Patrick WilliamsTheAHL.com Features Writer
Being an AHL team means rising to the occasion.
The Rockford IceHogs lost their head coach last Thursday. Anders Sorensen To the parent club, the Chicago Blackhawks, he took over as interim head coach. It’s the third time in more than six years that an IceHogs bench coach has been promoted to Chicago midseason, with Sorensen not far behind. Jeremy Colliton 2018 and Derek King 2021.
The IceHogs are in the middle of it all, struggling through six games on the road as they try to establish themselves in the AHL Central Division. The Hogs defeated Lehigh Valley 7-3 on Wednesday night, Sorensen’s final game with the club. They were preparing for weekend games against Hartford and Springfield, but their leadership was shaken by a coaching change for another team in another conference.
Rockford entered the season with high hopes for the Blackhawks’ many young players, and while their 8-10-0-3 record left them in fifth place in the Central Division, the players have certainly made an impression. impression.
defensive player Kevin KorchinskiSelected seventh overall by Chicago in the 2022 NHL Draft, he arrived in Rockford this fall after spending his entire rookie season with the Blackhawks. Chicago hopes he gets plenty of playing time in the AHL and refines his game.
Kolchinski joined the IceHogs blue line as the second overall pick in last June’s NHL draft. Artem Levshunov. Levshunov, who turned 19 on Oct. 28, spent one season at MSU and was one of the top freshman skaters in the country. The AHL is the perfect place for him to gain much-needed professional experience.
forward Frank NazarThe 20-year-old is coming off a stellar sophomore season at Michigan and was selected with the 13th overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft. He currently leads all AHL rookies with 11 goals and 24 points.
Mixed future prospects Colton Dach, Cole Gettleman, Gavin Hayes, Samuel Savoie and Landon Slagter with blue line Ethan del Mastro (Selected as an AHL All-Star as a rookie last season) and Isaac Phillipsthe IceHogs provide an interesting blend for Chicago’s ongoing rebuilding project. team leader Brett SaneyNHL veteran Zach Sanford and former AHL MVP Gerry Mayhew Offers experience, and 2020 second-round picks Drew Comeso and third-year professionals. Mitchell Weeks Has been taking care of the crease.
But player development is an uncertain game, especially in the standings. Rockford is off to a 3-7-0-0 start, an early test of the young team’s collective confidence. Since then, they have scored in eight of 11 games (5-3-3-0). But AHL schedule doesn’t wait, new IceHogs interim head coach Mark EatonThe Blackhawks’ assistant general manager for player development took over his club 1,000 miles from home.
“We’re trying to make it as business as usual as possible,” Phillips told the broadcaster. Dana Gray before Saturday’s game in Springfield.
Rockford will conclude its road trip on Wednesday with a visit to Iowa State, the first of six meetings in 22 days between the fifth-place IceHogs and sixth-place Wild. They also lost Korczynski and Comesso, who were recalled by the Blackhawks on Sunday. Still, the situation represents an opportunity for everyone, including Eaton, a former AHL All-Star with 15 years of professional defense experience who gets his first chance at a backup role.
“I’m really looking forward to expanding my horizons and perspective on the game and learning new things,” Eaton told Gray. “Embrace the challenge — I think that’s one of the expectations for the team here, a growth mindset.”
About two decades in the American Hockey League, TheAHL.com feature writer Patrick Williams also currently covers the league for NHL.com and FloSports and is a regular contributor for SiriusXM NHL Network Radio . In 2016, he received the AHL’s James H. Ellery Memorial Award for outstanding coverage of the league.
