Well, hockey is into its final four, and we break down HOW THIS AFFECTS THE HAWKS, among other things. Please give a listen.
We take a look at the the playoff situation in the NHL, work through some White Sox angst, and then everything goes to hell and all over the place. We appreciate your listenership.
The Rockford IceHogs concluded the 2020-21 season this weekend. The piglets split a back-to-back with the Chicago Wolves to put an end to extended prospect camp.
Rockford beat the Wolves 4-1 Friday night at the BMO Harris Bank Center to wrap up the home slate with a 8-9 mark. Chicago bested the IceHogs by that same margin in Hoffman Estates on Saturday.
The Hogs finish the shortened season with an unremarkable 12-19-1 record. Their .391 point percentage put them solidly in the basement of the Central Division. Rockford was near the bottom of the league in goals, goals allowed, shots, shots allowed…you get the idea.
While this was a frustrating season to watch, it’s difficult to call it a disappointing one. The Blackhawks (who bought the IceHogs franchise earlier this season) were pretty up front in terms of what we were to expect from this year’s model in Rockford.
The bar was set incredibly low. Practically on the ground.
The IceHogs consisted of a slew of rookies and AHL contracts that would likely been in the team’s ECHL affiliate in normal circumstances. When the 30-game schedule was announced before play began, I figured that Rockford would be lucky to win ten.
Three games were added during the season; one postponed game with Cleveland was never rescheduled. Twelve wins in 32 games isn’t anything to write home about. However, there were some positives to be had.
The piglets got off the deck after a 1-7-1 start and went 11-12 the rest of the way. Head coach Derek King had the young Hogs playing hard and competing with teams that were vastly more experienced and talented. Several players got key experience they would not otherwise have had if not for a depleted roster.
There is much to digest following the last four months. I’ll get started later this week with a look at some of the players I thought made and impact for the IceHogs.
Follow me @JonFromi on twitter for thoughts on the IceHogs as I take a closer look at the past season.
Any hopes of this team feeling any kind of urgency were completely shat upon during today’s media availability, and we’re here to toss more dirt on this waste of a season. And of course, everyone’s favorite bit – John Goes Through The Bears Schedule. Thanks for listening, always and forever.
Box Score: Game 55 Game 56
Event Summary: Game 55 Game 56
Natural Stat Trick: Game 55 Game 56
And so this weird year comes to an end much the same way that it played out in the larger scale, with the Hawks getting absolutely domed in attempts against, with their goalies and two actual scoring threats bailing them out as best they can, and no one seems to learn or gain anything from it. And so the Hawks enter into the offseason abyss with next to no growth from any player that might be of substance later on. Sure there were flashes of tools that guys exhibited occasionally, be it Philipp Kurashev’s speed in traffic or Adam Boqvist’s presence in running a point during a power play or the surprise of Wyatt Kalynuk’s all around game, but nothing that could be said of a player getting better BECAUSE of the structures that are currently in place, and that’s what makes all of this feel so futile.
The Rockford IceHogs are closing out the 2020-21 season this weekend with a home-and-home with the Chicago Wolves. For the Blackhawks AHL affiliate, the season concludes much like it began.
The Hogs dropped a 6-5 game in Hoffman Estates to the Wolves. This is Rockford’s third-straight loss; the piglets lost on Friday and again Sunday to Iowa.
The season commenced at the Triphahn Center Ice Arena (the Wolves practice facility) and will end there on Saturday night. The Wolves will be hoisting the vaunted Illinois Lottery Cup, having beaten Rockford in seven of the nine games held so far between the two teams.
The rivalry has been one-sided to say the least. Chicago has boasted a loaded squad for the bulk of the season, yet the only hardware they will hoist will be the above mentioned talisman. The AHL’s Central Division will eschew postseason activities; the Wolves can take their trophy from Rockford and go home.
The IceHogs would be going home regardless, being in the division basement by a considerable margin. They were pretty up front in their intentions of getting ice time for a young group. In all, 35 skaters and six goalies got into the action during what amounted to extended prospect camp.
Rookie goalie Tom Aubrun got his first start of the season for the Hogs on Monday, giving up four goals to the Wolves in the first period on the way to the loss. Before that, Iowa dominated Rockford in DesMoines Friday night, winning 6-1 before grinding out a 2-0 win over the IceHogs at the BMO Harris Bank Center Sunday afternoon.
No Recaps, Just Musings
- The final two games with the Wild were brutal affairs. Iowa wanted to get physical with the IceHogs and did so in the two wins.
- Brandon Pirri, who did not travel to Iowa, was pointless on Sunday to bring his five-game point streak to a close. He responded with two goals against the Wolves, pulling him into a tie with Chris Wilkie for the team lead in that category with eight.
- For the most part, Rockford allowed far more up-close opportunities to their opponents than the Hogs were able to generate in their last three contests. This has been the theme for the piglets; they just can’t maneuver their way to a lot of high-percentage shots.
- Defenseman Cliff Watson, who is the captain of the Indy Fuel of the ECHL, played in all three games for Rockford, picking up an assist Monday afternoon. He has been signed to four PTO contracts by the Hogs this season.
- Remember back when I openly wondered what happened to Jack Ramsey, the defenseman who signed an AHL contract with Rockford last spring? The best I can offer is that he looks to have retired.
Live From The BMO
My number came up in the ticket lottery the IceHogs held for season ticket holders, so I will be attending the home finale Friday night. You’ll get intermission updates along with whatever observations I can muster. Follow me @JonFromi on twitter for all the fun.
vs 
Game Times: 6:00PM (5/9), 7:00PM (5/10)
TV/Radio: NBC Sports Chicago, NHL Network, SportsNet (5/9), NBCSN (5/10), WGN-AM 720
JerryWorld: Defending Big D
First of all Happy Mothers Day out there to all whom it may apply to. And anyone who actually cares for the mother figures in their lives would be best served to keep them as far away from watching these games as possible. Seats still available!
The Rockford IceHogs are not going to finish with a winning record in 2020-21. However, the piglets have made substantial progress toward respectability.
Rockford opened this season back in February with a woefully stocked roster of players. The talent gap between the Hogs and the rest of the AHL was vast. In previewing this year’s crop on the farm, I noted that this young and inexperienced team was going to take its lumps in the early going. And take them they did.
The IceHogs limped out to a 1-7-1 start, losing six straight games to begin the season. The nadir of the first month was a 9-4 shellacking by Grand Rapids on March 3.
Fortunately, the Hogs got their legs under them. It hasn’t been easy or pretty, but coach Derek King has the undermanned roster scrapping to be competitive. Rockford has gone 10-8 dating back on March 6.
The IceHogs are currently coming off of a pair of wins over the Griffins. Last Saturday, Rockford bested Grand Rapids 3-2 at the BMO Harris Bank Center. Monday, the Hogs prevailed 3-2 in a shootout at Van Andel Arena.
What has proven to be the difference in the IceHogs over their last 18 games? Let’s make a list:
- Rockford has gotten some frequent influxes of talent via the taxi squad. Players like MacKenzie Entwistle and Reese Johnson have contributed at both ends of the ice.
- Dylan McLaughlin has really stepped up his game in his sophomore season with Rockford. Dating back to March 13, McLaughlin has 16 points (7 G, 9 A) in his last 15 games.
- The piglets have been able to hold their own in physical affairs with Grand Rapids and Iowa in the past few weeks.
- The goal tending has been better. Ivan Nalimov has looked more comfortable in net. Cale Morris left after two periods in Grand Rapids with an injury April 28, but was keeping Rockford in games. Matt Tomkins had a great game in Monday’s win, stopping 24 shots in regulation and overtime. Since coming down from Chicago’s taxi squad March 11, Tomkins has a 2.71 GAA and a .919 save percentage in his last seven games.
- Brandon Pirri, when he has been used, has been an offensive force for the IceHogs. The power play has teeth when Pirri is manning the wing. In five games, Pirri is second on the team with six goals. He has points in each of those five games; Rockford is 4-1 when Pirri is in the lineup.
- As he has done throughout his short tenure at the helm, King has the IceHogs playing hard every night. They have managed to be competitive even when being badly overmatched.
This weekend, Rockford has its last two games of the season with the Iowa Wild. The Hogs are at Iowa on Friday night; the Wild come to the BMO on Sunday afternoon.
Follow me @JonFromi on twitter for thoughts on the IceHogs throughout the season.
Box Score: Game 52 | Game 53 | Game 54
Game Log: Game 52 | Game 53 | Game 54
Natural Stat Trick: Game 52 | Game 53 | Game 54
The Hurricanes are good. The Blackhawks are bad. We all knew this going into this series, and that things probably would not look good for the Blackhawks since their playoff push is over and they’re now pivoting to playing every young/inexperienced/new player that they can find. But it didn’t make this series any harder to watch for the first part of the week. At least we got a semisweet victory to finish it off in OT tonight. To the bullets:
- The Hurricanes are such a fast team and for 7 of the 9 periods the Hawks couldn’t keep up. There were many times throughout the series where the Canes’ first line just outskated our defenders. One of the goals on Sunday was just tough to watch as Connor Murphy went down trying to break up the play, Wyatt Kalynuk was tasked with trying to defend against two people and Kirby Dach gave no help. Subban didn’t have a chance on that 3-0 goal.
- The Hawks got pantsed at the end of the game two in two different occasions where we pulled our goalie for an extra (at one point two extra) attacker and the Hurricanes scored on us. It’s one thing for that to happen once, but it happened twice in a row. And you immediately knew it was coming, too. Someone give this young defense some structure, thanks.
- Kirby Dach is officially out of the season because of wrist discomfort. And all I can think about is how he openly admitted his wrist was hurting but the team thought it was fine to let him play. He’d better be healthy by the return of next season, that’s all I have to say.
- Duncan Keith is the greatest defenseman in Blackhawks history. And last night I was preparing to write about how it’s probably past due that his minutes get limited. But after getting literally speared in the head with a linesman’s knee tonight and not returning to the game, he literally forced the minutes issue himself. Now he and Connolly both have concussions and won’t be back this season. And the fact of the matter is he wasn’t looking much better the first two games of this series, as he had multiple horrific plays and giveaways this series. Limit this man’s time so he can actually be helpful to the defense instead of being the overworked horse on the defensive end for the 15th year in a row.
- The Cat is a monster, a speedy little devil, but we already knew that. In the month of May, he was a contributor to 6 of the Blackhawks’ 11 total goals. He is the one generating the offense as of late, as Patrick Kane has only contributed to 3 goals and is a -7 so far this month. Kane’s either injured or probably just exhausted; there was a stretch of this season where he was pretty much carrying the team offensively, after all. But at least in the offensive zone we have someone that can pick up the slack when needed.
- Collin Delia finally got some NHL time, and it was time he deserved and certainly earned. Considering what this season has been like for him, he played super well and admirably for both of his appearances this series with a .939 save percentage over these games. Plus, just seeing someone absorbing shots on occasion and not give up 700 rebounds was a welcome sight, not to mention his first win.
And just like that, the final two games of the season are upon us, as Hawks fans are getting ready to happily pay $110.00/ticket for 300-level seats to watch a circus team with only one remaining dynasty member on it. (Inflation is coming, folks.) The Hawks will finish out this season against the Dallas Stars, who seem to be falling out of playoff contention themselves and will need two wins against us to have a prayer of catching Nashville. Onward.
While the Hawks continue to fart away any chance of being reasonably competitive under coach Jeremy Prinze Jr., we spend the front end of this edition reveling in just how unlikely and fortunate what the Bears did this past weekend was while we save the grave dancing for next week in spite of being in the immediate wake (GET IT?) of another blown lead in a game where Colliton can show literally anything worth salvaging. Give a listen and sip the Kool Aid.
