IceHogs Face Barracuda in 2023-24 Season Opener
October 13, 2023 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Rockford IceHogs News Release
San Jose, Calif. - The Rockford IceHogs open the 2023-24 season and the organization's 25th season of pro hockey against the San Jose Barracuda tonight at Tech CU Arena in San Jose, California at 9 p.m. CT. Tonight's matchup is the fifth overall meeting between the clubs and the first since 2018.
2022-23 Season Records
Rockford: 35-28-5-4, 79 points (5th Central Division)
San Jose: 31-34-2-5, 69 points (8th Pacific Division)
It's Been A Minute
After four previous meetings, the Rockford IceHogs hold an all-time record of 3-1-0-0 against the San Jose Barracuda. The IceHogs claimed a 4-2 victory in the Barracuda's first official game in San Jose on October 9, 2015. This season, Rockford and San Jose will share the ice four times since their last battle on March 31, 2018, when the Hogs won 5-3 in front of 5,786 Rockford fans.
Dynamic Duo
Forwards David Gust and Brett Seney return as the two leading scorers from the 2022-23 to lead the IceHogs' offense. Last season, Gust tallied 26 goals and 33 assists for a career high 59 points. During the 2021-22 season, the Orland Park native was a 2022 Calder Cup Champion with the Chicago Wolves and finished the season with a previous career record of 36 points (16G, 20A). Seney trailed Gust with 54 points (23G, 31A) last season including a nine-game point streak from Oct. 22 to Nov. 13.
Rookies To Watch
Defenseman Nolan Allan is one of the players to watch for Rockford. Allan was selected in the first round (32nd overall) of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft by the Chicago Blackhawks and helped guide the WHL's Seattle Thunderbirds to a championship last season with 16 points (7G, 9A). Similarly, defenseman Ethan Del Mastro was originally selected in the fourth round of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft by the Blackhawks. Last January, the 6-foot-4 blueliner helped guide Team Canada to a Gold Medal at the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship.
In The Net
Rockford's netminders to start the season include second-year goaltender Jaxson Stauber and rookie Drew Commesso. Along with 17 appearances for the IceHogs, Stauber played in six NHL contests with Chicago last season and became the first Blackhawks goaltender to ever win his first three starts. Commesso led Boston University to a Frozen Four appearance last season and published a 24-8-0 record, 2.46 goals-against average, and .913 save percentage as a junior.
Third(ish) Year for Sorensen
Anders Sorensen took over the reigns as interim head coach just a couple weeks into the 2021-22 season after Derek King was promoted to Chicago. The IceHogs head man now steps into his third year as head coach of the team and his second year starting the campaign as the club's manager. On Monday, it was announced that Sorensen is to be inducted into the Illinois Hockey Hall of Fame for his work with the Blackhawks organization and high school hockey in the Chicagoland area.
IceHogs in Chicago
Six former IceHogs appeared on the Chicago Blackhawks' opening night roster (Mackenzie Entwistle, Reese Johnson, Cole Guttman, Lukas Reichel, Arvid Soderblom, Alex Vlasic). Four of that group (Guttman, Reichel, Soderblom, Vlasic) were key contributors with Rockford last season. Guttman recorded his fifth NHL goal on opening night against Pittsburgh in a 4-2 win. Soderblom made his first start of the season on Wednesday at stopped 30 of 32 shots in a 3-1 loss to Boston.
Opening Night Block Party
The 2023-24 regular season sets sail with an Opening Night Block Party presented by Hard Rock Casino-Rockford. On Oct. 21 prior to the IceHogs' home opener against the Chicago Wolves, the team will host a block party outside the BMO Center with live music from AudioDrive, a T-shirt giveaway, local food trucks, and more.
Tune In LIVE on the IceHogs Broadcast Network Presented by BMO
Watch and listen to every game this season on the IceHogs Broadcast Network presented by BMO! Listen from your favorite device, at home, or on the road at IceHogs.com and on the IceHogs app and watch LIVE on AHLTV and selected games in High Definition on 19.2 Circle TV! Fans can also tune in on all of Mid-West Family's local stations including 104.9 The X, B103, 95.3 The Bull, and Rockford Greatest Hits 100.5 and featured on Rock River Current, the Stateline's premiere source for local events, news and culture.
2023-24 Head-to-Head Schedule:
Fri., Oct. 13 at San Jose, 9 p.m. CT
Sat., Oct. 14 at San Jose, 4 p.m. CT
Sat., Mar. 16 vs. San Jose, 7 p.m.
Sun., Mar. 17 vs. San Jose, 4 p.m.
IceHogs vs. Barracuda, All-Time
3-1-0-0
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