Meet 3 players who have Rockford IceHogs in the hunt for an AHL playoff spot

• 1) F Lukas Reichel
• 2) G Arvid Soderblom
• 3) F Dylan McLaughlin

ROCKFORD — With no more help coming this season from the locked roster of the Chicago Blackhawks, the Rockford IceHogs will lean heavily on three key players as they push for their first AHL playoff berth in four years.

There was no AHL postseason the past two years, and the Hogs failed to make the cut in 2019. Now they are looking to get back to the form that carried them on their 2018 Calder Cup Playoff run to the Western Conference finals, which included a 7-0 run to begin the postseason.

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With a month to go, they are knocking on the door. Rockford (30-25-4-1) had won seven of 10 after a sweep at Tucson, Arizona, last weekend and a 4-1 loss in Las Vegas on Monday. The Hogs are tied for fourth in the AHL Central Division, with the top five teams making the postseason. They are on the road for one more game on Tuesday before returning to take on Tucson on Saturday and Sunday.

And three players could hold the key to finishing the job.

"We're battling for the playoffs right now, and we have to be focused every game; every game," one of those players, the team's leading scorer rookie forward Lukas Reichel said. "And that's what you work for, the whole summer and the whole season. In Germany I was in the playoffs, and it was the best thing ever. It was so fun...I want that here."

Reichel, the organization's top prospect who is also knocking on the door of the Hogs' rookie scoring record, has been a force all season long, but he's on a tear of late, and his play could help dictate Rockford's position down the stretch. Along with rookie goalie Arvid Soderblom and third-year Hogs forward Dylan McLaughlin, the Hogs will look to their leaders during their most important stretch of the season.

Here is an in-depth look at those three key players for the Hogs right now:

Lukas Reichel, forward

Reichel, a 6-foot, 190-pounder was a first-round draft pick by the Hawks in 2020, and he has burst onto the scene in the AHL this year. He is fourth among AHL rookies with 21 goals and 28 assists, and has powered the Hogs during their hot streaks.

"When he's putting up points," goalie Soderblom said, "we're usually winning."

Reichel got eight shots off in five games during two stints with the Hawks this season, and he is considered a future NHL'er.

But at this point in his career, he's just looking to help get this team to the AHL playoffs. If they make it in, and do well, he will most likely be one of the main reasons.

"Right now, I feel great," said Reichel, 19, who leads the Hogs in goals, assists, points per game (1.02) and game-winning goals (six). "I've never played in the AHL playoffs, or even watched it, so I'm really excited for it. I want to see it. And everyone here wants to show what they can do in the playoffs."

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With 49 points, Reichel trails forward Vince Hinostroza (2015-16) by two points for the all-time Hogs rookie points mark, and with 21 goals, trails forward Matthew Highmore (2017-18) by three for the all-time rookie goal mark. And some of his strengths don't show up on a stats sheet.

"I always try to make my teammates better," said Reichel, a very strong skater and puck handler. "And it's about making plays, at any level. You don't always get the goals or whatever, but you have to make plays."

Arvid Soderblom, goaltender

What was once a very busy, and crowded, goaltender room for the Hogs has dwindled down to just three, but this is now Soderblom's team to carry.

While Cale Morris was just cleared to play after briefly rehabbing a hip injury, and Tom Aubrun was re-called from the Indy Fuel on Thursday, this is Soderblom's chance to shine. In his first full season since coming over from Germany, Soderblom (15-11-2) was fourth among AHL rookie goalies with a .915 save percentage, and eighth with a 2.87 goals-against average, headed into the weekend. He then earned wins on Friday (4-3 OT) and Saturday (6-3).

"I like this; I like being the guy the team is really relying on," said Soderblom, who has battled with four other goalies for time between the pipes with the Hogs this season. "This is a good chance for me to play a lot, and show what I can do."

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Soderblom had a start and played in three games for the Hawks this season, but he has spent most of the year trying to earn time on the ice with the Hogs. He's now earned the chance to be the team's No. 1 goalie down the stretch of the regular season, and, they hope, into the playoffs.

Kevin Lankinen, last year's starting goalie for the Hogs, and Collin Delia, the Hogs starter in the three previous seasons, are rotating starts for the Hawks as they wind down the season. Chicago (24-34-10) has not officially been eliminated from the NHL playoff picture, but espn.com gives them less than 1% chance to make it with just 13 games left after Friday's road game in Tampa Bay. The Hawks are poised to miss the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the fourth time in five seasons.

But the Hogs are poised to make the postseason for the first time since 2018. If they do, Soderblom will be key in getting there, and doing well once they do.

Dylan McLaughlin, forward

One of the brightest stars for the Hogs this season has been forward Dylan McLaughlin, but the team had to deal without him for just over a month as he battled headaches connected to a concussion he suffered on Feb. 20.

Still, he is second on the team with 34 points (11 goals, 23 assists), even after missing all that time, and he returned two weekends ago looking like his old self again. He scored the game winner just 23 seconds into the OT frame on Friday, which gave him a four-game point streak with four goals and three assists in four games since his return.

He's added a goal and an assist since, and is sparking the Hogs down the stretch.

"He's dynamic out there, and he's doing a lot for us," Rockford's interim head coach Anders Sorensen said after McLaughlin returned to action. "It's just good to have him back."

McLaughlin missed 11 games while on concussion protocol. But since returning to the lineup he has lifted his game even higher.

"It was tough to have such an important player for us gone for so long," Soderblom said. "And he looks sharp again...He's been out of the lineup for a long time, and that gives you a little more hunger and a little more energy when you finally get out there. He's got that."

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The entire team will need that. Twice in the past six years the Hogs were in playoff position down the stretch, only to miss out with a poor finish.

They are not planning on doing that again this time.

"Every game is a big one now," McLaughlin said. "This is what we're here for. I haven't played in the playoffs at this level, and most of our guys haven't. This is what it's all about. We really want to win, right now. This whole team is excited.

"Every single one of us is trying to play in the NHL, and the best way to do that is to help this team get to the playoffs, and play well once we get there... Everybody is watching."

Jay Taft is a Rockford Register Star sports reporter. Email him at jtaft@rrstar.com and follow him on Twitter at @JayTaft. Sign up for the Rockford High School newsletter at rrstar.com.