Rockford IceHogs

The Rockford IceHogs are a professional ice hockey team based in Rockford, Illinois. They are members of the American Hockey League (AHL), having begun play in the League starting in the 2007–08 season. The team plays their home games at the BMO Center, and they serve as the top minor league affiliate of the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Chicago Blackhawks.

History


The current Rockford IceHogs were founded in 1995 as the Baltimore Bandits and then relocated in 1997 to Cincinnati to become the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks. The Cincinnati Mighty Ducks suspended operations for the 2005–06 season due to the lack of an NHL affiliate after their previous affiliates, the Detroit Red Wings and the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, signed new agreements with the Grand Rapids Griffins and the Portland Pirates, respectively. The franchise was later renamed the Cincinnati RailRaiders, but failed to reach a goal of 2,000 season tickets to re-enter the AHL for the 2006–07 season. On March 19, 2007, the AHL announced that the team had been purchased and relocated to Rockford to become the present-day Rockford IceHogs.

On April 7, 2021, the Blackhawks formally purchased the IceHogs. The Blackhawks also unveiled a $23 million multi-year project to renovate and modernize the BMO Harris Bank Center, which would keep the IceHogs in Rockford through 2036.

Timeline
The franchise was previously known as:
 * Baltimore Bandits (1995–1997)
 * Cincinnati Mighty Ducks (1997–2005) (an affiliate of the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and Detroit Red Wings)

The market was previously served by:
 * Rockford IceHogs (1999–2007) UHL

Current roster
Updated July 18, 2024.


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Team captains

 * Jim Fahey, 2007–2008
 * Tim Brent, 2008–2009
 * Jake Dowell, 2009–2010
 * Garnet Exelby, 2010–2011
 * Brandon Segal and Brian Fahey, 2011–2012
 * Martin St. Pierre, 2012–2013
 * Jared Nightingale, 2013–2014
 * Joakim Nordstrom, 2014–2015
 * Brandon Mashinter, 2015–2016
 * Jake Dowell, 2016–2017
 * Kris Versteeg, 2019
 * Tyler Sikura, 2019–2020
 * Garrett Mitchell 2021–2023

Notable alumni

 * Bryan Bickell, 2007–2010, 2016
 * Dave Bolland, 2007–2008
 * Brandon Bollig, 2010–2013
 * Troy Brouwer, 2007–2009
 * Corey Crawford, 2007–2010
 * Phillip Danault, 2011–2016
 * Scott Darling, 2014–2015
 * Niklas Hjalmarsson, 2007–2009
 * Carter Hutton, 2011–2013
 * Marcus Kruger, 2012–2013
 * Nick Leddy, 2010–2011, 2012–2013
 * Jeremy Morin, 2010–2014
 * Antti Niemi, 2008–2009
 * Brandon Pirri, 2010–2014
 * Brandon Saad, 2012–2013
 * Andrew Shaw, 2011–2013
 * Jack Skille, 2008–2010
 * Ben Smith, 2009–2013
 * Trevor van Riemsdyk, 2014–2015
 * Kris Versteeg, 2007–2008, 2019