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Former IceHogs player and assistant coach Jared Nightingale named Hogs' head coach
Former IceHogs player and assistant coach Jared Nightingale named Hogs' head coach

Yahoo

time6 days ago

  • Business
  • Yahoo

Former IceHogs player and assistant coach Jared Nightingale named Hogs' head coach

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO/WQRF) — The Chicago Blackhawks recently got their new head coach for next season, now the Rockford IceHogs have their new head coach. He is former IceHogs' assistant coach Jared was on the IceHogs' coaching staff from 2021-2024. He also played for the IceHogs as a defenseman for one season in 2013-14. He was the team's season, Nightingale had his first head coaching job in the ECHL with the South Carolina Stingrays. He guided them to the best record in the league (52-15-5). He was named the ECHL's Coach of the Year earning the John Brophy general manager Kyle Davidson, in a statement released by the Blackhawks, called Nightingale a natural leader. 'Jared's confidence and direction behind the bench has produced a coaching style that is perfectly suited to help develop and advance our young prospects in Rockford. His familiarity with the organization and our players is an incomparable asset, and we're excited to see Jared succeed in this role moving forward.'Nightingale is 42 years old. During his player career he played in 472 AHL games over 12 seasons. He also played in 202 ECHL games over eight Blackhawks have also announced that IceHogs assistant coaches Rob Klinkhammer and Josh MacNevin will remain on the coaching staff to assist Nightingale. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

What we learned about Blackhawks prospects during the Rockford IceHogs' playoffs
What we learned about Blackhawks prospects during the Rockford IceHogs' playoffs

New York Times

time13-05-2025

  • Sport
  • New York Times

What we learned about Blackhawks prospects during the Rockford IceHogs' playoffs

The Chicago Blackhawks' organizational season is officially over. The Blackhawks' season ended with the NHL's regular season. The Indy Fuel, their ECHL affiliate, were swept in the first round of the Kelly Cup playoffs. On Sunday, the Rockford IceHogs were eliminated from the AHL's Calder Cup playoffs by losing Game 5 of a best-of-five division semifinals series against the Milwaukee Admirals. Advertisement Here are 10 takeaways from the IceHogs' playoff run: 1. The postseason wasn't so memorable for Artyom Levshunov. As good as Levshunov was with the Blackhawks after being called up, he struggled a bunch with the IceHogs in the playoffs. Whether it was the adrenaline and season catching up with him — he played 77 games between Rockford and Chicago after playing in 38 for Michigan State last season — or something else, his game dropped off. He made mistakes with the puck and was out of position defensively, and he was often lucky it didn't bite the IceHogs more than it did. The lows were much more visible than the highs in the playoffs, and that was often the opposite during the regular season. There isn't any sense that the Blackhawks have a larger concern about Levshunov's play. The organization is probably happy for him to start his offseason, get some rest and then prepare to play potentially a full NHL season next year. Building more strength and endurance will be important for Levshunov, like a lot of the players, this offseason. 2. Kevin Korchinski assumed more of the role of No. 1 defenseman in the playoffs. Levshunov's minutes were cut a bit, and Korchinski got more ice time. He played well over 20 minutes most of the playoffs and even hit 26:19 in Game 4 against the Admirals. For the most part, Korchinski held his own. He had a costly turnover in Game 5 against the Admirals, where he didn't move the puck quickly enough as the forecheckers arrived, but there weren't many errors like that. He was on the ice for more goals for than against. He had two goals in the first round against the Chicago Wolves and two assists in the last series. He was noticeably flying around the ice at times using his skating. When he found that speed within the offensive zone, he created for himself and others. That's what the Blackhawks need him to do consistently. Defensively, he's so much better than he was a year ago. He showed a tougher side in the playoffs and even played the unlikely role of villain in Game 3 against the Admirals with a cross-check to an opponent's back and then tossing the player's glove across the ice. Advertisement This will be an important summer if he's going to break camp with the Blackhawks next season. The more weight and muscle he can add, the better chance he probably has. The Blackhawks are still high on Korchinski's potential and he turns 21 next month. He might just need a little longer than other prospects. 3. Drew Commesso may have to still be patient for his NHL opportunity in net next season, considering who is ahead of him, but he at least has the Blackhawks' attention again. From early March to the end of the season, he was often the reason why the IceHogs won games. In his final 15 regular-season starts, he had a .932 save percentage. In seven playoff games, he had a .926 save percentage. 4. If I were betting on one current Rockford forward prospect to become a permanent fixture with the Blackhawks, it'd probably be left winger Samuel Savoie. His speed and effort seem to affect the game consistently more than anyone else. He can change a game when he's on and has more offense than given credit for, but he can still play an impactful role when he's not producing. He gets on pucks quickly and either wins them or forces opponents into bad decisions. It'd be surprising if he didn't get his first NHL look next season. 5. Colton Dach answered one major question about his future this season. It was clear in March that he could be a consistent NHL player. He found his groove with the Blackhawks late in the season. The problem is he still failed to answer the other big question: Can the Blackhawks count on him to be healthy? This was the third consecutive season he missed significant time. He'll get another chance next season to answer that. Dach had his moments when he returned from injury and played in the IceHogs' last five games. He scored the overtime goal in Game 1. He was physical and embraced the role of protector against the Admirals, who didn't mind throwing their bodies around. He didn't find the level he was playing at earlier, but it was good for him to get back playing. COLTON DACH 12 SECONDS INTO OVERTIME 🚨Rockford wins Game 1!@goicehogs | @NHLBlackhawks#AHL #CalderCup #GoHogs #Blackhawks — FloHockey (@FloHockey) May 2, 2025 6. The Blackhawks prospect I was probably most wrong about this season was defenseman Ethan Del Mastro. To be fair, there was some concern within the Blackhawks about how he started his season in Rockford. After taking a positive step last season, he appeared as if he took a step back with the IceHogs early in the year. Advertisement But as the year progressed, so did Del Mastro. He got better at moving pucks quickly. His gaps were better. His all-around play in the defensive zone improved. The one thing I noticed throughout the IceHogs' playoff run was how much Del Mastro understands how to use his body to shield defenders, retrieve pucks effectively and create some space for himself. He makes intelligent reads, too. With Rockford, he often did it while playing his off side, too. Del Mastro probably doesn't have as high a ceiling as a number of the Blackhawks' defenseman prospects, but his consistency is at a level most of those other defensemen don't have yet. It'll be interesting to see where Del Mastro falls in the depth chart. He's probably going to be fighting for a third-pairing role — that's just the reality of the Blackhawks' defense — but as of now, Del Mastro is probably ahead of the other candidates. He was more noticeable than Nolan Allan during Rockford's playoff games. In the IceHogs' final game of the season, it was Del Mastro who played a team-high 23:52. 7. Aidan Thompson didn't look out of place after making the jump from college to the IceHogs in April. As he adjusted to the offensive side of the game, he was noticeable on the forecheck and gave opponents trouble with his speed. He seemed to figure out more of the offensive part as his Rockford stay went longer. He scored twice against the Admirals. He also won 54 percent of his faceoffs in the final series. What Thompson has going against him is his age. He turned 23 in April and is on the older side for a player just entering pro hockey. It was beneficial for him to end the season on a professional tryout agreement and see where the AHL game is at. He'll officially begin his entry contract next season and will already have some pro experience under his belt. The Blackhawks were hoping to do the same with Dominic James, but James was interested in burning his first contract year this season. AIDAN THOMPSON HAS HIS 1ST PRO GOAL 📢 — Rockford IceHogs (@goicehogs) May 4, 2025 8. Of the Blackhawks' three drafts under Kyle Davidson, forward Paul Ludwinski has to be the most disappointing prospect so far. He was selected at No. 39 in the 2022 draft. The Blackhawks aren't writing him off by any means after one pro season, but he has a ways to go if he's going to become an NHL player. Ludwinski's speed is what the Blackhawks drafted him for, and you could see it at times this season: in Game 4 against the Admirals, he forced a turnover off the forecheck that led to the IceHogs' first goal. He just struggles to sustain that speed. Strength and endurance have to be focus points for him this offseason. His ice time was a reflection of how much he was trusted in the most important games. In the Milwaukee series, his game totals were 8:42, 11:30, 10:03, 7:55 and 8:11. 9. Gavin Hayes, a 2022 third-round draft pick, also had his share of ups and downs in his first pro season. After producing 41 and 37 goals in his last two OHL seasons, the left winger was probably hoping for more production this season. He scored five goals in 50 games for the IceHogs. Advertisement While Hayes' offense wasn't anywhere close to his World Juniors production, there were some encouraging signs this season, especially in the playoffs. He was finding more room to shoot during the postseason and made a few noticeable quick plays that created chances for teammates. He was also aggressive on the forecheck on the third line. His ice time was closer to 14 minutes a game. Neither Ludwinski nor Hayes may become NHL players, but the Blackhawks probably aren't counting on them. That's why the Blackhawks drafted so many early-round picks over the last three years. They just need enough to hit. But having said that, there's always the chance that Ludwinski and Hayes come around. They're both on three-year entry-level contracts. They're both young. Hayes is still 20 and Ludwinski recently turned 21. Time is still on their side, and the Blackhawks are going to be patient with them. A year from now, their stories might be different. 10. The Blackhawks did a nice job of adding the right type of veterans to support their prospects in Rockford this season. The IceHogs roster probably had a few too many veterans near the end, but that had more to do with players like Frank Nazar and Landon Slaggert graduating to the NHL during the season. The Blackhawks will probably look to return a few of those veterans next season. Joey Anderson is under contract for another year, but Brett Seney, Zach Sanford and Cole Guttman are on expiring deals. They also had contributing players like Gerry Mayhew and Cavan Fitzgerald on AHL deals. It was interesting that Andreas Athanasiou was a healthy scratch throughout the playoffs. (Photo of Samuel Savoie: Jimmy Doles / Rockford IceHogs)

IceHogs fall in decisive game five in Milwaukee in overtime
IceHogs fall in decisive game five in Milwaukee in overtime

Yahoo

time12-05-2025

  • Sport
  • Yahoo

IceHogs fall in decisive game five in Milwaukee in overtime

MILWAUKEE, WI (WTVO/WQRF) — The Rockford IceHogs' season ended with a sudden thud Sunday evening in Milwaukee when they dropped a 4-3 overtime decision to the Admirals. That gave the Admirals the series 3 games to Svechkov scored the winning OT goal with the aid of an IceHogs penalty, a delay of game penalty by Zach Sanford that left the IceHogs a man had a brilliant game otherwise. He scored two of the IceHogs' goals, and he assisted on the other one. Joey Anderson also scored for the a bitter ending for the IceHogs. They had taken the first two games of the series, both in Milwaukee to taking a commanding two-game lead forcing the Admirals to try to win three straight games. That's exactly what the Admirals did. They become only the fourth team in AHL history to win a best-of-five series after dropping the first two games at Admirals advance to the Central Division Finals to face the Texas Stars. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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