Welcome back! It’s been awhile. The Blackhawks and the IceHogs both missed the playoffs, so you could say I was a bit bitter and didn’t want to write about hockey.

Now that the playoffs are over, the fun season has begun! We had the draft and the opening of Free Agency. If you missed any of it, you’ve come to the right place. But first, I need to tell you about something super cool – I STARTED A HOCKEY PODCAST! Yeah, you could say I have the coolest job in the world. I get to spread positive news about my hometown and I also get to talk about hockey. Lucky me!

So here’s the deal – we are two episodes in. The first one covers the draft. The second one in a whirlwind of free agency news. So they are great complements to what you’re about to read here.

It’s called. . . wait for it . . . FROM CENTER ICE. Shocking, I know. It’s available on most podcast services including the big 3 – Apple, Google, and Spotify. I’ll include the link to the webpage for the podcast. From there, you can click on your streaming link of choice. Or, you can simply search to From Center Ice. The logo is the image from this article. Easy Peasy.

https://podfollow.com/from-center-ice/view

I’m super proud of this. My good friend Jacalyn is also a season ticket holder with me, so we will be talking A LOT about the IceHogs once the season gets closer and finally kicks off. Until then, it’ll probably be a mishmash of hockey news from around the league. But, it’s fun!

Now – onto the meat of this piece.

Kirby Dach – The Blackhawks’s first round draft pick this year. He wasn’t my first choice, but the more I watch of him, the more I am warming up to this pick. Center depth is incredibly important for any good team, and the Hawks just got a big guy who is willing the crash the net. If he lives up to his potential, we are going to be very happy hockey fans in the year future.

Calvin de Haan – This guy goes along with the next one. The Hawks acquired defenseman Calvin de Haan and forward Aleksi Saarela from Carolina in exchange for ex-IceHogs Anton Forsberg and Gustav Forsling. Both of our former players kept getting pushed down the depth chart due to new players coming in. We got excellent value for them.

Aleksi Saarela – The move for this guy was detailed above. He is a talented forward who played a key role in the Charlotte Checkers winning the Calder Cup this past season. I think we will see this guy start in Rockford. You sure won’t find me complaining.

The Sikuras – DYLAN AND TYLER ARE BACK! Dylan signed and extension with the Blackhawks while Tyler picked up an extension on his AHL contract. Love having these brothers around.

Andrew Shaw – WOW. Fan favorite former IceHog is back with the Blackhawks. I did not see this move coming at all. It will be interesting to see how he plays this year. A part of me didn’t like this deal when it was made. I’m softening up to the idea. If he plays well . . .

David Kampf – Another former IceHog re-signed by the Blackhawks. Remember that center depth I mentioned above? Applies here as well.

Ryan Carpenter – The first free agent pick up for the Hawks on July 1. A depth role player. He can win faceoffs. He can kill penalties. You aren’t going to catch flashy plays from this guy, but every team needs depth guys who can do the little things right. For a cheap contract, you can’t argue with this signing. If it doesn’t work out in the NHL, we could even see him in Rockford. Guys who are willing to work for every inch of ice? Sign me up.

Robin Lehner – HO-LY GOODNESS. Where in the . . . did this signing come from? Robin Lehner: Masterton Trophy winner, Vezina finalist, Jennings trophy winner. Forget center depth. Having depth in goal is something the Blackhawks have been lacking for the past couple years. They knocked this signing out of the park. Absolutely great steal of the day. Can’t wait to see how he fits in and how he fits with Crawford.

There’s the brief summary of what the Blackhawks have been up to and how it could possibly impact our IceHogs. To catch more in-depth analysis – make sure you subscribe to the From Center Ice Podcast. Here’s the link one more time: https://podfollow.com/from-center-ice/view