Players to Watch: IceHogs vs Wolves (10/22/22)

Dust off the jerseys and cowbells – the boys are back in town!

The Rockford IceHogs are hosting their I-90 rival, the Chicago Wolves, Saturday night for their 2022-23 Home Opener. The IceHogs had a remarkable 8-3-0-1 record against the Wolves last season. But, the Piggies were swept by that same Wolves team in the playoffs on their route to becoming Calder Cup Champions.

The wound is still fresh. The rivalry is strong as ever. So, tonight’s contest should be a thriller between two teams who always turn up the heat against each other.

Except for when the IceHogs beat the Wolves 8-0 on January 7, 2022 – just in case you forgot.

But all of that was in the past. We’re now in the 2022-23 season and both teams have had some significant changes to their rosters. So, how are they looking to start the year?

The Wolves have played 2 games so far with a 0-2-0 record. They’ve scored 4 goals while allowing 10 for a -6 Goal Differential (DIFF).

The IceHogs have played 2 games so far with a 1-1-0 record. They’ve scored 5 goals while allowing 8 for a -3 Goal Differential.

Take note of that DIFF, because I can’t promise how long the IceHogs will be leading the Wolves. For now, it’s beautiful.

The funny, but maybe unsurprising, thing is that these two teams are exactly the same with it comes to special teams. They’ve both had 8 power play opportunities have haven’t scored on any of them – 0%. They’ve also both been shorthanded 6 times and have only allowed 1 power play goal against – 83.3%.

After all, it seems like their fates are always somehow linked.

One extra note before I jump into the players to watch tonight – The Wolves are coming into Saturday having played last night in a 5-2 losing effort to the Manitoba Moose. If the IceHogs can rev the jets (ha ha, the Moose are the Winnipeg Jets affiliate) early, they may be able to take advantage of some tired legs.

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Now, your players to watch!

Jaxson Stauber

SURPRISE! Get ready, kid. Jaxson Stauber is likely getting his first start of the season in the IceHogs crease after a Friday night groin strain to Petr Mrázek resulted in Arvid Söderblom being yanked up to the Chicago Blackhawks. No pressure. It’s only the Home Opener. Oh, and it’s against the Wolves. Not only did they win the Calder Cup this past summer, they’re the Piggies’ biggest rival and win the title for “Most Hated by IceHogs Fans.” Again – no pressure, kid. But, I’m excited to see what he can do after looking strong in the Rookie Showcase.

Lukas Reichel

Lukas Reichel had an incredible rookie season for the IceHogs in 2021-22. He showed flashes of that brilliance again in the first two games of the season. Reichel was the driving force behind last Saturday’s miraculous third-period comeback resulting in a 5-4 OT win. Now the IceHogs are back at home. The fans love him. What kind of show will he put on in the Home opener?

Adam Clendening

Adam Clendening has returned to the IceHogs for another run with the club he’s played so many games for. Last weekend’s season opening series against the Moose was very up and down for the veteran defenseman. The whole “defense” part of his title didn’t go so well; especially with a Moose goal being scored after the puck deflected off of his skate and behind Söderblom. Despite those down moments, he generated a lot of chances in the offensive zone. It felt like he was going to eventually break through on one of his Grade A scoring chances, but the Manitoba tendies were doing their best brick wall impersonations. Nothing would move Clendening back into the hearts of the IceHogs faithful more than scoring against the Wolves.

Key Info

When? October 22, 2022 at 7:00pm CST

Where? BMO Harris Bank Center, Rockford

Watch/Listen: AHLtv, IceHogs.com

IceHogs Scoring Leaders

1. Luke Philp: 2GP 2G 1A 3P
2. David Gust: 2GP 1G 2A 3P
3. Lukas Reichel: 2GP 1G 2A 3P
4. Brett Seney: 2GP 1G 0A 1P
5. Nicolas Beaudin: 2GP 0G 1A 1P
6. Adam Clendening: 2GP 0G 1A 1P
7. Cliff Watson: 2GP 0G 1A 1P

IceHogs Goaltenders

Arvid Söderblom: 2GP, 1-1-0, 3.47GAA, .903sv%

Chicago Wolves Scoring Leaders

1. Anttoni Honka: 2GP 1G 1A 2P
2. Mackenzie MacEachern: 2GP 1G 0A 1P
3. Stelio Mattheos: 2GP 1G 0A 1P
4. Vasily Ponomarev: 2GP 1G 0A 1P
5. Noel Gunler: 1GP 0G 1A 1P
6. William Lagesson: 2GP 0G 1A 1P
7. Jamieson Rees: 2GP 0G 1A 1P
8. Tuukka Tieksola: 2GP 0G 1A 1P

Chicago Wolves Goaltenders

Pyotr Kochetkov: 2GP, 0-2-0, 4.08GAA, .833sv%

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