The Rockford IceHogs hit the halfway point of the season in Grand Rapids on Wednesday night. Rockford marked the occasion with a 3-1 loss to the Griffins. In what has been an up-and-down campaign so far, the IceHogs sit squarely in the middle of the Central Division through 36 games.
Rockford is 16-16-3-1 entering the weekend, which sees the IceHogs travel to face Milwaukee on Friday night before hosting Manitoba at the BMO Center on Saturday. The Blackhawks AHL affiliate is fourth in the Central Division with 36 points, a .500 points percentage.
The IceHogs have been streaky in the first half. From October 27 to December 15, Rockford won four straight, lost four straight, won four straight, and lost a season-high seven in a row. The Hogs have played to type as of late, going 5-4-1 in their last ten games.
Team Numbers Of Note
- Rockford is 7-8-1 at the BMO Center and 9-8-2-1 away from Screw City.
- The IceHogs have scored first in 19 of their first 36 games. They are 15-2-1-1 in those games.
- Rockford is 14-12-3-1 in 30 games vs division opponents. They are 5-3 vs Iowa, 3-2 against both Manitoba and Grand Rapids, 2-0-2-1 against Milwaukee, 1-2 vs Texas, and 0-3-1 when facing Chicago.
- Both the power play (19.1 percent) and penalty kill (81.3 percent) units are right in the middle of the pack.
- Offensively, Rockford is scoring 2.72 goals per contest, which is 28th in the league. The IceHogs surrender 3.19 goals a game, making them 19th in AHL defense.
- Rockford is 10-1 when leading after two periods; Wednesday’s loss in Grand Rapids was the first. On the other hand, the IceHogs are 0-13-1-1 when trailing entering the third period.
Checking In With The Forwards
David Gust leads Rockford in scoring with 30 points (10 G, 20 A) in 33 games this season. Brett Seney (11 G, 14 A) paces the club in goals, followed by Gust and Mike Hardman (10 G, 10 A). Hardman has been a steady contributor to the scoresheet after a down year offensively in the 2022-23 season.
The same can not be said for Michal Teply (4 G, 10 A), who also struggled a season ago. The big forward has struggled to find the net; after a strong first couple of weeks, Teply has one goal in his last 30 games.
Rookie Ryder Rolston has provided some spark in the offensive zone, with eight goals and four helpers in 33 games. Colton Dach (7 G, 9 A) looked good after an injury kept him out of the first month. However, Dach has been out with a concussion since December 30. Veteran Anders Bjork (7 G, 15 A) has also been a steady point producer in 28 games with Rockford. Jackson Cates has four goals and four assists in 15 games since coming to the IceHogs last month.
Defensive Standouts
Most of the IceHogs defensive scoring has been provided by a pair of rookies. Ethan Del Mastro is Rockford’s selection for the AHL All-Star Classic with four goals and 14 assists in 36 games. Nolan Allan has chipped in with a goal and seven helpers. Del Mastro and Allan, along with Teply, are the only IceHogs to have skated in all 36 games.
Austin Strand (1 G, 2 A in 15 games) has been a nice pickup since coming from the Wolves in December. Strand and Josh Healy have combined to provide plenty of veteran snarl on the Rockford blueline.
Goaltending Story
Rockford’s goaltending has been average at best. Drew Commesso (2.78 GAA, .898 save percentage), has had his moments but has benefitted from the defense limiting shots on goal. Still, Commesso is in a position to put together a strong second half.
Jaxson Stauber (3.43, .890) struggled early in the season and has not started a game since December 30. Mitchell Weeks has been in tandem with Commesso for the past month. Weeks has a 2.50 GAA and a .901 save percentage in his four starts.
IceHogs Report Card
I would hand Rockford a C-plus for the first 36 games. Injuries (Dach) and call-ups (Joey Anderson) have left the IceHogs a bit thin at times. Despite a horrid December (3-8-1-1), Rockford is still in contention for a spot in the Calder Cup Playoffs.
The goaltending will need to get more consistent and someone has to help the veterans currently carrying the offense. A couple of key additions could get Rockford a little higher up in the standings. If not, the Hogs may wind up in a similar position following the second half of the season.
