2024-25 marked the 26th season of IceHogs hockey in the Stateline. Filled with top prospects, marquee games and highlight moments, let's look back at the year that was in Rockford.

The 2024-25 season began before the puck even dropped with the IceHogs hosting their annual block party outside the arena, complete with live music and food trucks. The IceHogs began the campaign in front of a sell-out crowd at the BMO Center to take on the Grand Rapids Griffins. The Hogs debuted their brand new 'Screw City' black alternate jerseys as a nod to the city's industrial history. A handful of rookies recorded their first AHL points in a 4-1 victory with Samuel Savoie and Kevin Korchinski both scoring their first AHL goal. Gavin Hayes, Landon Slaggert, and Frank Nazar all collected assists. Drew Commesso made 18 saves to open the season in the win column.

Rookie forwards Frank Nazar and Landon Slaggert tore onto the AHL scene with Rockford at the start of the season. Nazar, a 2022 1st-round pick, dominated in his 21 games with the IceHogs scoring 24 points (11g,13a) and recording eight multi-point games. The 21-year-old joined the Blackhawks in December and never looked back. Slaggert skated in the first 39 games of the season with the Hogs and earned 25 points (10g,15a) in the AHL. The Notre Dame product consistently brought his hard working effort to every shift, including with the Blackhawks for the second half of the regular season.

On December 5, Blackhawks General Manager Kyle Davidson announced that the team had named Rockford IceHogs' Head Coach Anders Sorensen its new Interim Head Coach. Mark Eaton, Blackhawks Assistant General Manager overseeing player development, took over as the Interim bench boss in Rockford. Eaton had spent 11 seasons working in Chicago’s development department, but this was his first role behind the bench in pro hockey. Eaton posted a 22-25-4-2 in his first coaching season and led the IceHogs to their fourth consecutive playoff berth.

Cole Guttman and Kevin Korchinski represented the IceHogs in Coachella Valley for the 2025 AHL All Star Classic. Guttman was named to the All Star game in replacement of Frank Nazar who was playing with Chicago. When the California native was named to the team, he led the IceHogs with 16 goals and 17 assists. Guttman ended the season leading Rockford in scoring with 23 goals and 34 assists. Korchinski earned his first All Star nod after collecting 17 points in the first half of the season. The 20-year-old defenseman represented Rockford well, scoring a goal and three assists along with a shootout goal in the championship game. Korchinski was named AHL All-Star Classic MVP and helped the Central Division lock up the title for the first time since 2017.

During the 1st intermission of the IceHogs's Sunday matinee against the Admirals on Jan. 12, AHL President Scott Howson announced that the City of Rockford and the Rockford IceHogs would host the 2026 AHL All Star Classic. 2026 will mark the first time that the All Star Game will be hosted in the Midwest since 2004 when the festivities took place in Grand Rapids. The All Star Skills Competition and All-Star Classic will be held at the BMO Center, which has seen recent renovations, on Tuesday February 10 and Wednesday February 11.

Three-time Stanley Cup Champion Bryan Bickell returned to Rockford and was inducted into the IceHogs Ring of Honor on February 15. Bickell became the fourth member of the IceHogs Ring of Honor, playing over 200 games with the IceHogs. Bickell was a crucial member of the Blackhawks' 2013 Stanley Cup Run with 17 points that postseason. The former Hog began the evening with a Q&A with the voice of the IceHogs Dana Grey and signed posters and jerseys for fans. Rockford honored Bickell in the 2nd period intermission of a contest against the Springfield Thunderbirds. Bickell was joined on the ice by his wife Amanda and their two daughters while his name and number were added to the BMO Center rafters.

Drew Commesso had an eventful second season with the IceHogs. Commesso began the season in Rockford and was called up to Chicago to make his NHL Debut on Dec. 12 against the New York Islanders. The Norwell, MA native did not play from February 8-28 with an ankle injury, but came back and found a new gear between the pipes. The Blackhawks 2020 draft pick ended the regular season with a 10-3-2 record along with two shutouts. Commesso continued his success into the postseason, winning his first four starts and posting a 0.96 goals against average to begin the playoffs. Commesso also earned his first postseason shutout in the IceHogs Game 2 victory over the Chicago Wolves.

The IceHogs had a chance to punch their ticket to the Calder Cup Playoffs while hosting a desperate Tucson Roadrunners team on April 12. Paul Ludwinski opened the scoring early in the 2nd period to give Rockford a 1-0 lead. Tucson tied the game just five minutes into the 3rd period to send the game into overtime. Both teams exchanged scoring chances in the OT with both Drew Commesso and Dylan Wells exchanging highlight worthy saves. In the final minute of the overtime frame, Brett Seney sniped a wrister past Wells to clinch a playoff berth for the IceHogs for the sixth time in seven seasons.

Rockford began the postseason run against their instate rivals, the Chicago Wolves. In Game 1 Kevin Korchinski scored the lone regulation goal for the Hogs in his playoff debut. Drew Commesso made a series of heroic saves towards the end of the 3rd period to force the game into overtime, setting the stage for rookie defenseman Artyom Levshunov to net the game-winning goal at the 11:00 mark of overtime. The IceHogs would go on to dominate Chicago in game two with a 5-0 win at the BMO Center to advance to the Central Division Semifinal Round against the Milwaukee Admirals.

The Central Division Semifinals started on the road against the Division champion Milwaukee Admirals. After falling down by two, the IceHogs stormed back with goals from Paul Ludwinski and Gerry Mayhew in the final nine minutes of the 3rd period. Colton Dach made his mark in his first game back with Rockford scoring the overtime winner just 12 seconds into the extra frame. Dach's goal was the 3rd quickest overtime goal in Calder Cup Playoff history.

Joey Anderson helped power Rockford to a Game 2 victory over Milwaukee with the first Calder Cup Playoff hat-trick in franchise history. Anderson’s four-point night helped the IceHogs take down Milwaukee 6-1 to build a 2-0 series lead.

The IceHogs returned to Milwaukee after dropping both games at home for a bid to advance to the Division Final. Zach Sanford scored a pair of goals to put Rockford up 2-1 before the Admirals responded with two unanswered in the 2nd period. In a similar trend to Game 1, the IceHogs tied the game with under ten minutes to go when Joey Anderson beat Matthew Murray. In the Game 5 overtime, the Admirals converted on the man-advantage to advance.

The connection between Rockford and Chicago was as strong as ever this season. Frank Nazar and Landon Slaggert headlined a group of eight IceHogs' who started the season in Rockford and made their way up to the NHL. Nazar finished the regular season with 12 goals and 14 assists in 53 games with the Blackhawks, while Slaggert tallied two goals and four assists. Colton Dach, Ethan Del Mastro, Kevin Korchinski, Louis Crevier, Drew Commesso, Artyom Levshunov all got the call to Chicago throughout the 2024-25 season.

While the current crop of prospects made their first appearance in Chicago, the next wave of young guns got their first taste of pro hockey in Rockford towards the end of the season. Aidan Thompson (2022, 92nd overall) and Taige Harding (2021, 91st overall) joined the Hogs on ATOs in April. Thompson stayed in the lineup for the postseason, scoring his first professional goal in Game 2 against the Admirals.

As the page is flipped to the 2025-26 season, there is plenty of reason for excitement throughout the organization. The Blackhawks prepare to celebrate their centennial season and the preparations for the 2026 AHL All-Star Classic in Rockford are in full swing.