icehogs.com - Blog Hogs http://icehogs.com/ Infinity Site Manager en-us 05/09/2013 10:06 AM http://icehogs.com/news/blog/?entry_id=414 It’s been nearly three weeks since the IceHogs were last on the ice, and the way the season ended it still isn’t sitting well with me. Since joining the AHL in 2007, this has been the hardest end-of-season to swallow. I truly believe the IceHogs would have made some noise in the Calder Cup Playoffs if they would have qualified but it’s all just would of, could of, should of. The only other season that I can remember leaving with such a sour taste in my mouth was 2005 when in the UHL, the IceHogs lost in Game 7 of the semi-finals to the Fort Wayne Komets in overtime. Moments after Nathan Lutz hit the post on what would have been the series clinching goal, the Komets scored to eliminate the Hogs. 2008 was difficult as well as I think the IceHogs, if they could have gotten by the Wolves in the second round of the Calder Cup Playoffs, could have won the Calder Cup. But this season and 2005 were much tougher because it just feels like there was some unfinished business to be had. On the surface, you have to call the season a success as the team won 42 games, featured the second best offense in the league and we got to see several players progress in their development. On the other hand, the team didn’t make the playoffs for a third straight season and that is frustrating. There were only seven teams in the AHL that had more wins than Rockford did in 2012-13. Think about that. And the team still didn’t qualify for the postseason. The difference was getting games to overtime/shootout. Rockford played in just 10 overtimes this season, second fewest in the AHL behind only Hamilton (9). In comparison, Milwaukee (15), Rochester (16), Houston (20) and Oklahoma City (17) and played in more overtime/shootout games, meaning they earned at least one more point, if not two, in five to 10 more contests. Those were the four teams with four points of Rockford in the Western Conference standings. But again, what’s frustrating is trying to pinpoint a specific area or time period that really cost the IceHogs. One thing you have to realize is that every team hits snags throughout the course of a 76-game schedule. Even during Rockford’s season worst six-game losing streak, four of the tilts were decided by just one goal and another game featured the Hogs blowing a 3-0 lead to Texas. For every game like the Texas contest, Rockford had two that went their way as they led the AHL with a remarkable 11 third period come from behind victories this season. To put that into perspective, the average amount of third period come-from-behind wins in the AHL this season was 4.1 per team.  So to say that they should have won this game or that game can be countered by several that the team defied the odds to come back and win. Looking at some other highlights from the 14th season of IceHogs hockey, player development definitely sticks out. Several skaters took big strides in becoming NHL players. The one guy that really stood out for me this season was Jeremy Morin. Clear of injury and playing with confidence, Morin developed into an upper tier player in the AHL. He led the IceHogs with 30 goals. Of his 30 tallies, 20 of them came over his final 37 games. Ben Smith continued his development in 2012-13 and looks like he’s on the cusp of the NHL. Like Morin, Smith has battled injury, especially over the past two campaigns, but has persevered through the adversity and finished the season as the hottest goal scorer in the AHL. Smith netted eight goals over his final four games. Brandon Pirri is the other obvious player who took that next step. Pirri became the first player in IceHogs history to lead the league in scoring thanks to a torrid finish. Over Pirri’s final nine games, the center put up 3g-16a-19pts. The biggest issue for the above three in making that next step, which would be to the NHL, is numbers in Chicago. Those three, along with Jimmy Hayes and Drew LeBlanc will all be fighting for maybe one or two roster spots in Chicago come September, unless more spots become available this summer via trade. One thing is for certain for the IceHogs this offseason, and that’s there should be more movement from a roster standpoint entering 2013-14 compared to what we saw this past season. Not that there won’t be plenty of familiar faces back in the mix, but I’d expect a fresh crop of prospects in the Forest City come training camp in September. 03/18/2013 1:22 PM http://icehogs.com/news/blog/?entry_id=413 This has been one of the, oh what’s the word, “unique” seasons of Rockford IceHogs hockey. With the lockout and its effect on the Hogs and the AHL, to the streakiness of the team, to the on-ice antics and altercations that have surrounded Rockford, this has been a strange, but entertaining season. On Sunday in Rosemont, the IceHogs were involved with yet another YouTube worthy altercation. In the final seconds of a 2-1 victory over the Wolves, Ben Smith was checked through the door on the IceHogs bench by Chicago winger Guillaume Desbiens setting off a bench brawl. Now let me clarify, it was a bench brawl, not a bench clearing brawl or a player coming off the bench to start a ruckus. I need to clarify because Rockford has been involved in all three of the above mentioned this season. In case you missed them, Rockford’s Andrew Shaw and Wade Brookbank were involved in fisticuffs against Lake Erie after departing the IceHogs bench back on Nov. 3. Then on Jan. 19, an apparent misunderstanding with the Grand Rapids Griffins resulted in a bench clearing incident at the BMO on Pink in the Rink Night. I’m sure the league is getting tired of reviewing the “Rockford Files” and situations involving fisticuffs with the club. Before Sunday’s bench incident at the Allstate Arena, Rockford has had seven different players suspended by the AHL, plus head coach Ted Dent for a total of 12 different suspensions resulting in 27 missed games. That doesn’t include a five-game suspension that Brad Mills carried to Rockford from the ECHL upon signing with the IceHogs after the NHL lockout. Here is a list of IceHogs suspensions: Kyle Beach (twice):            2 games Wade Brookbank (twice):  2 games Ted Dent:                           2 games Rob Flick:                          6 games Shawn Lalonde:                3 games Kendall McArdle (twice):   3 games Dylan Olsen:                     2 games Andrew Shaw (twice):       7 games I’m sure at this point the AHL is considering relocating the league’s office from Springfield, Mass. to Rockford. The IceHogs, however, had been fairly clean since Jan. 19 until this weekend’s incidents on Saturday and Sunday.  Rockford totaled 116 PIMs in the two games and is again leading the AHL in penalty minute time (24.11 minutes per game). Here the stat of the day for you…The Wolves committed 12.2% of their season total penalty time yesterday as they racked up 100 minutes of penalties. Entering play on Sunday, Chicago was the least penalized team in the AHL with 719 total minutes. Now they are at 819, or 676 fewer than Rockford. It’s a similar story with Grand Rapids as the Griffins, against Rockford this season, have been called for 313 PIMs in eight games, 30.1% of their season total of 1,020. What makes Rockford’s penalty total weird is that Peoria, Chicago and Milwaukee, teams that the Hogs will play a total of 36 times when it’s all said and done this season, are all ranked in the bottom seven in the AHL in PIMs, while Grand Rapids, whom the Hogs have played eight times, are 14th. With as tight as things are in the Western Conference playoff picture, Rockford can’t afford needless penalties and more suspensions.  So with that being said, the extra-curricular activities have provided some good talking points, but it’s time for this team to get back to what got them on this recent hot streak. That’s staying out of the box and not letting some of these distractions take them away from the game. 02/19/2013 2:17 PM http://icehogs.com/news/blog/?entry_id=412 On Monday, Dec. 31, the Rockford IceHogs had a first place showdown with the Grand Rapids Griffins at Van Andel Arena. Tied with the Griffins in the standings and an opportunity to grab a hold of sole possession of first place, the IceHogs played a rather flat game and fell 3-1 to the Griffs. There should have been little doubt that Rockford would return to form as the IceHogs spent time in either first or second place for six straight weeks heading into the New Year. But the opposite happened and Rockford slipped to 7-11-1-1 in the 20 games since and have been in third place or lower in the Midwest Division for 12 games now. There is reason for optimism, however, for the IceHogs. The playoff chances did take a big hit over the past 20 games, but I think there are some reasons to think the Hogs can pull back into contention in the Western Conference. Scorers Start Scoring Again: Martin St. Pierre and Brandon Pirri are both shaking out of their coldest stretches of the season. With their past history, especially St. Pierre, they are due to heat up and resume their offensive output. Return of Ben Smith: Ben Smith was injured on Friday, Jan. 11 and the IceHogs have gone 6-8-1-1 without him in the lineup.  After a slow start to the 2012-13 season, Smith was arguably the best player on the IceHogs.  Smith could be back as early as Friday night against Grand Rapids. Balanced Offense: Entering Week 20, the IceHogs have six different players who have goal totals between 13-17 from players who aren’t playing in Chicago. The power play has been extremely consistent this season and this team is as deep offensively as any Rockford has had over the past five seasons, and that’s with Saad, Kruger and Shaw now in Chicago. Morin Taking The Next Step:  For me, the most improved player this season has been Jeremy Morin. I’m not saying that Morin wasn’t effective or average before. But to me, Morin has taken the next step in his development. He’s really effective in the offensive zone, I think his d-zone coverage has been solid and he’s been an effective penalty killer. Goaltending Rounding Into Form: Over the IceHogs last 10 games, the team is just 4-6-0-0, but the goaltending combo of Carter Hutton and Henrik Karlsson have been pretty solid. The two have a combined save percentage of .918 and a goals against average of 2.48. I’ve also really liked the additions of Kenndal McArdle and Brad Mills. Neither guy is going to put up a ton of points, but they are type of players that can be difference makers in close games, or even in the playoffs. Moving forward though, the biggest nemesis for Rockford will be consistency. The team can’t afford any more losing streaks and needs to win 70.0% of their points from here on out to be in contention for a playoff spot. That would give the IceHogs 85 points if they can snag 35 of a possible 50 remaining points on the table. So what that basically means, is that the IceHogs can’t lose more than seven games in regulation over their final 25 outings.  For the IceHogs, the playoff push is here, so sit back and enjoy! 01/18/2013 2:18 PM http://icehogs.com/news/blog/?entry_id=411 The ending of the NHL lockout and the start of the NHL’s regular season comes at a bit of an ironic time for the Rockford IceHogs. Rockford is exactly halfway through their 2012-13 regular season schedule heading into a five-game homestand leading up to the AHL’s All-Star break. It’s ironic because comparisons are frequently made between the first half of the season and the second half. This year, we might as well refer to that as pre-lockout and post-lockout. Yes, there were four skaters (Bollig, Kruger, Leddy and Shaw) who were held out of the last three games before we hit the midway point, but now that the NHL is back in session, it’s back to the norm in the AHL. So what is the norm you ask? Uncertainty. Especially this season because of the possibility of a rash of injuries with the compacted NHL schedule, AHL rosters are always uncertain as they are dictated by the health and performance of the parent club. During the first half of the season, rosters for the most part were consistent. The only movement was caused from injuries to players on the AHL team.  From game one to game 38, there were just three players who played in games for Rockford that weren’t on the opening day roster, and that included Brandon Svendsen who technically started on the roster, but was injured to start the year. We might see that many fresh faces in the second half of the season over the first week! So it’s back to the norm of wondering who is here today and gone tomorrow. One guy that can’t seem to catch a break lately is Ben Smith.  Last season, during the Blackhawks final preseason game, Smith was concussed on a hit from Detroit’s Brendan Smith forcing him to the Injured Reserve and eventually starting the season in Rockford. Smith of course, had his season cut short last season due to an injury and worked his tail off all summer to be ready for training camp. It took Smith a few weeks to get back into the groove and when he did, he’s became one of Rockford’s best all around players. But as fate would have it, Smith injured his hand on Feb. 11, two days before the brief five-day Blackhawks training camp opened leaving him, for now, on the sidelines. The area that I’m most concerned about on the Rockford side with all these changes is the team’s power play. For the first time since 2007-08, the IceHogs have a legitimate power-play unit. But with the loss of Nick Leddy and Marcus Kruger, the team loses some depth on the man advantage. The “X” factor in both ’07-08 and this season, however, is Martin St. Pierre as he’s been a part of both clubs. Even though this next point could be more difficult to overcome because of potential roster turnover, Rockford needs to limit the losing streaks in the second half and not be so bi-polar. The winning three and then losing three stuff won’t cut it. The dynamic of the division and conference has definitely changed so there are a lot of questions for the second half of the season in the AHL and it is even harder to predict. So it looks like it’s back to the norm around here! 12/21/2012 12:00 PM http://icehogs.com/news/blog/?entry_id=410 As we enter the first of two acknowledged breaks by the American Hockey League (Christmas Break), one thing is already guaranteed for the Rockford IceHogs, and that’s the team’s position is much better off compared to the last two seasons. Heading into Christmas in both 2011 and 2010, Rockford was pretty buried in the standings due to subpar starts. The “start” to the 2012-13 season hasn’t been great from a record standpoint, but the Hogs entering the weekend are tied for first place in the Midwest Division. But what a back-and-forth season so far for Rockford. Here is a breakdown of Rockford’s first 27 games before Wednesday’s 3-1 win in Milwaukee: Streak                                      Overall Record -Lost four straight (0-3-0-1):          0-3-0-1 -Won five of six (4-1-0-0):             5-4-0-1 -Lost four of five (1-4-0-0):            6-8-0-1 -Won seven of eight (7-1-0-0):    13-9-0-1 -Lost four straight (0-3-1-0):        13-12-1-1 Hopefully this means the IceHogs will rip off a nice winning stretch starting with Wednesday’s victory in Milwaukee.  After Saturday’s game against Abbotsford, Rockford will head into the Christmas break with a nice round number of games played at 30. If you like to break the season down in 10 game increments, Rockford was 5-4-0-1 through the first 10 games, 5-5-0-0 in the second 10 and 4-3-1-0 through eight contests of the next 10. So from that perspective, the team has been pretty consistent so far this season.  After a very slow start offensively, the IceHogs have been one of the top goal scoring teams in the AHL and currently rank sixth in the league with 3.25 goals per contest. Since scoring just five goals in their first four games, the IceHogs have averaged 3.58 goals per outing over the club’s last 24 games, which would put them second in the AHL, behind only Syracuse (3.65). Rockford’s AHL record for goals in a season is 247 (2007-08) and right now the club is on track to match that with a schedule that features four fewer games than it did in ’07-08. And for the first time since 2007-08, the IceHogs are fielding a formidable power play unit. Rockford’s man advantage is converting on 20.6% of their power plays, third in the league heading into Friday’s game.  Rockford’s power play in ’07-08 converted 18.6% of their chances and to put in perspective compared to last season, the IceHogs have already scored half (26) of the power-play goals that they did all of last season (52) through just 28 games. The team will get some time off after Saturday’s game against Abbotsford with three days off before returning for practice on Dec. 26 in preparation for next Thursday’s game against Chicago. I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and a safe holiday! 11/23/2012 2:05 PM http://icehogs.com/news/blog/?entry_id=409 The term "it's still early" is commonly used in sports' who's seasons contain upwards of 70, 80, over 100 games. So when is it not "early"? For me, once we hit Thanksgiving week, the hockey season isn't early anymore. Typically, we're 15-18 games into the season and all the early season jitters, bugs,  chemistry issues, etc. should have worked themselves out. Anything that carries over tend to be habits and trends, not misnomers.  So these issues, like all the first period goals against, will take a lot more effort to correct then if it were just a blip on the radar. Through 16 games, I haven't really felt this team has put it all together for one full contest yet.  Whether it's a bad period, slow offense, off goaltending or subpar special teams for a game or a part of a game, the IceHogs are still looking for that proverbial "60-minute" effort. It's starting to sound like a broken record, but Rockford's goaltending needs to improve as the early season struggles by the IceHogs goalies are beginning to become an unwanted tradition. Like I've said in the past, all the blame can't be passed on to the goalies, but a goalie can really dictate a team's confidence. I don 't want to sound like a Debbie Downer as it really hasn't been that bad. The IceHogs special teams are relevant with the power play improving. The penalty kill has been a top 10 unit in the AHL since Week 1 and the power play has shown flashes, especially lately, going 4-10 over the past two tilts. Martin St. Pierre has been as advertised and as we remember, if not better. I don't remember St. Pierre being as physical five years ago as he is now and I think he is the right captain to lead this team. Marcus Kruger is a true professional and has been an absolute joy to watch and be around.  I know that there were some questions out in cyber space about Kruger spending his first full professional season in North America with the Blackhawks in 2011-12, but watching him play here, he is such a good all around player and could in the NHL for a long time. Another guy that has really impressed me lately is Brandon Saad. Saad had to have been hobbled by his lower body injury badly to start the season because since his return, he's been a completely different player. Few at the AHL level has his breakaway speed and he seems to have a great hockey sense. I see why he's often listed as a top prospect in the organization. I know he's a second round pick, but there are no sure things in the draft and it appears Mark Kelley and his scouting crew have found another gem. Earlier in this post I mentioned that it isn't early anymore, which it isn't. But it isn't time to hit panic buttons or anything like that either.  Moving forward, here are some observations that thoughts about what could improve the IceHogs as we enter in the middle portion of the schedule: NHLers Need To Make A Bigger Impact: The reason that I'm signaling out this group is because Rockford really benefited from the NHL lockout, getting five or six players who could be in Chicago. Andrew Shaw, Dylan Olsen, Brandon Bollig and Nick Leddy all have the capability of contributing more and I think will. Obviously I'm not talking just offensively for all of these players (although Shaw and Leddy should be relied on a little more on the offensive side), but playing their roles on the team more effectively and not trying to do too much, which might be a part of the problem. Jimmy Hayes has contributed, but has been trying to find more consistency. Some of that has to do with the experiment of using him as a center.  But consistency is always a battle for young players and we have to remember that Hayes is just in his second season. Goaltending/D-Zone Coverage: This was covered earlier a bit with the goaltending. I believe this will improve once the IceHogs get better in their defensive zone. It hasn't been as porous as it was last season for the first half of the campaign, but there is some room for improvement that would help out the tenders. Energy: Do not take this as I don't think the team is not trying or working or not caring. That is not the case. This is a case of the fourth line needing to provide a more consistent spark, staying even keel emotionally and coming out of the locker room ready to play. Last season, when Rockford was winning games down the home stretch, Philippe Paradis and Rob Flick were providing a big spark for the IceHogs.  I'd love to see them and whoever is paired with them on the "Energy Line" re-establish that. As for Friday's game Alec Richards is going to get an opportunity to earn more ice time as he'll be back in goal for the IceHogs. It'll be just his third start in 17 games this season and his fifth overall appearance. With Shawn Lalonde still suspended (two more games) and Brandon Svendsen injured, Rockford's healthy scratches are Wade Brookbank, Brett Lebda and Peter Leblanc. I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and I hope you all enjoy some IceHogs hockey this weekend on 23-2 "Weather Now"! 11/09/2012 8:33 AM http://icehogs.com/news/blog/?entry_id=408 It's kind of crazy watching something blow up (in a good way) right before your eyes. This week, the IceHogs promotion, Los IceHogs Night, for next Friday's game (Friday, Nov. 16) against Houston has taken on a life of its own. It's funny that when we announced the promotional schedule back in September and even put an image of the jersey on IceHogs.com that same day, it hardly caused a ripple of reaction. But thanks to Puck Daddy (click here), the promotion has gone as viral as any that the IceHogs have ever done. First off, we need to send a big thank you out to the Latino Leadership Coalition of Rockford for helping with this promotion and providing guidance and advice throughout the process of putting this fun event together. From their standpoint, I know they've stuck their necks out trying to open up a different entertainment option to the Hispanic community. Secondly, a thanks to SP Apparel for bringing the jersey to life (insert joke here) and to Exclusive Pro Sports in Rockford for custom designing the numbers on the back.  Those numbers are unreal! Listen, we aren't blind. Yes, the jerseys are loud and borderline outrageous. But this is a good opportunity to partner with a segment of our community that we normally aren't known to entertain as an organization and have some fun. Fortunately for us, the folks who helped organize this event at the Latino Leadership Coalition of Rockford has had the foresight to help us try to grow our product. Call me cynical, but you don't see that in Rockford everyday! They have been supportive to the idea that hockey, as a sport, and the IceHogs, as an entertainment option in Rockford, are an important and enjoyable part of our community Unfortunately, every "ying" has its "yang".  Again, we know what the jersey looks like and we don't expect everyone to "like" them. But I have seen the word "racist" used in correlation with this jersey. Here are two definitions of racist: noun a person who believes that a particular race is superior to another. adjective having or showing the belief that a particular race is superior to another To say that the jerseys are racist is not an accurate statement.  I don't have a problem with criticism on the organization or someone saying how stupid it is to try to do a night like this or wear jerseys like these. But please be accurate with the choice of words. As a matter of fact, with the support that the IceHogs have received from the Latino Leadership Coalition of Rockford, I believe that Los IceHogs Night has been the exact opposite of racist as it is building a bridge between two different cultures in the Rockford community. Here are some thoughts from locals on the jersey through a story on WTVO: Click Here I will say, as a broadcaster, it might take a day or two to recover from staring at those jerseys for an entire game! So I would like to send out an apology in advance to the voice of the Houston Aeros Joe O'Donnell. At least he'll be feeling my pain. Hopefully everyone can make it out to the BMO Harris Bank Center on Nov. 16 for the game as we truly believe the night will be a success. We will also be posting information in the next couple of days how you can get your hands on one of the Los IceHogs jerseys. Adios! 10/08/2012 3:37 PM http://icehogs.com/news/blog/?entry_id=407 A brief one week preseason is in the books and the IceHogs are officially getting ready for the season opener in Rosemont on Saturday against the Wolves. Here are some quick observations from the preseason, some should hold more water than others because IT WAS JUST PRESEASON. -The team definitely got better as the exhibition schedule went on. After giving up four goals in the first period last Wednesday against the Wolves, Rockford allowed seven tallies over their eight periods. Over the final two periods in Peoria on Saturday, the IceHogs allowed just seven shots on goal. -Better starts needed. Again, it was just preseason, but the IceHogs came out of the gates lethargic in all three games. The Hogs trailed 4-0, 2-0 and 1-0 in their three preseason tilts. -Penalty Kill sluggish as well. The IceHogs allowed six power play goals in three exhibition games.  The upside was some aggression shown on Saturday in Peoria with a shorthanded goal in the second period and a goal just as the same penalty expired. -Jimmy Hayes-Marcus Kruger-Brandon Saad. That line combination had some serious chemistry going on Saturday. They were a lot of fun to watch and if they are still together as a line combo this weekend, they’ll be a line that I will be keeping a close eye on. Most importantly, the IceHogs got out of the preseason pretty unscathed from an injury standpoint. Brandon Svendsen came into camp hurt and won’t play until late November at the earliest. And two d-men (Klas Dahlbeck and Adam Clendening) got a little dinged up in the preseason, but nothing serious and neither should miss a whole lot of time. It really is hard to read into preseason, however, as lineups are mixed with ECHL bound players and inconsistencies. On Saturday in Peoria, after a shaky first period by the IceHogs, Rockford dominated the final 40 minutes. But Peoria’s Ian Cole, TJ Hensick, Derek Nesbitt and Scott Ford, fixtures in the Rivermen lineup this season, were all playing in their first preseason game. So there was some rust and I’m sure fitness issues that Rockford was able to take advantage of. I’m not trying to diminish a win, but it’s time to throw the preseason in the trash, including the 6-1 thumping handed out by the Wolves last Wednesday. 09/28/2012 2:01 PM http://icehogs.com/news/blog/?entry_id=406 The long awaited start of hockey season has finally arrived! Even though the NHL lockout is still hanging over the head of the sport, the American Hockey League is firing up, including the IceHogs who begin camp on Sunday, Sept. 30. The majority of the IceHogs players have been in town for well over a week now as the lockout has put them in Rockford. So that in its self has brought a different vibe around here already. Usually players arrive the Friday or Saturday before camp with a good chuck still in Chicago vying for a spot on the Blackhawks. But as of Friday, 22 of the 34 players on Rockford’s camp roster were already in town with most skating as a group in non-organized team skates and workouts.  With no NHL training camp, not only will it make the preseason in Rockford a little more competitive, but it also means players have less time to get into “game” shape before opening night on Oct. 13.  When the team takes the ice on Sunday, a lot of players should already have had a week of training camp under their belts in Chicago. Not this year though. So the first week of the preseason will be key with the three games and with limiting injuries heading into the regular season. Ted Dent and his staff have split up the squad into two teams for practices and scrimmages with 15 skaters and two goalies per team.  I’ve already covered the roster in prior blog posts (see below) and the anticipated competitions in camp. The biggest thing now is keeping everyone healthy into the regular season. I’m not a guy who hates the preseason and exhibition games because of the risk of injury. Injury is a part of the game and these exhibition games are necessary to get players back into a rhythm and shape.  But most of these guys go from hard off-ice workouts early in the summer to some casual ice time, then a little more competitive ice time and then back to casual for the past couple weeks leading into camp. So the transition and getting hammered with long practice days and games can put an instant strain on the body. The worst part is, a groin injury sustained the first couple days of training camp can railroad a guy for the first two months of the season. Chatting with a few of the players, they are anxious to get this thing going and are just glad to be playing hockey. Summer gets long and it’s got to be tough to be sitting on the sidelines, healthy and ready to play but with nowhere to play because of the lockout. So for a change, everyone in AHL camps should be happy with their surroundings because of the lack of NHL. And now for a final vow as I sign off….I’m not going to refer to the lockout until it gets resolved in blog posts. Like all of you, I’m tired of them (especially in hockey). Stayed tuned to icehogs.com as we’ll have lots of training camp coverage beginning on Sunday! 09/17/2012 3:14 PM http://icehogs.com/news/blog/?entry_id=405 Well, the inevitable happened on Saturday and the NHL owners have officially locked out its players for the second time in eight years. Yeah it stinks, but for fans, it’s reality right now, and for fans of the AHL, the first month or two (and hopefully not any longer) could be a lot of fun! Just looking at the IceHogs roster, there are 18 forwards listed along with eight defensemen and four goalies, for a total of 30 skaters. That number will get whittled down to around 23 to 24 barring injury. So needless to say, this should be the most competitive training camp in IceHogs history. That means six or seven players who probably would have made Rockford’s roster out of training camp will now begin the season down in the ECHL with the Toledo Walleye. Click here to check out Rockford’s roster. The forwards are going to be the most interesting as the top 15 is going to be extremely tough to crack. When I say top 15, I think it’s safe to say that includes (in alphabetical order) Kyle Beach, Brandon Bollig, Wade Brookbank, Rob Flick, Jimmy Hayes, Marcus Kruger, Peter LeBlanc, Jeremy Morin, Philippe Paradis, Brandon Pirri, Brandon Saad, Andrew Shaw, Ben Smith, Martin St. Pierre and Brandon Svendsen. This, of course, is putting names on paper without seeing the work any of these guys have put in this summer. In conclusion to that statement: this isn’t the training camp to come into out of shape. Without naming training camp invitees, which will be announced within the next week or so, the competition for the last few forwards spots will probably include Terry Broadhurst, Brookbank, Byron Froese, David Gilbert and Svendsen. On the blueline, there are eight d-men listed on the roster. Logic says seven stay and that the two rookies, Adam Clendening and Klas Dahlbeck, will battle Ben Youds for the final two spots. Think about that depth. I felt Youds was one of Rockford’s most versatile defensemen the second half of the season and he definitely should be here. But, because of the lockout, he might be one of several players around the AHL starting the season in the ECHL. The goaltending battle is going to be interesting as well, at least for the second spot. Carter Hutton is locked into the first and Alec Richards, Kent Simpson and Mac Carruth will fight for the other.  This is definitely going to be one of the most intriguing storylines of training camp. With the likes of Nick Leddy, Andrew Shaw, Marcus Kruger and Jimmy Hayes, the IceHogs definitely got deeper. But some other teams, particularly Oklahoma City, Charlotte and Houston really got loaded up. If the lockout persists, when Charlotte comes to Rockford on Oct. 20 and 21, their roster could feature 2010-11 NHL Rookie of the Year Jeff Skinner and Justin Faulk, who had a solid rookie season in Carolina.   09/11/2012 10:49 AM http://icehogs.com/news/blog/?entry_id=404 One thing that IceHogs fans will notice when the season begins is the familiarity of the hockey team. I don’t have specific numbers, but Rockford’s roster/hockey operations have to have seen the least amount of turnover of any team in the AHL coming into 2012-13. Starting with the hockey operations, every coach and trainer are returning for the new campaign. Since joining the AHL in 2007-08, that has never happened. As a matter of fact, since the team’s inception in 1999-2000, I don’t think it has ever happened, period. I’ll get back to the return of the hockey ops later, but what about the roster? Not counting the potential skaters that could start in Rockford due to the looming lock out on Sept. 15 and the training camp invitees, Rockford’s potential training camp roster right now contains 26 skaters (including 15 forwards, seven defensemen and four goalies). Of the 15 forwards, only Martin St. Pierre didn’t appear in a game with Rockford last season. St. Pierre, however, did play for Rockford in 2007-08 so he isn’t technically a new IceHogs player. On the blueline, only rookies Adam Clendening and Klas Dahlbeck haven’t pulled on an IceHogs sweater.  Of the four goaltenders that could be in Rockford camp, only Mac Carruth hasn’t been an IceHog. In summary, counting St. Pierre, just four of the 26 potential IceHogs players for 2012-13 weren’t on the team last season. That’s a return of 84.6% of the roster. Rockford, of course, won’t carry 26 players, including four goalies once the season starts, so there could be just three new faces in Rockford’s lineup come Oct. 13. Now, if there is a lockout and the IceHogs get the likes of Andrew Shaw, Brandon Saad, Marcus Kruger and Nick Leddy, the above numbers will change a bit. Shaw, though, did play 38 games in Rockford a season ago while Leddy appeared in 22 contests in 2010-11. Kruger didn’t play a game in Rockford last season, but did spend a week here until he was recalled before the IceHogs opener. Back to the staff that is returning. This is just as important as the large contingent of returning players, especially with the core group of IceHogs skaters entering their third season in the pro ranks. From a coaching standpoint, Ted Dent (head coach) and his assistants Steve Poapsts, Ben Simon and goalie coach Andrew Allen can continue to pass along a consistent message and they are familiar with just about every player coming into camp. One phrase that I’m hoping to avoid during the early portion of the season is “gelling”. Not saying that it won’t take a week or two of regular season action to get everyone back into a rhythm, but we better not be throwing the “gelling” term out come November. To compare the roster turnover from a season ago, Rockford’s opening night roster contained 12 players from the season before of 24 total skaters on the roster. Plus the coaching staff changed with Bill Peters’ promotion to the NHL. Dent was in his first season as head coach while Simon and Allen were in their first season in the Blackhawks organization. If you are wondering who will be assigned to Rockford from Chicago this season, we could know later this week, if there is a lock out. NHL teams can’t make player transactions once the lock out goes into effect, so all player re-assignments to the AHL will happen this week. First reaction to a large group of players returning to a team that didn’t qualify for the postseason might not pique the interest right away, but I feel the ceiling is very high for this team. Ben Smith and Kyle Beach are coming off of injury plagued seasons in 2011-12 and I expect both of them to be big contributors to this team. If Carter Hutton is in goal from the start, that should solidify that position for the first time since Corey Crawford was in Rockford. It took Jeremy Morin probably until December before he hit his stride after recovering from a concussion the season before, and he should be a more consistent contributor as well. Last season, as a second year pro, Brandon Pirri made a big jump and finished among the leaders in the AHL in scoring. There is no reason that Pirri can’t make further strides.  Pete LeBlanc is in that same category. LeBlanc didn’t score his first goal last season until Nov. 16 and wound up leading Rockford with 24 tallies. Rookies a year ago, forward Rob Flick along with d-men Joe Lavin and Ben Youds all had high points during the season establishing themselves in the AHL and further progress should be expected again. This is going to be a very strange season and truly will probably be the tale of two campaigns. I believe the lock out will last into late November/early December, and if this is true, every AHL team is going to get jolted a bit by recalls once the CBA gets solved. Some teams could go from really stacked to getting up to six or seven guys recalled to the parent club. I’m glad that the IceHogs don’t play Oklahoma City until late January (or maybe it would be cool!). But the likes of Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jordan Eberle could all be a Baron come opening night. No lock out or short lock out, I think the IceHogs with the above listed players and with the veterans St. Pierre, Brandon Svendsen and Wade Brookbank, will contend for the postseason. 08/23/2012 11:22 AM http://icehogs.com/news/blog/?entry_id=403 It’s hard to believe that August is winding down and hockey season is just around the corner. The big talk of course is the potential lockout that the NHL is facing again this year. I would highly doubt that there will be a season long lockout again, ala 2004,  but it’s looking like some of the 2012-13 regular season is going to be lost. From an American Hockey League standpoint, a lockout would make things very interesting. Any player on a two-way contract or an entry level NHL contract (also a two-way contract), could end up in the AHL. So for Rockford, this means potentially that players like Brandon Bollig, Jimmy Hayes, Andrew Shaw, Brandon Saad, Nick Leddy and Marcus Krueger could all end up with the IceHogs to start the season. Of the above list, a few probably would be in Rockford regardless of a lockout. Yes, Rockford would be “stacked”, but so would just about every other AHL team. If and when the CBA issues get resolved, some teams will look drastically different than the team they began the season with. The IceHogs for example, if all six of the above were to play in Rockford during the lockout, up to four or five of them could be gone once resolved. That’s an entire line combination of forwards and defensemen that could be here one day and gone the next. With all that being said, I really hope the NHL does not lockout the players and gets this CBA resolved.  Fans of professional sports are growing tired of these lockouts, strikes and whatever else is putting a halt to the leagues. Major League Baseball is the only major league professional sports league that hasn’t threatened or taken action on a lockout in the last calendar year.  Reality is, professional sports is a business as is selling cars, running a restaurant, running a grocery store, etc. We don’t always view it this way, but the mighty dollar is what it all boils down to.  Another reality is that we, as sports fans, always come back. Have you heard anyone gripe over the potential lockout of the NFL last summer? How many people truly are staying away from baseball now since the strike of 1995? Hopefully everyone agrees that the best NHL is an NHL that is balanced financially. I don’t know the ins and outs of the current CBA and have no clue if owners are truthful about their financials, but hopefully this CBA gets resolved and my favorite league doesn’t get shutdown again. 07/11/2012 3:53 PM http://icehogs.com/news/blog/?entry_id=402 A crew of us went into Chicago on Tuesday to check out Blackhawks Prospect Camp at Johnny’s West and it was good to see some IceHogs fans there and to watch a little hockey in the middle of the summer! We’ll have some features and videos on icehogs.com over the next week or so highlighting some prospects at camp starting with Terry Broadhurst on Thursday. Prospect Camp isn’t exactly the best setting for every guy to come in and display their capabilities as players come into early July at different stages of their summer training routine. Some players come into prospect camp in much better shape than others. If a guy (like Mac Carruth with Portland) makes it all the way to their league’s championship finals, he probably hasn’t been on the ice as much as the college player or skater whose team did not qualify for the postseason. But it’s a great chance to see prospects vs. prospects on the same ice. With that said, here are some thoughts from Tuesday’s festivities: Mark McNeill looked very strong and confident. That’s important because he seemed a little burned out when he got to Rockford this past spring and then got a quick dose of professional hockey reality during his short time here. It can humble a player, especially a “top” prospect, to come to the AHL and not make as much of an impact as he thought he could.  Remember, he was just 19-years old. The most important observation  about McNeill is his mindset and attitude. After briefly chatting with him after his practice, he knows the potential path he has in front of him, which could include another stint in juniors in the WHL in 2012-13 and a go round in Rockford. He realizes the improvements that he needs to make to reach the NHL, and no, there are not any guarantees when it comes to prospects, but I think McNeill is on the right path to the NHL. A very intriguing battle come IceHogs training camp time is going to be the second goaltending spot. Assuming Carter Hutton starts the season in Rockford as the #1, Alec Richards, Kent Simpson and Mac Carruth will all battle for the second spot on the IceHogs roster. Long term, Simpson and Carruth should be in Rockford at some point. Short term, Hutton is the obvious #3 in the organization, meaning he’ll get #1 goalie minutes in Rockford this season. And camp won’t be any bigger for a player than it will be for Richards this October. The frustrating thing about Richards for me is that I’ve seen him play well at this level, but he has to be mentally there.  So back to the original point, the goalie battle in training camp is going to be very interesting. One prospect that I’ve really acquired the hockey man-crush for is Phillip Danault. Like McNeill, Danualt seems like a great kid (and yes, character does matter). I didn’t get a chance to talk to him yesterday, but Jay Taft had a nice piece on him in the Rockford Register Star on Wednesday (Click Here). Danault played seven games in Rockford at the end of last season after a solid campaign in the QMJHL. Also like McNeill, Danault will more than likely end up back in juniors in 2012-13, but I love his style of play. He uses his body well, can skate and has great vision. The only thing I wish I could have seen on Tuesday at Johnny’s West was a scrimmage. They are scrimmaging the rest of the week. Both teams just practiced so I didn’t get to see Danault against the other prospects. He’s just another young forward to toss into the pile of prospects in the Hawks system. Because Danault wasn’t the first pick by Chicago in the 2011 NHL Draft, he seems to be flying under the radar a bit with a lot of eyes focused on the team’s other top picks like McNeill, Kevin Hayes and Teuvo Teravainen. But pay attention to Danault, as I really like his makeup. Final observation regards Kevin Hayes. I missed prospect camp last summer (darn vacation), but comparing him to two summers ago it’s like night and day. A lot of that is his comfort level with this being his third prospect camp, but he’s bulked up a little bit and has really developed his skill set at Boston College over the past two seasons. From a number’s perspective, K. Hayes blew his stats away as a sophomore compared to his freshman season and helped BC to the National Championship this past April. He’s going back to school this fall but will more than likely be under a professional contract a year from now as he’ll need to be signed by Chicago so they retain his rights. Later this week, I’ll have some updated IceHogs roster spots with some of the recent signings. 06/27/2012 11:25 AM http://icehogs.com/news/blog/?entry_id=401 For the second straight summer, the head coaches of most teams in Rockford’s division and conference are getting turned over. Through June 27, seven of the 15 teams in the Western Conference, including three of the five in the Midwest Division, will have new faces behind the bench. Here is list of the movers and shakers so far in the Western Conference: Chicago Out: Craig MacTavish (Departed organization)    In: Scott Arniel Grand Rapids Out: Curt Fraser     (Promoted to Dallas-Assistant Coach) In: Jeff Blashill Hamilton Out: Clement Jodin (Promoted to Montreal-Assistant Coach) In: Sylvain Lefebvre Lake Erie Out: David Quinn (Promoted to Colorado-Assistant Coach) In: TBA Milwaukee Out: Ian Herbers (Departed organization)    In: Dean Evason Peoria Out: Jared Bednar (Fired) In: Dave Allison Texas Out: Jeff Pyle (Fired) In: Willie Desjardins A few of the names might sound familiar. Arniel coached the Manitoba Moose from2006-09 before he was hired as the head coach in Columbus with the Blue Jackets. Allison was the head coach of the Iowa Stars from 2005-08. A quick take on the draft- I won’t offer a grade, but for the first time since Rockford’s been affiliated with Chicago, the Blackhawks took a European player with their first selection. It’s the first time since 2002 that Chicago took a player not from North America with their first pick when they grabbed Anton Babchuk (Russia) with the 21st overall selection. As for the two goalies selected late in the draft (Brandon Whitney and Matt Tomkins), these two players are probably two-to-three seasons away from even sniffing Rockford and if they are NHL bound, five-to-six years away from that. With Kent Simpson and Mac Carruth close to entering the Blackhawks system and the emergence of Carter Hutton, the Blackhawks are really trying to keep the goalie cupboard stocked. They also drafted Swedish goalie Johan Mattson with their final selection in the 2011 draft giving them five goaltending draft picks over the past three years. Going back to 2003 (and not counting the 2010 or 2011 drafts), 55.7% of the Blackhawks’ selections played in the organization (39 of the 70 picks). Of those 39 picks, four played on AHL contracts. So of the eight picks taken by Chicago last weekend, percentages say that four, maybe five of the players chosen, will end up in the organization. Taking it one step further, 20 of the 70 picks (20.8%) have played in the NHL so far with Chicago. This number, however, doesn’t include prospects like Kyle Beach, Shawn Lalonde, Joe Lavin, Byron Froese and Peter LeBlanc who could all see time in Chicago at some point. Using that percentage, two players from the 2012 NHL Blackhawks draft class will see NHL time in Chicago. Of course this is all based on percentages. The 2009 draft has already had three of the eight players selected play in the NHL and the 2004 class featured seven of 17 players who suited up for the Hawks at some point. On the flip side, the 2006 draft produced Jonathan Toews for Chicago, but he is the only skater of the nine picked to play with the Blackhawks. 06/01/2012 1:08 PM http://icehogs.com/news/blog/?entry_id=400 The Chicago Blackhawks have been very busy this past week, signing several of their draft picks from the past two entry drafts. The organization is really staying true to their draft to help replenish the big club. After the signing of Adam Clendening on June 1, the Blackhawks already have inked six of their 11 draft picks from the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. That’s 54.5% of the picks under contract, already ahead of the rate from the previous eight drafts where the Hawks signed on average 53.8% of their picks or had them play in the organization. The six players signed from a single draft class is the most for Chicago since the 2005 draft when the Blackhawks signed 10 of their 12 picks. Players signed less than a year since last June’s draft include first round selections Mark McNeill (#18 overall), Phillip Danault (#26 overall), Clendening (#36 overall), Brandon Saad (#43 overall), Klas Dahlbeck (#79 overall) and Andrew Shaw (#139 overall). The above list includes the team’s first four picks in the draft. The list doesn’t include Alex Broadhurst (#199 overall) who tore up the USHL this season, helping the Green Bay Gamblers to the Clark Cup Championship and will attend the University of Nebraska-Omaha in the fall.  Alex is the younger brother of Terry Broadhurst who will be in Rockford this fall. Going back to the 2010 draft, Chicago has four of their 10 picks locked up under contract, including Kent Simpson (#58 overall), Joakim Nordstrom (#90 overall), Rob Flick (#120 overall) and Mac Carruth (#191 overall). The number seems light, but the Blackhawks haven’t signed four of their top five picks from the draft including Kevin Hayes (#24 overall), Ludvig Rensfeldt (#35 overall), Justin Holl (#54 overall) and Stephen Johns (#60 overall).  This class doesn’t need to be under contract until next summer (or Chicago loses the players’ rights) and Hayes (Boston College), Holl (U. of Minnesota) and Johns (Notre Dame) will all get their junior seasons of NCAA hockey under their belts in 2012-13. Looking ahead to the upcoming season, Clendening and Dahlbeck will both more than likely be in Rockford. Both are d-men and will add depth to the Blackhawks farm system, thought of lately as thin on defense. Clendening won’t be 20 year olds until Oct. 26, so he’ll begin his first pro season as a 19-year-old rookie. At 5-11, 190lb, Clendening should eventually help boast the IceHogs power play as he led all Boston University defensemen in scoring with 33 points including 4g-29a. He’s classified as a finesse player with skill and a solid skater. The “X” factor of course is how it translates to the pro game. The Niagara Falls, NY native could develop into an adequate replacement for Brian Connelly in Rockford. Similar size with a similar skill set. Dahlbeck will bring some Swedish flavor back to the IceHogs. The 6-2, 200lb blueliner will also provide some bulk on the backline for Rockford. With some of the defensive zone issues that Rockford and Chicago had last season (specifically making that first pass), Dahlbeck could turn into a necessity for the organization with  some development in Rockford. If the Hawks are able to come to terms with Holl and or Johns next summer, the depth at defense hopefully won’t be as much of an issue as I think it’s been over the past couple of seasons. I’m not sure Dylan Olsen will be a full-time NHL graduate in 2012-13, but he’s on the right track. Throw in Ryan Stanton and Joe Lavin, and there are three d-men that are developing nicely in Rockford. The upcoming season will be a big one for Shawn Lalonde as well.  One of the biggest issues for Lalonde in Rockford is finding his hockey identity. Chicago’s second pick (third round, #68 overall) in the 2008 draft, Lalonde struggled offensively while trying to get his defensive priorities straightened out. His production dipped from 5g-27a-32pts as rookie in 2010-11 to 2g-11a-13pts a season ago. Scouts still salivate over Lalonde’s skating and he has a strong shot from the point. If he can figure it out, that would be another strong defenseman prospect in the Blackhawks system. Right now, Rockford’s backend to start 2012-13 could look something like this: Ryan Stanton-Dylan Olsen Ben Youds-Joe Lavin Shawn Lalonde-Klas Dahlbeck Adam Clendening With the potential of Justin Holl and Stephen Johns entering the system in 2013-14 coupled with the possibility of adding a d-man or two (or three) to the cupboard in this month’s draft, the blueline is shaping up to be a strength for the Blackhawks. 05/31/2012 9:37 AM http://icehogs.com/news/blog/?entry_id=399 Here is some interesting stuff for all you diehard Rockford IceHogs fans regarding some old United Hockey League teams. The Fort Wayne Komets announced this week that they are joining the ECHL for the 2012-13 season, jumping from the Central Hockey League after two seasons. With FTW in the ECHL, that now makes three former UHL clubs in the ECHL. The Komets join the Kalamazoo Wings and Elmira Jackals. The UHL disbanded following Rockford’s Colonial Cup Championship season in 2007 and there was some blame pointed at Rockford for starting the domino effect when they announced (officially anyways) in March of 2007 that the team was jumping to the American Hockey League. The Quad City Mallards followed suit and moved to the AHL, while the Elmira Jackals changed over to the ECHL following that season. Two seasons later (2009-10) the Kalamazoo Wings also made the move to the ECHL from the rekindled International Hockey League which featured the left over UHL teams. Quad City only lasted two years in the AHL and are now in the CHL. Evansville (Icemen), Indiana also announced that they were switching from the CHL to the ECHL next season and that was a market originally targeted by the UHL throughout the early to mid-2000s as an expansion franchise. Back to Fort Wayne for a moment….when the season commences in October, the Komets will have played in four different leagues in seven seasons (UHL, IHL, CHL and ECHL). That has to be unprecedented! One thing I definitely don’t miss about the old U-haul days is the instability of the league and the year-in and year-out talk about the league folding or half the teams going under. From a front office standpoint, that is a huge burden lifted off our shoulders. In 2006-07, the UHL ended the campaign with 10 teams and of those clubs, seven markets still have hockey (six in the professional ranks). Other than Rockford (AHL), Fort Wayne (ECHL), Kalamazoo (ECHL), Elmira (ECHL) and Quad City (CHL), Bloomington (CHL) and Muskegon (USHL) still have hockey. Muskegon’s team is a junior club. That means Flint, Port Huron and Chicago (Hoffman Estates) are without hockey. The professional minor league hockey landscape is ever changing as it is very high risk as an owner.  The CHL has gone through some big changes over the past five-six seasons, losing two of their cornerstone franchises in Oklahoma City (to the AHL) and Colorado (to the ECHL).  The league still does have 11 active teams, but is losing its southern (mainly Texas) footprint. The ECHL continues to grow and will be up to 23 teams in 2012-13, spanning from coast-to-coast. It only makes sense that eventually the ECHL will match the AHL and NHL with 30 teams, giving professional hockey a very similar minor league system that professional baseball has with their AAA and AA levels. 05/22/2012 3:36 PM http://icehogs.com/news/blog/?entry_id=398 It’s been well over a month now since the Rockford IceHogs last took to the ice, but there are five former IceHogs skaters (at three different levels) still playing playoff hockey and looking to add some hardware heading into the offseason. Former IceHogs center Colin Fraser is with the L.A. Kings and the club is one win away from a Stanley Cup Finals appearance.  Fraser was a member of the Blackhawks 2010 Stanley Cup Championship team and combined with the 2009 Hawks playoff run, the center played in just five combined postseason games. This time around, Fraser has skated in all 11 Kings playoff contests so far. After spending a season in Edmonton in 2010-11, Fraser appeared in 67 games with Kings this past regular season, notching 2g-6a-8pts after beginning the year on the IR. An extremely hard working player, I’d love to see Fraser get a second Stanley Cup ring! He was a key member of Rockford’s 2007-08 team, the first in the AHL era. For the second straight season, an IceHogs player was dealt around the trade deadline to an AHL Calder Cup contender and is helping fuel a run to the title. Brandon Segal’s Norfolk Admirals are also one win away from the Finals round as they are up 3-0 on St. John’s. The former Hogs captain has 2g-3a-5pts in 13 Calder Cup Playoff games after accumulating 5g-6a-11pts in eight regular season tilts with the Admirals following his trade from Rockford. Segal also appeared in 10 games with Tampa Bay. Three former Hogs are locked up in a tight ECHL Kelly Cup Playoff title run. Goalie Joe Fallon and forwards Peter MacArthur and Judd Blackwater are trying to earn their first professional championship with the Las Vegas Wranglers. Both Fallon and MacArthur faced their former team in the AHL this season with Fallon playing twice against the IceHogs in March while with the Houston Aeros and MacArthur twice in April with Lake Erie. Fallon has been spectacular in the postseason, posting a 7-3 record with a 2.01 goals against average and a .927 save percentage. MacArthur ranked fourth on the Wranglers in scoring during the regular season (16g-32a-48pts in 38 games) despite playing 25 games in the AHL. During the Kelly Cup Playoffs, the Clifton Park, New York native has 4g-5a-9pts in 13 games. Blackwater has been a key contributor offensively in the playoffs as well for Las Vegas. The winger has 6g-8a-14pts in 15 playoff games, third best on the club. Blackwater had three goals in nine games with Rockford in 2008-09. Las Vegas is down 2-1 in their best-of-seven championship series against the Florida EverBlades with Game 4 on Tuesday night in Florida. 05/10/2012 9:58 AM http://icehogs.com/news/blog/?entry_id=397 Now that we’re in the offseason, it’s never too early to look ahead to what might be for the Rockford IceHogs lineup in 2012-13. Like 2011-12, there will be a very solid core group of players back for a follow up year in Rockford. Before you say “here we go again”, let me preface this by saying that this is a good thing. A lot of the returnees will be entering their third year in professional hockey.  The third year seems to be the best season in the maturation process for AHL players, at least the ones that we’ve seen come through here. The likes of Jack Dowell, Jack Skille, Troy Brouwer, Dustin Byfuglien, Jordan Hendry and Colin Fraser all really seemed to settle in, in their third season of professional hockey. In 2012-13, the likes of Brandon Pirri, Ryan Stanton, Shawn Lalonde, Kyle Beach, Jeremy Morin, Ben Smith and Pete LeBlanc will all be in their third season. That list doesn’t count Carter Hutton, Brandon Bollig and Dylan Olsen who all could see time in Rockford. So the core of the IceHogs should be on the cusp of spending some time with the Blackhawks next year. But remember, with the numbers in Chicago, most of these guys will be back in Rockford. Before I get into my projection for Rockford’s lineup, some of this is under the assumption that Bollig, Smith and Hutton all get re-signed by the Hawks. To check out the contract situation for IceHogs players from 2011-12, click here. Let’s start with the forwards: Jeremy Morin-Brandon Pirri-Jimmy Hayes Free Agent-Peter LeBlanc-Ben Smith Philippe Paradis-Rob Flick-Free Agent Terry Broadhurst -Byron Froese-Free Agent/David Gilbert Other possibilities: Brandon Bollig, Brandon Saad and up to two other draft picks/free agents Looking at the situation in Chicago, barring any trades this offseason (which is a possibility), the Blackhawks have 11 forwards under contract for next season not counting Hayes, as I have him projected to be back next fall to at least start the season in Rockford. This number doesn’t include Bollig (who needs a contract) or Saad who will make a push to earn a roster spot in September.  Also not included in this number are possible free agent signees for the Hawks who will have nearly $7-million of cap space to work with. With Smith coming off of his hip surgery, he’ll more than likely start the season in Rockford as he’ll be behind a little bit after getting a late start on his summer training. Although with Smith and his work ethic, he has a tendency of exceeding expectations! Rostislav Olesz is another possibility in the lineup, but more than likely not to start the season as his injury from the end of ’11-12 will keep him on the sideline for a bit 2012-13. Defensemen: Stanton-Free Agent Youds-Lavin Lalonde-Free Agent Other possibilities: Dylan Olsen, a draft pick or two free agents Like Hayes, Olsen could find himself in Rockford to start the season. With Olsen, Chicago has six defensemen locked up for next season. It’s a good bet that a lot of that extra cash under the cap will be used on a d-man or two, ultimately bumping him back down to the AHL. It’s not a slight on Hayes or Olsen if they start and spend a significant amount of time in Rockford next year. It’s the nature of the development process and could really benefit them in the long run. Also keep in mind, where I have listed “free agent”, don’t count out guys like Brandon Svendsen or a Brian Fahey in that category. Goaltending: Hutton Salak A position that has really been a liability coming into the last two seasons could be a huge strength. Hutton isn’t signed yet, but if he is, the Hawks would have him, Alexander Salak and Alec Richards all under contract for next season. That doesn’t even count Kent Simpson who is another possibility. If the above projection is accurate, there will be 16 returning players from the 2011-12 squad next fall (including Broadhurst, who played in eight games).  Compared to last season, Rockford had 19 players play in both 2010-11 and 2011-12, including Wade Brookbank, who came out of retirement in February. If teams come out of camp healthy, they’ll typically carry 22 to 23 players (14 forwards, 7 defensemen and 2 goalies). That means there are about six or seven spots for fresh faces on next season’s roster. I’m sure a couple of the free agent spots will be taken by draft picks or skaters from prospect camp, but I’d like to see a veteran, Fahey-type defenseman signed and two solid veteran forwards added as well. 05/07/2012 3:40 PM http://icehogs.com/news/blog/?entry_id=396 Here is a link for a podcast I did with Dave Schmidt back in January. (Click Here) Dave did a few of these this season and they were a lot of fun! If you click on the link, you can listen to the others he did with Brandon Bollig, Jeremy Morin, Carter Hutton, Brandon Segal and Brian Connelly. 05/07/2012 12:49 PM http://icehogs.com/news/blog/?entry_id=395 We lost an inspirational member of the organization on Sunday when Jimmy Newcomer succumbed to a rare form of cancer of the bile ducts.  Diagnosed in December, Jimmy was given just a week to live in mid-January, but battled until May 6! Jimmy provided inspiration for several members of the IceHogs team and front office over the past five months. I’m not going to claim to know Jimmy personally, but I can tell you that he made an impact on everyone here that he came in contact with.  And in the community. Back in February, Texas Roadhouse held a benefit for him and that place was packed from about 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Hopefully the IceHogs were a good escape for him during his fight and it was a pleasure getting the opportunity to see how someone like Jimmy impacted so many. You will be missed Jimmy.