is scheduled for 7pm CT at the UW-Panther Arena in Milwaukee. The IceHogs hold a 3-2-1 record against the Admirals this season.

The post Rockford IceHogs Mid-Term Grades: Forwards appeared first on The Rink.

IceHogs Take Wins Over Manitoba, Iowa Into AHL All-Star Break

Heading into the weekend, the Rockford IceHogs were looking at a very real possibility of falling into dead last in the AHL Central Division, had they not earned points against either the Manitoba Moose or the Iowa Wild. In back-to-back home games, the IceHogs were able to secure four points out of a possible four, getting a shootout win over the Moose on Friday and a win in regulation over the Wild on Saturday night.

With those results, the IceHogs headed into the AHL All-Star Weekend sitting tied in sixth-place in the Central Division (19-19-8, 46 points) with the San Antonio Rampage based on points, but are tied for the bottom spot in the Division with the Manitoba Moose, based on point-percentage.

Rockford IceHogs def. Manitoba Moose, 4-3 (SO)

Kevin Lankinen would get the start on Friday night for the IceHogs against the Manitoba Moose. Lankinen had recorded just one win for the IceHogs since the Christmas Holiday break, going 1-3-2 over that stretch. Rockford found themselves trailing at the end of the first period thanks to a Moose powerplay goal from former IceHogs forward Marko Dano. His fifth goal of the year put Manitoba ahead 1-0 after the opening 20 minutes.

Rockford would be in a bigger hole in the second period as the Moose took a 2-0 lead just under three minutes into the second period thanks to Sami Niku‘s third goal of the season. Just past the mid-way point of the period, Luke Johnson would tally his sixth goal of the season, coming on the powerplay, to cut the Manitoba lead in half. But he one-goal deficit wouldn’t last long for the IceHogs as the Moose re-took a two-goal lead with less than five minutes to play in the middle frame after Michael Spacek‘s sixth goal of the season, the second Manitoba powerplay goal of the night.

Needing to find a big comeback in the third period, the IceHogs pushed to the final two minutes of the third period before finding a breakthrough goal. With two minutes to play, Dylan Sikura buried his team-leading 12th goal of the season to cut the Manitoba lead to 3-2. Then in dramatic fashion with Lankinen pulled, the IceHogs pulled even at 3-3 thanks to a Jordan Schroeder slap-shot with just seven seconds remaining in regulation. Schroeder’s 10th of the season sent the IceHogs and Moose to overtime, securing at least a point for both teams.

There would be no breakthrough for either team in the extra three-on-three period, so it would have to go to the shootout. Both Lucas Carlsson and Jordan Schroeder would convert their chances against Eric Comrie, and Lankinen shut the door on Logan Shaw and Seth Griffith to seal a comeback 4-3 win for the IceHogs in the shootout. Lankinen finished the game with 25 saves on 28 shots, improving his season record to 3-5-3, with a 2.50 GAA, and a 0.907 save-percentage.

Rockford IceHogs def. Iowa Wild, 3-1

Following Friday night’s comeback win, the IceHogs turned around and hosted the Iowa Wild on Saturday night in Rockford. On Rockford’s annual Autism Awareness Night, the IceHogs wore special uniforms and had a special night in store for the home crowd.

Anton Forsberg got the start for the IceHogs, coming into the game dropping six of his last seven starts in regulation since the Christmas Holiday break. One thing that Forsberg was able to take advantage of on Saturday night was the IceHogs’ discipline, taking just two penalties on the night and allowing the Wild just one powerplay, which the IceHogs were able to kill-off.

After a scoreless first period, the IceHogs would get on the board first, thanks to a powerplay goal from Jacob Nilsson on Rockford’s only powerplay opportunity of the night. Nilsson’s 11th goal of the year gave the IceHogs the lead early in the second period, but it would be Iowa’s Louie Belpedio scoring his fourth goal of the season with just 20 seconds left in the period that would force a 1-1 tie game into the third period.

Rockford responded early in the third period to break the 1-1 tie game thanks to Terry Broadhurst‘s fourth goal of the season. Broadhurst, who just broke-out of a 23-game goalless streak, now has goals in two of his last three games and is on a three-game points streak. Rockford held their 2-1 lead through the rest of the period, and with the Iowa net open late in the game, Luke Johnson netted his seventh goal of the season to make it a 3-1 final score.

Anton Forsberg ended the night with 33 saves on 34 shots faced, improving his record this season to 9-9-1, with a 2.68 GAA and a 0.917 save-percentage. Forsberg also tallied his first assist of the season, getting a secondary credit on the Johnson empty-net goal, his fourth AHL point of his career.

Following the weekend’s action, the IceHogs special teams took a bit of a hit in the overall rankings as the powerplay dropped to 15.1-percent on the season. Rockford ranks 30th in the AHL on the man-advantage this season, but ranks 19th in powerplay opportunities with 179. On the penalty-kill, the IceHogs are doing much better with an 82.8-percent kill-rate, ranking them 8th in the AHL. The IceHogs rank 14th in the AHL with 180 times short-handed this season.

At the AHL All-Star Break, Anthony Louis leads the IceHogs in points with 27 (10 G, 17 A), followed by Dylan Sikura with 26 points (12 G, 14 A), and Jordan Schroeder with 24 points (10 G, 14 A) this season.

Andrew Campbell Shines At AHL All-Star Skills Competition

Following the back-to-back wins, the IceHogs headed into the AHL All-Star Break, except for defenseman Andrew Campbell. Campbell was honored with being named the AHL’s Western Conference playing Captain for the AHL All-Star Weekend, becoming the lone IceHogs representative after Collin Delia’s recall to the Chicago Blackhawks.

Absolute power move by The Captain. Lets the jock hang free in a locker room full of All-Stars #AHLAllStar pic.twitter.com/BgTc1LKIq4

— Rockford IceHogs (@goicehogs) January 27, 2019

Campbell, in his 11th season as a pro, was named the playing Captain for the Western Conference to make his first AHL All-Star appearance in his career. Campbell has played in 695 AHL games in his 11 professional seasons with 145 points. He also has skated in 42 NHL games since being drafted in 2008 by the Los Angeles Kings.

#2 on the ice, but #1 in our heart pic.twitter.com/7wVMBxuXUg

— Rockford IceHogs (@goicehogs) January 28, 2019

Competing in the Hardest Shot and the Team Breakaway Relay events, Campbell showed his power with the slap-shot, hitting triple digit with a 100.0 MPH clapper on his third attempt. Only Lehigh Valley Phantoms forward Greg Carey would hit a harder shot, winning the contest with a 100.4 MPH slap-shot.

Campbell in the CCM Hardest Shot:
98.3
99.5

…And 100.0 Pure Brawn pic.twitter.com/8O8j228knO

— Rockford IceHogs (@goicehogs) January 28, 2019

In the Breakaway Relay event, Campbell was able to put one home against Hershey Bears goaltender Vitek Vanecek, helping the Western Conference overcome the Eastern Conference to win the AHL All-Stars Skills Competition, 17-14.

Soups is playing chess and everyone else is playing checkers

The Captain shoots first, purposely lulls the goalie to sleep, and the Western Conference goes on to win the Breakaway Relay pic.twitter.com/Gm8RRCS3rr

— Rockford IceHogs (@goicehogs) January 28, 2019

Stick taps from his whole squad as Campbell skates over to accept the trophy for the Western Conference's win tonight

Orange slices and Capri Sun for everyone, and we're back at it tomorrow night! pic.twitter.com/ktWu3ItTDl

— Rockford IceHogs (@goicehogs) January 28, 2019

Campbell joins the AHL Central Division All-Stars on Monday night for the AHL All-Star Challenge, pitting all four divisions against each other in three-on-three games in a round-robin format. The Central start the night against the Atlantic Division, before taking on the North Division and then finishing against the Pacific Division in the round-robin portion. The AHL All-Star Challenge begins on Monday at 7pm ET in Springfield, Massachusetts.

What’s Next?

The Rockford IceHogs return to action following the AHL All-Star break on Friday, February 1 as they host the Chicago Wolves in another installment of the Illinois Lottery Cup Rivalry this season. Following Friday night’s game in Rockford, the IceHogs travel North to Milwaukee to take on the Admirals on Saturday night.

Puck drop on Friday at the BMO Harris Bank Center is scheduled for 7pm CT. The IceHogs hold a 4-3-1 record against the Wolves this season. On Saturday night, puck drop is scheduled for 7pm CT at the UW-Panther Arena in Milwaukee. The IceHogs hold a 3-2-1 record against the Admirals this season.

The post IceHogs, Campbell Excel Over AHL All-Star Break appeared first on The Rink.

IceHogs In A Goal Famine

Around this time last season, the Rockford IceHogs paired a multi-faceted offensive attack with stellar goaltending on their way to a playoff push that saw them reach the Calder Cup Western Conference Finals. It seems that both ingredients from last season are going to be needed once again for the IceHogs to find a playoff push yet again in the second half of the season. While goaltending has been a positive for the IceHogs this season, a collective 2.69 GAA and a 0.915 save-percentage from Collin Delia, Anton Forsberg, and Kevin Lankinen, their offense has been lacking.

This season, the IceHogs have scored two goals or fewer in 26 games this season. In those 26 games, the IceHogs hold a 2-18-6 record. On the opposite side, the IceHogs have scored three goals or more in 18 games this season. When the IceHogs score 3 or more goals, they hold a 15-1-2 record. It doesn’t take a genius to decipher that the more goals you score, the better your chance is of winning a game, but for the IceHogs this season, all but one game when scoring at least three goals has come away with at least one point in the standings.

So what can the IceHogs do to create more scoring chances? Or is it down to their roster and who is and who is not pulling their offensive weight?

The Usual Suspects

This season has seen a trio of forwards pushing the offensive pace for the IceHogs. Starting with the team-leader in scoring, Anthony Louis. After finishing last season at the top of the scoring charts as a rookie, Louis is once again pacing the Rockford roster in points with 26 through 44 games. Louis holds the team-lead in assists with 16 and is tied for second in goal-scoring with 10 so far this year.

Rockford IceHogs forward Anthony Louis. (Courtesy: Rockford IceHogs)

A constant fixture on the Rockford powerplay, Louis uses his shifty skating ability to his advantage to get to the open areas to get pucks on net. His on-ice vision is tops on the team and he uses his hands to set-up teammates often. The one thing hurting Louis is his lack of size at the professional level. Unable to consistently take the puck top the net, Louis’ perimeter game can only take him and the IceHogs so far on offense.

Also playing a more perimeter game for the IceHogs is rookie Dylan Sikura. Still one of the top forward prospects in the Chicago Blackhawks’ system, Sikura has been good, but not great in his first full-professional season. Ranking tied for second on the team in points with 23, and leading the roster in goals with 11 this season, the younger Sikura brother has been a focal-point of the Rockford offense this season.

Rockford IceHogs forward Dylan Sikura fires a shot against the Grand Rapids Griffins. (Courtesy: Rockford IceHogs)

Much like Louis, Dylan Sikura uses his skating speed and agility to his advantage to mask his lack of physical ability to get to tough areas of the ice. Sikura is not afraid to shoot the puck from anywhere on the ice, as is evident from his team-leading 107 shots on goal, four more than Louis’ 103, even though playing 11 fewer games. The problem with Sikura, and many of the IceHogs’ top-offensive threats, is that he relies on other to create space for him to find lanes to the net or to utilize his hands. When Sikura is allotted time and space, his game excels but it is hard for him to find that when paired alongside forwards that share his skill-set and size.

The same can also be said for Jordan Schroeder this season. Tied with Sikura in points this season with 23, Schroeder ranks alone in third on the team in goal-scoring with nine this season. The veteran of the group of top-scoring IceHogs, Schroeder, another under-sized skill winger, is a figure on the powerplay with Sikura and Louis, utilizing his ability to distribute the puck. Schroeder also ranks behind Sikura and Louis in shots on goal this season with 98.

Rockford IceHogs forward Jordan Schroeder makes a pass against the Grand Rapids Griffins. (Courtesy: Rockford IceHogs)

Although he is an under-sized player, Schroeder is not afraid to get below the net and try to set up offense from around the net and try to get and keep the puck deep in the IceHogs offensive zone. The problem for the likes off all three players is that they cannot be expected to carry the weight of the team by themselves. The hard truth is that they works best as complimentary players to other forwards who can create space, either with size and physicality or by being equally as skilled. While size is not always a benefit, it can’t hurt to be able to pair top-skill players with those who can give them space to work and also contribute offensively. Something the IceHogs took advantage of last season.

Supporting Cast?

The most disappointing returning player from last season’s IceHogs team might just be the elder Sikura brother in Tyler Sikura. Last season, Sikura played his first full season in the AHL and did not miss his opportunity to make an impact. Last season, Tyler Sikura finished second on the team in goals with 23, and third on the team in points with 39. Currently, Sikura ranks tied for fifth in goals with just 6 tallies on the season, while ranking seventh overall in points with 14 this season.

Tyler Sikura of the Rockford IceHogs. (Courtesy: Rockford IceHogs)

Sikura was used in a top-six forward role for the majority of last season when he was producing. As a player who can make his impact around the net, Sikura hasn’t been able to find his groove this season and has been demoted to the third and fourth-line groupings for the majority of the season. If the IceHogs want to increase their offensive production, maybe a move up in the lineup and a role as a garbage-goal scorer in the crease could boost both Sikura’s game and the IceHogs offense.

While Tyler Sikura could provide a spark up front with his physical presence, the IceHogs could also use any speed up-front that they can get. Speed, Alexandre Fortin has. What has not come full-circle for the second-year pro is his finishing ability. While he can fly down the ice and use his foot-speed to create offensive chances, Fortin’s ability to finish those chances created hasn’t developed like the Chicago Blackhawks had hoped at this point.

Alexandre Fortin of the Rockford IceHogs. (Courtesy: Rockford IceHogs)

Fortin has tallied just five points in 19 games this season with the IceHogs, and has not recorded a point in his last 12 games. In fact, all five of Fortin’s points this season came in a four-game span from December 15-21. While his speed makes him an asset in most any role with the IceHogs, Fortin will have to find a way to generate points if Rockford is to climb out of the bottom of the AHL Central Division.

Much like Sikura from last season to this season, another player that hasn’t fully lived up to the hype generated for him for the 2017-18 playoff push is Victor Ejdsell. Talking about a player who could provide size and skill, the six-foot-five Swede hasn’t been able to light the lamp consistently this season and has yet to regain the level of play he finished with during the Calder Cup Playoff run last season. Ejdsell ranks sixth on the team in points with 17 and is tied for fifth in goal-scoring with Sikura with six goals on the season.

Victor Ejdsell tries to control a rebound against the Grand Rapids Griffins. (Courtesy: Grand Rapids Griffins)

Ejdsell’s inconsistency this season has been curbed as of late, scoring six points in his last eight games, but from time to time his lack of involvement in the offensive zone leaves a lot to be desired. Playing in his first full season in North America, he has the size and has shown the skill-set to be an asset in a top-six forward role, but he has yet to show a complete, rounded game for the IceHogs this season. If Ejdsell could find an extra edge to his game, he could provide the physical presence and top-end skills to complement a Dylan Sikura or Anthony Louis.

Finally, one of the top performers for the IceHogs this season from the defensive group has been M.I.A as of late. Darren Raddysh ranks third on the team in points this season with 22, ranking in a tie for fourth in goal-scoring with 7 this year, but has not scored since the Christmas holiday break and has just three points over that 13 game span.

Darren Raddysh of the Rockford IceHogs. (Courtesy: Grand Rapids Griffins)

Another fixture on the Rockford powerplay units, Raddysh has already equaled his point production from last season with 22 points in 44 games (22 points in 66 games last season), but has not gone longer than nine games between goals this season prior to the Holiday break. Raddysh plays a solid two-way game and is not afraid to jump into the offensive zone to try to create chances. If he could be given more freedom to do so from the blue-line, Raddysh could step up and be the point-producer the IceHogs need if their forwards group cannot pull the weight necessary.

What’s Next?

The Rockford IceHogs return to action on Friday night as they play host to back-to-back homes games this weekend. On Friday night, the IceHogs host the Manitoba Moose for a 7pm CT puck drop at the BMO Harris Bank Center in Rockford. Manitoba is currently the only team behind the IceHogs in the AHL Central Division based on overall points. The IceHogs dropped a 2-1 shootout loss to the Moose on October 28, the only previous matchup between the clubs this season.

On Saturday night, the IceHogs host the Iowa Wild on Autism Awareness night. Puck drop on Saturday night is scheduled for 6pm CT. Rockford holds a 2-4-1 record against the Wild this season following a 4-1 loss in Des Moines in their last meeting.

The post IceHogs Goal-Scoring Slump Continues appeared first on The Rink.

IceHogs Hoping To Break Three-Game Losing Streak Over Weekend

The Rockford IceHogs need to focus on one thing to find success this weekend: Score.

Simple, right?

Ranking last in the AHL in goals scored this season with 93, the IceHogs goals per game rate is a lowly 2.27. The next lowest in the league belongs to the Manitoba Moose with a 2.52 goals per game rate.

The IceHogs have benefitted all season from above-average to stellar goaltending all season. From Collin Delia leading the AHL in save-percentage and GAA at different points early on this season, to Kevin Lankinen and Anton Forsberg both clocking in with save-percentages above 0.910 this season, Rockford has been kept in games based on the play in-between the pipes on a consistent basis. But giving goalies an average of just over two goals per game will rarely win you many hockey games.

Dylan Sikura of the Rockford IceHogs. (Courtesy: Rockford IceHogs)

Leading the IceHogs offense this season has come by committee with Dylan Sikura, Anthony Louis, and Jordan Schroeder leading the way. Louis leads the team in overall points with 25 this season, while Sikura leads the team in goals with 11. Sikura and Louis, along with Jacob Nilsson are the only three players to score double-digit goals this season. Last season, the IceHogs finished the season with eight players scoring double-digit goals.

The most glaring difference in this season compared to last is who the IceHogs are missing from their roster: last season’s goal-leader Matthew Highmore. Early in the season, Highmore went down with a shoulder injury that required surgery and was given a four-to-six month timetable for return in mid-November. In the eight games he played this season, Highmore tallied seven points and was showing early on why he was one of the last cuts from Chicago Blackhawks training camp.

Matthew Highmore of the Rockford IceHogs. (Courtesy: Rockford IceHogs)

If the IceHogs are going to find success against two of the top teams in the AHL Central Division this weekend, they will have to light the lamp more than their 2.27 goals per game average. The Wolves lead the division with 50 points this season, followed closely by the Griffins and Iowa Wild, both with 49 points this season. The Wolves are tied with the Charlotte Checkers for the most goals scored this season (146) and the Griffins rank 14th in the AHL (126). Chicago averages 3.65 goals per game and the Griffins clock-in at 3.07 goals per game.

Roster Updates

Only one move since the last update as Matheson Iacopelli was recalled by the IceHogs from the Indy Fuel. Iacopelli played in 3 games with the Fuel during his assignment, but recorded no points. This season with Rockford, Iacopelli has 4 points (2 G, 2 A) in 25 games played.

What’s Next?

The Rockford IceHogs return to action on Friday night to kick-off back-to-back games in the state of Illinois over the weekend. Starting Friday night in Rockford, the IceHogs host the Grand Rapids Griffins. Puck drop at the BMO Harris Bank Center is set for 7pm CT. Rockford holds a 2-3-0 record against the Griffins so far this season.

Following Friday night’s home game, the IceHogs head to Rosemont to take on the Chicago Wolves on Saturday night. Another installment of the Illinois Lottery Cup Rivalry is set for a 7pm CT puck drop at the Allstate Arena. This season, the IceHogs hold a 3-3-1 record against the Wolves with the road team holding a 6-0-1 record in the series.

The post IceHogs Look To Break Out Of Three-Game Slump appeared first on The Rink.

IceHogs Fall Twice Over Weekend

Coming off the biggest margin of victory since November 4, the IceHogs had themselves a bit of momentum heading on the road for three games in Texas starting on Friday night against the Stars and then Saturday and upcoming on Tuesday against the San Antonio Rampage. While they didn’t totally lack scoring over the weekend, scoring three goals in each game, Rockford was only able to come away with one point out of a possible four points.

Texas Stars def, Rockford IceHogs, 4-3 (SO)

Against the Stars, the IceHogs found success on the powerplay, tallying two goals on the man-advantage thanks to efforts from Dylan Sikura and Anthony Louis, the top-two point leaders for the IceHogs this season. The goal coming between the powerplay tallies for the IceHogs, which was the 2-2 game-tying goal at the time, came in highlight-reel form from Nathan Noel. His second goal of the season came on a mid-air shot, cutting across the middle of the ice.

Find it below at the 1:55 mark of the game highlights:

Noel wasn’t only active on the score-sheet for the IceHogs, but also on the fight card for the night. Noel dropped the gloves with James Phelan early in the third period, Noel fell one assist short of a Gordie Howe Hat-Trick on the night. Also dropping the gloves earlier in the game was defenseman Dennis Gilbert as he squared up with Samuel Laberge.

Gilbert leads the IceHogs this season with 5 fighting majors, followed by Noel with 3 fighting majors to his name. All of last season, Rockford totaled 11 fighting majors. So far through 40 games this season, the IceHogs have 15 fighting majors. While maybe it’s a case of roster make-up this season to last, or that teams who are facing more adversity feel the need to drop the gloves more as a means of sparking the team, the IceHogs have shown bite this season while their play on the ice has left more to be desired. After having the least amount of fighting majors last season in the AHL, the IceHogs rank 14th in the league so far this season.

Kevin Lankinen got the start for the IceHogs against the Stars and made 26 saves on 29 shots faced. Lankinen has allowed three or fewer goals in his last seven-straight starts dating back to October 17, but sees his overall record this season drop to 2-4-3 with a 2.51 GAA and a 0.908 save-percentage. In the shootout, Travis Morin was the only Stars skater to beat Lankinen for the deciding goal, while Victor Ejdsell, Dylan Sikura, and Anthony Louis were unable to convert for Rockford.

San Antonio Rampage def. Rockford IceHogs, 4-3

Following Friday’s shootout loss, the IceHogs headed South on I-35 to San Antonio for their first of two games in four days against the San Antonio Rampage. Anton Forsberg got the start for the IceHogs, looking to break out of a three-game personal losing streak in net.

The IceHogs played from behind all night, only having a tied game at 0-0 or 1-1 for a combined 14:31 minutes of game time. The Rampage opened the scoring in the first period with Trevor Smith‘s sixth goal of the season. Rockford would tie the game early in the second period thanks to Dylan Sikura’s 11th goal of the season. San Antonio would break out for two goals in the second period following Sikura’s game-tier to take a 3-1 lead into the third period.

Rockford IceHogs forward Jordan Schroeder (Courtesy: Texas Stars)

Rockford would crawl back into contention early in the third period with a goal from Jordan Schroeder to cut the Rampage lead to 3-2, but Jordan Nolan would put San Antonio back on top by a two-goal lead with his 10th goal of the season. Schroeder would tally his ninth goal of the season to cut the Rampage lead to 4-3 with just 11 seconds to play in regulation and the comeback would be too little, too late for the IceHogs.

With his two-goal effort against San Antonio on Saturday night, Schroeder continues to be one of the most reliable point-producers for the IceHogs, second on the team with a 0.71 point-per-game rate this season, just behind Dylan Sikura’s 0.76 point-per-game rate. Schroeder also moved into a tie for second on the IceHogs in scoring this season with 22 points, equal to Dylan Sikura and three points behind Anthony Louis for the team-lead with 25 points.

Anton Forsberg made 35 saves on 39 shots faced, losing his fourth-straight game in regulation. Forsberg’s record this season now falls to 7-7-1, with a 2.86 GAA and a 0.912 save-percentage.

IceHogs Trending Down

The loss on Saturday night marks Rockford’s eighth loss in their last nine games (1-6-2) since the Christmas holiday break. Rockford’s 2-6-2 mark over their last ten games is also the second-worst ten game stretch in the AHL since December 21 behind the Ontario Reign. 

With 92 goals for this season, the IceHogs also have the second-lowest goal production in the AHL behind the Manitoba Moose. Rockford and Manitoba are the only two teams to not break the 100-goal mark this season and the Moose have played four fewer games than the IceHogs. The IceHogs are scoring 2.30 goals per game this season to Manitoba’s 2.38 goals per game, making them the lowest scoring team on average in the AHL.

While the two powerplay goal effort on Friday night against the Stars helped earn the IceHogs a point in the standings, they still rank in the bottom-third of the AHL in converting on the man-advantage. With a 15.2-percent success-rate on the powerplay, Rockford ranks 27th in the league converting with the advantage. A very disappointing mark given that the team ranks 13th in powerplay opportunities this season.

Conversely, on the penalty-kill, the IceHogs rank tied for fifth in the AHL with a 84.6-percent kill-rate. Rockford ranks 15th in the league in times shorthanded this season with 162.

Roster Updates

Neil Manning was added to the IceHogs roster from the Indy Fuel of the ECHL on Wednesday, with Matheson Iacopelli heading to the Fuel from Rockford in the same transaction. Manning has three games played this season with the IceHogs. Iacopelli has four points (2 G, 2 A) in 25 games with Rockford this season. UPDATE: Manning was re-assigned to the Fuel on Monday afternoon.

On Thursday, defenseman Luc Snuggerud was activated to the roster after being cleared to return to practice. He is yet to be cleared to return to game action. Snuggerud has not played with the IceHogs since suffering a head injury on November 3 against the Iowa Wild. Snuggerud had one assist in his four games played this season with the IceHogs.

On Friday, the Chicago Blackhawks traded Jan Rutta and a 2019 seventh-round pick to the Tampa Bay Lightning for Slater Koekkoek and a 2019 fifth-round pick. Rutta played in eight games with the IceHogs, tallying four points (G, 3 A). Koekkoek has 14 points (9 G, 9 A) in 85 career NHL games with the Tampa Bay Lightning and in 185 AHL games with the Syracuse Crunch, Koekkoek has 55 points points (12 G, 43 A).

Finally, the Chicago Blackhawks assigned defenseman Brandon Davidson to the IceHogs on Sunday afternoon. Davidson has played in 10 games with the Blackhawks this season with just one assist. Davidson has not played in the AHL since the 2014-15 season with the Oklahoma City Barons. In his 162 career NHL games, Davidson has 23 points (9 G, 14 A) and in 150 AHL games, Davidson has 28 points (11 G, 17 A).

What’s Next?

The Rockford IceHogs are back in action on Tuesday night as they close the three-game Texas road-trip with another contest against the San Antonio Rampage. Following Saturday night’s loss, the IceHogs hold a 1-2-2 record against the Rampage this season. Puck drop for Tuesday night’s game at the AT&T Center is set for 7pm CT.

The post IceHogs Salvage One Point Over Weekend In Texas appeared first on The Rink.

IceHogs Head To Texas For Three-Game Trip

The IceHogs travel to Texas beginning on Friday with a road contest against the Texas Stars. This season, Rockford holds a 1-1-1 record against the Stars this season, having lost the last two meetings. Texas heads into the action on Friday night with 43 points in the standings, good for fifth-place in the Central division ahead of the IceHogs with 39 points. Texas also has played three fewer games than the IceHogs at this point of the season.

Rockford will hopefully be able to roll momentum into the Lone Star State after a breakout win over the Iowa Wild last Sunday. Rockford took home their first multi-goal win since early November with the 6-2 win over Iowa behind Anthony Louis and Jacob Nilsson‘s multi-point efforts. The win also marked the season debut for Andreas Martinsen and the return to Rockford for Dylan Sikura. Both tallied at least one assist in the win over Iowa.

Rockford IceHogs forward Dylan Sikura. (Courtesy: Rockford IceHogs)

The return of Dylan Sikura to the IceHogs lineup should be a shot in the arm to an offense that has lacked goal-production all season. When Sikura was first recalled to the Chicago Blackhawks, he was the team-leader in goals (9) and points (18). He enters the Texas road-trip ranked third on the team in total scoring with 20 points and is second in goals with nine still.

In his absence, the IceHogs held a 4-5-2 record, averaging 1.9 goals per game. With Sikura in the lineup this season, Rockford is averaging 2.4 goals per game. Still a far-cry from a well-oiled machine of an offense, but improvement is improvement. Rockford still holds the 30th ranked AHL scoring offense with 86 goals for this season, six ahead of last-place Manitoba Moose, who have played 4 fewer games than the IceHogs.

Following Friday’s game against the Stars, the IceHogs take on the San Antonio Rampage for two games in San Antonio on Saturday night and on Tuesday night. San Antonio sits in seventh-place in the AHL Central Division with 37 points in the standings, two behind the IceHogs. Rockford holds a 1-1-2 record against the Rampage this season, having lost three in a row against San Antonio after winning their season-opening matchup on October 24.

All three games are set for 7pm CT puck drops.

Roster Updates

The Rockford IceHogs made a few roster updates on Thursday afternoon as defenseman Neil Manning has been recalled from the Indy Fuel and forward Matheson Iacopelli has been assigned to the Indy Fuel. Additionally, injured defenseman Luc Snuggerud was cleared to practice with the team, but is still not cleared for game action. Snuggerud has been out with an upper-body injury since November 3.

This season with the IceHogs, Iacopelli has skated in 25 games with four points (2 G, 2 A). Last season, Iacopelli played in 10 games with the Fuel, tallying nine goals and one assist.

Manning has skated in three games with the IceHogs this season with no points to his name. With the Fuel in the ECHL, Manning has 17 points (2 G, 15 A) in 30 games and was named to the ECHL Western Conference All-Star roster.

The post IceHogs Prepare For Texas-Sized Road Trip appeared first on The Rink.

IceHogs Finally Get A Multi-Goal Win

On Friday night in Des Moines, the IceHogs fell to the Wild, 3-0, behind a 30-save performance from starter Anton Forsberg. The loss marked the sixth loss in a row, at the time, for the IceHogs (0-5-1) and the fifth regulation/overtime loss for Forsberg this season where he recorded a 0.900 save-percentage or better. The IceHogs also suffered their second shutout of the six-game losing streak and fell further behind in the AHL Central Division, looking to still break the 40-point season barrier.

With Sunday’s home game came a bit of reinforcements as the Chicago Blackhawks reassigned Dylan Sikura and Andreas Martinsen. Sikura returned to the IceHogs as the third-highest point scorer and Martinsen would make his IceHogs season debut after playing 64 games with Rockford last season as well as all 13 Calder Cup Playoff games.

Rockford IceHogs forward Dylan Sikura. (Courtesy: Rockford IceHogs)

With the Blackhawks this season, Martinsen has skated in 24 games with four points (G, 3 A) while Sikura has skated in 11 games with three assists. Sikura entered Sunday night’s contest tied for third in scoring on the team with 18 points (9 G, 9 A).

Looking back at a comment made by IceHogs interim head coach Derek King following a 2-1 loss to the Admirals on January 2, King stated the following about his team’s lack of goal production:

#IceHogs HC Derek King postgame on low-scoring offense: "I'd love somebody to get 4-5 goals & run away w/a game so we can cruise into the 3rd. I don't think that's going to happen here w/our team the way we have it. We gotta work hard every game. We did that tonight."#RFDvsMIL

— Mario Tirabassi (@Mario_Tirabassi) January 3, 2019

Well, his wish was granted on Sunday night as the IceHogs had four players record multi-points games, including a hat-trick from Jacob Nilsson, his first in the AHL. The 6-2 win over Iowa also marked the first time the IceHogs have won a game by more than one-goal since November 4,also against the Wild.

Kevin Lankinen got the start in net and responded with a solid 31-save performance on 33 shots faced. Lankinen improved his record to 2-4-2 on the season with a 2.47 GAA and a 0.910 save-percentage. In his last three starts for the IceHogs, the Finnish rookie has a 1-1-1 record with a 2.00 GAA and a 0.940 save percentage.

The IceHogs offensive outburst was powered by a pair of three-point nights coming from Jacob Nilsson’s hat-trick and Anthony Louis recording a goal and two assists. It marked the third three-point game for Nilsson this season and the first three-point night for Louis of his AHL career. With their efforts, Nilsson takes over the lead for the team’s leading goal-scorer with 10 goals on the year and Louis takes extends his team-lead in points  to 24 (9 G, 15 A). Jordan Schroeder tallied two assists and Luke Johnson had an assist and his fifth goal of the season to add to the IceHogs’ multi-point efforts against Iowa.

Rockford IceHogs forwards Anthony Louis (left) and Jacob Nilsson (right) celebrate Nilsson’s hat-trick against the Iowa Wild. (Courtesy: Rockford IceHogs)

The offensive outburst from the IceHogs was a LONG time coming. Heading into Sunday night’s games against Iowa, Rockford’s last nine wins had all come by just one-goal margins. This season,  the IceHogs hold a 9-5-7 record in games decided by one goal, holding a 7-10 record in games with a multi-goal difference. The IceHogs remain one of the lowest-scoring teams in the AHL with 86 goals-for, which ranks 30th out of 31 teams. Also of note, both Martinsen and Dylan Sikura tallied assists in the first games back with the IceHogs on Sunday.

What’s Next?

The Rockford IceHogs return to action on Friday as they begin  a three-game road trip to Texas. Starting on Friday night, the IceHogs head South to take on the Texas Stars. Puck drop on Friday is set for 7pm CT at the H-E-B Center in Cedar Park. Following Friday night, the IceHogs take on the San Antonio Rampage on Saturday night in San Antonio. Puck drop is also at 7pm CT on Saturday night at the AT&T Center. The IceHogs hold a 1-1-1 record against the Stars this season and a 2-1-1 record against the Rampage this season.

The post IceHogs, Nilsson Break Out In Weekend Split Against Wild appeared first on The Rink.

With Drake Caggiula joining the team following visa problems, the Blackhawks had to make corresponding moves to allow Caggiula and Brandon Davidson to be added to the roster.  Davidson was activated from injured reserve and put on waivers to be sent to Rockford, but Martinsen and Sikura were sent down instead.  The Blackhawks have 10 games (or 30 days) to send Davidson down before he has to go through waivers again.

In 24 games, the 28-year-old Norwegian Martinsen has four points (1G, 3A) and is averaging 7:56 of ice time a game in a limited role.  He was a prominent figure in the Rockford team that had a deep playoff run last spring.

Sikura, on the other hand, was playing a more important role with Alex DeBrincat and David Kampf, presumably where Caggiula will slot in.  Sikura played 11 games with the Blackhawks and registered a mere three assists while averaging 10:30 of ice time.  In his 16 total NHL games, he has yet to score his first NHL goal, and is averaging only 1.5 shots per game.

Drake Caggiula should slot into the Blackhawks lineup right where Sikura was, on the third line.  The potential lineup for Sunday’s game could look as follows:

The post Blackhawks Re-Assign Dylan Sikura, Andreas Martinsen appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com co-hosts Jeff “Gatekeeper” Osborn and John Jaeckel get together to talk about the  Blackhawks and their happenings over the holidays.

• Our Indy Fuel beat writer Evan Miller gives us the first Indy Fuel report.
• The Blackhawks lose to Boston in the 2019 Winter Classic.
• Blackhawks trade Manning and Norell to Edmonton for Caggiula and Garrison
• Where does Caggiula fit in the lineup?  Does anyone get sent down or waived?
• Goalie talk with the Gatekeeper
• We answered some great listener and reader questions

As a new year gift, we close out with “On My Side” from The-Rink friend and huge Blackhawks fan Patrick Judge with his bandmates in Demon Hunter.

New for 2019, the Rinkcast is also available on YouTube

Please subscribe, rate this episode, and even write us a review. Reviews will be read on the air.

Also, Please help spread the word to more #RinkRats and visit our sponsor www.PUCKHCKY.com. Use the discount code “THERINK” for 10% off all orders.

The post The Blackhawks Rinkcast – Episode 40 – Winter Classic appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com co-hosts Jeff “Gatekeeper” Osborn, John Jaeckel and The Rink Feature NCAA Writer Aaron Goldschmidt get together to talk about the latest developments in Blackhawks land heading into the holidays.

• Corey Crawford is out with another serious concussion
• Marcus Kruger joins him as the walking wounded increase
• Collin Delia, Dylan Sikura, Carl Dahlstrom and Luke Johnson all get recalled
• The Gustafsson delusions
• Addressing the Panarin nonsense again.
• We answered some great listener and reader questions

As a special holiday gift, we close out with “On My Side” from The-Rink friend and huge Blackhawks fan Patrick Judge with his bandmates in Demon Hunter.

Please subscribe, rate this episode, and even write us a review. Reviews will be read on the air.

Also, Please help spread the word to more #RinkRats and visit our sponsor www.PUCKHCKY.com. Use the discount code “THERINK” for 10% off all orders.

The post The Blackhawks Rinkcast – Episode 39 – Injuries Aplenty appeared first on The Rink.

Blackhawks Recall Sikura and Dahlstrom, Assign Fortin

The writing has been on the walls as of late that the Blackhawks were in need of some sort of roster move. Trades or roster movement from within was expected and on Wednesday morning, the proverbial hammer dropped with highly touted forward Dylan Sikura and defenseman Carl Dahlstrom joining Chicago. The moves were accompanied by the reassignment of forward Alexandre Fortin.

Carl Dahlstrom of the Rockford IceHogs. (Courtesy: Rockford IceHogs)

For Dahlstrom, this marks his return to the Blackhawks roster after making his NHL debut last season. In 11 games with Chicago last season, Dahlstrom recorded three assists and was a -2, averaging 17:31 of ice-time. An AHL All-Star last season, Dahlstrom has one goal and seven assists in 22 games with the IceHogs this season. At 6-foot-4, 230-pounds, Dahlstrom provides size and defensive-mindedness on the back-end, while being able to move with and without the puck well for his size.

Dylan Sikura of the Rockford IceHogs. (Courtesy: Rockford IceHogs)

The key figure from Wednesday’s move is Sikura. A sixth-round draft pick in 2014, Sikura joined the Blackhawks late last season after finishing four years at Northeastern and being named a Hobey Baker Finalist in his Senior season. The winger made his NHL with Chicago in late March and tallied three assists in five games, averaging 13:24 minutes of ice-time per game. This season, Sikura is leading the IceHogs in points with 18 (9 goals, 9 assists) in 26 games and ranks tied for fifth in rookie AHL scoring. Sikura is an offensive-driver at the AHL and will hope to provide a bit of speed and playmaking ability to the Blackhawks lineup.

Alexandre Fortin of the Chicago Blackhawks at the Traverse City Rookie Tournament. (Courtesy: Rockford IceHogs)

Coming back to Rockford is forward Alexandre Fortin. He began the season with the IceHogs, playing in the first two contests of the year before making his NHL debut with Chicago in October. In 24 games with the Blackhawks this season, Fortin has six points (3 goals, 3 assists) and was averaging 10:35 minutes of ice-time per game. Fortin’s greatest strength is his speed, but lacks a high-end finishing ability. The hope can be that Fortin uses some time with Rockford to regain his confidence and come back to the Blackhawks at some point a more complete player.

What’s Next?

For the Blackhawks, they host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday night at the United Center 24 hours after losing their eighth game-in-a row in regulation, a 6-3 loss to the Winnipeg Jets. Chicago has lost 19 of their last 22 games.

For the IceHogs, they return to action on Friday as they travel to Grand Rapids to face the Grand Rapids Griffins. Following that, they have back-to-back home games on Saturday and Sunday, first against the Texas Stars on Saturday and then the Griffins on Sunday.

The post Blackhawks Assign Fortin, Recall Dahlstrom And Sikura appeared first on The Rink.

Dylan Sikura, Again, Highlights Rockford IceHogs Weekend Action

Although the IceHogs play has been up and down as of late, one player consistently leading the way on the scoresheet is forward Dylan Sikura. Evident again this past weekend that Sikura has driven the offensive numbers for Rockford, the IceHogs faced a 2-1 deficit to the Griffins on Friday night and he scored the game-tying goal late in the third period, and then closed the game in overtime with the game winner in a tremendous individual effort.

See said efforts starting at 1:17:

Over his last five games, Sikura has four points (3G, 1A) including the last two game-winning goals for the IceHogs. As a rookie, Sikura is leading the IceHogs in scoring with 18 points (9G, 9A) through 26 points and his nine goals is the team-best mark. His 18 points also places him in a three-way tie for fifth in the AHL for rookie points leaders.

While Sikura’s two-goal effort highlighted Friday’s win, the under-the-radar storyline was the performance in net from starter Anton Forsberg.

Anton Forsberg makes a save against the Milwaukee Admirals. (Courtesy: Rockford IceHogs)

Entering Friday’s home game against Grand Rapids, Forsberg held a 4-3-0 record with all four wins coming away from the BMO Harris Bank Center. At home this season, Forsberg was 0-3-0 with a 4.86 GAA and a 0.850 save-percentage thanks in large part to a Nov. 23 outing against the Chicago Wolves where he allowed seven goals in two periods of work. Turning in a stellar 41-save performance, including two major saves in overtime, Forsberg earned his first win at home, improving his season totals to a 5-3-0 record with a 2.59 GAA and a 0.911 save-percentage.

Forsberg has allowed more than two goals in a start just once this season, the previously mentioned game against the Wolves, and has a 1.84 GAA and a 0.932 save-percentage outside of that Nov. 23 start.

Brandon Pirri Nets Hat-Trick Against His Former Team

The IceHogs came off of their second overtime win in as many games and took on the Chicago Wolves on Saturday night to close out a four-game homestand that spanned two weekends. Hosting the Chicago Wolves in the fourth installment of the Illinois Lottery Cup Rivalry of the season, Rockford was haunted by a former player who knows the BMO Harris Bank Center all too well.

Anthony Louis (right) and former Rockford IceHog Brandon Pirri (left) of the Chicago Wolves await a face-off. (Courtesy: Rockford IceHogs.

The AHL leader in points this season, Chicago Wolves forward Brandon Pirri continued his high-scoring season against his former team. Pirri netted his third career AHL hat-trick on Saturday in the Wolves’ 4-0 win over the IceHogs. It marked his second career hat-tick with the Wolves, with his first career hat-trick coming on Nov. 23, 2011 while playing with the IceHogs.

Since his return to regular AHL action with the Chicago Wolves last season, Pirri has 16 points (10G, 6A) against the IceHogs in 14 regular season games. He was held off the scoresheet in last season’s Calder Cup Playoff series between Rockford and Chicago. Pirri ranks sixth all-time in games played for the IceHogs with  238, and is the team’s AHL all-time leader in points with 200 and assists with 132.

Collin Delia of the Rockford IceHogs. (Courtesy: Rockford IceHogs)

Other notes from the 4-0 loss to the Wolves include the IceHogs’ streak of 18 penalty kills in-a-row coming to an end on Saturday night, Carl Dahlstrom leading the team with six shots on goal, and goaltender Collin Delia making his return from injury and stopping 35 of 39 shots faced. Delia’s record falls to 5-5-4 on the year, but his 2.46 GAA ranks seventh in the AHL and his 0.930 save-percentage is tied for the second-best in the league. Of Delia’s nine total losses this season (5 regulation, 4 overtime/shootout) he has allowed two or fewer goals in six of them.

The Dylan Debate

Much like last week, here it is again, an opportunity to talk about what the Chicago Blackhawks may or may not do with one of their top young players in their minor-pro system, Dylan Sikura. As mentioned before, Sikura is one of the top rookies in the AHL and is leading the Rockford offense, even, if the offense is the worst in the league in terms of goal-scoring.

Sikura came into this season with a ton of steam behind his professional debut late last year and many had him slotted into the Blackhawks NHL lineup to begin the year. He did not make the big league squad and has since been a solid player at the AHL level. But what his numbers show is only part of the picture when it comes to Sikura’s game and what his worth to the Blackhawks is at this point in time.

Dylan Sikura of the Rockford IceHogs. (Courtesy: Rockford IceHogs)

While his point totals are impressive for his first full professional season in the AHL, they are far from world-beating. Sikura has 18 points in 26 games this year for a 0.69 point-per-game pace, and ranks second in the league (first among rookies) in shots on goal with 90. A high shot-rate is good, but deceiving for a player like Sikura who fires a decent number of those shots from perimeter positions hoping for tips and screens to help him. At 5-11 and 165-pounds, he doesn’t possess the most intimidating frame for the NHL and is not a player who will go into the “dirty” areas or try to drive through opponents to get to the front of the net.

Sikura works better with a larger-bodied player paired along with him on his line, along with someone who can match his speed and skill. In recent games, Sikura has been paired with Luke Johnson, Jacob Nilsson, Victor Ejdsell, and his older brother Tyler Sikura. Players like Nilsson and Ejdsell match well with Sikura’s playmaking style, while Johnson and Tyler Sikura are players who will play physical and create space and traffic in front of the net. All-said, for Sikura to move up to the NHL and play within the Blackhawks’ system, he wouldn’t be able to just fill in anywhere in the lineup. He would need to be pair with the right players to succeed.

Dylan Sikura celebrates a goal. (Courtesy: Rockford IceHogs)

Another thing to consider is what would he be walking into if he were recalled to the Blackhawks? A dumpster-fire currently burning at over 1000-degrees, the Blackhawks are far from contending for anything but the top-three picks in next Summer’s NHL Draft lottery. While Sikura could come into the locker room and maybe inject a bit of pace into the lineup, at what cost would it come if he begins to experience the doom and gloom on a Chicago team that has lost more games since the firing of Joel Quenneville than they have won all season? Sikura should not be thrown into a virtually no-win situation just for fun. He would need to come into the lineup with the mentality that he will be an offensive focal point of the roster. Not sure Jeremy Colliton is willing or ready to make that kind of roster choice just yet.

Leaving with this quote from IceHogs interim Head Coach Derek King following Saturday’s two-goal performance from Sikura:

“I think he’s finding his game in the AHL. I still think he puts a little too much pressure on himself to be the best player on the ice every night. There’s nothing wrong with that, but he’s got to realize this is a pretty good hockey league. At the next step, it’s pretty big. I try to explain to him not to be in such a rush to get to the NHL because when you do get there, you want to stay there. You don’t want to be up and down like a yo-yo. He’s a talented hockey player. He’s going to play in the NHL eventually. But I tell him, ‘Don’t be in a rush. Take your time because this isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon.’ If he takes those steps, in a year from now or, who knows maybe it takes two years from now, but he’ll be a complete hockey player and when he goes back up, he’ll be there for good.” – Dec. 7, 2018

Not sure if Sikura, the organization, or the Blackhawks fan community will be willing to wait possibly two years for him to get his regular NHL shot.

What’s Next?

The Rockford IceHogs are off until this weekend, when they begin a tough three games in three days stretch. It will be the third time the IceHogs will face a three-in-three slate this season, having five total stretches of three-in-three this year. Rockford is 3-1-2 this season in games play on three consecutive days.

The IceHogs travel to Grand Rapids to take on the Griffins on Friday Dec .14. Puck drop is scheduled for 6pm CT at the Van Andel Arena. After that, the IceHogs return home to host the Texas Stars on Saturday, Dec. 15. Puck drop is also set for 6pm CT at the BMO Harris Bank Center in Rockford. Finally, the IceHogs close the weekend with a Sunday night matchup against the Griffins. Puck drop is scheduled for 5pm CT on Sunday.

The post Dylan Sikura Plays Hero As Rockford IceHogs Split Weekend appeared first on The Rink.

Rockford IceHogs Split Weekend Action

The IceHogs have been in a funk as of late. Coming into the weekend, Rockford had a 1-4-2 record over their last seven games to end the month of November. Over that span, they averaged 1.5 goals per game while allowing 3.3 goals per game. Not a recipe for winning much of anything.

While goaltending will get the finger pointed at it for most teams on a 1-4-2 stretch of play, that is not the case for the IceHogs this season. Outside of a seven-goal game against the Chicago Wolves on Nov. 23, the IceHogs held opponents to three or fewer goals in five of the six other games to end November.

Anton Forsberg makes a save against the Milwaukee Admirals. (Courtesy: Rockford IceHogs)

Looking to build on their 3-2 win over the Wolves on Nov. 30 to end the month, the IceHogs hosted their annual “Teddy Toss” night on Saturday against the Milwaukee Admirals.

[Here is where we would put the Teddy Toss highlight video]

Unfortunately, the IceHogs woes from November crept into December as the Admirals shutout Rockford 3-0 on Saturday, keeping the Teddy Bears in the stands and sending fans home with very sad faces. (Not really, they tossed 3,373 bears onto the ice during the 2nd intermission.) The loss was their sixth in-a-row at home, tying a franchise-long home winless streak.

In net, Anton Forsberg made 19 saves on 21 shots faced, but saw his record this season fall to 4-3-0 with a 2.70 GAA and a 0.901 save-percentage.

Rockford was in desperate need for offense come Sunday. After a scoreless first period, the IceHogs jumped on the board first with a goal from Jacob Nilsson. After two goals from San Antonio to make it a 2-1 game in the 3rd period, Graham Knott snapped a 19-game goal-less streak with his second goal of the season. Making it a 2-2 game, the IceHogs forced overtime and with just over a minute left in the 3-on-3 overtime period, Dylan Sikura would tip-in the game-winning goal for the 3-2 win. Nilsson gave Sikura the setup pass for Dylan’s seventh goal of the year.

Highlights : Dylan Sikura grabs the OT winner in a thrilling 3-2 victory over the San Antonio @sarampage pic.twitter.com/DxpZ0JlJOf

— Rockford IceHogs (@goicehogs) December 3, 2018

After going the last ten games with just two points, Nilsson finds himself with three points over his last three games. For Sikura, he has tallied six points over the last ten games for Rockford and leads the team in points with 16 (7 G, 9 A) in 24 games this season.

Also of note from Sunday’s IceHogs win, goaltender Kevin Lankinen earned his first AHL victory of his career. Making 36 saves on 38 shots faced, Lankinen improved his AHL record to 1-2-1 with a 2.69 GAA and a 0.889 save-percentage.

Is It Time For Dylan Sikura In Chicago?

To say that the Chicago Blackhawks have deficiencies on their current roster would be an understatement. Since the firing of Joel Quenneville and promotion of Jeremy Colliton, the Blackhawks have lost 15 of their 18 games with a 3-12-3 record. Chicago ranks in the bottom third of the NHL (21st) in goals per game with 2.75, and second from the bottom of the league (30th) in goals allowed per game at 3.68. Only the Ottawa Senators are below Chicago with a 4.04 goals allowed average.

Defense, defense, defense is the major glaring issue for the Blackhawks. The problem is that there is no knight in shining armor leading the calvary to improve the defense. Connor Murphy is close to a return to action, which is good, but not much to move the needle. Carl Dahlstrom could eventually get a look in Chicago this season, but again won’t move the needle very much. The easier move to make for Stan Bowman and the Blackhawks to do to inject a bit of energy into the lineup would be to call-up a forward. As we laid-out last week, the IceHogs have a number of options up-front for Chicago to potentially choose from.

The most likely and most popular choice is Dylan Sikura.

Dylan Sikura of the Rockford IceHogs (Courtesy: Rockford IceHogs)

As mentioned before, Sikura is leading the IceHogs in points with 16 over 24 games this season and ranks in a five-way tie for fifth in rookie scoring in the AHL. Sikura also ranks at the top of shots on goal for all rookies and is second in the league with 82 shots on goal, seven behind league-leader Brandon Pirri.

The drawback to Sikura’s game is that he is a smaller-framed player that likes to play more from the perimeter. That doesn’t translate great in the NHL where players are bigger, stronger, faster. The case for calling up Sikura is that he could drive offensive possession numbers and use his ability to create scoring chances in a secondary role.

The Blackhawks lack in secondary scoring chances and goals produced. Out of the 77 goals scored this season, 11 have come from defensemen. So of the 66 goals scored by forwards, 43 have come from four different players: Patrick Kane (13), Jonathan Toews (12), Alex DeBrincat (10), and Brandon Saad (8).

Dylan Sikura of the Rockford IceHogs. (Courtesy: Rockford IceHogs)

By simple math, the best kind of math, the 23 other goals scored by forwards have come from the other 12 regular forwards to play for Chicago this season. Just less than 2 goals per forward for the rest of the group is not going to get it done offensively in the NHL, especially with three forwards (Luke Johnson, Andreas Martinsen, Chris Kunitz) playing more than 10 games with the Blackhawks and having yet to score this season.

Again, with no saving grace coming from the IceHogs as of now, the younger Sikura brother could be the best offensive option that head coach Jeremy Colliton could try to use to bring a new face into the locker to try to jolt the secondary scoring chances to take the pressure off of the Chicago top-six on a nightly basis.

Stats For Your Consideration

• The IceHogs improved their record to 10-9-5 (25 pts, 0.521 pt%)
  • Rockford sits in 4th place in the Central Division on points, 6th on point-percentage
• IceHogs powerplay has earned the 3rd-most opportunities in the AHL this season with 112
  • IceHogs rank 24th in the AHL in powerplay percentage at 14.3-percent
• Rockford’s penalty-kill has been shorthanded 101 times, 14th in the AHL
  • IceHogs hold the league’s 5th ranked penalty-killing unit at 87.1-percent
• Jordan Schroeder and Dylan Sikura are tied for the highest point-per-game pace at 0.67
  • Only players with more than 10 games played
• Darren Raddysh leads all defensemen in points with 15 (5 G, 10 A)
• Collin Delia holds a 5-4-4 record with the IceHogs, making a team-high 14 starts this season
  • Delia’s 2.35 GAA ranks 6th in the AHL among qualified goalies
  • Delia’s 0.932 save-percentage ranks 2nd in the AHL among qualified goalies
• IceHogs are 4-6-2 under interim head coach Derek King since Nov. 6

What’s Next?

The IceHogs complete their four-game homestand with another two-game weekend set beginning on Friday night as the Grand Rapids Griffins make their first trip to Rockford of the season. Puck drop for Friday night is set for 7pm CT at the BMO Harris Bank Center. Following that, the IceHogs play host to the Chicago Wolves on Saturday night. Another installment of the Illinois Lottery Cup Rivalry, puck drop for Saturday is set for 6pm CT in Rockford.

The post Dylan Sikura Highlights Rockford IceHogs Weekend appeared first on The Rink.

Possible Chicago Blackhawks Recalls: Forwards

This Summer saw a lot of interest and chips put behind the fact that Victor Ejdsell and Dylan Sikura were penciled into the NHL regular lineup. Neither one of those players made the Blackhawks’ roster, but there was Luke Johnson and Alexandre Fortin making their NHL debuts early this year. Sikura and Ejdsell remain on the outside looking in at the Blackhawks from the Rockford IceHogs roster, but they remain two of the top options upfront for potential NHL call-ups.

Outside of those two, another lesser-recognized option has emerged after the 20-game mark for the IceHogs. Anthony Louis, last year’s point-leader in Rockford, is again near the top of point-production for the Hogs and continues to be an offensive-creator for a recently starved Rockford attack.

Dylan Sikura of the Rockford IceHogs. (Courtesy: Rockford IceHogs)

Probables

• Dylan Sikura: 22 GP, 15 Points (6G, 9A), +2
  • Sikura has lived up to his AHL hype for the most part this season. Leading the IceHogs in points and shots on goal (79), his ability to drive the Rockford offense is his biggest asset. If Sikura is going to make the leap to the NHL this season, he’ll have to prove that he can be more than a perimeter player or that he can create his own space with his speed.
• Victor Ejdsell: 21 GP, 11 Points (4G, 7A), -4
  • Ejdsell’s hype-train has lost a bit of steam after joining the organization late last season. Still one of the better shots on the IceHogs, Ejdsell continues to show has the skill-set to succeed in at the AHL level, he’ll have to show it more consistently if he wants to get a shot with Chicago.
• Anthony Louis: 22 GP, 13 Points (8G, 5A), +2
  • Another offensive driver like Sikura, Anthony Louis remains a consistent top-player for the IceHogs. After a breakout season last year, the third-year pro has the foot-speed and hands to make an impact in any game, but his size continues to be a hindrance. If Louis can continue to show his worth on both special teams units for Rockford and maintain his offensive production-rate, he should be rewarded with his first NHL action in Chicago.

Jordan Schroeder (right) is all smiles against the San Antonio Rampage. (Courtesy: Rockford IceHogs)

Dark Horses

• Jacob Nilsson: 22 GP, 7 Points ( 2G, 5A), -3
  • The Blackhawks organization took a flyer on Nilsson this summer, much like they did with players in the past like Michael Kempny and David Kampf. While both of those players have gone on to become NHL-regulars, Nilsson may be a bit away from that standard at the moment. A reliable secondary offensive option for Rockford, if Nilsson continues on his pace and proves his worth on the IceHogs penalty-kill, he may get a shot in Chicago.
• Jordan Schroeder: 13 GP, 10 Points (4G, 6A), -5
  • One of the veterans of the IceHogs forward group, Schroeder has been a key figure to the Rockford attack, when he is healthy. He leads the IceHogs in point-per-game percentage and has played a key role on the powerplay as of late. If for some reason the Blackhawks want to save their younger players from the horrors of their current form, a veteran like Schroeder could be an option.

Possible Chicago Blackhawks Recalls: Defensemen

While the Blackhawks’ defensive group has been arguably their biggest weakness this season, the rotation between Chicago and Rockford for blue-liners has been quiet. Gustav Forsling was an early-season player who was thought to be in line for a spot in the Blackhawks’ rotation, but began the year out of action with an injury. Once he was healthy, Forsling spent a cup of coffee’s worth of time with the IceHogs before making the leap to the NHL. Chicago has yet to send down any defensemen to the IceHogs this year, but if a move were made, there are two standouts among the Rockford group.

Carl Dahlstrom of the Rockford IceHogs. (Courtesy: Grand Rapids Griffins)

Probables

• Carl Dahlstrom: 18 GP, 7 Points (G, 6A), -6
  • One of the more experienced defensemen on the IceHogs roster, Dahlstrom plays a game that the Blackhawks don’t really have in their defensive group at the moment: shut-down defense and blocking pucks. While he may not be the second-coming of Niklas Hjalmarsson, Dahlstrom’s physical presence and ability to skate with the puck could be enough for Chicago to give him another look late this season.
• Darren Raddysh: 22 GP, 14 Points (5G, 9A), +2
  • What Chicago doesn’t necessarily need is another offensive-minded defenseman. But with Raddysh, the IceHogs are benefiting from a player who can hold his own in both ends and makes his offensive bread with a dangerous slap-shot. His ability to contribute on the Rockford powerplay has been noticeable and he could be a “hey, we haven’t seen you yet” type of Blackhawks recall later this year.

Lucas Carlsson of the Rockford IceHogs. (Courtesy: Grand Rapids Griffins)

Dark Horses

• Lucas Carlsson: 21 GP, 9 Points (2G, 7A), -5
  • One of the seven rookie regulars for the IceHogs this season, Carlsson is the lone first-year defenseman who has played in every game this season that he has been healthy. Carlsson already has two professional seasons under his belt in the SHL with Brynäs IF and his experience shows. Responsible in his own end, Carlsson has been paired with Dahlstrom all season long and has been able to show off a bit of his offensive skill-set early this year.
• Joni Tuulola: 18 GP, 3 Points (G, 2A), -2
  • Tuulola joined the IceHogs late last season and made an immediate impression on Jeremy Colliton, eventually edging Darren Raddysh out of the lineup in the Western Conference Finals in the Calder Cup Playoffs last season. Playing with a good mixture of finesse and physicality, Tuulola is still a raw talent, but might have a shot at making the jump if he continues to progress.

What’s Next?

For Rockford, the IceHogs are off until December 1, when play host for a Saturday Night game against the Milwaukee Admirals at the BMO Harris Bank Center in Rockford. Puck drop is set for 6pm CT. After that, the IceHogs host the San Antonio Rampage for a Sunday afternoon contest. Puck drop at the BMO Harris Bank Center is set for 4pm CT on Sunday.

For the Blackhawks, coming off of Tuesday night’s big loss against the Vegas Golden Knights, Chicago travels North of the border for a Thursday night game against the Winnipeg Jets. Puck drop on Thursday is set for 7pm CT at the Bell MTS Place. After that, the Blackhawks are on the road against the Nashville Predators on Saturday night. Puck drop is scheduled for 7pm CT at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.

The post A Look At Chicago Blackhawks Possible Recalls appeared first on The Rink.

Rockford IceHogs Limp Into December

The IceHogs began the month of November on a hot start with points in five of their first six games, going 4-1-1 over that stretch. Scoring three or more goals in four of their six games to begin the month, Rockford saw their success drop drastically after a 4-3 win over the Chicago Wolves on November 10. Going 1-4-2, the IceHogs scored just 11 goals over their lasy seven games and only broke out for more than two goals in a game once in a 3-2 win on Sunday against the Wolves.

Needless to say, the offensive struggles for the IceHogs are very apparent. While Jordan Schroeder and Anthony Louis have pulled their weight over the last seven games, with Schroeder having five points (G, 5A) in six games and Louis having four (2G, 2A), but the rest of the Rockford roster has been lacking of late.

The top-point producers and those counted on to generate offense have been snake-bitten, it seems, over the last seven game stretch:

• Dylan Sikura: 3 points (G, 2A)
• Victor Ejdsell: 2 points (G, A)
• Jacob Nilsson: 2 points (G, A)
• Darren Raddysh: 2 points (G, A)

When teams hit tough stretches, one would expect the secondary scorers should be able to pull-through. While the top-end of the offensive generators have been struggling, that hasn’t been the case for the IceHogs. Multiple players have just a single point over the last seven games including Henrik Samuelsson, Graham Knott, Nathan Noel, and Joni Tuulola. As December rolls around, the IceHogs will need to take advantage of the offensive chances that they are seeing while their defense and goaltending continue to keep them in games.

Anton Forsberg of the Rockford IceHogs. (Courtesy: Iowa Wild)

While the offense has been lacking for Rockford, their goaltenders have been more than pulling their own weight during the last seven games. Anton Forsberg, returning from an illness earlier in the month, returned to make two appearances against the Chicago Wolves in the final three games of November. Forsberg would make 18 saves on 25 shots on Friday against the Wolves, followed up by a redeeming 29 save performance on 31 shots on Sunday.

In the absence of Forsberg, Collin Delia made five appearances with four starts over the last seven games of November. Delia would go 0-2-2 over that stretch with a 2.45 GAA in his four starts and a 0.932 save-percentage. Kevin Lankinen also made one start over the last seven games, a 2-1 loss to the San Antonio Rampage on November 17. Lankinen made 19 saves on 21 shots.

Johnson, Lankinen Return To IceHogs Roster

Ahead of Sunday’s contest, the Rockford IceHogs were a part of a pair of roster moves that saw Luke Johnson and Kevin Lankinen return to the Rockford lineup. The Chicago Blackhawks reassigned Johnson, while the IceHogs recalled Lankinen from the Indy Fuel.

For Johnson this season, he has been in and out of the lineup for the Chicago Blackhawks mostly this season. In 13 NHL games this season, Johnson has just one assist. He added a goal against the Wolves on Sunday to make it three points (2G, A) in three AHL games this season.

For Lankinen, he has seen time for both the IceHogs and Fuel this season after starting the year in Rockford. In his four starts for the Fuel, Lankinen has a 4-0-0 record with a 2.50 GAA and a 0.910 save-percentage. In his three appearances for Rockford, Lankinen is 0-2-1 with a 2.98 GAA and a 0.852 save-percentage.

Stats For Your Consideration

• IceHogs began November 4-1-1, but finished 1-4-2 for a final 5-5-3 monthly record (13 points)
• Rockford is 4th in the Central Division on points (23), 5th on point-percentage (0.523)
• Rockford ranks 21st on the powerplay (15.4%), 3rd on the penalty-kill (86.6%)
• The IceHogs rank 28th in the AHL in goals for (53), 18th in goals allowed (64)
• Luke Johnson has two goals and an assist in his three AHL games this season.
• Anthony Louis, with a goal against the Wolves Sunday, has 11 points over his last 14 games vs. Chicago
• Dylan Sikura ranks in a four-way tie for 5th in AHL rookie point-scoring (15pts)
• Collin Delia ranks 6th in the AHL for GAA (2.35), 3rd in the AHL in save-percentage (0.932)

What’s Next?

The IceHogs are off until December 1, when play host for a Saturday Night game against the Milwaukee Admirals at the BMO Harris Bank Center in Rockford. Puck drop is set for 6pm CT. After that, the IceHogs host the San Antonio Rampage for a Sunday afternoon contest. Puck drop at the BMO Harris Bank Center is set for 4pm CT on Sunday.

The post Rockford IceHogs Snap Six-Game Winless Skid appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com co-hosts Jeff “Gatekeeper” Osborn and John Jaeckel get together to chat about the first six games of the Jeremy Colliton era.

• BREAKING: The-Rink will be covering the Chicago Steel of the USHL!
• In a special segment, Gate and Aaron Goldschmidt talk to David Eckert from Blue White Illustrated and The Daily Collegian about Penn State center and Blackhawks prospect Evan Barratt
• What about that Brandon Saad / William Nylander trade speculation?
• Can Dylan Sikura save the organization?
• Positive stuff about Jeremy Colliton.
• We spend a good hour focussing on some great listener and reader questions

Please subscribe, rate this episode, and even write us a review. Reviews will be read on the air.

Also, Please help spread the word to more #RinkRats and visit our sponsor www.PUCKHCKY.com. Use the discount code “THERINK” for 10% off all orders.

The post The Blackhawks Rinkcast – Episode 36 – Colliton Away appeared first on The Rink.

Rockford IceHogs Take Five Of Six Points Over Weekend

Starting on Friday night in Milwaukee, the Rockford IceHogs faced a jam-packed weekend of AHL Central Division hockey. On Friday, the IceHogs took on the division-leading Milwaukee Admirals in Milwaukee.

The Admirals jumped to the game’s first lead late in the first period (on Teddy Toss night no less, with 1,069 Teddy Bears collected by the Admirals), but the IceHogs responded quickly thereafter with a goal coming from Dylan Sikura. Shortly after killing off one of Rockford’s SEVEN penalties on the night, Jacob Nilsson corralled the puck out of the penalty box, brought it deep into the Admirals zone and found Sikura on a beautiful cross-crease feed for his third goal of the season.

Once again the Admirals would have to respond as the Admirals took a second period lead with the 2-1 goal coming from Zach Magwood, his second goal of the game and Rockford trailed by the same score heading into the third period. Time wound down in the period, Rockford held the Admirals scoreless on three powerplay opportunities in the third, and Darren Raddysh would give the IceHogs the equalizing goal. His second goal of the season and the game would head to overtime. In the extra frame, it would be Raddysh again, on a delayed penalty chance that gave the IceHogs a 3-2 win on the road. Anton Forsberg made his second start of the season, making 22 saves on 24 shots, earning his first AHL win of the year.

Following the overtime win over Milwaukee, the IceHogs prepared for a home-and-home series with the Iowa Wild beginning in Rockford in Saturday night. Iowa would strike early in the first period, taking the 1-0 lead into the second period with the IceHogs failing to capitalize on three powerplay chances in the opening frame. Late in the second period, Anthony Louis buried his fourth goal of the season to tie the game up at 1-1 going into the third period.

Fighting off two penalties in the third period, the IceHogs and starter Collin Delia were able to hold the Wild off and force overtime. No scoring in the overtime period led to a shootout where Louis and Victor Ejdsell would not convert on their chances while Iowa put two behind Delia for the 2-1 shootout win. Delia made 41 saves on 42 shots in 65 minutes of work, sealing his sixth start in a row earning at least a point for the IceHogs.

The Rockford IceHogs celebrate a victory over the Iowa Wild. (Courtesy: Iowa Wild)

Putting a bow on the three games in three nights stretch of play for Rockford, the Wild and IceHogs headed West to Des Moines, Iowa for a Sunday late afternoon tilt. With both teams finishing a three-in-three stretch, undisciplined play ruled the day again. The IceHogs were forced to kill-off three penalties in the first period, doing so successfully. Iowa wasn’t able to capitalize and the IceHogs jumped out to a two-goal lead early with goals from Dylan Sikura, his fourth of the season, and Anthony Louis, his fifth of the season, a minute apart. Matt Bartkowski tallied his first goal of the season to make it a 2-1 Rockford lead after one period.

The Wild converted an early second period powerplay to tie the game at 2-2 under four minutes into the middle frame. But the IceHogs were able to get their own powerplay goal in the second period, coming from Jacob Nilsson to re-take the lead on his first goal of the year. IceHogs held the 3-2 lead into the third period and added the 4-2 goal on an empty-net tally from Louis to seal the deal. Forsberg made his second start of the weekend, getting his second win of the weekend with 31 saves on 33 shots.

Rockford improves their record to 6-3-3. good enough for 15 points in the standings and a fourth-place standing based on points-percentage (eye-roll).

Injury Concerns

While the results are the high-points for the IceHogs over the weekend, they didn’t come out unscathed. On Friday night, Rockford was without defensemen Gustav Forsling. Adding to the list of injured IceHogs that includes top-minutes eaters in Carl Dahlstrom and Matthew Highmore, Forsling was out with what Head Coach Jeremy Colliton called a “Tweaked Groin.” Colliton did iterate that the injury to Forsling shouldn’t be long-term.

Gustav Forsling was out tonight for the #IceHogs with what Head Coach Jeremy Colliton called a "Tweaked groin" adding "If he was healthy, he would be playing." Colliton believes that the issue should not be long term.#Blackhawks #NHL #AHL

— Mario Tirabassi (@Mario_Tirabassi) November 3, 2018

As if that wasn’t enough to worry about on the injury report, the IceHogs also lost defenseman Luc Snuggerud on Saturday night against the Wild. Snuggerud had to be taken by stretcher off the ice after a dangerous check from Mike Liambas sent Snuggerud’s head into the boards.

An update was given on Sunday to his condition after the hit on Satuday night:

Received an update on @goicehogs D Luc Snuggerud from team doctors:

Snuggerud is at home resting after being discharged from observation. He is stable and there is no timeline on his return. #IceHogs #Blackhawks

— Joseph Zakrzewski (@JoeyZRadio) November 4, 2018

With the IceHogs suddenly short-handed on defense, the team made two moves to fill the gaps left by Forsling and Snuggerud, recalling defensemen Josh McArdle and Neil Manning from the Indy Fuel prior to Sunday’s game in Iowa. Both McArdle and Manning  were in the lineup for the IceHogs on Sunday.

Without major players in the lineup for some time for the IceHogs, getting points is at a premium. Rockford did a good job of that over the weekend, but that kind of play and points-pace will need to continue if they are to avoid falling behind in a tough Central Division.

Hot Hogs

So who is helping the IceHogs keep the pace in the Division early on? One need look no further than the men in-between the pipes. Both Collin Delia and Anton Forsberg have been solid and reliable in net since the season began. In seven appearances this season, Delia is 4-1-2 with a 2.38 GAA and a 0.933 save-percentage. Over his last six starts for Rockford, Delia has earned at least a point with a 4-0-2 record. For Forsberg, in his three appearances this season, he has a 2-1-0 record with a 1.99 GAA and a .929 save-percentage. Delia has yet to start a game this season without facing less than 31 shots on net, while Forsberg’s three starts has seen him face 24, 27, and 33 shots on net, respectively.

Anton Forsberg of the Rockford IceHogs. (Courtesy: Iowa Wild)

Also helping pace the IceHogs are a group of young “vets” and a pair of “rookies” that lead Rockford on the score-sheet seemingly every night. On the backend, coming off a two-goal performance against the Admirals and three-point weekend, Darren Raddysh has solidified his spot in the IceHogs defensive group. Entrusted in all facets of the game, the second-year pro has rebounded from losing ice-time in the 2018 Calder Cup Playoffs to be a leader on the ice for a young IceHogs group.

Also producing a three-point weekend, with three goals, Anthony Louis continues to find the back of the net for Rockford. Last season’s point-leader is again near the top of the score sheet for the IceHogs with a team-high six goals. His eight points on the year rank him tied for third on the team with Tyler Sikura.

After a hot start to the season, Tyler Sikura has seen his production hit a small dip with just two assists in his last six games following a six points in six games start. Sikura still is creating offense for Rockford and continues to be used by Jeremy Colltion on both the powerplay and penalty-killing units.

Finally, the “rookie” class leaders for the IceHogs come from two players who saw their first NHL experience last season. Victor Ejdsell and Dylan Sikura, two players many believed would start the year with the Chicago Blackhawks, have found their ways early on in the AHL.

Victor Ejdsell of the Rockford IceHogs. (Courtesy: Rockford IceHogs)

Ejdsell, after a sluggish start and a healthy-scratch from Colliton, has returned to the offensive formed that he showcased late last season. Over his last six games, Ejdsell has five points (3 G, 2 A) and finds himself ranked in a tie for fourth with Matthew Highmore in scoring for the IceHogs with seven points (3 G, 4 A) in 11 games.

As for the younger Sikura brother, Dylan has been one of the brightest spots for the IceHogs so far this season. Coming into his full rookie season with heavy expectations, Sikura began the season with Rockford after making his NHL debut late last season with Chicago. A prized late-round draft pick and NCAA hockey stand-out, Sikura has been the driving offensive factor for Rockford since game one. Sikura also had a three-point weekend and added to his team-leading ten points (4 G, 6 A) in his first 12 AHL games. His ten points also ranks tied for fourth in AHL rookie scoring.

Dylan Sikura Making Case For NHL Ice-Time

Speaking of Dylan Sikura, his play to begin the season is beginning look pretty familiar to a player who also started last season off with a high-point production, offensive-driving style of play. The comparison has been made before on this site between Sikura’s start this year to that of Vince Hinostroza last season.

After firing off 22 points in 23 games to start last season, Hinostroza made his way to the Blackhawks roster and provided an offensive spark to a struggling Chicago squad. Hinostroza put up 25 points in his 50 NHL games with the Blackhawks last year, then was traded this offseason to the Arizona Coyotes. While the same fate is hopefully not in the cards for the young Sikura, his opportunity to make an impact on the Blackhawks could be similar.

Dylan Sikura of the Rockford IceHogs. (Courtesy: Rockford IceHogs)

The Chicago Blackhawks are a bad defensive team. Sikura is not going to help that. It’s not his style, nor was it Hinostroza’s. Sikura is a playmaker with the puck with an ability to find space for teammates to create scoring chances. It’s what drove him in his four years at Northeastern University, leading to a Hobey Baker nomination in his Senior Year.

If the Hinostroza comparison doesn’t get your gears moving, look at a player that the Blackhawks recently faced that made their poor defense look even worse, Johnny Gaudreau.

Now, right off the bat, there is no comparing Gaudreau and Dylan Sikura on paper as far as skill goes. The gap is far too wide to sensibly make that statement, but stylistically, it’s there. As The-Rink.com College Hockey Analyst Aaron Goldschmidt puts it, “Sikura is a poor man’s version of Johnny Gaudreau.” The diminutive Gaudreau (5-9, 165-pounds) relies on his speed and agility to create space for himself, while having a set of silky hands to control the puck like most others in the NHL cannot do.

Chef Victor Ejdsell, known for his world-famous sauce, serves up renowned sauce critic Dylan Sikura

Sikura enjoyed the sauce so much he put it on a biscuit then put said biscuit into the basket pic.twitter.com/nMmr5yfW40

— Rockford IceHogs (@goicehogs) November 4, 2018

Sikura (5-11, 160-pounds) has shown that style of play in the AHL so far this season. He demands the puck on offense and has set-up numerous scoring chances for Rockford. He’s also been on the receiving end of some nice setups as well, thanks to his ability to find space without the puck.

If the Blackhawks are going to continue to play the way they are defensively, then they will have to out-score opponents in 7-6 games all season. It’s not realistic, nor would it be sustainable. But it couldn’t hurt to try as the early-season luster is wearing off the Blackhawks rapidly. Could Dylan Sikura not provide more to the Blackhawks than Chris Kunitz or Luke Johnson at this point offensively? One could figure a move may be in the cards sooner rather than later.

What’s Next?

After taking five points over the weekend, the IceHogs are off until Wednesday when they host the Iowa Wild for a 10:30 AM CT puck drop. Completing a three-straight set of action against the Wild in what Jeremy Colliton called a “mini playoff series,” the Rockford IceHogs host their annual “School Day Game” on Wednesday morning. Expect an energetic crowd full of Rockford-area youngsters ready to blow the roof off the BMO Harris Bank Center.

The post Rockford IceHogs Continue Point-Streak appeared first on The Rink.

Rockford IceHogs By The Numbers

The IceHogs this season have been on a bit of a roller coaster. Starting off the year by scoring three goals in their first two games, then hitting a stretch of the schedule where they scored five goals in four of five straight games. Following that, another scoring slump with back-to-back one-goal performances and then an overtime win to finish game ten on the year.

More from Colliton postgame on ths #IceHogs impression after 10 games: "We have some raw material to work with. We have talent, but have to be sharper, have to be cleaner and put things together."#AHL

— Mario Tirabassi (@Mario_Tirabassi) November 3, 2018

While goal-scoring has been hot and cold to begin the year, there are a few constants for Rockford this season. Special Teams, solid goaltending, and Dylan Sikura have been major driving factors behind the success the IceHogs have enjoyed this year.

Forward Thinking

Through the first ten games of the season, the Rockford IceHogs have been paced in scoring by another hot start from a smaller-forward. Much like the start to last season for Vince Hinostroza, Rockford is enjoying a nine points (3 G, 6 A) in ten games stretch from rookie forward Dylan Sikura. Over the Summer, Sikura was penciled into a spot with the Chicago Blackhawks but found himself as one of the final cuts in training camp. Since then, Sikura has led the IceHogs offensively in his first full professional season and figures to push for NHL playing time in the near future if his current pace holds.

Here are the points leaders for Forwards for the Rockford IceHogs:

1. Dylan Sikura – 3 G, 6 A, 9 Pts
2. Tyler Sikura – 4 G, 3 A, 7 Pts
3. Matthew Highmore – 3 G, 4 A, 7 Pts
4. Victor Ejdsell – 3 G, 3 A, 6 Pts
5. Jordan Schroeder – 3 G, 2 A, 5 Pts
6. Anthony Louis – 3 G, 2 A, 5 Pts
7. Terry Broadhurst – 2 G, 3 A, 5 Pts
8. Jacob Nilsson – 4 A, 4 Pts
9. Henrik Samuelsson – 2 G, A, 3 Pts
10. Matheson Iacopelli – G, A, 2 Pts

Getting Defensive

The Rockford IceHogs defensive group may be one of the deepest in the AHL. Three rookies including Blake Hillman, Dennis Gilbert, and Lucas Carlsson all joined an already talented group in Rockford and have been pushing for significant ice-time. The Chicago Blackhawks also added veteran Andrew Campbell to the organization this offseason and he has provided steady work on the blue-line and has already played a leadership role in Rockford. With Darren Raddysh, Carl Dahlstrom and Joni Tuulola returning from breakout seasons last year, and the return to health of Gustav Forsling, the internal competition for ice-time has pushed the IceHogs defensemen into some standout play early in the year.

Here are the defensive leaders for the Rockford IceHogs:

1. Darren Raddysh – 3 G, 5 A, 8 Pts (+2)
2. Carl Dahlstrom – 5 A, 5 Pts (+1)
3. Lucas Carlsson – G, A, 2 Pts (-2)
4. Andrew Campbell – G, 1 Pt (+1)
5. Luc Snuggerud – A, 1 Pt (-4)
6. Dennis Gilbert – A, 1 Pt (-3)
7. Joni Tuulola – A, 1 Pt (-2)
8. Blake Hillman – A, 1 Pt (+4)
9. Gustav Forsling – 3 GP, 7 SOG (+2)

Holy Goalies!

Much like the defensive group for the IceHogs, competition for time in net is high for the Rockford tandem of Collin Delia and Anton Forsberg. When Chicago Blackhawks’ starter Corey Crawford returned to health, the organization were put into a tricky situation with Crawford, Cam Ward, and Anton Forsberg all on the NHL roster and all worthy of NHL ice-time. Forsberg was the odd-man out and came to Rockford, where Delia started the year as the defacto starter. Forsberg’s AHL resume out-weighs that of Delia’s but their play so far this season has been neck-and-neck, which is the best case scenario for the IceHogs. Head Coach Jeremy Colliton is a big believer in the notion that the players who deserve to play are the ones who will get to play, there are no favors to be had. The competition has brought the best out of both net-minders.

Here are the stats for Collin Delia and Anton Forsberg through the first ten games of the season:

1. Anton Forsberg – 2 GP, 1-1-0, 1.98 GAA, 0.922 Save-Percentage
2. Collin Delia – 6 GP, 4-1-1, 2.64 GAA, 0.925 Save-Percentage

Well Isn’t That Special?

In their most recent outing, the Rockford IceHogs came away with a 3-2 overtime win over the Milwaukee Admirals in Milwaukee on Nov. 2. In that win, the IceHogs were forced to kill-off seven penalties and to their fortune were able to survive without giving up a powerplay goal against. One of the strengths early on for the IceHogs has been their special teams work. Unlike last season where the IceHogs ranked in the bottom-third of the AHL in both the powerplay and penalty-kill for a majority of the season, the start to this year has made the special teams units actually special.

Here are the special teams ranks for the Rockford IceHogs:

• #15 Powerplay in the AHL (9-for-47, 19.1-Percent)
  • Jordan Schoreder leads the IceHogs with 3 powerplay goals this year
• #4 Penalty-Kill in the AHL (40-for-45, 88.9-Percent)

What’s Next?

After Friday night’s overtime win against the Admirals, the IceHogs return home to begin a home-and-home series with the Iowa Wild. Saturday’s game is scheduled for a 6:00pm CT puck drop at the BMO Harris Bank Center in Rockford.

Finally on Sunday, the IceHogs and Wild play the back-end of their home-and-home series and close a three games in three night’s stretch of play. Sunday’s puck drop is scheduled for a 5:00pm CT start at the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa.

The post By The Numbers: Rockford IceHogs After Ten Games appeared first on The Rink.

Rockford IceHogs Struggle To Score In Weekend Slate

Coming off of a 5-2 win over the San Antonio Rampage on Wednesday, the IceHogs had a decent amount of offensive momentum heading into their weekend slate against the Monsters and Moose. With the 5-2 win, the IceHogs had scored three or more goals in five-straight games, notching five goals three times over that stretch, and having a five-game point-streak going as well. But Rockford wasn’t able to continue that hot-stretch as Cleveland and Manitoba were both able to hold the IceHogs to just one goal a piece, and just one point out of a possible four over the weekend.

After being scratched against the Tucson Roadrunners on Oct. 20, Victor Ejdsell has been able to find his way back into the IceHogs lineup and back onto the score-sheet. Ejdsell tallied two goals against the Rampage and followed that up with the IceHogs’ lone goal against the Monsters on Saturday, coming on the powerplay.

The lone Ejdsell goal wasn’t enough to help Anton Forsberg on Saturday night as he was making his IceHogs debut. Forsberg, facing his former team that he helped win a Calder Cup with, made 25 saves on 27 shots faced in his first game with Rockford since joining the Blackhawks organization.

Hoping to get back on track to close out the weekend, the IceHogs were able to force extra time against their Central Division foe Manitoba Moose on Sunday. Thanks to a second period goal from Andrew Campbell, his first goal of the season, the IceHogs were able to tie up the Moose 1-1. Collin Delia got the start in net for the IceHogs against the Moose, making 36 saves on 37 shots faced in his sixth appearance of the season, helping back-stop Rockford into the shootout.

Rockford would go scoreless in the shootout with attempts from Ejdsell, Anthony Louis, and Dylan Sikura all denied by Moose goaltender Mikhail Berdin. Manitoba’s Seth Griffith was able to get the only shootout goal past Delia for the 2-1 win.

The weekend slate didn’t turn the results that the IceHogs would have wanted, especially dropping three of four possible points early-on in the season. With the regulation loss on Saturday and shootout loss on Sunday, the IceHogs now sit at 4-3-2 on the season, with 10 points in the standings and a 0.556 point-percentage, tied with the Texas Stars for 4th in the AHL Central Division.

Anton Forsberg Makes Rockford IceHogs Debut

In his first AHL action since the Spring of 2017 and his first full game of the season, Anton Forsberg returned to an AHL net on Saturday night with the Rockford IceHogs. After being sent down from the Chicago Blackhawks due to the return to health by Corey Crawford, Forsberg was put into the starting role on Saturday and gave the IceHogs a better than decent chance to get a win, making 25 save son 27 shots. For his career, Forsberg has a 73-36-10 record in the AHL with a career 2.22 GAA and 0.923 save-percentage.

With Crawford returning to health, Forsberg and the Blackhawks organization find themselves in a bit of an odd situation with three goalies in the system who are all NHL-caliber players. There just isn’t room in net for all three, given the fact that Cam Ward was given a no-movement clause in his one-year deal with Chicago. For now, Forsberg finds himself in Rockford spliting time with Collin Delia.

Kevin Lankinen Assigned, Brett Welychka Recalled

Speaking of the goalie situation in Rockford, the IceHogs announced on Monday that they had recalled forward Brett Welychka from the Indy Fuel of the ECHL and assigned goaltender Kevin Lankinen to the Fuel.

Two AHL/ECHL moves announced. #Icehogs #IndyFuel pic.twitter.com/KN5YNXhAf2

— The Rink – Hockey coverage (@TheRinkOfficial) October 29, 2018

Lankinen was 0-1-1 with a 3.39 GAA and 0.825 Save-percentage with the IceHogs this season and will now split time with Matt Tomkins in net for the Fuel. Welychka, a former two-time OHL champion with the London Knights and Summer signing from Carleton University in Canada, joins the IceHogs after five games with the Fuel. In his first professional season, Welychka has four points (2 G, 2 A) in five games in the ECHL.

Injury Woes?

While the losses on the scoreboard hurt the IceHogs early in the Central Division standings, the losses on the ice may hurt Rockford even more in the short-term. On Sunday night against the Moose, both defenseman Carl Dahlstrom and forward Matthew Highmore exited the game with injuries.

Carl Dahlstrom left today's #IceHogs game with a groin injury. Matthew Highmore's injury is a shoulder, per Jeremy Colliton. He gave no timetable on either player at this point. #Blackhawks

— ChrisBlock (@ChrisBlock) October 28, 2018

Highmore helps lead the team in points, tied with the Sikura brothers with seven points through nine games, while Dahlstrom is a major minutes-eater for Rockford and plays in all situations on the ice.

Two major contributors to the IceHogs on both ends if the ice, losing both Dahlstrom and Highmore could put Rockford in a bind early on in the season. Luckily for the IceHogs and head coach Jeremy Colliton, the depth of both the forward and defensive groups should provide some relief when looking down the bench for replacements.

Rockford IceHogs After 9 Games

With a nearly week-long stretch between games for the IceHogs, here is how the team shapes up after the first nine games of the season.

Standings

AHL Central Standings 10-29-18

Points Leaders

1. Matthew Highmore: 7 points (3 G, 4 A)
2. Tyler Sikura: 7 points (4 G, 3 A)
3. Dylan Sikura: 7 points (2 G, 5 A)

Goaltenders

1. Collin Delia: 6 GP, 4-1-1, 2.64 GAA, 0.925 Save%
2. Anton Forsberg: 1 GP, 0-1-0, 2.07 GAA, 0.926 Save%

Special Teams Ranks

• Powerplay: 13th in AHL, (9-42, 21.4%)
• Penalty-Kill: 5th in AHL, (33-38, 86.8%)

What’s Next?

The Rockford IceHogs are off until Friday when they travel to Milwaukee to take on the Milwaukee Admirals. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 pm CT at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena in Milwaukee.

Friday night’s game is the first of three games in three days for the IceHogs next weekend as they face the Admirals and Iowa Wild. Rockford plays a home-and-home series with the Wild over the weekend with Saturday’s game at home in Rockford and Sunday’s game in Iowa.

The post Rockford IceHogs Salvage One Point Over Weekend appeared first on The Rink.

Rockford IceHogs Welcome Rampage To Town

The IceHogs return home from back-to-back games against the Tucson Roadrunners over the weekend to host the San Antonio Rampage on Wednesday night. The game against the Rampage marks the first of three home games this week for Rockford as they will take on the Cleveland Monsters and Manitoba Moose later the week.

The IceHogs welcome Anton Forsberg to the team this week, after clearing waivers on Tuesday. Forsberg is not expected to start against the Rampage on Wednesday as Collin Delia is expected to get the starting nod instead. Delia has a 3-1-0 record after four starts this season with a 3.26 GAA and 0.910 save-percentage.

Goaltender Anton Forsberg is on the ice for his first workout with the @goicehogs. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/2zv6Y2RFw6

— Joseph Zakrzewski (@JoeyZRadio) October 24, 2018

Also being welcomed into the IceHogs roster ahead of Wednesday night’s game is defenseman Gustav Forsling. Forsling is expected to factor into the already crowded defensive core for Rockford after being assigned by the Blackhawks on Tuesday afternoon. Forsling is coming off of off-season wrist surgery, he played with the IceHogs last season for 18 regular season games and all 13 Calder Cup Playoff games.

Rockford enters the week having taken points in their last four games, going 3-0-1 over that span. Rockford boasts a stellar special teams resume heading into their game against the Rampage with the fifth-best powerplay unit in the AHL with a 29.6-percent success rate, and the tenth-best penalty-killing unit in the league with a 84.0-percent successful kill-rate.

The IceHogs are paced in scoring by both Tyler Sikura and Dylan Sikura, both with a team-high six points in the first six games of the year. Tyler Sikura leads the team in goals with four, while Dylan Sikura leads the team in assists with five. Not far behind the Sikura’s in scoring with five points is Jordan Schroeder while three IceHogs are tied for third on the team in scoring with four points each.

San Antonio Rampage Report

The Rampage come to town having lost six of their first seven games this year, riding a six-game losing streak after winning their opening night game against the Grand Rapids Griffins. On Tuesday night, the Rampage were shutout in Milwaukee against the Milwaukee Admirals, 3-0. San Antonio is playing their fourth straight road game coming into Wednesday night’s contest, and fourth game in six days.

The Rampage had Jordan Binnington in net against the Admirals on Tuesday night, making 38 saves on 41 shots faced, so it is expected that San Antonio’s Ville Husso will be starting for Wednesday night’s game. Husso made five starts for the Rampage this season with a 1-4-0 record, 3.24 GAA and a 0.893 save-percentage.

San Antonio is paced in scoring by Brian Flynn with three points this season, all assists. Ten other players are behind Flynn in scoring, all tied with two points each. On special teams, as a 1-6-0 record and a -9 goal differential would assume, the Rampage rank 28th in the AHL on the powerplay with an 11.5-percent success rate. While the powerplay lacks for San Antonio, their penalty-killing unit ranks eighth in the league with an 84.6-percent kill-rate.

Puck drop for Wednesday night’s contest is scheduled for 7:00p pm CT at the BMO Harris Bank Center in Rockford.

The post Rockford IceHogs Prepare For San Antonio Rampage appeared first on The Rink.

Rockford IceHogs Take 3 Of 4 Points On The Road

The two games against the Roadrunners marked the first times in AHL history that the Rockford IceHogs had ever faced Tucson. The first two of four meetings against the Roadrunners this season, Rockford was able to come away with three of a possible four points in the standings with a 4-3 overtime loss on Friday night and a 5-3 win on Saturday night.

Kevin Lankinen got the start for Friday night’s contest, looking to rebound from his first AHL start with the IceHogs this season on opening night. Lankinen would make 15 saves on 19 shots faced in the 4-3 overtime loss, leaving him still looking for his first win.

Lankinen was able to help the IceHogs hold off an early onslaught from the Roadrunners that saw them out to a 3-0 lead at the mid-way point of the game. Thanks to three unanswered goals from Tyler Sikura, Anthony Louis, and Jordan Schroeder, the IceHogs forced overtime at 3-3. But, with less than 30 seconds to play in the extra frame, the Roadrunners got the game-winner from Conor Garland for the 4-3 victory.

Collin Delia is all smiles for the Rockford IceHogs. (Courtesy: Kate Dibildox)

On Saturday night, the IceHogs would turn to Collin Delia in net for the second of the back-to-back contests. While Lankinen only faced 19 shots on Friday, Delia would face a healthy 38 shots from Tucson. Making 35 saves on those 38 shots faced, Delia was able to backstop the IceHogs to a 5-3 win over the Roadrunners, good for his third-straight win in net for a 3-1-0 record.

Behind multi-point efforts from Dylan Sikura (2 A), Terry Broadhurst (G, A), Carl Dahlstrom (3 A), and a returning Luke Johnson (G, A), the IceHogs were able to put home five goals for the 5-3 win. Other goals coming from Tyler SIkura, Jordan Schroeder, and Anthony Louis helped Rockford, for the third time this season, put up five goals in a game. It also marked the fourth-straight game where the IceHogs have scored three of more goals in a game.

Through six games this year, Rockford sits at 3-2-1 with seven points in the standings, good for fifth in the AHL Central Division standings based on points-percentage (yep, still doing that).

Luke Johnson Returns To IceHogs

It was announced on Thursday, that with the return of Corey Crawford to health for the Chicago Blackhawks, Luke Johnson would be returning to the Rockford IceHogs. Johns made the Blackhawks roster out of training camp after an impressive Summer program in Chicago. Playing on the fourth-line, Johnson skated in three games for Chicago but failed to tally his first NHL point. He was a healthy-scratch for a handful of games before being re-assigned to the IceHogs on Thursday.

In his return to the IceHogs, Johnson played in both games over the weekend against the Roadrunners and notched his first two points of the season. Going without a point on Friday night in the overtime loss, Johnson got the IceHogs on the board in the first period of Saturday night’s game and added an assist on Terry Broadhurst’s powerplay goal later in the third period.

Johnson ranked fourth in scoring from last season (among returning IceHogs) with 30 points in 73 games. The IceHogs will enjoy having Johnson back in the lineup, adding to their forwards group as a whole with Johnson being able to play on both the powerplay and penalty-kill units for Rockford.

Feel The Power

Speaking of the powerplay and penalty-kill units, the IceHogs had quite an eventful weekend from their special teams units. Going 5-for-12 on the man-advantage against the Roadrunners (2-for-6 on Friday, 3-for-6 on Saturday), the IceHogs’ powerplay improved to a silky 29.6-percent on the season. Their 8-for-27 start to the season on the powerplay gives the IceHogs the fourth-best unit in the AHL, tied with the Dallas Stars.

Anthony Louis of the Rockford IceHogs. (Courtesy: Kate Dibildox)

As for the penalty-kill, the IceHogs were able to go 10-for-13 on the disadvantage over the weekend in Tucson (5-for-7 on Friday, 5-for-6 on Saturday) and run their penalty-kill percentage to 84.0-percent. Rockford’s 21-for-25 kill-rate to start the season is good enough for the ninth-best in the AHL.

Sikura, Sikura!

Also helping power the IceHogs over the weekend and so far through the first six games of the year, the Sikura Brothers have been pacing the Rockford offense in scoring and are a major reason behind their solid start to the year.

Dylan Sikura had his three-game point streak snapped in Friday night’s overtime loss, but was able to get back on the horse on Saturday night with a two-assist night, giving him a goal and five assists to begin the year on a point-per-game pace.

Tyler Sikura entered the weekend also on a three-game point streak and thanks to goals on both Friday night and Saturday night, his point-streak now sits at five games and is also at a point-per-game pace. Tyler leads the team in goals with four so far this year and both Sikura Brothers lead the IceHogs in scoring with six points each.

Anton Forsberg Placed On Waivers

On Monday afternoon, the Chicago Blackhawks placed goaltender Anton Forsberg on waivers. If he is to clear waivers, Forsberg will be sent to the Rockford IceHogs.

https://twitter.com/FriedgeHNIC/status/1054403090911117312

After Corey Crawford’s return to health, the Blackhawks were left with three goalies on their roster with Forsberg, Crawford, and Cam Ward. Having yet to get into a game this season for Chicago, Forsberg will factor into the IceHogs’ goalie-rotation, if he is to clear waivers by Tuesday afternoon. If that happens, the IceHogs will then be the team with three goalies on their roster and would subsequently cause another goalie re-assignment, most likely being Lankinen to the Indy Fuel of the ECHL.

What’s Next?

The IceHogs return to Rockford on Wednesday night as they play host to the San Antonio Rampage at the BMO Harris Bank Center. Puck drop for Wednesday night is scheduled for 7:00 pm CT. After the mid-week clash, the IceHogs have a weekend back-to-back home stand against the Cleveland Monsters on Saturday and Manitoba Moose on Sunday. Saturday’s puck drop is scheduled for 6:00 pm CT and Sunday’s is set for 4:00pm CT.

The post Rockford IceHogs Take 3 Of 4 Points From Roadrunners appeared first on The Rink.

Rockford IceHogs Head West To Face Tucson

Friday night in Tucson marks a historical night for the IceHogs and Roadrunners as it will be the first meeting between the teams in AHL history. Rockford is coming off of winning back-to-back games last weekend over the Hershey Bears and Texas Stars behind solid goaltending from Collin Delia. After scoring just three goals combined in the first two games of the season, the IceHogs bounced back to score five goals in both games last weekend. Delia won both games at home, stopping 70 of 75 shots faced over last weekend.

The Rockford IceHogs celebrate a victory. (Courtesy: Rockford IceHogs)

Rockford comes into the weekend with a 2-2-0 record, good for four points in the standings and sit in fifth-place in the newly expanded AHL Central Division. The IceHogs’ special teams units are off to a good start with the powerplay ranking 16th in the AHL with a 20.0-percent success rate (3-for-15) and riding a three-game powerplay goal streak. On the penalty-kill, Rockford ranks tied for third in the AHL with a 91.7-percent successful kill-rate (11-for-12) and has not conceded a goal short-handed in back-to-back games.

Tucson Roadrunners Report

The Roadrunners come into the weekend without a loss in regulation through the first four games of the season. A three-game winning streak to begin the year was stopped with a shootout loss to the San Jose Barracuda on Monday night in San Jose. The Roadrunners are paced in scoring by defenseman Dakota Mermis and Adam Helewka, both with four points through the first four games of the year. Helewka’s four points have all come from goals, with tallies in back-to-back games heading into the weekend set.

The weekend will also see former IceHogs forward Laurent Dauphin face his former team. Dauphin has three points in four games to begin the year with Tucson.

Tucson has been lacking in the special teams departments to begin the year with the 26th ranked powerplay in the AHL with an 8.7-percent success rate (2-for-23) and a short-handed goal against. Tucson holds the league’s 22nd ranked penalty-kill unit with a 75-percent successful kill-rate (9-for-12).

In net, the Roadrunners have split their four games between second-year pro Hunter Miska and fourht-year pro Adin Hill. Miska is 1-0-1 in his two starts, making 76 saves on 80 shots faced while Hill is 2-0-0 with 41 saves on 46 shots faced.

Sikura Brothers Leading The Way

While the IceHogs got off to a slow start, the bounce back last weekend was powered by the newly reunited Sikura borthers. Both Tyler Sikura and Dylan Sikura tallied points in both win last weekend and both carry three-game point streaks heading into the weekend against the Roadrunners.

You have to call me Dragon.

…You have to call me Nighthawk. pic.twitter.com/AMMEHmCSut

— Rockford IceHogs (@goicehogs) October 3, 2018

The IceHogs are led in scoring by Tyler and Dylan, both with four points each to start the year. If the IceHogs are to continue their success, the Sikura brothers keeping up the production is going to be a key factor. Playing on the same line routinely, Tyler and Dylan have connected a number of chances this season, converting twice with Dylan setting up Tyler for both of his goals this year.

Luke Johnson Returns To Rockford

The IceHogs should have a bit of an offensive boost welcomed back into the lineup as the Chicago Blackhawks reassigned forward Luke Johnson to Rockford as a result of Corey Crawford returning to health and the NHL roster.

Luke Johnson is being assigned to the IceHogs to create a roster spot for Corey Crawford.

— Scott Powers (@ByScottPowers) October 18, 2018

Johnson played in three games for the Blackhawks before being a healthy-scratch in the last two games before being sent to Rockford. Johnson recorded no points in his first 3 NHL games, but returns to Rockford where he tallied 30 points in 73 games last season.

Both Friday night and Saturday night puck drops between the Roadrunners and IceHogs are scheduled for 7:05pm MT/ 8:05 pm CT.

The post Rockford IceHogs Face Double-Header Against Roadrunners appeared first on The Rink.

Rockford IceHogs Open BMO Harris Bank Center With Win Over Stars

Opening the BMO Harris Bank Center on Saturday night, the Rockford IceHogs played hosts to the Texas Stars in a rematch of the Calder Cup Western Conference Finals last season, where the Stars eliminated the IceHogs in Six games to advance to the Calder Cup Finals. It was also a welcoming game for the Stars to the Central Division after spending the last three seasons since the AHL moved to a four division format in the Pacific Division.

It wouldn’t take long for the IceHogs to begin their search for revenge as the Sikura brothers got Rockford on the board early for the game’s opening goal. Tyler Sikura was able to bang in a rebound off his brother Dylan Sikura‘s shot from the right circle and the IceHogs took a 1-0 lead. The lead wouldn’t last long, though, as the Stars would tie the game on a goal from James Phelan and then with less than a minute to play, a miscommunication led to the Stars getting a goal from Denis Gurianov to end the period 2-1 for Texas.

The middle frame would see Henrik Samuelsson net his first goal of the season, a rebound chance to tie the game at 2-2 less than two and a half minutes into the period. The Stars would once again answer the bell mid-way through the period as Justin Dowling would re-direct a shot from the blue-line past Collin Delia to give the Stars the lead at 3-2 heading to the third period.

Rockford would again tie the game in the third period as Matheson Iacopelli buried the cross-ice feed from Graham Knott to make it 3-3, mid-way through the final period. Not long after that, the IceHogs found the lead for good as Dylan Sikura would score his first goal of the season to give Rockford the 4-3 lead on a 3-on-3 rush. Darren Raddysh would add the empty-net insurance goal and the IceHogs come away winners over the Stars 5-3.

Postgame Reaction

Tyler Sikura

Dylan Sikura

Collin Delia gets his first win of the season, stopping 34 of 37 shots faced, earning the first-star of the night honors in the win. The IceHogs killed off both powerplays they faced against the Stars and scored on one of their six powerplay chances for.

Rockford IceHogs Route Hershey Bears

The celebration for the first win of the season wouldn’t last long for the IceHogs. After getting the 5-3 win on Saturday night, Rockford played host again on Sunday, this time hosting the Hershey Bears for an afternoon puck drop.

Much like Saturday’s contest, the IceHogs would get on the board early as Tyler Sikura, Henrik Samuelsson, and Anthony Louis teamed up for a great tic-tac-toe goal on the rush with Louis finishing it off for his first goal of the season. With the assist, Tyler Sikura hits a three-game point streak early on this season. The lead wouldn’t survive the period, though, as the Bears would tie the game on a Tyler Lewington shot from the blue-line that found its way by Collin Delia.

The game would enter the second period at 1-1, until the IceHogs capitalized on a powerplay opportunity with Dylan Sikura setting up Jordan Schroeder with a cross-ice pass that Schroeder put home for the 2-1 lead. Schroeder’s first goal of the season and Dylan Sikura’s third assist of the season, putting both Sikura brothers on three-game point-streaks. The Bears would answer back in the second period, a game-tying goal coming from Liam O’Brien on a quick turnaround shot to knot it up at 2-2, seven minutes into the period. But just over 90 seconds later, Graham Knott would find a rebound and get his first goal of the season to give Rockford the lead for good as they headed to the third period.

In the final frame, the IceHogs extended their lead to 4-2, thanks to a goal from Terry Broadhurst coming from a great feed from Jordan Schroeder for Broadhurst’s first goal with the IceHogs in his return this season. Broadhurst played previously with the IceHogs from 2012-2014. Matthew Highmore would add an empty-net goal late in the period to give the IceHogs the 5-2 win on Sunday.

Postgame Reaction

Head Coach Jeremy Colliton

Terry Broadhurst

Jordan Schroeder

Collin Delia, in back-to-back starts, earns his second win of the season with another 30+ save performance. Delia stopped 36 of 38 shots faced to rebound from his 21 of 26 first start of the season and improve his save-percentage to .906 after three games. The IceHogs were a perfect 3-for-3 on their penalty kills and scored on one of their four powerplay opportunities.

What’s Next?

The Rockford IceHogs are back on the road next weekend as they travel Southwest to Arizona to take on the Tucson Roadrunners. The IceHogs and Roadrunners square-off in back-to-back games on Saturday and Sunday, with both puck drops scheduled for 8:05 pm CT.

The post Rockford IceHogs Sweep Home-Opening Weekend appeared first on The Rink.

Over the weekend, the IceHogs opened their 2018-19 campaign with back-to-back losses to the Cleveland Monsters on Friday and Saturday. Friday night’s contest, the season-opening game for the IceHogs, ended 4-1 in favor of the Monsters. The quick turnaround to Saturday afternoon also fell in favor of the Monster, 5-2.

Rockford starts the season 0-2-0 for the third time in the last seven years, dating back to the opening of the 2012-13 season.

Rockford IceHogs Sluggish Against Monsters Over Opening Weekend

While the outcomes of both weekend matchups were not what the Rockford IceHogs would have wanted, there were some small positives to take away from the opening weekend.

First, the IceHogs were able to get the opening goal in both games. On Friday, it was last season’s goal-scoring leader Matthew Highmore opening the AHL season by finishing off a tic-tac-toe goal setup by Luc Snuggerud and Victor Ejdsell. The Monsters would go on to put four unanswered behind starter Kevin Lankinen to get the win on Friday with former IceHogs goaltender J.F.Berube in net for the Monsters..

Saturday afternoon started off well again for the IceHogs. The Sikura brothers connected for the opening tally in the first period for Rockford to give them the early 1-0 lead. See the below tweet from the Rockford IceHogs twitter account on how rare the Dylan Sikura to Tyler Sikura goal connection was:

Fun fact: before Friday, the Sikura brothers hadn't played organized hockey together since high school junior varsity, making this the first time in the brothers' professional careers that they have connected for a goal. https://t.co/wclDwIynYK

— Rockford IceHogs (@goicehogs) October 6, 2018

The goal also marked the first AHL point for Dylan Sikura in his professional career. Much like Friday night, the Monsters would go on to score multiple unanswered goals, five to be exact, behind starter Collin Delia. The bleeding would be stopped by Lucas Carlsson mid-way through the third period of Saturday afternoon’s game as he scored his first goal of his AHL career. Carlsson took a cross-ice feed from Jordan Schroeder and ripped a slap-shot past Brad Thiessen.

The other positive from the weekend was the work of the IceHogs’ special teams units. For the weekend as a whole, Rockford killed six of seven penalties against them, allowing one powerplay goal to Eric Robinson in Saturday’s contest, and the Sikura brothers tally coming on the powerplay to give Rockford a one-for-five weekend on the man-advantage.

This weekend’s slow start is hopefully behind the IceHogs as they move into the second week of the season, and can possibly be traced back to the team needing to find their game-speed legs, having not played a preseason game this Summer. The current roster is too talented for what was on the ice over the weekend to be the REAL IceHogs.

What’s Next?

The Rockford IceHogs look to get their first game in the ‘Win’ Column this upcoming weekend as they take on the Texas Stars and Hershey Bears in a weekend back-to-back slate. Saturday night is opening night for the BMO Harris Bank Center when the IceHogs face the team that eliminated them from the 2018 Calder Cup Playoffs, the Texas Stars. Puck drop is at 6pm CT.

After taking on the Stars, the IceHogs turn around and host the Hershey Bears for a Sunday afternoon home game. Puck drop is scheduled for 4pm CT in Rockford.

The post Rockford IceHogs Drop Weekend Set Against Monsters appeared first on The Rink.

Rockford IceHogs Look To Build Off Successful 2017-18

Last year did not end the way the IceHogs would have wanted to, losing in Game Six of the Calder Cup Western Conference Finals against the Texas Stars. But, the changes in the coaching staff and roster turnover from 2016-17 to 2017-18 took Rockford from the bottom of the Central Division to the AHL’s version of the Final Four.

The Rockford IceHogs celebrate their overtime win over the Texas Stars in Game Four of the Western Conference Finals. (Courtesy: Rockford IceHogs)

Not Bad.

Now second-year Head Coach Jeremy Colliton is tasked with living up to the expectations that last year’s team set. While the departures of high-production players like Cody Franson, Chris DiDomenico, Adam Clendening, and veteran net-minder Jeff Glass left holes in the Rockford lineup, this year’s squad has more than enough talent to fill the gaps and then some.

Meet The IceHogs

Earlier this summer, The-Rink came out with a WAY TOO EARLY IceHogs roster prediction for what the 2018-19 roster would look like in Rockford. It was pretty close to what the team will look like when they take the ice Friday night in Cleveland against the Monsters.

My Predictions (from July 24):

Forwards

• Tyler Sikura
• Anthony Louis
• Luke Johnson 
• Andreas Martinsen
• Nathan Noel
• Henrik Samuelsson
• Graham Knott
• William Pelletier
• Matheson Iacopelli
• Jacob Nilsson
• Alexandre Fortin
• Matthew Highmore
• Jordan Schroeder

Defensemen/Goalies

• Carl Dahlstrom
• Blake Hillman
• Dennis Gilbert
• Lucas Carlsson
• Joni Tuulola
• Darren Raddysh
• Andrew Campbell
• Collin Delia
• Kevin Lankinen

Rockford IceHogs 2018-19 Season Opening Forwards

Rockford IceHogs 2018-19 Season Opening Defensemen and Goalies

Roster Breakdown

A few wrong guesses in there with Luke Johnson and Andreas Martinsen making the Chicago Blackhawks roster out of training camp, but those players are off-set by the addition of Victor Ejdsell and Dylan Sikura to the IceHogs lineup.

Ejdsell and Sikura were penciled into the Blackhawks’ top-nine forwards rotation by most to begin the summer. Both had a small sample size of NHL action with the Blackhawks last Spring and Ejdsell made a name for himself within the organization with his play in the Calder Cup Playoffs. Both ended up not impressing the Blackhawks staff enough during their play this Summer and find themselves as top priorities in Rockford this season.

Needless to say, having Dylan Sikura join his brother Tyler Sikura to begin the year will be a treat.

You have to call me Dragon.

…You have to call me Nighthawk. pic.twitter.com/AMMEHmCSut

— Rockford IceHogs (@goicehogs) October 3, 2018

The IceHogs ended up having 14 rookies make their professional hockey debuts last season and each one of them returns to this year’s opening roster. The second-year “veterans” are highlighted by the return of last season’s points leader in Anthony Louis (who cut his hair, by the way), last season’s top two goal-scoring leaders in Matthew Highmore (24G) and Tyler Sikura (23G), and last season’s breakout goaltender and Rockford IceHogs ‘Man of The Year’ recipient, Collin Delia.

With the second-year players coming back, the IceHogs roster would already be in great shape to contend in the Central Division again in 2018-19, but Rockford is benefiting from another high-caliber first year professional group of player coming in this season. Highlighted by Jacob Nilsson, Blake Hillman, Dennis Gilbert, Joni Tuulola, and goaltender Kevin Lankinen, the IceHogs rookie class looks to live up to the production standards set by the 2017-18 group.

Matthew Highmore of the Rockford IceHogs. (Courtesy: Todd Reicher)

Additionally, the IceHogs added a number of true veterans to the roster this season. On defense, Rockford welcomes 10-year pro Andrew Campbell to the team with 9-year pro Jordan Schroeder and 6-year pro Terry Broadhurst joining the forwards group.

Campbell is the most seasoned veteran player on the Rockford roster coming into this season with 42 NHL games and 655 AHL games under his belt. Campbell has been named a Captain for three different AHL teams in his career, most recently serving as the Tucson Roadrunners Captain last season. Schroeder joins the IceHogs with 165 games of NHL experience and 340 AHL games played in his career, scoring 88 points in his last 113 AHL games over the last three years.

Orland Park native Terry Broadhurst returns to the IceHogs after playing 112 games with Rockford from 2012-2014. Broadhurst has 219 games of AHL experience, finishing second in scoring with the Cleveland Monsters last season with 41 points in 66 games.

What’s Next?

WHAT’s NEXT, YOU ASK? HOCKEY!

The Rockford IceHogs open the 2018-19 regular season on Friday night as they take on the Cleveland Monsters in Cleveland. Puck drop is set for 7pm ET/6pm CT. They follow-up Friday night’s game with a Saturday afternoon contest again the same Cleveland Monsters in Cleveland, puck drop will be 1pm ET/12pm CT.

After the road back-to-back, the IceHogs return home and take on Texas Stars on Saturday, October 13 at the BMO Harris Bank Center. Home opening puck drop will be 6pm CT in Rockford.

Happy Hockey Season!

The post Rockford IceHogs 2018-19 Season Preview appeared first on The Rink.

Blackhawks Fall To Senators As Growing Pains Show Through

By all means, the game started just as the Chicago Blackhawks would want a game to start. After killing off an early penalty, the Blackhawks found themselves on the man-advantage thanks to a hooking penalty on Zack Smith against Jonathan Toews. Although nothing would come of the powerplay chance, Chicago built momentum in their own zone and it would eventually lead to Toews banging in a goal off a great cross-crease pass from Alex DeBrincat, giving Chicago the early 1-0 lead. Chicago would continue to own the first period, leading in shots on goal after 20 minutes of play, 10-4.

Third goal of the preseason for Jonathan Toews. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/Fy7SRmD38J

— Eric Lear (@EricLear312) September 28, 2018

The Second period started the exact opposite way the first had ended. Chicago finished the first period with all the momentum, but the Senators quickly changed the way the game would trend as Matt Duchene made the Blackhawks pay on a poor read from defenseman Henri Jokiharju, and buried a goal from right in front of Anton Forsberg to tie the game at 1-1 just seconds into the middle frame.

Duchene gets the #Sens on the board. #GoSensGo pic.twitter.com/01OqQjvDz9

— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) September 28, 2018

There might be a lot of instances this season where Henri Jokiharju is going to show just as much promise as he is growing pains. This was a growing pains moment.

As the puck travels to the boards behind Forsberg, Jokiharju and Ryan Dzingel go to play the puck. Jokiharju makes the decision to play Dzingel, rather than making a play to retrieve the puck first. Dzingel avoids the physical play by Jokiharju and allows a trailing Bobby Ryan to gather then puck behind the net and find a wide open Duchene in the slot.

Ideally, you don’t want to end up with a play having Matt Duchene open in the slot, it usually ends up with your goalie scooping the puck from his net.

The physicality ramped up in the second period as well, with a few scrums after the play, the chipy-ness of the game started to show as scoring chances became limited and if either team was going to pull away, they’d have to work for it.

Or get a fortunate bounce.

Which is exactly what the Senators benefited from early on in the third period.

Max Lajoie with a nice move in the neutral zone before beating everyone to pick up the dump in, eventually leading to Max McCormick's 1st of the preseason. pic.twitter.com/Gq6LHIqBMC

— Sens Prospects (@SensProspects) September 28, 2018

A seemingly simple chip-and-chase play comes up as the eventual game-winning goal for the Senators. Max McCormick dumps the puck into the corner behind Forsberg with Duncan Keith and Henri Jokiharju giving chase. McCormick and Max Lajoie both out-rush Keith and Jokiharju to the puck and McCormick feeds the puck out to Dylan DeMelo at the blue-line. DeMelo’s slap-shot goes wide of Forsberg’s glove, but bounces off the boards right to the stick of McCormick and he is able to put it behind Forsberg and give the Senators a 2-1 advantage.

The Blackhawks had their chances in this game, albeit too many from perimeter shots, but they didn’t do enough to build off their first period output to get a win over the Senators. Chicago was 0-5 on powerplay chances and their 1-3-1 format still needs work.

Again, on the powerplay, the shots from the perimeter are not going to work if the built-in traffic in front of the net cannot produce a proper screen in front of the goalie. Simply said, Chicago will need to get shots in the high-danger zones.

#Blackhawks shot attempts: 49 (32 at 5-on-5, 28 on goal total).

Senators shot attempts: 52 (41 at 5-on-5, 23 on goal total).

5-on-5 scoring chances: 17-15 Ottawa. Heat map: pic.twitter.com/pSMzvV7Jkd

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) September 28, 2018

In net, Anton Forsberg looked as good as he’s looked this preseason. Obviously coming away with a loss isn’t fun, but the two goals he allowed are somewhat forgivable, given the fact that one was a fortunate bounce for the Senators and the other came from Matt Duchene being left open in the slot. Forsberg made 21 saves on 23 shots in total. A breath of fresh air from Cam Ward’s start against the Red Wings.

Quenneville wasn't happy about tonight. "I was looking for better than tonight. It was a decent first period. When I say decent, not great. But at least we didn’t give up much. Second period was tough and the third period was tougher."

— Scott Powers (@ByScottPowers) September 28, 2018

Duncan Keith led the Blackhawks in ice-time with 24:22 minutes played, while Jonathan Toews led all Blackhawks forwards in ice-time with 20:11 minutes played. Reminder that Patrick Kane was not in the lineup against the Senators on Thursday night.

In a game where most players “on the bubble” of the training camp cut-line are supposed to sink or swim, the Blackhawks got decent showings from players like Andreas Martinsen, John Hayden, and Luke Johnson against the Senators, but the work from Dylan Sikura still leaves room for more development. Playing in 11:28 minutes of ice-time, Sikura was given an opportunity to play in Kane’s position on the powerplay early in the game, but was eventually replaced and even pushed to the fourth-line late in the game in favor of Hayden.

Q said John Hayden was one positive on a night that didn't feature many of them.

"We didn’t give up many chances but I think our puck possession, passing and movement and pace to our game was nowhere near the level we need." #Blackhawks

— Tracey Myers (@Tramyers_NHL) September 28, 2018

With the Blackhawks still looking to make a handful of cuts before the season begins, Sikura could be the odd-man out after looking like a lock at the beginning of camp.

Dylan Sikura very much wants to stay in Chicago, but he knows Rockford isn't the end of the world. "There’s positives to both. You see a guy like Vinnie go down and obviously light it up down in the 'A' and come back up and sign a nice contract."

— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) September 28, 2018

The Blackhawks close the book on the preseason on Saturday night as they host the Columbus Blue Jackets at the United Center. Puck drop for Saturday’s game is slated for 7:00pm Central Time. Chicago opened their preseason with a 4-1 loss to the Blue Jackets on September 18, but will have a nearly 100-percent different roster on Saturday, compared to the preseason opener.

After that, the Blackhawks regular season begins October 4 against these very same Ottawa Senators, in Ottawa.

It’s almost October, folks.

The post Preseason Recap: Blackhawks Fall To Senators, 2-1 appeared first on The Rink.

The NHL can be an intimidating place for young players, especially those who aren’t physically gifted.  Most bodies are above six feet and weigh in over 200 pounds, but size doesn’t necessarily win you games anymore.  As the NHL continues to evolve into a speed and precision game, smaller and faster players are being introduced into roles that they would have never have been considered for in the past.

This time last season, Blackhawks rookie Alex DeBrincat had just finished his last season with the Erie Otters in the Ontario Hockey League and was looking to make some noise in training camp.  He had just scored over 100 points in his third consecutive season in the OHL, but doubters warned that his lack of size and his junior-level stats don’t always translate to the pros.  But DeBrincat set his goal at making the Chicago Blackhawks and he did just that.  Alex played all 82 games with the Hawks last year and scored 52 points in a breakout season.  Now as a 20-year old NHL forward, DeBrincat has come into the 2018-19 season bigger and ready for an encore.

Another player ready to contribute in Chicago could be Northeastern University alum Dylan Sikura.  Sikura is another small forward that plays with a lot of skill.  He emerged at Northeastern during his junior year and received a nomination for the Hobey Baker Award after his senior year.  Known for his playmaking ability and vision on the ice, Sikura is a dynamic forward that brings a lot of experience to the Blackhawks.

Sikura got a taste of the NHL playing five games at the end of last season scoring three assists.  There are a few reasons why Sikura will be successful on the Hawks starting with his poise.  Patience takes time and development for young players, but it seems like Sikura already has a knack for letting the play develop.  We see this often with Patrick Kane who is comfortable with the puck on his stick.  He lets the rush flush out, then he sends a laser pass to the open man for a quality shot.  Sikura can provide that kind of playmaking as well as a good shot.  He mentioned working on being more aggressive at this year’s training camp, a quality the Hawks need out of a lot of young players.

Dylan Sikura was one of two multi-goal scorers in Saturday’s Training Camp Festival scrimmage. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/erLK7xs2jy

— Eric Lear (@BHTVeric) September 15, 2018

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It’s unlikely that Sikura will stay up in Chicago for all 82 games like DeBrincat, but having some time in Rockford with coach Jeremy Colliton might not be a bad thing.  Instead of playing bottom six minutes, Sikura will be able to get powerplay time and play with some great up-and-coming talent.  Matthew Highmore, Anthony Louis, and Alexander Fortin are all guys who may be in Rockford who can teach Sikura a lot about being a pro.

Overall, it’s an interesting time to be a young player in the Blackhawks organization.  As much as they won’t admit it, the Hawks are going through a transition and change is coming.  It’s not clear whether the rebuild is on or if they are gearing up for one last playoff push, but the opportunities are up for grabs.  It would be pretty impressive for GM Stan Bowman to add two players under 25 into his top six, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.  And to be truthful, if Sikura even added 40 points to this season’s Blackhawks, he would cement a spot on the roster and eventually warrant a pro contract.  Let’s hope for the best.

The post Blackhawks’ Dylan Sikura Can Have a DeBrincat-Like Rookie Season appeared first on The Rink.

Last season, the term “youth-movement” emerged in the offseason and translated through the summer and into the season with players like Nick Schmaltz and Alex DeBrincat making names for themselves with the organization. This year, the “youth-movement” may yet again be a common theme throughout the Chicago Blackhawks and Rockford IceHogs organizations.

Questions surround the NHL club at every position and the Traverse City Rookie Tournament will give the team and the Blackhawks fan community a chance to see what the future holds. Heading into tomorrow’s opening day, here a some players and storylines to watch for at the Rookie Tournament.

Chicago Blackhawks Rookie Tournament: Players To Watch

Last Summer’s Rookie Tournament was headlined by a number of players who would eventually make their NHL debuts last season including Matthew Highmore, David Kampf, Carl Dahlstrom, and Collin Delia. But no other player had as much attention on him as Alex DeBrincat did. He finally had the summer showcase that prospect camp was supposed to be and went on to have one of the best Blackhawks rookie seasons since Patrick Kane won the Calder Trophy in 2008.

This Summer, the Blackhawks rookie roster is loaded on defense with high-end draft picks looking to showcase the future of the organization’s blue-line, as well as a number of forwards who will be looking to crack into Chicago’s regular lineup.

Forwards

• Dylan Sikura – RW/C (23, 5-11, 160lb) – 2014 6th Round Pick (CHI #178)
  • Sikura was a highly touted NCAA prospect coming out of Northeastern last season. A late-bloomer in the Chicago system, Sikura made his way to the Blackhawks late last season and showed promise in a Top-9 role. Although a small sample size, Sikura looks to be the most promising forward prospect that the Blackhawks have heading into the 2018-19 season. Look for him to be a focal point offensively in Traverse City.
• Victor Ejdsell – LW/RW (23, 6-5, 215lb) – Acquired via Trade (NSH)
  • Acquired as part of the Ryan Hartman trade with the Nashville Predators, Ejdsell made a quick name for himself within the organization as part of the Rockford IceHogs late last season. Again, a small sample size of work, but Ejdsell showed that he can shoot the puck at a high-level and knows how to use his size to his advantage. A key factor in the IceHogs’ run in the Calder Cup Playoffs, Ejdsell will be a key forward in Traverse City and could play his way into the Blackhawks regular lineup with a solid showing and training camp.
• Dominik Kahun – C/LW (23, 5-11, 175lb) – Acquired via International Signing
  • Kahun is an interesting project for the Blackhawks organization. Signing a contract after an impressive showing during the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang with the German National Team, Kahun comes into the summer as one of many player sitting on the NHL/AHL fence for the organization. In four seasons with EHC München in the DEL (Germany), Kahun has racked up 111 points in 157 games and skated in 18 games with Germany at the Olympics and World Championships last season, tallying 12 points. A two-way style center, Kahun could be a surprise for the Blackhawks this season as the depth at Center is thin behind Jonathan Toews.
• Alexandre Fortin – LW/C (21, 6-0, 175lb) – Acquired via Undrafted Signing
  • It seems like a long time ago that Fortin was the summer darling of the Blackhawks organization. Signing as an undrafted free agent, Fortin made a huge splash two summers ago and was nearly on the Blackhawks roster to begin the 2016-17 season. But now, after a full season with the Rockford IceHogs last year that saw him deal with injuries, and the luster has washed away a bit from him. Still young and still having a considerable upside to his game, Fortin will be a ‘veteran’ on the Traverse City roster and could be a dark horse to make the Chicago lineup with an overly impressive showing.
• MacKenzie Entwistle – RW/C (19, 6-3, 175lb) – Acquired via Trade (ARI)
  • Another player that came to the Blackhawks by trade this season, Entwistle is a largely unknown commodity to the organization. A 3rd round pick by the Arizona Coyotes in 2017, Entwistle is coming off his second season in the OHL with the Hamilton Bulldogs which saw him skate in 49 games and tally 38 points during the regular season and 21 OHL playoff games with 17 points racked up. Entwistle has a large frame at 6-foot-3 and 175-pounds at the age of 19, but his game still needs refining. Keep an eye out for him to be the player to lay a big hit in the Traverse City tournament and hopefully give the organization the idea to play Entwistle in Rockford once Hamilton’s season ends this Spring.

The future

Hillman and Sikura putting in work pic.twitter.com/T2fkyIABUe

— Rockford IceHogs (@goicehogs) September 6, 2018

Defense

• Adam Boqvist – RHD (18, 5-11, 170lb) – 2018 1st Round Pick (CHI #8)
  • It’s only a matter of time before the Chicago Blackhawks fan community will be introduced to the “Adam Boqvist Era.” The highest selected player for the Blackhawks since Patrick Kane went 1st overall in 2007, Boqvist has been referred to as the next Erik Karlsson in the NHL. A fast, puck-moving defenseman who is not afraid to jump into the offensive zone and produce points, Boqvist will be the highlight of the Traverse City tournament for the Blackhawks. His first real North American showcase comes at the Rookie Tournament and watch for him to make a play or two that will definitely jump off the page. Playing with the London Knights in the OHL this year, the Blackhawks organization will be able to keep an eye on his development and could bring him into the fold in Chicago or Rockford once the season ends for him with London.
• Nicolas Beaudin – LHD (18, 5-11, 175lb) – 2018 1st Round Pick (CHI #27)
  • Not to be out-done by his fellow 2018 1st round draft pick in Boqvist, but Beaudin is no slouch on the blue-line himself. Much like Boqvist ahead of him, Beaudin is a small-bodied, mobile, puck-moving defenseman that can drive the offense. Playing with the Drummondville Voltigeurs in the QMJHL, Beaudin looks to build on his breakout second season last year in which he tallied 69 points in 68 games played in the regular season and 11 points in 10 QMJHL playoff games. There is a very real chance that Beaudin and Boqvist could make-up the Blackhawks top defensive pair in the near future and that should excite the Blackhawks fan community.
• Henri Jokiharju – RHD (19, 6-0, 180lb) – 2017 1st Round Pick (CHI #29)
  • Who else might be the next best top-pairing defenseman for the Blackhawks? Look no further than Jokiharju. Last year’s top draft pick out of Portland of the WHL, Jokiharju may be the most NHL-ready defensive prospect in the Blackhawks system or he may take years to be top-pairing material. While the latter seems to be way less likely, Jokiharju has a lot to show at the Traverse City Tournament. After tallying 71 points in 63 games with the Winterhawks in the WHL, Jokiharju is currently thought to be on the fence between starting the season in the NHL or in Rockford in the AHL. With an impressive showing in Traverse City, followed up by a quality training camp, Jokiharju could very well be in the Chicago Top-6 defensive group on opening night in Ottawa.
• Blake Hillman – LHD (22, 6-1, 180lb) – 2016 6th Round Pick (CHI #173)
  • Another player last season to make his NHL debut with the Blackhawks out of the NCAA, Hillman is coming off of three very productive years with Denver University that saw him play in two Frozen Fours in 2016 and 2017 and win a National Championship with the Pioneers in 2017. Hillman played in a handful of games with Chicago late last Spring and even scored his first NHL goal. A decently sized defenseman, Hillman plays a more stay-at-home style on the blue-line and looks to start the season with the IceHogs, but that could change if he impresses enough in the Traverse City Tournament and in training camp. There is little to say he won’t have a decent look at quality ice-time this preseason to make his mark.
• Joni Tuulola – LHD (22, 6-3, 180lb) 2015 6th Round Pick (CHI #181)
  • Much like Victor Ejdsell did last year, Joni Tuulola joined the Rockford IceHogs late last season for his first taste of Hockey in North America and jumped right into the mix. After his third full season in Liiga (Finland), Tuulola joined the IceHogs late in the regular season and played in just two regular season games before being edged-out of ice-time as the Calder Cup Playoffs began. But, as has been noted by IceHogs head coach Jeremy Colliton, Tuulola continued to impress the coaching staff and played his way into the lineup during the Western Conference Finals for the final three games. Now heading into what will be his first full season in North America, Tuulola will have a chance to be a focal point of the IceHogs’ defensive core and could eventually provide a mobile, large-bodied defensive presence for the Blackhawks one day.

Chicago Blackhawks Rookie Tournament: Storylines

This season is already shaping up to be one of the more intriguing of the last decade, if only for the fact that there are so many unanswered questions heading into the preseason. The Blackhawks did very little to make major improvements to their forwards group, high-end defensive depth, or address the looming question of what their long-term solution would be in net if goaltender Corey Crawford does not return to the level he has played at for the last handful of years.

Heading into the Traverse City Rookie Tournament, the Blackhawks will have an opportunity to showcase a few players that could answer a number of these questions. Here are a few storylines to follow at the Traverse City Rookie Tournament and preseason training camp begin.

Loaded Defensive Depth

As stated before, the Blackhawks did not address their need for HIGH-END defensive depth this offseason. What they did do is back-load themselves with potentially NHL-ready defensive prospects and veteran NHL players who are now on the NHL/AHL fence themselves. Players like Brandon Manning, Brandon Davidson (PTO), and Andrew Campbell joined the Blackhawks this offseason and will be in the mix with Jan Rutta and Erik Gustafsson for the bottom-pairing spots in Chicago.

While it’s more likely that Rutta and Gustafsson are the defacto 5th and 6th defensemen on the Blackhawks roster, players like Manning, Davidson (PTO), and potentially Henri Jokiharju, could all push for NHL ice-time this season. Not to be forgotten is defenseman Gustav Forsling, who will miss the opening month of the season after having wrist surgery over the summer.

The 6th/7th defenseman log-jam that the Blackhawks roster moves created then slides into what the Rockford IceHogs will have to deal with for their defensive core. Last season the IceHogs finished with Forsling, Carl Dahlstrom, Cody Franson, Darren Raddysh, Adam Clendening, Viktor Svedberg, and Luc Snuggerud rotating through the defensive group on a regular basis. Gone are the likes of Franson, Svedberg, and Clendening, and added to the fray are players like Andrew Campbell as mentioned above, and Joni Tuulola, Blake Hillman, Dennis Gilbert, Lucas Carlsson, and potentially Henri Jokiharju. It will be interesting to see how Jeremy Colliton navigates his first-world problem of having too many quality AHL defenders on his roster.

NHL-Ready Forwards?

On the flip-side of the defense, the Blackhawks NHL-depth at forward is thin. Adding veteran winger Chris Kunitz this offseason did little to move the needle on the spectrum of “franchise changing” but it filled one hole in the Chicago Top-12 forward group. Kunitz will play in a bottom-6 role, but questions still loom in the top-9 of the group. Who will play the top-line wing position with Jonathan Toews and Brandon Saad? Will Nick Schmaltz be a reliable second-line option at center? Who fills out the bottom-6 forward positions? All of these are still on the table for discussion by the Blackhawks heading into the preseason and training camp.

The blessing the Blackhawks have is that they at least have a number of decent options to fill the gaps, but those options may not fall under “franchise changing” either.

As mentioned above, players like Victor Ejdsell and Dylan Sikura could more than likely earn themselves opening night roster spots with quality camps and showings in the preseason. Other names in the mix would be John Hayden, David Kampf, and Matthew Highmore. While it may be the most open competition the Blackhawks have this summer, forward depth is going to be hard-stretched to fill for Chicago by only looking in-house.

Options do remain in Rockford as well as players like Anthony Louis, Tyler Sikura, and Luke Johnson could push for NHL ice-time, but the Blackhawks will need strong showings from the forwards group to quell the doubts perceived by the Blackhawks fan community.

Schedule

Here’s the full schedule for the Traverse City Rookie Tournament:

Traverse Cityt2018 Rookie Tournament Schedule

The Blackhawks will look to defend their 2017 tournament championship against the Columbus Blue Jackets, St. Louis Blues, Dallas Stars. Detroit Red Wings, Carolina Hurricanes, Minnesota Wild, and New York Rangers.

The championship game will take place on September 11 between the winners of the Gordie Howe and Ted Lindsay divisions.

The post What To Watch For: Chicago Blackhawks Rookie Tournament appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com host Jeff “Gatekeeper” Osborn is rejoined by co-host John Jaeckel.  Jeff and John return from their respective vacations and then spend a healthy portion of the program answering mailbag questions.

• Gate spends 5 days in Denver, and ALMOST witnesses Collin Delia‘s NHL debut
• John was also on vacation but not as eventful
• The Scott Foster situation (good and bad)
• The Jeff Glass Experience is back from it’s tour of Europe, Scandinavia and the subcontinent.
• A long talk bout Joel Quenneville and Stan Bowman
• Victor Ejdsell, Dylan Sikura and Blake Hillman all make their NHL debuts, as well.
• Possible free agent targets.
• Plenty of reader/listener questions.

Please subscribe, rate this episode, and even write us a review. Reviews will be read on the air.

Also, Please help spread the word to more #RinkRats and visit our sponsor www.PUCKHCKY.com. Use the discount code “THERINK” for 10% off all orders.

The post The Blackhawks Rinkcast – Episode 19 – Mailsack Extravaganza appeared first on The Rink.

7:30PM Central

RADIO/TV: WGN 720/NBCS CH

PROJECTED GOALIES:

Winnipeg:

Eric Comrie (1-1-0, 2.98 GAA, .885 SV%)

Chicago:

Anton Forsberg (10-16-4, 2.97 GAA, .908 SV%)

PROJECTED LINES/PAIRINGS:

Winnipeg:

Connor-Scheifele-Wheeler

Ehlers-Stastny-Laine

Perreault-Copp-Little

Tanev-Lowry-Armia

Morrissey- Myers

Enstrom-Byfuglien

Chiarot-Morrow

Chicago:

Saad-Schmaltz-Kane

Sikura-Ejdsell-Debrincat

Jurco-Anisimov-Martinsen

Sharp-Kampf-HInostroza

Keith-Seabrook

Gustafsson-Murphy

Oesterle-Rutta

STATISTICAL COMPARISIONS:

Power Play:

Winnipeg 23.3% (4^th)

Chicago 16% (28th)

Penalty Kill:

Winnipeg 82% (10^th)

Chicago 79.9% (19th)

Corsi FOR % (5-on-5):

Winnipeg 51.7% (7^th)

Chicago 52.8% (4th)

Faceoffs:

Winnipeg 52.3% (5^th)

Chicago 49.7% (17th)

SUMMARY:

The 2018-19 Chicago Blackhawk auditions continue tonight versus a team that’s gone from the league’s also-rans to one of its best seemingly overnight. Not really, but the Jets are proof of how high draft picks—and hitting on high picks—will ultimately pay off.

As a result, for the Jets, tonight’s game is about honing their game for the postseason. For the Hawks, it’s about how high their probability will be in the draft lottery—and taking stock of several rookies: Viktor Ejdsell, Collin Delia, Blake Hillman and Dylan Sikura.

None of these players, including the much-hyped Sikura, is what you’d call an elite prospect—like a Patrik Laine or a Nikolaj Ehlers. But clearly, the Hawks are trying to sort through what they have to work with in rounding out their roster next season.

We’ll recap tonight or tomorrow AM. Join the conversation below!

The post Chicago Blackhawks vs Winnipeg Jets Preview & Game Thread appeared first on The Rink.

Terms have not been disclosed but there is a cap on entry level contracts, and his is expected to be the maximum.

The maximum salary for an entry level contract is $925,000 plus an allotment of performance bonuses which could end up being being as much as the Artemi Panarin cap hit and subsequent bonuses in 2016, if the criteria are met.

Sikura finished his season 3rd in the NCAA in scoring with 22G-32A-54P.  He also finished with 14 power play goals, which is something the Blackhawks are in desperate need of.

Sikura has been listed as a center but might project better as a wing in the bigger faster NHL.

The post REPORT: Blackhawks Sign Prospect Dylan Sikura appeared first on The Rink.

Ian Mitchell and Blake Hillman attempt to defend Denver University’s 2017 National Championship, but have a tough test ahead. The Blackhawks prospects trying to unseat Hillman, Mitchell, and the rest of the Pioneers squad are Chad Krys of Boston University (Hockey East Champions), Ryan Shea and Dylan Sikura of Northeastern University, Dennis Gilbert of the University of Notre Dame (Big Ten Champions), Beau Starrett of Cornell University, and Evan Barratt of Penn State University.

Eight Blackhawks Prospects Vying For NCAA Championship

The Frozen Four tournament begins on March 23 with the Regional semi-finals on March 23 and 24 and the Regional finals on March 24 and 25. The Regional final winners advance to the NCAA Frozen Four in St. Paul, Minnesota on April 5 with the National Championship taking place on April 7 at the Xcel Energy Center.

WEST REGION

No Blackhawks representation in the West Region, which has top-overall seed St. Cloud State take on Air Force and Minnesota-Duluth squaring off against Minnesota State.

EAST REGION

In the East Region, #2 overall seed Notre Dame takes on Michigan Tech, while Providence faces Clarkson. Big Ten champions Notre Dame and Dennis Gilbert look to advance to back-to-back Frozen Four’s after falling to eventual National Champion Denver last year in Chicago. This year marks Notre Dame’s 10th NCAA Tournament appearance as they look for their fourth Frozen Four.

NORTHEAST REGION

Things get really interesting in the tournament’s Northeast Region as Beau Starrett and #3 overall seed Cornell take on Chad Krys and Boston University in the Regional semi-final. Also, in the Midwest Region is the University of Michigan taking on Ryan Shea and Dylan Sikura of Northeastern University.

For Starrett and Cornell, this is the 21st NCAA Tournament appearance in school history and their first back-to-back appearances since 2009 and 2010. Cornell has eight Frozen Four appearances in school history, but has not made the National Semi-Finals since 2003.

As for Krys and the Boston Terriers, this is the 36th NCAA Tournament appearance in school history and their fourth trip in a row. Last season, Boston fell an overtime goal short of the Frozen Four as they lost to eventual National Runner-Up Minnesota-Duluth. Boston is attempting to reach their 23rd Frozen Four, with their last appearance coming in 2015.

Northeastern will be looking for their second Frozen Four appearance in school history with their sixth bid in the NCAA Tournament. The Huskies have never won an NCAA Hockey National Championship with their only Frozen Four appearance coming in 1982. A lot of Blackhawks eyes will be on Northeastern as Sikura has become one of the most sought-after NCAA players over the last two seasons. Chicago drafted Sikura in the sixth round of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.

MIDWEST REGION

Finally in the Midwest Region, the winner of #4 overall seed Ohio State and Princeton will face the winner of Evan Barratt and Penn State University versus defending National Champions Blake Hillman, Ian Mitchell, and the Denver Pioneers.

For Penn State, a program that joined the NCAA in the 2012-13 season, this marks the second NCAA tournament appearance in back-to-back years. Last season ended for the Nittany Lions at the hands of Denver University in the Regional Final. No doubt that Penn State will be looking for revenge, but it won’t be easy against a stacked Pioneers squad. Denver is making it’s 29th NCAA Tournament appearance and have made the tournament 11 years in a row dating back to the 2008 tournament. A powerhouse in NCAA hockey over the last decade and change, Denver has 16 Frozen Four appearances program history with back-to-back appearances in 2016 and 2017, winning their 8th National Championship last year in Chicago, defeating Minnesota-Duluth.

Another team that a lot of the Blackhawks community will be paying attention to as Pioneers freshman defenseman Ian Mitchell has garnered a lot of praise as a top-end defensive prospect. The Blackhawks drafted Mitchell in the second round of last year’s NHL Entry Draft and was named to the NCHC Conference All-Tournament team as Denver defeated St. Cloud State.

How To Watch

Here is the full TV Schedule for the NCAA Frozen Four Tournament from USCHO.com:

East Regional

At Webster Bank Arena, Bridgeport, Conn., March 23-24

• Friday: Notre Dame vs. Michigan Tech, 3 p.m., ESPN2

• Friday: Providence vs. Clarkson, 6:30 p.m., ESPNU

• Saturday: Friday winners, 6 p.m., ESPNU

West Regional

At Denny Sanford PREMIER Center, Sioux Falls, S.D., March 23-24

• Friday: St. Cloud State vs. Air Force, 4 p.m., ESPNU

• Friday: Minnesota State vs. Minnesota Duluth, 7:30 p.m., ESPN3

• Saturday: Friday winners, 9 p.m., ESPN2

Northeast Regional

At DCU Center, Worcester, Mass., March 24-25

• Saturday: Cornell vs. Boston University, 1 p.m., ESPNews

• Saturday: Michigan vs. Northeastern, 4:30 p.m., ESPNews

• Sunday: Saturday winners, 4 p.m., ESPN2

Midwest Regional

At PPL Center, Allentown, Pa., March 24-25

• Saturday: Ohio State vs. Princeton, 3:30 p.m., ESPNU

• Saturday: Denver vs. Penn State, 7 p.m., ESPN3

• Sunday: Saturday winners, 6:30 p.m., ESPNU

Frozen Four

At Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, Minn., April 5-7

• Thursday, April 5: West Regional winner vs. Midwest Regional winner, 6 or 9:30 p.m., ESPN2; Northeast Regional winner vs. East Regional winner, 6 or 9:30 p.m., ESPN2

• Saturday, April 7: Semifinal winners, 7:30 p.m., ESPN2

The post Eight Blackhawks Prospects Earn Bids To NCAA Frozen Four Tournament appeared first on The Rink.