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Record 11 IceHogs Alumni to Participate in 2022 Winter Olympics
Since the team's inception in 1999, the Rockford IceHogs have had a long and impressive history of players and coaches participating in the Winter Olympic games and on the eve of the 2022 Games in Beijing, China, a record 11 former IceHogs will compete for gold.
The group is led by former IceHogs Head Coach Jeremy Colliton, who stands behind the bench as Head Coach for Canada. He led the IceHogs to a 40-28-4-4 record during the 2017-28 season, his first behind the bench, and guided the club to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in team history after sweeping Chicago in the Division Semifinals. sweeping Manitoba in the Division Finals before eventually falling to the Texas Stars . He began the 2018-19 season with the IceHogs, going 6-3-3, before being named the Head Coach of the Chicago Blackhawks on Nov. 6.
On the ice, the IceHogs will see 2019-20 IceHogs Unsung Hero Matt Tomkins with Canada, 2014-15 Unsung Hero Peter Regin with Denmark, 2014-15 IceHogs Rookie of the Year and 2015-16 Best Defenseman Ville Pokka with Finland, forwards Marko Dano and Tomas Jurco with Slovakia and forwards Fredrik Olofsson, Joakim Nordstrom, Marcus Kruger, defenseman Philip Holm and goalie Lars Johansson with Sweden. Former IceHogs forward Chris DiDomenico is listed as a reserve player for Canada.
IceHogs Coaches in 2022 Winter Olympics
| Coach | Country | Seasons with IceHogs |
|---|---|---|
| Jeremy Colliton | Canada | 2017-18 |
IceHogs Players in 2022 Winter Olympics
| Player | Country | Position | Seasons with IceHogs |
|---|---|---|---|
Matt Tomkins | Canada | Goalie | 2017-18, 2019-21 |
| Peter Regin | Denmark | Forward | 2014-15 |
| Ville Pokka | Finland | Defense | 2014-18 |
| Marko Dano | Slovakia | Forward | 2015-16 |
| Tomas Jurco | Slovakia | Forward | 2017-18 |
| Fredrik Olofsson | Sweden | Forward | 2018-19 |
| Joakim Nordstrom | Sweden | Forward | 2012-15 |
| Lars Johansson | Sweden | Goalie | 2016-17 |
| Marcus Kruger | Sweden | Forward | 2012-13 |
| Philip Holm | Sweden | Defenseman | 2019-20 |
An IceHogs alum has medaled in each of the last two Winter Games, with forward Rob Klinkhammer (pictured above) earning a bronze medal with Canada in 2018 in Pyeongchang, forward Petri Kontiola and goalie Antti Niemi earning bronze in Sochi in 2014 and forward Marcus Kruger and defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson capturing silver in 2014.
2014 featured a then-record six IceHogs alumni in the Olympic games as Mathis Olimb skated with Norway and goaltender Alexander Salak dressed for the Czech Republic in addition to Kontiola, Niemi, Kruger and Hjalmarsson.
Including this year's 10 players and coach, 21 IceHogs have represented their country in the Olympics. The 2022 Olympic Men’s Hockey schedule can be found here, while a complete history of the IceHogs and the Olympics is available here.
