The Rockford IceHogs will find themselves in unfamiliar territory when the puck drops on the 2024-25 campaign. For the first time in ten years, the IceHogs will open the season in their home barn, the BMO Center.
Rockford gets its season underway on Saturday, October 12 when it plays host to the Grand Rapids Griffins. The IceHogs have a score to settle, as Grand Rapids put an end to Rockford’s short playoff run back in May.
Last season saw the IceHogs post their strongest season since 2017-18, when Rockford reached the Western Conference Final. With a 39-26-5-2 mark, the IceHogs finished third in the Central Division with 85 standings points.
Head Coach Anders Sorensen is back at the helm after guiding Rockford to its third-straight Calder Cup Playoffs appearance. It’s the franchise’s longest playoff streak since the 2007-08 to 2009-10 seasons. Can Rockford extend that streak to four straight?
Sorensen has been successful at getting his young charges to play hard even when facing veteran lineups. He may have his toughest coaching job as he starts his fourth season since taking over early in the 2021-22 campaign. That’s because Sorensen will be helming one of the youngest squads in the AHL.
“They’re excited the season’s starting,” Sorensen admitted this week at a training camp media session. “The first five games there’s always a lot of energy, a lot of young guys, and they want to prove themselves.”
Assisting Sorensen this season will be Josh MacNevin, who comes in after ten years as an assistant in the WHL with Lethbridge and Kelowna. MacNevin joins former IceHogs forward Rob Klinkhammer, who is back for his third season on Sorensen’s staff. Matt Smith also returns for his second season as Rockford’s goalie coach.
A host of departing veterans, along with the Chicago Blackhawks cutting ties with several prospects, leave Rockford a bit green heading into action this season. Topping the list of veteran scoring that is not returning is David Gust (16 G, 26 A), who retired this summer.
Mike Hardman (22 G, 15 A) signed with the Devils in July in addition to 2022-23 team MVP Luke Philp signing with the Capitals. Michal Teply (12 G, 18 A) returned to Europe. Veterans Rem Pitlick (14 G, 19 A) and Anders Bjork (10 G, 17 A) were not re-signed.
To date, the Blackhawks and IceHogs have elected not to bring in veteran talent, save for the players that return for another season. That could change in the early weeks of the season with plenty of veteran names still available.
Rockford split a pair of games with the Iowa Wild in the preseason. Here’s how the IceHogs roster shapes up as Rockford prepares to face Grand Rapids Saturday night.
Rockford Up Front: Forwards
Chicago did retain two of the IceHogs top performers from their late-season surge last spring. This includes team MVP Brett Seney, who paced Rockford with 23 goals and 40 helpers. Zach Sanford, who came down from Chicago in the final weeks of the regular season, also re-signed with the Blackhawks.
Sanford has over 300 games of NHL experience, which will come in handy on a team sorely lacking in this area. The 29-year-old Sanford will be counted on to help shoulder the early scoring load while a long list of rookies get used to the AHL game.
Rockford brought back Jackson Cates on an AHL deal. Cates came aboard midseason and was a vital piece for Sorensen at the faceoff dot. Cates posted 11 goals and 14 assists in 50 games for Rockford and should be a solid citizen up and down the IceHogs lineup.
Brandon Baddock also returns to Rockford after skating in 63 games for the IceHogs. The 6’3″ forward enters his eighth AHL season. He won’t score much; he was goal-less with three assists last season. However, Baddock brings a much-needed physical presence to the ice.
Cole Guttman (16 G, 24 A) and Colton Dach (11 G, 16 A) are among the few returning prospects who have shown a knack for getting pucks into the net. Ryder Rolston (10 G, 9 A) could be a player who gets on the scoresheet with more regularity in his second season. Along with Jaylen Luypen (4 G, 16 A), Rolston forced a lot of turnovers. Both players should find steady minutes.
A large rookie class includes Frank Nazar, Chicago’s first-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft. It will be interesting to see how long it takes for Nazar to realize his vast potential as an offensive playmaker. The Blackhawks second-rounder in 2022, Paul Ludwinski, also gets his pro career started with Rockford this season.
After four seasons at Notre Dame, Landon Slaggert skated 16 games for the Blackhawks last spring. Chicago’s third-round selection in the 2020 NHL Draft should spend most of this season developing with the IceHogs, as will 2022 third-rounders Samuel Savoie and Gavin Hayes.
IceHogs Blueline: Defense
Rockford re-signed Austin Strand (5 G, 5 A) to an AHL contract and brought in former Wolves defenseman Cavan Fitzgerald on a PTO. The two veterans should be constants in Sorensen’s lineup. The back end should see several prospects splitting time between Rockford and Chicago.
Issak Phillips cleared waivers this week and should find his way to the IceHogs. He’ll join Louis Crevier and Kevin Korchinski as defensemen who spent a decent amount of last season skating for the Blackhawks.
Ethan DelMastro (7 G, 30 A) returns to Rockford for his second season after nabbing an appearance at the AHL’s All-Star Weekend last February. He should see an increased role on the power play as he continues his development.
Chicago’s first-round selection in the 2024 NHL Draft, Artyom Levshunov, is currently nursing a foot injury. He will begin his pro career in Rockford once he is ready to skate. Until Phillips and Levshunov are assigned to the IceHogs, AHL signings like D.J. King, Colin Felix, and Lucas Brenton will fill out the defensive pairings.
The Rockford Net: Goalie
Sorensen will have familiar faces to send into the Rockford net. Drew Commesso and Arvid Soderblom figure to split duties this season. Soderblom will be in Chicago until Laurent Brossoit is back from the injured list. Commesso will likely see a heavy workload in the first month of the season.
Commesso was 18-16-4 with a 2.65 goals against average and a .906 save percentage as a rookie last season. He stepped up his game in the IceHogs short playoff run and will be looking to keep the arrow moving up.
Serving as Commesso’s backup until Soderblom returns will be Mitchell Weeks. Weeks has a 2.72 GAA and a .902 save percentage in 17 games for Rockford over the last two seasons.
“It’s a positive for sure,” Sorensen said of having returning players in the crease. “They’ve been through it for a little bit now and they know what to expect in the league here. Coming in here every day, but also when you go on the road and playing these teams. That’s a big benefit for us as a group.”
IceHogs Season Forecast
If Rockford is to match last season’s performance and secure a playoff spot for the fourth straight time, the youngsters will need to hit the ground running. The IceHogs like to push the pace and get goals on the rush.
Rookies like Nazar should thrive in this environment. How much he and other new faces start contributing on the scoreboard will say a lot for Rockford’s fortunes in 2024-25. There is room on this roster for another veteran. Perhaps the IceHogs will secure another experienced scorer to the lineup in the opening weeks.
Sorensen is no stranger to working with a young group. He sees the potential, but is keeping his feet on the ground despite the excitement of a new season.
“Honestly, I think it’s day by day for us,” Sorensen said. “We’re just focused on the process; the things that we can control. It’s an exciting group to be a part of, an opportunity to work with these young guys. That’s how we kind of look at it; more excitement than anything.”
Saturday’s opener at the BMO is Rockford’s lone action this weekend. The IceHogs have a home-and-home with Milwaukee October 18 and 19. Rockford will then close out the month with a pair of games in Manitoba October 26 and 27.
