Can you smell that? That’s the smell of hockey in the air! 

Believe it or not, the 2021-22 season is right around the corner. Preparation begins tonight with the first game of the 2021 Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase in Minnesota where Chicago Blackhawks prospects will face off against Minnesota Wild prospects at 7:00 pm. The game can be found on the Wild’s YouTube channel. 

Before the puck drops, let’s take a look at some of the names on the roster. There are some familiar faces alongside some very intriguing new ones. 

Let’s start with the returning Rockford IceHogs. 

13 players (lucky number 13?) from the 2021 IceHogs roster are in Minnesota looking to impress the coaching staff.

#84 Andrei Altybarmakyan (RW) - 23 years old | 2017 3rd Round Pick (CHI)

Andrei Altybarmakyan made his North American debut last season with the Rockford IceHogs. In 29 games, he scored 5 goals and added 7 assists for 12 points. The stat line can be deceiving - especially with an IceHogs team that had a terrible time scoring goals at many points during the 2021 shortened season. 

It took Altybarmakyan a few games to look comfortable in the lineup, but he never looked out of place. For a 5’11” winger, Alty plays large. His presence was immediately noticed on the ice and he wasn’t afraid to barrel through everyone like a train to get to the net. The scoring touch may not have been there, but it wasn’t for lack of effort. I see him being a more impactful player in the 2021-22 season and hope to see that on display this weekend. 

#26 Evan Barratt ( C ) - 22 years old | 2017 3rd Round Pick (CHI)

Evan Barratt spent three seasons at Penn State before turning pro in 2021. In 27 games with the IceHogs, he scored 5 goals and added 9 assists for 14 points. 

Barratt wasn’t as noticeable at times as Altybarmakyan was. But, as the season went on he started to find his footing and earned more responsibilities from Rockford Coach, Derek King. That’s the curse of a shortened season. As he got going, the season was over. 

He was able to show off some skill and proved to be a steady, reliable player in his short time in Rockford. A more normal off-season after experiencing the pro game could only help his development. With Lukas Reichel getting Center duties as well, according to King, it’ll be interesting to see who logs more minutes between the two. It should be a healthy competition for that 1C role in Rockford - if Reichel doesn’t make the immediate jump to the Blackhawks. 

#79 D.J. Busdeker (RW) - 21 years old | Undrafted

D.J. Busdeker’s 2021 debut season with Rockford can only be summed up with, “Where did that guy come from?!”

In 24 games with the IceHogs, Busdeker scored 5 goals and added 7 assists for 12 points - most of those coming near the end of the season when he was just completely unstoppable. In the first half of the season, he was just a guy. Not bad. Just . . . a guy. Then a switch flipped and he was doing every little thing right which translated to points on the board. 

This kid is one I’m very intrigued to watch this weekend and this season with the Rockford IceHogs. 

#15 Carson Gicewicz ( C ) - 24 years old | Undrafted

Carson Gicewicz joined the IceHogs at the conclusion of his college season. He only appeared in 10 games for Rockford scoring 0 goals and 2 assists. A full season ahead will give us a better idea of what can be expected from him. 

#56 Dmitri Osipov (D/Forward?) - 24 years old | Undrafted

Dmitri Osipov is a player that I feel has been around forever. So, I was surprised to see him on a prospect roster. I was more surprised to be reminded that he’s only 24. I was even MORE surprised to see him listed as a forward. 

Osipov has spent parts of three seasons with the IceHogs - as a defenseman. A hard-hitting, no-nonsense, drop-the-gloves defenseman. Sure, it could be a clerical error slotting him in at forward. Or, maybe IceHogs coach, Derek King, has big plans for him at forward this year. Either way - in 22 games with the Hogs in 2021, he scored 2 goals and added 4 assists for 6 points. He also had 34 PIMS in 22 games. He lets them fists fly!

#36 Josiah Slavin (LW) - 22 years old | 2018 7th Round Pick (CHI)

Ahhh - I love me a good 7th round draft pick. Be still, my prospect loving heart. 

Josiah Slavin (yes, brother of Carolina’s Jaccob) joined the Rockford IceHogs at the conclusion of his college season. In only 15 games with Rockford, he scored 3 goals and added 4 assists for 7 points. 

It was a small sample size, but he was instantly one of the best forwards on the team once he made his debut. He started scoring right away, and remained a presence when he wasn’t on the scoresheet. He’s 6’3 and plays to his size. That doesn’t mean he’s going to be out there wrecking opponents with hits (see above: Osipov), but he is a large presence on the ice and uses his size to create scoring chances. 

Don’t sleep on this kid. 

#52 Michal Teply (LW/RW) - 20 years old | 2019 4th Round Pick (CHI)

The youngest guy on the list so far! Michal Teply made his professional debut last season with the Rockford IceHogs. In 18 games with the Hogs, he put up 5 assists. 

The scoring touch was not there for him at all. But, as one of the younger guys on the team, I wasn’t too concerned. His game improved as the season went on. That’s what you ask for when it comes to young prospects. Much like Evan Barratt, I’m looking to see how his game has adjusted after a more normal offseason. 

#54 Chad Yetman (C/RW) - 21 years old | 2020 6th Round Pick (CHI)

Chad Yetman made his professional debut a few months after being drafted thanks to junior league shutdowns. In 16 games with Rockford, he scored 2 goals and added 5 assists for 7 points. 

Yetman was rather hit or miss most nights. But, again, it was a team full of rookies that had a hard time scoring. 2021-22  should be a better indicator of the type of prospect he is. 

#63 Michael Krutil (D) - 19 years old | 2020 4th Round Pick (CHI)

Michael Krutil was another fresh draft pick to hit the IceHogs roster in 2021. He played 23 games for the IceHogs and notched 3 assists. 

He was the most noticeable “Rookie” of the group. I say that because many of the mistakes he made on the ice came from inexperience. Whether they were ill-timed pinches, missed assignments, or just losing his man - Krutil improved on these things as the season went on as he (wait for it . . .) gained experience! The kid is still only 19. He will be just fine. 

#41 Isaak Phillips (D) - 19 years old | 2020 5th Round Pick (CHI)

Isaak Phillips - yet another fresh draft pick coming into the 2021 season - was arguably the best or most-improved-over-the-season (but that’s a mouthful) player for the Rockford IceHogs. Am I exaggerating? Well, no. I don’t think I am. You could disagree, that’s why I said “arguably”. 

With such a young defenseman, you don’t know what to expect. But, he met and then shattered every expectation. I was all aboard the Isaak Phillips Hype Train (that I’m also taking credit for creating) very early. 

He’s steady on the back end. He WINS BOARD BATTLES. 

-ahem- sorry. That’s just been very rare in Rockford as of la . . . the last forever and a day. 

He also has a scoring touch and isn’t afraid to drive the puck to the net himself when he has cover on the blue line. 

I was absolutely impressed by Isaak. He could be THE steal of the 2020 draft. Just sayin’.

Oh - in 27 games with the Rockford IceHogs, he scored 2 goals and added 7 assists for 9 points. 

Fun fact - the lock screen on my phone is a photo of the celebration after his first goal. 

#75 Alec Regula (D) - 21 years old | 2018 3rd Round Pick (DET)

I’m almost surprised to see Regula on this list after he spent some time with the Blackhawks at the end of the season. But, I’m fairly positive he will be in Rockford this year. 

In 2021, he played 16 games for Rockford scoring 3 goals and 1 assist for 4 points. If you haven’t caught any game action from Regula yet, he is a steady defenseman who is going to score some points for you. If the Blackhawks hadn’t made so many (strange) additions to their blue line in the offseason, I could have seen him being a regular NHLer next season. Even if he saw a fair amount of healthy scratch time. Alec Regula is just a very solid prospect. I’m excited to see his game grow. 

#80 Tom Aubrun (G) - 26 years old | Undrafted

Tom Aubrun didn’t see much game action with the IceHogs last year. He played more games for the Indy Fuel. I’ll need more games from him this season to evaluate him as a prospect. 

3GP 0-2-0 4.46 GAA .864 sv%

#31 Cale Morris (G) - 25 years old | Undrafted

CALE MORRIS! He along with Isaak Phillips were my standouts from 2021. There weren’t many expectations for the kid coming into the season. But, with some abysmal goaltending outings for Rockford to start the year, he gave the Rockford faithful something to be excited about. 

He doesn’t have a traditional style in net, and there is a bit of chaos to his game - but it works. He had some great showings and 2021-22 could be a big season for him. 

7 GP 2-3-0 2.52 GAA .923 sv%

Mike Hardman gets a special mention here. While he did not appear with the Rockford IceHogs last season, he did jump to the Chicago Blackhawks roster after signing as a UFA at the conclusion of his college season. The 22 year old winger played 8 games with the Blackhawks scoring 1 goal and adding 2 assists for 3 points. 

Now for the newcomers I am most interested in. 

#28 Colton Dach (C/LW) - 18 years old | 2021 2nd Round Pick (CHI)

Colton Dach is the brother of current Blackhawk Kirby Dach. This draft selection came as no surprise this summer, but it was certainly exciting. I can’t wait to see how he fares and if/when they get to play together. 

2020-21 (WHL): 20 GP 11G 9A 20P

#27 Lukas Reichel (C/W) - 19 years old | 2020 1st Round Pick (CHI)

Lukas Reichel was the Chicago Blackhawks 1st Round Draft pick in 2020. Derek King stated he is going to get a lot of time playing Center, so I’ll be keeping an eye on him to see how he does there. He may ultimately end up shifting to Wing in the NHL. But, if he can be an NHL Center, that would be huge for the Blackhawks. 

2020-21 (DEL): 38GP 10G 17A 27P

#42 Nolan Allan (D) - 18 years old | 2021 1st Round Pick (CHI)

There were a lot of shocking things about this offseason for the Blackhawks. One of the innocent shocks was drafting Nolan Allan in the 1st Round. The pick was called a reach at the time. Will the Blackhawks end up looking smart here? We shall see. 

2020-21 (WHL): 16GP 1G 1A 2P

#40 Arvid Soderblom (G) - 22 years old | Undrafted

Come on. I’m ALWAYS going to be excited about a rookie goaltender. 

Last season in the AHL, Soderblom played 22 games. He had a record of 13-8-0 with a 2.03 GAA and .922 sv%.

I don’t want to leave the others out. Players also appearing on the roster:

#34 Kale Howarth

#25 Jalen Luypen

#59 Jakub Pour

#46 Louis Crevier

#62 Ethan Del Mastro

#75 Jakub Galvas