The Rockford IceHogs have had a successful start to the 2024 portion of their AHL schedule. This weekend, the IceHogs are riding a three-game winning streak into a pair of home dates with Central Division rivals.
Following two wins in Grand Rapids last weekend, Rockford (15-14-3-1) has climbed into third place in the division standings. The IceHogs host the Chicago Wolves on Friday night, with the Iowa Wild visiting the BMO Center on Saturday. Puck drops for both contests are set for 7:00 p.m. CDT.
Friday Opponent: Chicago Wolves
The Hogs and Wolves have had just three of their dozen scheduled meetings this season. Rockford has yet to claim a win over its I-90 nemesis; the closest result was a 4-3 overtime loss in Rosemont on December 17.
Chicago is paced offensively by Rocco Grimaldi (20 G, 13 A) and Chris Terry (16 G, 14 A). Defenseman Matt Donovan (2 G, 29 A) currently leads the AHL in helpers, while goalie Adam Scheel is coming off an outstanding weekend in Texas. Scheel gave up just two goals in a pair of wins over the division-leading Stars, earning him the league’s Howie’s Hockey Tape/AHL Player Of The Week honors.
Skating at even strength with the Wolves will be important, as Chicago’s power play tops the AHL at 24.8 percent. The Wolves have climbed out of the Central Division basement in recent weeks and have won four of their first five games this month.
Saturday Opponent: Iowa Wild
The Wild have been scuffing, with a 2-7-0-1 mark in their last ten games. Iowa dropped its last two games: a 3-1 loss in Tucson on Monday and a 4-1 setback to the Roadrunners on Wednesday.
Lack of scoring has been the issue for the Wild, sitting last in the league at 2.31 goals per contest. Iowa is also one of the AHL’s most penalized teams. Their league-worst penalty kill (75.6 percent) suggests that the IceHogs can win the special teams battle if they stay disciplined.
Rockford and Iowa have played seven times this season, with the IceHogs winning four of those games. The two teams split a pair of games at the BMO Center a month ago.
Nic Petan (10 G, 19 A) leads Iowa in scoring, while Jake Lucchini (11 G, 11 A) has a team-high three goals against Rockford this season. Jujhar Khaira (5 G, 13 A) has been a thorn in the side of the IceHogs, with seven points (2 G, 5 A) in six games vs Rockford.
Iowa goalie Jesper Wallstedt has all three of his team’s wins over the IceHogs this season. However, Wallstedt has lost his last five starts, dating back to December 16.
Del Mastro An IceHogs All-Star
Rockford has a single selection to the AHL’s All-Star Classic next month. That player is rookie defenseman Ethan Del Mastro, who has been the IceHogs most consistent presence on the blueline.
Del Mastro has played in all 33 of Rockford’s games this season. The 6’4″ 205-pounder has four goals and 13 assists heading into this weekend’s action. Oddly enough, Del Mastro is still looking for his first points in January. He is mired in a four-game point drought, though he has a goal against Chicago and three helpers against the Wild this season.
Weeks Earning Minutes In Net
Goalie Mitchell Weeks made his season debut for Rockford on New Year’s Eve. That evening, he picked up a win over Milwaukee at the BMO Center. Since then, the IceHogs have divided the starts between Weeks and Drew Commesso. Weeks has responded well, shutting out Grand Rapids on January 12 behind 22 saves.
Last season, Weeks sported a 2.72 goals against average and a .906 save percentage in 12 appearances in the first half of the 2022-23 campaign. He was instrumental in keeping the IceHogs afloat in the wake of a slew of injuries in net. So far, Weeks has impressed again these past few weeks.
IceHogs Roster News
Defenseman Louis Crevier was recalled to the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday. In response, the IceHogs recalled defensemen Andrew Perrott and Josh Maniscalco from the ECHL’s Indy Fuel. Perrott has a goal and four assists with Rockford in 17 games, while Maniscalco has four helpers in 12 appearances this season.
On Thursday, the team announced that forward Kale Howarth will be out for the next month with a left wrist injury. Howarth missed most of the season’s first three months with a concussion. He played four games for Rockford since returning on December 31.
