When the Rockford IceHogs look around the ice lately, they see opponents they can really relate to.
Last weekend it was the San Diego Gulls, a team that sits sixth in the Pacific Division and is trying to solidify its hold on a playoff berth in the West. This weekend it was the Hershey Bears coming to town, on their own team on the Atlantic Ocean.
And right there in the Central Division battle are the IceHogs, who are sixth in the Central Division and five points below the Calder Cup Playoff line entering action on Saturday.
As the AHL playoff races take shape, another wrinkle is how front offices manage their short- and long-term decisions at the NHL level, while also working to build their AHL prospects for the March and April push to the Calder Cup Playoffs. The decisions they make – or don’t make – also have to fit the goal of trying to get an AHL affiliate for the Calder Cup Playoffs.
And it could be even more interesting for clubs like Rockford’s NHL parent, the Chicago Blackhawks, as they try to build a long-term foundation.
What the next few weeks will be revealing for the IceHogs is how the Blackhawks choose to proceed as both leagues’ trade deadlines approach. The Hawks haven’t won a best-of-seven series since their 2015 Stanley Cup championship. Their last trip to the Stanley Cup Playoffs came in the 2020 expanded postseason format.
They are in an ongoing rebuild, and that means management has to look at players and make decisions. Who stays? Who’s going? And who could come to the organization in Chicago in return?
And where do the IceHogs fit into all of these decisions? A key part of that rebuild involves their Rockford prospects weathering the pressure of trying to clinch a playoff berth. Even better for the organization would be to see young talent work their way into the Calder Cup Playoffs, have a longer run and gain that much more high-stakes experience.
Blackhawks general manger Kyle Davidson and his staff have decisions to make, both in Chicago and in Rockford.
Coming out of their Olympic break, the Blackhawks called up two-time AHL All-Star defenseman Kevin Korchinski take the place of an injured person Wyatt Kaiser. It’s a move that fills an immediate need for an NHL roster, but also allows the 21-year-old Korchinski to showcase his development.
Rookie Nick Lardiswho leads the IceHogs with 16 goals in 32 games this season, has already played 21 games with Chicago. Is it better for his development to play heavy minutes with the IceHogs? Or is it better to stay with the NHL club? Maybe a mix of both?
The players, whether in Chicago or Rockford, also know what’s at stake. And in Rockford, they know to expect the excitement that comes with a playoff race. Last season, the IceHogs got past the Chicago Wolves in the first round of the Calder Cup Playoffs before nearly upsetting Milwaukee in the division semifinals.
Korchinski came away with lessons from that experience.
“I think the Calder Cup is one of the most difficult trophies in the world to win,” Korchinski said. “You want to build a moment. You will never be the same again.” [group of players twice]. You want those times to last longer. You don’t want to go home. You want to enjoy the play-offs.”
Combine the excitement of the playoffs with these potential decisions affecting both the NHL and AHL sides of the operation, and it adds another major subplot to the passion and fun that always surrounds the NHL trade deadline.
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