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December 23
21 ICEHOGS SKATERS REMAIN UNDER CONTRACT WITH CHICAGO
ROCKFORD, Ill. – The Rockford IceHogs concluded their 11th season both in the American Hockey League and as the primary development affiliate of the NHL’s Chicago Blakchawks with a postseason run to the Western Conference Finals in the 2018 Calder Cup playoffs. Overall, 13 players earned recalls to Chicago from Rockford during the 2017-18 campaign, and six of those players made their respective NHL debut with the Blackhawks.
Of Rockford's roster last season, 21 players remain under contract with the Chicago Blackhawks next year. That group of skaters features a large core of the IceHogs team that reached the third round of the postseason, including Rockford's 2017-18 Rookie of the Year, Matthew Highmore and Most Valuable Player, Tyler Sikura. The list of players remaining under contract is also highlighted by rookie netminder Collin Delia, who set the IceHogs playoff record with seven straight wins in the Calder Cup playoffs, and rookie defensemen Darren Raddysh and Luc Snuggerud, who combined for 39 points during the regular season.
In addition to those under contract, four players are Restricted Free Agents (RFA) and a further five are Unrestricted Free Agents (UFA) as of June 12, 2018. The list of RFA’s features the IceHogs’ all-time leader in defenseman scoring, Adam Clendening, and first-year Hogs forward, John Hayden, who logged 17 points in 24 AHL games during the regular season. The five UFA’s are all notable players from Rockford’s postseason run, but most notably include five-year IceHogs defenseman Viktor Svedberg, who has played each of his 248 career AHL games with the Hogs, and postseason superstar Chris DiDomenico, who set Rockford’s all-time playoff scoring record with 18 points in just 13 contests during the 2018 Calder Cup playoffs.
Below is a full list of players who skated with the IceHogs in 2017-18 and are signed with the Chicago Blackhawks through at least the 2018-19 season. In addition, the second and third columns feature the list of five RFA’s and four UFA’s from the 2017-18 campaign:
| Under Contract (Year Expires) | Restricted Free Agents | Unrestricted Free Agents |
| J.F. Berube (2018-19) | Adam Clendening | Lance Bouma |
| Carl Dahlstrom (2018-19) | John Hayden | Chris DiDomenico |
| Collin Delia (2018-19) | Vinnie Hinostroza | Cody Franson |
| Victor Ejdsell (2018-19) | Tomas Jurco | Jeff Glass |
| Gustav Forsling (2018-19) | Viktor Svedberg | |
| Alexandre Fortin (2019-20) | ||
| Erik Gustafsson (2019-20) | ||
| Matthew Highmore (2019-20) | ||
| Matheson Iacopelli (2018-19) | ||
| Luke Johnson (2018-19) | ||
| David Kampf (2018-19) | ||
| Tanner Kero (2018-19) | ||
| Graham Knott (2019-20) | ||
| Anthony Louis (2018-19) | ||
| Andreas Martinsen (2018-19) | ||
| Nathan Noel (2019-20) | ||
| Robin Norell (2018-19) | ||
| Darren Raddysh (2019-20) | ||
| Tyler Sikura (2018-19) | ||
| Luc Snuggerud (2019-20) | ||
| Joni Tuulola (2019-20) |
*Information via CapFriendly.com
Rules governing UFA status state that a player is eligible after turning 27 or after playing at least seven seasons in the NHL. Any player who does not meet that threshold, and is out of their Entry Level Contract, becomes an RFA, and teams are eligible for compensatory draft picks if those players sign with a new organization.
In addition, forwards Radovan Bondra, William Pelletier and Henrik Samuelsson are signed to AHL contracts through the 2018-19 season. Chicago also has Lucas Carlsson (D), Dennis Gilbert (D), Blake Hillman (D), Henri Jokiharju (D), Dominik Kahun (F), Kevin Lankinen (G), Jacob Nilsson (F) and Dylan Sikura (F) under contract for next season.
Season Tickets for 2018-19 on Sale Now:
Don’t miss a moment of the action by reserving your seats for the IceHogs’ 20th season of professional hockey in Rockford and 12th as the top AHL affiliate of the Chicago Blackhawks. The IceHogs’ home opener is set for Oct. 13 and ticket packages begin as low as $105 for a seven-game mini pack. Please contact us at (815) 847-6399 or visit icehogs.com to claim your spots for this upcoming season.
