IceHogs Bring in Three on AHL Deals

Rockford, IL. - The Rockford IceHogs and General Manager Mark Bernard announced that the team has signed forwards Harrison Israels and Jamie Engelbert along with goaltender Owen Flores to one-year AHL contracts.

Harrison Israels played seven games with the Florida Everblades last season, getting his first look in professional hockey. The Mississauga, ON native grabbed one goal and two assists in his time in the ECHL.

"I'm very excited about the signing of Harrison. He's a big center that plays a 200 foot game and has great hands around the net", said IceHogs General Manager, Mark Bernard. "It will be great to see how his game transitions into pro hockey."

Prior to turning pro, Israels played five season at the NCAA levels, totaling 130 games of Division One action. The 25-year-old skated last season with the University of Nebraska-Omaha as a graduate student and wore an "A" for the club during his only year with the Mavericks.

Israels spent four seasons at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks and was named team captain for the Junior and Senior years. In his final year with the Nanooks, the 6-foot-1, 210 lbs. forward led the team with a career-high 20 goals.

Jamie Engelbert is coming off of his first year in professional hockey where he saw action with three teams and in two different leagues. The 6'4 forward began the season playing two games with the Bloomington Bison in the ECHL.

"We are excited to have Jamie in Rockford after a great rookie season", said IceHogs Head Coach Jared Nightingale. "He brings an element to our roster that will represent how we want to play."

The Cobourg, ON native was traded to the South Carolina Stingrays and was coached by IceHogs new bench boss Jared Nightingale. With the Stingrays, Engelbert notched 31 points (17g, 14a) in 38 games with the Capitals' affiliate.

"He's a great worker and hard to play against, high in character and hungry to improve. Jamie has a high ceiling and we look forward to helping him continue to grow his game."

Last March, Engelbert was signed to a professional tryout agreement with the Manitoba Moose. The 25-year-old suited up for three games in the AHL and faced off against Rockford once as well.

Engelbert spent five seasons with Providence College at the NCAA level. The lefty played in 145 games with the Friars, totaling 45 points in his tenure in Rhode Island.

Owen Flores signs his first professional contract and is coming off of four years in the Ontario Hockey League. The 21-year-old played three seasons in Niagara and one season with London.

A native of Chicago, Flores manned the crease for 155 OHL games with a 4.19 goals-against-average and an .890 save percentage.

The left-catching goaltender attended NHL development camps with the Detroit Red Wings (2022) and the Pittsburgh Penguins (2023). Flores also participated in the Nashville Predators' 2023 training camp.