IceHogs 2021 Training Camp: Forwards
(Photo by Todd Reicher via IceHogs Flickr)
Today is February 1st. The Rockford IceHogs season opens on February 5th. Can you believe it’s that close? I can’t, but I sure am excited.
The IceHogs have a roster full of new players for the 2020-21 season. There are a few returning players, but the youth movement is on. I took a look at the forwards on the Training Camp roster to get an idea of what we may see on the ice.
Once you’re done here, you can check out the GOALTENDERS and DEFENSE.
Andrei Altybarmakyan
Andrei Altybarmakyan (22) was a 2017 3rd round pick of the Chicago Blackhawks. He spent parts of the last 2 seasons in the KHL with HK Sochi.
2018-19: 38GP 2G 4A 6P
2019-20: 49GP 6G 11A 17P
Despite the low point totals in the KHL, Altybarmakyan has some good offensive upside. If he hits his projected development, he could be a top 6 forward in the NHL. Look for him to come into Rockford and find his offensive game.
Evan Barratt
Evan Barratt (21) was a 2017 3rd round pick of the Chicago Blackhawks. He spent 3 productive seasons playing for Penn State and is coming into his first professional season.
2017-18: 32GP 11G 7A 18P
2018-19: 32GP 16G 27A 43P
2019-20: 34GP 12G 22A 34P
The 6’0” center has a knack for scoring big goals and, by all accounts, had some good leadership qualities for his Penn State team despite not wearing a letter. He was considered one of the better college hockey players before he decided to turn pro. He’s got a lot of skill and isn’t afraid to mix it up on the ice and get under the opponent’s skin to get his team going. I’m excited to see what skills he can bring to this young IceHogs team.
D.J. Busdeker
D.J. Busdeker (21) was an undrafted player signed to a 2-year AHL contract with the Rockford IceHogs. He spent 4 seasons with the Saginaw Spirit of the OHL before turning pro and was an alternate captain in his final 2 seasons. With the late AHL start, Busdeker spent the beginning of this season with the Indy Fuel (ECHL Affiliate).
2016-17: 39GP 7G 7A 14P
2017-18: 68GP 10G 17A 27P
2018-19: 66GP 15G 33A 48P
2019-20: 62GP 22G 35A 57P
2020-21 (ECHL): 7GP 2G 2A 4P
Busdeker went undrafted in the OHL draft and again in the NHL draft. Yet, he became an impact player for the Spirit. Add this kid to the list of players coming into this AHL season with something to prove. This Rockford IceHogs roster is full of scrappy players that want to prove they belong. That could end up being greatly beneficial.
Another tidbit about Busdeker - he played some defense for Saginaw when they were down a defenseman. He can take on defensive roles, so I’d look for him to make an appearance on the penalty kill.
Matej Chalupa
Matej Chalupa (22) was an undrafted player from the Czech Republic who’s 2-year contract with the Chicago Blackhawks kicks off this season. He comes into this season with a meme-worthy name (even though it’s pronounced huh-LOO-puh - sorry to break this to you) and an awesome beard. He’s bound to be an impact player. Chalupa spent the last 2 seasons and the beginning of the 2020-21 season in the Czech league. 2020-21 will be his first season playing in North America.
2018-19: 48GP 4G 10A 14P
2019-20: 50GP 7G 17A 24P
2020-21 (CZECH): 6GP 0G 2A 2P
Mitchell Fossier
Mitchell Fossier (24) was an undrafted player that signed a 1-year contract with the Rockford IceHogs. He spent the last 4 seasons playing for the University of Maine. He was an Alternate Captain his Junior year before being named Captain of the team for his Senior year.
2016-17: 27GP 8G 8A 16P
2017-18: 37GP 12G 22A 34P
2018-19: 36GP 8G 28A 36P
2019-20: 34GP 10G 32A 42P
Gabriel Gagné
Gabriel Gagné is the first returning player on this list for the IceHogs. He is a big player at 6’5” with the versatility to play Center and Right Wing. The 24 year old forward spent the last two seasons splitting time between the AHL and the ECHL.
2018-19 (ECHL): 5GP 0G 4A 4P
2018-19 (AHL): 55GP 6G 10A 16P
2019-20 (ECHL): 36GP 24G 14A 38P
2019-20 (AHL): 24GP 6G 7A 13P
12 of Gagné’s AHL points from 2019-20 were with the IceHogs in 21 games. He spent 3 games with the Ontario Reign before coming to Rockford. In his 21 games here, I thought he was a decent player. I was happy to hear about his contract extension. I fully expect him to have even more of an impact this season.
Mikael Hakkarainen
Mikael Hakkarainen (23) was a 2018 5th round pick for the Chicago Blackhawks. Before turning pro last season, he spent the majority of his time in the USHL with the Muskegon Lumberjacks.
2016-17: 32GP 9G 5A 14P
2017-18: 36GP 15G 31A 46P
2018-19: 42GP 19G 28A 47P
2019-20 (ECHL): 3GP 2G 2A 4P
2019-20 (AHL): 8 0G 0A 0P
Hakkarainen’s 2019-20 season was completely derailed by injuries. We’ll see how 2020-21 looks for him.
Riley McKay
Riley McKay (21) was an undrafted player signed to a 1-year AHL contract with the Rockford IceHogs. He spent the last 4 seasons in the WHL - first with the Spokane Chiefs then the Saskatoon Blades before turning pro this season. He played 5 games with the Indy Fuel once their season started. McKay is a scrappy player who will likely become a fan favorite if he sees a lot of ice time and brings his Junior game to the AHL. He doesn’t shy away from dropping the gloves which will endear him to IceHogs fans.
2016-17: 51GP 3G 6A 9P
2017-18: 62GP 4G 9A 13P
2018-19: 68GP 12G 15A 27P
2019-20: 62GP 19G 19A 38P
2020-21 (ECHL): 5 0G 0A 0P
Dylan McLaughlin
Dylan McLaughlin (25) was an undrafted player who spent 4 years at Canisius College before turning pro. 2020-21 will be his second full season with the organization.
2015-16: 39GP 8G 18A 26P
2016-17: 39GP 14G 19A 33P
2017-18: 37GP 17G 31A 48P
2018-19 (NCAA): 37GP 19G 21A 40P
2018-19 (AHL): 7GP 0G 2A 2P
2019-20 (ECHL): 20GP 13G 11A 24P
2019-20 (AHL): 28GP 2G 5A 7P
He didn’t appear out of place to me in the AHL last season. He may not always show up on the scoresheet, but he’s shown he can score at every other level. Maybe that will come this season.
Garrett Mitchell
Garrett Mitchell (29) was a 2009 6th round pick of the Washington Capitals. 2020-21 will be his first full season with the IceHogs, and he comes in as the oldest guy of the bunch. In his short stint with the team last season, he showed leadership on and off the ice. He became a well-known name to fans pretty quickly. He served as Captain of the Hershey Bears for 3 seasons. I could see him getting that honor here in Rockford as well.
2019-20 (ECHL): 40GP 10G 19A 29P
2019-20 (AHL): 17GP 4G 2A 6P
Brad Morrison
Brad Morrison (24) was a 2015 4th round pick of the New York Rangers. He spent his last 2 seasons in the AHL with the Ontario Reign and ECHL with the Fort Wayne Komets. He showed off his playmaking abilities in his junior career, but those numbers haven’t translated to the pro level yet. He certainly has the skill. Hopefully he puts it all together this season in Rockford.
2018-19 (AHL): 50GP 10G 10A 20P
2019-20 (ECHL): 17 6 13 19
Cam Morrison
Cam Morrison (22) was a 2016 2nd round pick of the Colorado Avalanche. He spent the last 4 seasons at the University of Notre Dame. He consistently chipped in points and scouting reports suggest that he has a good all around game. 2020-21 is his first professional season. It will be interesting to see what impact he has at the AHL level.
2016-17: 40GP 12G 12A 24P
2017-18: 40GP 8G 15A 23P
2018-19: 32GP 11G 10A 21P
2019-20: 37GP 13G 14A 27P
John Quenneville
John Quenneville (24) is another returning player on this IceHogs roster. He was a 2014 1st round draft pick of the New Jersey Devils. He spent the majority of last season in Rockford with a few short visits to the Chicago Blackhawks. He’s an effective player that finds the right spots on the ice. He can set up plays as well as he finishes them. As a returning player, expect him to snag a bigger role on the ice this season.
2019-20 (AHL): 36GP 13G 9A 22P
2019-20 (NHL): 9GP 0G 0A 0P
Tim Söderlund
Tim Söderlund (23) was a 2017 4th round draft pick of the Chicago Blackhawks. Before coming over to Rockford last season, he spent time in the SHL in Sweden. Söderlund spent the beginning of the 2020-21 season in HockeyAllsvenskan with Almtuna IS.
2019-20 (ECHL): 7GP 2G 4A 6P
2019-20 (AHL): 29 1G 2A 3P
2020-21 (Almtuna IS): 23GP 10G 6A 16P
Söderlund is one of the players I am most excited to watch this season. He’s got good speed and vision. Last season, he would have put up more points had he not been a bit unlucky. From watching him, it wasn’t from a lack of effort or skill.
Michal Teply
Michal Teply (19) was a 2019 4th round draft pick of the Chicago Blackhawks. He had a breakout season for the Winnipeg Ice of the WHL in the 2019-20 season. Scouting reports all say he’s got a ton of skill. The biggest knock on him has been his skating, but he didn’t look slow at the World Juniors. If he improved that part of his game, it will be very interesting to see how he performs in the AHL.
2019-20 (WHL): 53GP 29G 34A 63P
He was recently called up to the Blackhawks Taxi Squad. The Hawks have a lot of injuries and players on the COVID Protocol list. It’s likely we see him come back down to Rockford once the quarantine period is over for the Protocol players.
Mathew Thompson
Mathew Thompson (27) was an undrafted player. He’s spent parts of the last 3 seasons with the Indy Fuel. Before heading to Indy, he spent 2 seasons serving as Captain for his Adrian College team.
2017-18 (ECHL): 7GP 2G 4A 6P
2018-19 (ECHL): 65GP 21G 29A 50P
2019-20 (ECHL): 27GP 7G 7A 14P
2019-20 (AHL): 5GP 0G 0A 0P
Video can be found on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/indyfuel/videos/333246010650787/
Chris Wilkie
Chris Wilkie was a 2015 6th round draft pick of the Florida Panthers. He spent the last 2 seasons playing for Colorado College after transferring from the University of North Dakota.
2018-19: 20GP 6G 13A 19P
2019-20: 34GP 23G 8A 31P
He’s on a 1-year AHL contract with the IceHogs. He put up a career high in goals and points in his Senior year. It’s unknown how his game will translate to the pro level.
Chad Yetman
Chad Yetman (20) was a 2020 6th round draft pick of the Chicago Blackhawks. He’s a small, scoring forward that played his Junior career with the Erie Otters. Sound familiar? So was Alex DeBrincat. Now, Yetman isn’t going to reach the level of Cat. But it sure is fun to think about.
2017-18: 56GP 9G 7A 16P
2018-19: 68GP 21G 36A 57P
2019-20: 61GP 43G 31A 74P
I did a longer write up on Chad Yetman that you can check out over HERE.