Players to Watch: IceHogs vs Griffins (1/18/23)

Cole Guttman of the Rockford IceHogs skating in a game against the Grand Rapids Griffins (Photo by Sarah Caputi via IceHogs Flickr)

After a 4-game road trip that saw the IceHogs going 1-2-1-0, the Piggies are back in their home barn tonight to take on the Grand Rapids Griffins. The IceHogs are currently riding a 4-game win streak on home ice - so, perhaps this will shift their puck luck back into the positive category. Rockford is also 3-0-0-0 against Grand Rapids so far this season. Let’s hope they keep up those winning ways!

The Teams

Through 36 games this season, the Griffins have a record of 14-19-1-2. That’s good for 31 points and 6th (of 7 teams) in the Central Division. After finishing last in the division last year, things haven’t looked up a whole lot for the Griffins. They ended with a .487 points percentage in 2021-22. They currently own a .431 points percentage. So, they’ve actually regressed . . . ouch. They’re 3-5-0-2 in their last 10 games, losing their last contest 2-1 in the shootout to the Iowa Wild. The Griffins’ only win in their last 5 games was a 1-0 victory over the Chicago Wolves - the only team worse than them in the Central. Although, now they have Alex Nedeljkovic to put in net. Perhaps he can stop their bleeding a little. After initially spending time in Grand Rapids for conditioning, he was placed on waivers by the Detroit Red Wings over the weekend to give him some more time in the AHL. I was shocked he cleared. But, since when do the decisions of NHL general managers make sense? In Ned’s 6 games with Grand Rapids, he has a record of 3-2-1 with a .920 sv% and 2.30 GAA. I’m going to assume he gets the net tonight against the IceHogs. 

Speaking of the IceHogs . . . 

Through 36 games, the IceHogs have a record of 20-12-2-2. That’s good for 44 points and 3rd in the Central. They’re tied with the 2nd place Milwaukee Admirals in points and P%, so a little luck here and there and the Hogs can jump back into that 2nd place slot. They are in total contrast to the Griffins. In many ways, but specifically because they have improved exponentially this season. They finished the 2021-22 season with a .549 point percentage and were fighting for a playoff spot down the stretch. This season, they’ve only gotten 5 games from Arvid Söderblom, their assumed #1 goaltender. First, he was called up to the Blackhawks after only the first two AHL games. After a lengthy stint with the big club, he came back down and got injured. Jaxson Stauber, Mitchell Weeks, and Dylan Wells have been holding down the blue paint by committee. None of the three have particularly impressive numbers, but they’ve been good enough to get the job done on most nights. The key here - the offense has been able to carry most of the load. 

Shall we take a look at Goal Differential? We shall!

Through 36 games, the Grand Rapids Griffins have allowed 136 goals while scoring 96 goals for a DIFF of -40. 

Through 36 games, the Rockford IceHogs have allowed 112 goals while scoring 124 for a DIFF of +12.

IceHogs Players to Watch

Cole Guttman

Cole Guttman has been more than competent in his AHL rookie season. The 23 year old Center put up 19 goals and 26 assists in 41 last season at the University of Denver. This year with the IceHogs, he’s picking right where he left off - notching 12 goals and 11 assists through 28 games. He didn’t come flying out of the gate lighting the world on fire. But, he worked hard every shift and earned the trust of head coach, Anders Sorenson. His offense started taking off and he’s become a big part of the team’s scoring.    

David Gust

Speaking a big part of the IceHogs’ scoring, the addition of David Gust to the roster has given the offense a huge boost. The 28 year old winger had a great season with the Calder Cup Champion Chicago Wolves last season with 16 goals and 20 assists in 64 games. This year with the IceHogs, he has already surpassed his goal and point totals through 36 games. He’s put up 18 goals and 20 assists for 38 points. Oh, and he was named an AHL All-Star. No biggie . . .

Alex Vlasic

Alex Vlasic is a very exciting defense prospect for the Chicago Blackhawks. Not only was he a 2nd round pick in the 2019 draft, he’s also 6’6”. The kid has a long reach! That allows him to take up a lot of space in the defensive zone and quickly close gaps on the opponent. With prospects of that size, you never know how good of skaters they will be. Sometimes their big frames can lead to really awkward strides or cause them to be slower than their opponents. Vlasic’s skating doesn’t seem to be an issue. Overall, he looks rather graceful out there on the ice. Between his smooth skating and his long stick, he forces the other team to make quick decisions before he takes away all of their space. Blackhawks fans got a peek at him for 15 games to close out last season. He put up 1 goal and 1 assist, but his job isn’t to score. This year with the Hogs, he has 1 goal and 5 assists through 25 games. But, he’s a +11. +/- isn’t the end-all-be-all stat and is rather flawed. But it still tells part of the story. Vlasic is looked to to hold it down in his own end. I’d say he’s doing a fine job of that!

Point Leaders

Rockford IceHogs

1. Brett Seney: 34 Games Played, 15 Goals, 24 Assists, 39 Points

2. David Gust: 36 Games Played, 18 Goals, 20 Assists, 38 Points

3. Lukas Reichel: 33 Games Played, 14 Goals, 23 Assists, 37 Points

4. Luke Philp: 28 Games Played, 13 Goals, 14 Assists, 27 Points

5. Cole Guttman: 28 Games Played, 12 Goals, 11 Assists, 23 Points

6. Dylan Sikura: 34 Games Played, 9 Goals, 13 Assists, 22 Points

7. Adam Clendening: 33 Games Played, 2 Goals, 16 Assists, 18 Points

8. Jakub Galvas: 34 Games Played, 1 Goals, 17 Assists, 18 Points

9. Buddy Robinson: 34 Games Played, 9 Goal, 8 Assists, 17 Points

10. Isaak Phillips: 25 Games Played, 3 Goals, 14 Assists, 17 Points

Goalies:

Dylan Wells: 13 Games Played, 8-3-1, 2.63 GAA, .909 sv%

Mitchell Weeks: 10 Games Played, 5-2-3, 2.67 GAA, .908 sv%

Jaxson Stauber: 12 Games Played, 6-4-0, 3.06 GAA, .896 sv%

Arvid Söderblom: 5 Games Played, 1-3-0, 4.17 GAA, .862 sv%

Grand Rapids Griffins

1. Taro Hirose: 36 Games Played, 9 Goals, 23 Assists, 32 Points

2. Joel L’Esperance: 36 Games Played, 13 Goals, 10 Assists, 23 Points

3. Austin Czarnik: 23 Games Played, 10 Goals, 13 Assists, 23 Points

4. Danny O’Regan: 35 Games Played, 5 Goals, 18 Assists, 23 Points

5. Pontus Andreasson: 34 Games Played, 9 Goals, 9 Assists, 18 Points

6. Cross Hanas: 24 Games Played, 8 Goals, 7 Assists, 15 Points

7. Steven Kampfer: 31 Games Played, 3 Goals, 12 Assists, 15 Points

8. Dominik Shine: 35 Games Played, 7 Goals, 6 Assists, 13 Points

9. Simon Edvinsson: 29 Games Played, 1 Goals, 12 Assists, 13 Points

10. Jared McIsaac: 36 Games Played, 2 Goals, 9 Assists, 11 Points

Goalies:

Alex Nedeljkovic: 6 Games played, 3-2-1, 2.30 GAA, .920 sv%

Magnus Hellberg: 4 Games Played, 2-2-0, 2.50 GAA, .932 sv%

Victor Brattstrom: 12 Games Played, 2-6-2, 3.68 GAA, .887 sv%

Jussi Olkinuora: 15 Games Played, 6-8-0, 3.75 GAA, .868 sv%

Sebastian Cossa: 3 Games Played, 1-1-0, 5.57 GAA, .783 sv%

The puck drops Wednesday night at 7:00 pm CST!