Patrick WilliamsTheAHL.com Features Writer
When the Rockford IceHogs looked across the ice recently, they saw an opponent they couldn’t quite connect with.
Last weekend it was the San Diego Gulls, a team in sixth place in the Pacific Division and trying to strengthen its position in the western playoffs. This weekend it was the Hershey Bears coming to town, for their meeting of the Atlantic teams.
And right there in the Central Division battle are the IceHogs, who are in sixth place in the Central Division and five points out of the Calder Cup Playoff race on Saturday.
As the AHL playoff races begin, another wrinkle is how front offices work to adjust their short- and long-term decisions at the NHL level while working to set up their AHL hopes in March and April for the Calder Cup Playoffs. The decisions they make – or don’t make – must also be consistent with the goal of trying to get an AHL affiliate into the Calder Cup Playoffs.
And it could be even more interesting for clubs like Rockford’s NHL parent, the parent Chicago Blackhawks, who are trying to put a long-term foundation in place.
Where the IceHogs come from over the next few weeks is how the Blackhawks choose to proceed with both of these approaching trade deals. The Hawks haven’t won a best-of-seven series since their Stanley Cup championship in 2015. Their last trip to the Stanley Cup Playoffs came in the expanded 2020 postseason format.
They are in a constant state of rebuilding, and that means managers have players to see and decisions to make. Who is left? Who is going? And who, if anyone, would add to the Chicago organization in return?
And where do the IceHogs fit into all these decisions? A key part of that rebuild involves their Rockford prospects going through the pressure of trying to contend for a playoff spot. Even better for the organization would be to see that young talent make it to the Calder Cup Playoffs, advance, and gather that much higher level of experience.
A typical Blackhawks trough Kyle Davidson and his staff have decisions to make in Chicago and Rockford.
Coming off their Olympic break, the Blackhawks called up the two-time AHL All-Star defenseman Kevin Korchinski to replace the injury Wyatt Kaiser. It’s a move that fills an immediate NHL roster need, but also allows the 21-year-old Korchinski to show how his development has been progressing.
Rookie Nick Lardiswho leads the IceHogs with 16 goals in 32 games this season, has played 21 games with Chicago. Is it better for his development to take heavy minutes with the IceHogs? Or is it better to stick with an NHL club? Maybe a combination of both?
Players, whether in Chicago or Rockford at any given time, also know the stakes. And in Rockford, they know they’re in for the excitement that comes with the final race. Last season, the IceHogs swept the Chicago Wolves in the first round of the Calder Cup Playoffs before nearly upsetting Milwaukee in the semifinals.
Korchinski took lessons from that experience.
“I think the Calder Cup is one of the hardest cups to win in the world,” said Korchinski. “You want to create a moment, it will never be the same [group of players twice]. You want to make those moments last longer. You don’t want to go home. He wants to enjoy the playoffs.”
Combine the excitement of the playoffs with these decisions that can affect both the NHL and AHL sides of the business, and it adds another major clause to the excitement and fun that always surrounds the NHL trade deadline.
In the American Hockey League for two decades, TheAHL.com features writer Patrick Williams and currently covers the league for NHL.com and FloSports and is a regular contributor to SiriusXM NHL Network Radio. He was the recipient of the AHL’s James H. Ellery Memorial Award for the league’s top scorer in 2016.
