14 Former IceHogs Won League Titles in 2024
Pictured: Luke Johnson
Headlined by Gustav Forsling hoisting the Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers following a Game 7 victory on June 24 over the Edmonton Oilers, 14 former IceHogs captured league championships from across the world during the 2023-24 season.
NHL - Gustav Forsling (Florida Panthers)
Forsling stood out as one of the best and most versatile defensemen in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Swede bagged 13 points (4G, 9A) in 22 postseason games and led his club with a +9 rating. His +56 rating led all NHL players in the regular season.
The defenseman played in parts of three seasons with the IceHogs from 2016 to 2019 and appeared in 53 total games. He has now played four seasons in Florida after the Panthers picked him up off waivers from the Carolina Hurricanes in 2021.
AHL - Dmitry Osipov (Hershey Bears)
Dmitry Osipov played parts of four seasons in Rockford and played 103 games with the IceHogs during his tenure. This season with Hershey, the Russian defenseman saw action in 17 regular season contests and three postseason games during Bears' run to the Calder Cup.
KHL - Robin Press, Luke Johnson (Magnitogorsk Metallurg)
In Russia's Kontinental Hockey League, former Hogs Robin Press and Luke Johnson both helped Magnitogorsk raise the Gagarin Cup. The team finished third in the regular season and first in the Eastern Conference before sweeping Lokomotiv Yaroslavl in the Gagarin Cup Finals.
Press, 28, finished fourth on the team in scoring with 39 points (7G, 32A) during the regular season, and he tied for the team lead in scoring during the playoffs with 17 points (3G, 14A) in 23 contests. The defenseman played in parts of three seasons with Rockford from 2014 to 2018 totaling 18 appearances over that span. When in North America, the former seventh-round pick by the Blackhawks mostly spent time in the ECHL with the Indy Fuel.
Johnson, 29, tabbed 22 points (12G, 10A) in 64 regular season games with Magnitogorsk and added seven points (4G, 3A) in 23 postseason matches. The forward played three seasons for Rockford from 2016 to 2019 and totaled 78 points (39G, 39A) in 199 IceHogs appearances. Johnson also played 15 NHL games with Chicago in 2018-19.
SHL - Dylan Sikura (Skelleftea AIK)
Sikura, 29, helped guide Skelleftea AIK to a league championship in Sweden's top professional league. Sikura netted nine points (4G, 5A) in 13 playoff games and added 26 points (10G, 16A) in 49 regular season contests. The forward played three seasons in Rockford from 2018 to 2020 and then again in the 2022-23 season.
DEL - Jake Hildebrand (Berlin Polar Bears)
Having previously won a league title in the second tier of German professional hockey, former IceHogs goaltender Jake Hildebrand moved up to the top league in Germany and helped Berlin win the DEL championship. Hildebrand took the lion's share of the starts during the regular season for Berlin with 38, and he started all 15 postseason games as well.
The 31-year-old previously played three games with Rockford in the 2016-17 season after spending a majority of the campaign in the ECHL with the Indy Fuel. Hildebrand also won a Kelly Cup in the ECHL under a former UHL IceHogs head coach Steve Martinson back in 2016.
Liiga - Joni Tuula, Petri Kontiola (Tappara Tampere)
Former IceHogs Petri Kontiola and Joni Tuulola aided Tappara Tampere winning Finland's top professional league.
Kontiola, 39, racked up 22 points (4G, 18A) in 30 regular season contests before contributing 10 points (1G, 9A) in 16 playoff games. The former seventh-round pick of Chicago played two seasons for the IceHogs from 2007 to 2009, and amassed 121 points (33G, 88A) in 127 games. In 2007-08, he also played 12 games with the Blackhawks and recorded five assists.
Tuuola, 28, produced 16 points (5G, 11A) in 57 games from the blue line for Tappara during the regular season and added three points (1G, 2A) in 16 playoff games. Tuuola has skated with Tappara Tampere for the last three seasons and has helped guide the club to a league championship in each year. The former sixth-round pick of the Blackhawks played 110 games for the IceHogs from 2018 to 2020 before returning to play in Finland.
ECHL - Cole Moberg (Florida Everblades)
The Florida Everblades won their third straight Kelly Cup in 2024 and former IceHogs defenseman Cole Moberg played a significant role.
Moberg, 23, turned pro in 2020 with Rockford and played 22 games with the Hogs totaling five points (1G, 4A) while splitting time with the ECHL. In Florida this season, Moberg registered 14 points (4G, 10A) in 60 regular season games and came alive in the playoffs with 14 points (6G, 8A) in 22 postseason appearances. Moberg also helped Florida win the Kelly Cup in 2023.
*Former IceHog Cam Morrison played with Florida as well in 2023-24 but did not appear in a postseason game.
Extraliga - Marko Dano (HC Ocelari Trinec)
Marko Dano helped HC Trinec Ocelari win their third straight championship in the Czech Republic's top professional league. Dano had 26 points (13G, 13A) in 26 regular season contests before he piled on 12 more points (6G, 6A) in 21 playoff contests. Dano has helped Trinec Ocelari win each of their last three titles.
The former first-round pick by the Columbus Blue Jackets played 34 games with the IceHogs in the 2015-16 seasons and recorded 23 points (4G, 19A). Over the course of his North American career, Dano appeared in 141 NHL contests including 13 with the Blackhawks.
Ligue Magnus - Rob Flick (Rouen)
Rob Flick spent two seasons in Rockford from 2011 to 2013. Through 96 IceHogs appearances, the former fourth-round pick of the Blackhawks picked up 18 points (10G, 8A) and 188 penalty minutes.
In 2023-24, Flick helped Rouen claim a league title after notching three assists in four regular season games and two points (1G, 1A) in 12 playoff contests.
EIHL - Daniel Ciampini (Sheffield Steelers)
In England's top pro league, Daniel Ciampini helped pilot Sheffield to a title with four points (2G, 2A) in four playoff games and 53 points (18G, 35A) in 54 regular season contests. He played 10 games with Rockford in 2015-16.
ICE Hockey League - Cameron Schilling (Salzburg EC)
Schilling won a championship in Austria with Salzburg and added three assists in 18 playoff appearances to his five points (1G, 4A) in 11 regular season games. The defenseman played two seasons with Rockford from 2015 to 2017 and totaled 39 points (12G, 27A) in 113 games through those two campaigns.
Metal Ligean - William Pelletier (Sonderjyske)
Playing in the Danish league Metal Ligean, Pelletier tied for sixth on the team in scoring during the regular season with 31 points (8G, 23A) and added 19 points (5G, 14A) in the playoffs. The winger saw action in parts of three seasons with Rockford from 2016 to 2019 and totaled 53 points (24G, 29A) in 118 games with the Hogs.