Chicago Blackhawks AHL Team Rockford IceHogs 2023-24

Chicago history in the AHL begins with their first AHL affiliates the Providence Reds known now as the Hartford Wolf Pack from 1939 to 1941.

The Rockford IceHogs are the current AHL affiliates of the Chicago Blackhawks. They have been affiliated with the Blackhawks since 2007 and as of 2021, Chicago has purchased the team officially.

The Norfolk Admirals known now as the San Diego Gulls were the Chicago AHL team (2000 to 2007) before they signed on with the IceHogs.

Below is the table with a list of all AHL teams to be affiliated with the Chicago Blackhawks along with the years they were affiliated:

The St. Louis Flyers were a minor league hockey team that played 9 seasons in the AHL (1944-1953). The team folded in 1953 but played home games at the St. Louis Arena during their active years. 

The Buffalo Bisons are another AHL affiliate of the Blackhawks to cease operations in the AHL. The Bisons stopped their AHL operations in the 1969/70 season after they were awarded an expansion team by the NHL and they came back as the Buffalo Sabres for the 1970/71 NHL season.

New Brunswick Hawks, currently known as the Toronto Marlies were affiliated with the Blackhawks from 1978-1982. They had won 2 Division titles (1979/80 & 1981/82), 1 regular season title, and 1 Calder Cup Championship both won in the 1981/82 AHL season.

Springfield Indians were affiliated with the Blackhawks from 1982-1984 and are currently known as the Abbotsford Canucks. They are one of the founding teams of the AHL, known then as the Canadian American Hockey League. 

Nova Scotia Oilers called now the Bakersfield Condors were affiliated with the Blackhawks from 1985-87 along with the Oilers from 1984-88.

Furthermore, Portland Pirates known now as the Springfield Thunderbirds were partially affiliated with the Blackhawks from 1998-1999. 

The roster of the Rockford IceHogs for the 2023-24 season includes the following players:

Forwards

• Joey Anderson (RW)
• Colin Bilek (RW)
• Anders Bjork (LW)
• Michal Teply (RW)
• Ryan Gagnier (C)
• Dave Gust (RW)
• Mike Hardman (RW)
• Kale Howarth (LW)
• Zach Jordan (RW)
• Bryce Kindopp (RW)
• Jalen Luypen (LW)
• Seamus Malone (C)
• Marcel Marcel (LW)
• Luke Philp (C)
• Lukas Reichel (LW)
• Ryder Rolston (RW)
• Brett Seney (C)

Defencemen:

• Louis Crevier
• Filip Roos
• Andrew Perrott
• Isaak Phillips
• Josh Healey
• Josh Maniscalco
• Alex Vlasic 

Goaltenders

• Mitchell Weeks
• Drew Commesso
• Arvid Soderblom
• Jaxson Stauber

All the players included in the roster have been acquired by the team between 2021 and 2023.  Out of the 28 players included in the roster, 16 are contracted with the Blackhawks and 12 with the Ice Hogs

According to the IceHogs official website, 114 of their players have been promoted to the Blackhawks. Moreover, 22 out of them have been part of the Stanley Cup-winning run of the Blackhawks in 2010, 2013, or 2015.

Nikalas Hjamarsson and Colin Fraser have been part of 3 Stanley Cup triumphs. They are the only IceHogs alums to achieve this incredible feat.

Joey Anderson, Dave Gust, Zach Jordan, Luke Philip and Brett Seney are the ones who signed new one-year contracts with the Hawks this year. 

Left Wingers Colin Bilek and Kale Howarth signed new one-year contracts with the IceHogs. Andrew Perrott is the only defenseman to sign a new one-year contract with the IceHogs this season. 

Arvid Soderblom is the only goaltender on the IceHogs roster to sign a new contract this year. He is also the only player on the IceHogs roster to sign a two-year contract with the Blackhawks.

The IceHogs begin their 2023-24 campaign with two preseason games against the Iowa Wild at Riverview Ice House and Wells Fargo Arena.

The preseason games on October 4 and 6 will then be followed by the regular season fixtures. Their first game of the new season will be on October 13 against the San Jose Barracuda at the Tech CU Arena, San Jose California. 

Likewise, Rockford will play its first home game of the 2023/24 AHL season against the Chicago Wolves at the BMO Center on October 21, 2023.

The seasonal tickets for the 2023/24 season are available for purchase now. The IceHogs schedule for the rest of 2023 is given below.

Indy Fuel is an ECHL Team based out of Indianapolis, Indiana. They have been in the ECHL as the farm team of the Blackhawks since 2015.

Duncan Dalamo is the head coach of Indy Fuel. The Blackhawks were previously affiliated with the Toledo Walleye in ECHL from 2009-2014. 

Here is a full list of the ECHL-affiliated teams of the Chicago Blackhawks:

The Colombus Chill known now as the Reading Royals were affiliated with the Blackhawks from 1992-1994 and 1995-1999. They had 2 division titles to their name one in the 1996/97 and another in the 1998/99 season.

The Hampton Roads Admirals were affiliated with the Hawks from 1999-2000. They had 3 Kelly Cups (1991,1992, &1998) and 2 Division titles (1991, 1994) to their name.

The Jackson Bandits which was affiliated with Chicago from 2001-02 ceased operations in 2003. Roanoke Express ceased operations in the ECHL after the 2003/04 season. The team is operational in the SPHL as the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs. 

Greenville Growwls affiliated with Blackhawks 2004-06 folded on June 2, 2006. Growwls won the 2001/02 Kelly Cup before they folded though.

Fresno Falcons & Pensacola Ice Pilots were both ECHL teams affiliated with the Blackhawks which are no longer operational. Both teams were folded in 2008.

Indy Fuel 

The Indy Fuel started playing regular season games in the ECHL in the 2014/15 season. Nitro the Red Dragon is the official mascot of the Fuel.

They played their first game in the ECHL on October 17, 2014, against the Fort Wayne Komets. They are yet to become a Kelly Cup Champions.

The Indiana Farmers Coliseum on the Indiana State Fairgrounds is home to the Indy Fuel. They practice in the Indy Fuel Tank in Fishers, Indiana.

The Fishers Event Center was announced to be the new home arena for the Indy Fuel. They expect to start playing regular season games starting from the 2024/25 season.

The opening game of the Indy Fuel for the 2023-24 campaign will be held on October 20 against the Fort Wayne Komets at their home arena.