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Introducing the 2019-20 Rockford IceHogs |
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It's hard to believe that some teams have played 4 games already this season and the Blackhawks are still only at 1 GP.
I get it; the trip to Europe called for some extra time off so the Hawks can get their legs back under them on North American soil. And hey, it could be worse, the Flyers play tomorrow night and then head out West for 3 games.
The Hawks will take on the Sharks on Thursday, which is the first of 7 games in 14 days… all at the United Centre.
Since this a boring stretch of Chicago Blackhawks news and storylines, I thought I would switch it up with a Rockford IceHogs preview.
I will have my own thoughts and then an update on my ‘Hogs feature correspondent that will be helping me keep an eye on the Baby Hawks all year. I will introduce him and he will have some initials thoughts in this blog as well.
The IceHogs took on the Iowa IceHogs on Friday night and lost in 3-2 thanks to a last-minute goal from JT Brown.
To give you some perspective here was the lineup from Friday night:
The scratches were Moutrey, McLaughlin, Wedin, Delia, Soderlund, Ramsey, Tomkins
I watched the game and the IceHogs looked good at times.
As expected though, they did look a little rusty at times. They went 0-4 on the PP and 4-5 on the PK.
Coach Derek King knew he was getting some reinforcements though. With the Blackhawks overseas they had Dahlstrom, Gilbert, Wedin, Quenneville and Delia all on the NHL roster for insurance – in case of injuries.
Carl Dahlstrom didn't make it back though. He was shipped to Winnipeg as they put a claim on the big defender. This is going to be a big loss for the ‘Hogs as Dahlstrom's experience of 162 regular-season games and 16 playoff contests under his belt.
Last year, scoring goals was an issue for Rockford. They were dead last only finding the back of the net 184 times.
The good news - thanks to Delia, Forsberg and Lankinen – the ‘Hogs were 10th in the league for Goals Against.
Hmmm… that's odd. Can we merge the IceHogs and Blackhawks teams? Seems like they have opposing skills.
This year's Rockford team is young. On Friday they had a bevy of newcomers playing their first AHL games. That list of newbies included Entwistle, Hakkarainen, Beaudin and Boqvist.
I'm glad that Versteeg (RFD's appointed captain) and Philip Holm were added to this year's roster as these young players need some level of veteran leadership to help guide them.
The only concern I have is that the Hawks don't have much for physical force in the lineup.
I'm not advocating a meathead type or face-smashing style of hockey, however, if you have watched AHL hockey… ever… you'll know that these enforcers still exist to a certain degree.
They might be ok as the ‘Hogs didn't employee an "enforcer" in the past couple of season, I just worry a little now with higher-end talent like Boqvist, Beaudin and Kurashev in the lineup that are considered future impact players for the organization.
Let's see if there's enough muscle there to protect Chicago's finest. It's Mark Benard's team and I'll leave that to him and the coaching staff to determine as the season goes along.
In terms of the lineup, it looks like Jack Ramsey and Matt Tomkins are ECHL bound with Gilbert and Delia returning. Ramsey was actually sent down this week.
What can the lineup look like with everyone back in the fold?
Versteeg-Nilsson-Hagel
Saarela-Kurashev-D.Sikura
Highmore-Quenneville-Wedin
Soderlund/Hakkarainen-Johnson/T. Sikura-Entwistle
Gilbert-Boqvist
Holm -Beaudin
Carlsson-Tuulola/Krys
Delia
Lankinen
Ex: Moutrey, McLaughlin
When you look at the above roster, it resembles the Hawks in a way in terms of their improvement of overall depth.
I like the overall skill of the team. I'm expecting some bumps along the way at the beginning of the season with the youngsters inserted in the lineup this year, as well as the many new faces that will need some time to gel.
Jordan Schroeder led the IceHogs last year in points with 45 points in 64 games. He is no longer here.
Dylan Sikura was next on the stats line with 35 points in 46 games. If he remains in the AHL for most of the season he will be up near the top again.
The IceHogs will need him to be. They have changed over a lot of the scoring presence in Rockford with 6 of the top 10 top point-getters (Schroeder, Louis, Johnson, Ejdsell, L. Johnson, Raddysh and Pelletier) all change addresses.
The good news is Rockford has added Versteeg, John Quenneville (39 points in 37 games for Binghamton Devils last year) and Aleksi Saarela (54 pts in 69 games including 30 goals) who should lead the way in terms of offence.
There is also the promise of depth scoring with the offensive talent of Hagel, Wedin, Kurashev, Soderlund and Entwistle.
Also, Matthew Highmore is healthy and was RFD's 2nd leading scorer in 2017-18 with 43 points in 64 games. That will help.
Then there is the injection of offense from the backend with Nicolas Beaudin, Adam Boqvist and 27-year and KHL All-Star from last-year-old Philip Holm.
In net, Kevin Lankinen will look to take the next step and Collin Delia is expected to be solid as always.
That's my take on the IceHogs this year. I am predicting this roster is good enough to get back into the playoffs.
At this time, I want to announce my feature correspondent this year. It's someone you may be familiar with on the message board; he goes by the name AEL_Fox.
He has been a great contributor and always adds an amazing perspective on the Rockford IceHogs.
I'm only one person and can only watch so much hockey so I'm calling in a little backup here to give you all even better coverage this year.
So, welcome Theodore Fox (aka. AEL_Fox) to the fold.
What do you think Theo?
"Firstly, thank you to Tyler for contacting me over the summer to present me with this opportunity to be a periodic guest on his blog. I enjoy being a part of our online community to talk with you all about the team we love and to have an escape from the daily grind of our personal and professional lives.
Secondly, I want to share a little about myself. You will recognize my handle as AEL_Fox but feel free to call me Theo. AEL are the first initials of my 3 kids.
I grew up playing baseball from little league through the end of high school but then started playing hockey in college and afterward in rec leagues. My 15 seconds of fame was being recruited to be in a Gatorade commercial featuring hockey players but alas I couldn't make it to the filming. Bye, bye royalties.
Professionally, I'm not in the hockey industry or even in the journalism industry. My day job is working with college students, particularly managing the things they pursue outside of the classroom. Like virtually most of you, I'm just a fan who likes to talk hockey.
I'm also a prospects junkie as I enjoy monitoring their progress, reading and watching whatever I can about them, and predicting (not always accurately!) where they may ultimately project.
Lastly, what you can expect from me is an honest yet humble opinion on the prospects in Rockford. Because I'm not a sports reporter, scout, agent, trainer, or former player, I won't BS you on what I know. If I don't know something, I will be first to admit it.
Bottom line, I just want to give you another set of eyes on the farm and provide updates, insights, and forecasts that you can do with you will with it all.
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Now, onto the Hogs.
Here are 3 forwards and 3 defensemen I would recommend keeping tabs on this season:
Kurashev: Although he's not an electrifying talent, he's just a smooth skater with subtle offensive gifts. Great vision and shot but just as reliable at and capable of supporting his teammates defensively. Sturdy and strong. Doesn't let the tough stuff render him useless.
Entwistle: He loves to battle along the boards. He's tough to beat and take out of the play. A big-game player who shines when the stakes are high yet doesn't steal the limelight from his elite teammates. Does all the little things that coaches love and that helps his team win.
Soderlund: He may thrive in North America as he's tailor-made for the smaller rinks with his fearlessness, nose for the dirty areas, and relentless pursuit of the puck. I don't think he even knows where the perimeter is as he naturally gravitates toward the center lane towards the net whether as the puck carrier or crease crasher.
Boqvist: Don't have to tell any of you twice but he's by far the top prospect in Rockford with the shortest path toward the NHL. Opposite of Kurashev, Boqvist is an electrifying player. I expect him to dominate the AHL competition offensively while still working out his defensive shortcomings with the Hogs coaching staff and Brian Campbell.
Beaudin: When all is said and done, I think it will be neck and neck between Beaudin and Mitchell for best all-around defenseman gracing future lineups for the Blackhawks. Why not both, right? As far as Beaudin, he makes smart fundamental plays in both ends without all the fancy. Adjusting to the pro speed and gaining strength to battle to protect the net are going to be his main learning curves.
Krys: He has a great offensive skill set to go along with strong edgework on his skates yet he really should take a page out of the Gilbert book and the Beaudin book. Like Gilbert, Krys should realize his NHL calling card is to be defensively sound first with a reliable capacity to generate offense second. And like Beaudin, it would serve Krys better to make smart fundamental plays than try to put on a clinic. His head is often up ice when the play is still in his own zone.
As for goalies, keep an eye on both Delia and Lankinen, of course. Although they both registered good rookie years last season, they have a lot more to prove in the AHL as far as consistency and playing in pressure situations.
Not saying they have to put in 5 years in the minors like Crawford did but one season is too small a sample size to anoint either Delia or Lankinen as anything more than just a goalie prospect worth developing."
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There ya go!
Anything specific you want Theo and I to cover in Rockford this year?
Let us know on the message board.
The Hawks play Thursday and the IceHogs host their season opener on Saturday vs. the Grand Rapid Griffins.
See ya out there!
TC
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Chicago Blackhawks Blogger • 
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