IceHogs Visit Des Moines for First Meeting with Wild Saturday

Rockford, IL – The Rockford IceHogs, proud American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL), wrap up a brief two-game road trip on Saturday with a stop at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, IA to take on the Iowa Wild at 6:00 p.m. This is the first of 10 scheduled meetings between the two clubs.

Tune in on the IceHogs Broadcast Network Presented by BMO Harris Bank
Fans can watch all of this season’s action LIVE on AHLTV and 23.2 Antenna TV WIFR (home games)! Tune in to every broadcast for free on SportsFanRadio 1330 AM, Sportsfanradio1330.com, IceHogs.com, and the IceHogs app!

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Enjoy the Hogs@Home on the IceHogs mobile app! Play the Meijer First Goal Frenzy for a chance to win a $25 gift card and check-in for a chance to grab dinner for two from Texas Roadhouse! The IceHogs Gameday Jersey Raffle is back too! Download the App and Play!

IceHogs/Wolves Rivalry Heats Back Up
The IceHogs opened the 2020-21 season with a two-game, home-and-home set against the Chicago Wolves last Saturday and Tuesday, dropping both contests, 5-4 and 5-2. Tuesday’s showdown in Hoffman Estates featured 63 combined penalties and 15 total power plays. Recap and Highlights

Firsts Continue to Arrive for IceHogs
On Tuesday, IceHogs forward D.J. Busdeker picked up his first AHL goal and forward Chris Wilkie grabbed his first professional tally in his pro debut. Busdeker began the season with Indy (ECHL), skating in seven games and recording two goals and two assists for four points.

Power Play Chances Racking Up
The IceHogs registered nine power-play opportunities on Tuesday (finished 1-for-9), the most they have seen since March 4, 2014 when they went 0-for-9 against the Rochester Americans in a 4-2 win.

Wild and IceHogs Ready to Rumble
The IceHogs and Wild only saw each other four times out of their scheduled eight meetings during the 2019-20 campaign before the year was canceled. The IceHogs went 1-3-0 against the Wild in those four gatherings with their last contest coming on Jan. 3, 2020, a 5-1 setback at Iowa. Their lone win came on Nov. 2, 2019 with a 3-2 overtime victory featuring a game-winning goal from now-Blackhawks forward Matthew Highmore and stellar goaltending from now-Blackhawks netminder Kevin Lankinen.

Home-and-Home Series
This season’s head-to-head vs. Iowa large chunks of time between BMO Harris Bank Center in Rockford and Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines. After tonight, the IceHogs host the Wild for four straight games (Mar. 6-7, 19-20) and then visit their Central Division rivals for four straight (Apr. 13, 23-24, May 7) before closing the year at Rockford on May 9.

Familiar Faces with Iowa
The Iowa Wild feature two former 2019-20 Rockford IceHogs in forward Joseph Cramarossa and defenseman Ian McCoshen. Cramarossa skated in 42 games with the IceHogs last season recording five goals and seven assists for 12 points and led the club with 110 penalty minutes. McCoshen registered eight points (two goals, six assists) in 56 games with the IceHogs.

Mitchell Approaching 500
Captain Garrett Mitchell is approaching 500 professional games over his 10-year pro career. Through 490 games in the NHL, AHL, ECHL, and overseas, Mitchell has 71 goals and 84 assists for 155 points.

Countdown to 1,000
The 2020-21 season will feature the 1,000 IceHogs AHL contest! Through 993 games, including last Saturday, the IceHogs hold an all-time record of 493-393-54-53

The Rockford IceHogs open up a four-game homestand starting Tuesday, Feb. 16 at 6:00 p.m. against the Chicago Wolves at BMO Harris Bank Center. Fans can watch all of this season’s action LIVE on AHLTV and 23.2 Antenna TV WIFR (home games)! Tune in to every broadcast for free on SportsFanRadio 1330 AM, Sportsfanradio1330.com, IceHogs.com, and the IceHogs app!

Every active full IceHogs Season Ticket Holder and 20-Game holder who have paid for their tickets in full or who have a deposit down on their tickets for 2020-21 will receive FREE access to every IceHogs game through AHLTV on the IceHogs Broadcast Network presented by BMO Harris Bank!

Want to upgrade to a Full Season or 20-Game plan? Contact us at (815) 968-5222 or email us at ticketservices@icehogs.com!

2020-21 Regular-Season Records:
Rockford: 0-2-0-0, 0 points (T-4th, Central Division)
Iowa: 1-1-1-0, 3 points (3rd, Central Division)

2019-20 Regular-Season Records:
Rockford: 29-30-2-2, 62 points (5th, Central Division)
Iowa: 37-18-4-4, 82 points (2nd, Central Division)

2020-21 Head-to-Head Schedule (all times Central):

Feb. 13 IceHogs at Wild 6 p.m.

Mar. 6 Wild at IceHogs 6 p.m.

Mar. 7 Wild at IceHogs 4 p.m.

Mar. 19 Wild at IceHogs 6 p.m.

Mar. 20 Wild at IceHogs 6 p.m.

Apr. 13 IceHogs at Wild 7 p.m.

Apr. 23 IceHogs at Wild 6 p.m.

Apr. 24 IceHogs at Wild 6 p.m.

May 7 IceHogs at Wild 7 p.m.

May 9 Wild at IceHogs 4 p.m.

IceHogs vs. Wild 2020-21 Head-to-Head Record
1-3-0-0

IceHogs vs. Wild, All-Time
35-24-4-3

Head Coaches
Rockford: Derek King (2nd season with IceHogs)
Iowa: Tim Army (2nd season with Wild)

NHL Affiliate
Rockford: Chicago Blackhawks
Iowa: Minnesota Wild