The Rockford IceHogs are a professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

team based in

Rockford, Illinois Rockford is a city in Winnebago County, Illinois, Winnebago and Ogle County, Illinois, Ogle counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. Located in far northern Illinois on the banks of the Rock River (Mississippi River tributary), Rock River, Rockfor ...

. They are members of the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...

(AHL), having begun play in the League starting in the 2007–08 season. The team plays their home games at the

BMO Center The BMO Center (formerly known as BMO Harris Bank Center and Rockford MetroCentre) is a multi-purpose arena located in downtown Rockford, Illinois, United States. It is currently home to the AHL's Rockford IceHogs hockey team. The arena formerl ...

, and they serve as the top minor league affiliate of the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

(NHL)'s

Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (N ...

History

The current Rockford IceHogs were founded in 1995 as the

Baltimore Bandits The Baltimore Bandits were an ice hockey team in the American Hockey League in the 1995–96 and 1996–97 seasons. They played in Baltimore, Maryland, at the Baltimore Arena. The Bandits were an affiliate of the National Hockey League's Might ...

and then relocated in 1997 to

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

to become the

Cincinnati Mighty Ducks The Cincinnati Mighty Ducks were a professional ice hockey team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They were members of the American Hockey League, and played their home games at the Cincinnati Gardens. Throughout their existence they were the primary m ...

. The Cincinnati Mighty Ducks suspended operations for the 2005–06 season due to the lack of an NHL affiliate after their previous affiliates, the

Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...

and the

Mighty Ducks of Anaheim Mighty may refer to: Businesses *Mighty Audio, an American company known for its product ''Mighty'', a portable audio player *Mighty Animation, an animation studio based in Guadalajara, Mexico Films *''The Mighty'', a 1998 comedy–drama * ''The ...

, signed new agreements with the

Grand Rapids Griffins The Grand Rapids Griffins are a professional ice hockey team based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. They compete in the American Hockey League (AHL), playing their home games at Van Andel Arena. They are the AHL affiliate to the Detroit Red Wings of t ...

and the

Portland Pirates The Portland Pirates were a minor league professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL). Their home arena was the Cross Insurance Arena in downtown Portland, Maine. The franchise was previously known as the Baltimore Skipjacks ...

, respectively. The franchise was later renamed the Cincinnati RailRaiders, but failed to reach a goal of 2,000 season tickets to re-enter the AHL for the 2006–07 season. On March 19, 2007, the AHL announced that the team had been purchased and relocated to Rockford to become the present-day Rockford IceHogs. On April 7, 2021, the Blackhawks formally purchased the IceHogs. The Blackhawks also unveiled a $23 million multi-year project to renovate and modernize the BMO Harris Bank Center, which would keep the IceHogs in Rockford through 2036.

Timeline

The franchise was previously known as: *

(1995–1997) *

(1997–2005) (an affiliate of the

and

) The market was previously served by: *

Rockford IceHogs The Rockford IceHogs are a professional ice hockey team based in Rockford, Illinois. They are members of the American Hockey League (AHL), having begun play in the League starting in the 2007–08 season. The team plays their home games at the ...

(1999–2007) UHL

Season-by-season results

Players

Current roster

Updated April 16, 2025.

Team captains

* Jim Fahey, 2007–2008 *

Tim Brent Tim Brent (born March 10, 1984) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward who played over 200 games in the National Hockey League (NHL), most notably for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes. Playing career Junior hockey ...

, 2008–2009 *

Jake Dowell Jacob Charles Dowell (born March 4, 1985) is an American former professional ice hockey center who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Chicago Blackhawks, Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild. Playing career Youth Dowell grew up in ...

, 2009–2010 *

Garnet Exelby John Garnet Exelby (born August 16, 1981) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Atlanta Thrashers and Toronto Maple Leafs. He was particularly known for his aggressive sty ...

, 2010–2011 * Brandon Segal and Brian Fahey, 2011–2012 * Martin St. Pierre, 2012–2013 *

Jared Nightingale Jared Nightingale (born October 3, 1982) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman who primarily played in the American Hockey League (AHL). He is the current Head Coach of the Rockford Ice Hogs of the AHL. Playing career On Ja ...

, 2013–2014 * Joakim Nordstrom, 2014–2015 *

Brandon Mashinter Brandon Mashinter (born September 20, 1988) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left wing. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the San Jose Sharks, New York Rangers and the Chicago Blackhawks. Playing career In 2004, Mash ...

, 2015–2016 *

, 2016–2017 *

Kris Versteeg Kristopher Royce Versteeg (born May 13, 1986) is a Canadian entrepreneur and former professional ice hockey winger. During his career, he played for the Chicago Blackhawks, Toronto Maple Leafs, Philadelphia Flyers, Florida Panthers, Carolina Hurr ...

, 2019 * Tyler Sikura, 2019–2020 * Garrett Mitchell, 2021–2023 * Brett Seney, 2024–present

Notable alumni

Bryan Bickell Bryan Bickell (born March 9, 1986) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played for the Chicago Blackhawks and the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League (NHL). He won the Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2 ...

, 2007–2010, 2016 *

Dave Bolland David D. Bolland (born June 5, 1986) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Bolland was drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks in the second round (32nd overall) of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. While playing junior hockey in the Ontario ...

, 2007–2008 * Brandon Bollig, 2010–2013 *

Troy Brouwer Troy Brouwer (born August 17, 1985) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey winger. He played for the Chicago Blackhawks, Washington Capitals, Calgary Flames, Florida Panthers and the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League (NHL). ...

, 2007–2009 *

Corey Crawford Corey Crawford (born December 31, 1984) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. Nicknamed "Crow" by teammates and fans, he played his entire professional career with the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL), w ...

, 2007–2010 *

Phillip Danault Phillip Danault (born February 24, 1993) is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward and alternate captain for the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the first round, 26th overall, by the Chicago Blackhawk ...

, 2011–2016 *

Scott Darling Scott Darling (born December 22, 1988) is an Americans, American former professional ice hockey goaltender. He previously played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Chicago Blackhawks and Carolina Hurricanes. Darling was selected by the ...

, 2014–2015 *

Niklas Hjalmarsson Niklas Hjalmarsson (born 6 June 1987) is a Swedish former professional ice hockey defenceman who last played for HV71 of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). He previously also played for the Chicago Blackhawks and Arizona Coyotes of the National Ho ...

, 2007–2009 *

Carter Hutton Carter John Hutton (born December 19, 1985) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Chicago Blackhawks, Nashville Predators, St. Louis Blues, Buffalo Sabres and the Arizona ...

, 2011–2013 * Marcus Kruger, 2012–2013 *

Nick Leddy Nicholas Michael Leddy (born March 20, 1991) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman for the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted in the first round, 16th overall, by the Minnesota Wild in the 2009 NHL ...

, 2010–2011, 2012–2013 *

Jeremy Morin Jeremy Morin (born April 16, 1991) is an American former professional ice hockey left winger. Morin played major junior hockey for the Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), the team he was drafted from in the second round, 45th o ...

, 2010–2014 * Antti Niemi, 2008–2009 *

Brandon Pirri Brandon Pirri (born April 10, 1991) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre. He was selected by the Chicago Blackhawks in the second round (59th overall) of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. Pirri also played for the Florida Panthers, Anahe ...

, 2010–2014 *

Brandon Saad Brandon Saad (born October 27, 1992) is an American professional ice hockey forward for the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL). Saad grew up playing hockey in his home state of Pennsylvania before joining the Saginaw Spir ...

, 2012–2013 * Andrew Shaw, 2011–2013 *

Jack Skille Jack Skille (born May 19, 1987) is an American former professional ice hockey Winger (ice hockey), right winger. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Chicago Blackhawks, Florida Panthers, Columbus Blue Jackets, Colorado Avalanch ...

, 2008–2010 * Ben Smith, 2009–2013 *

Trevor van Riemsdyk Trevor van Riemsdyk (born July 24, 1991), often known by his initials TVR, is an American professional ice hockey defenseman for the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League (NHL). He won the Stanley Cup in 2015, his rookie season, with ...

, 2014–2015 *

, 2007–2008, 2019

References

External links

* {{Authority control American Hockey League teams 1 Ice hockey clubs established in 2007 2007 establishments in Illinois Professional ice hockey teams in Illinois