The Rockford IceHogs have had struggles finding consistency in their games since the coaching changes made by the Chicago Blackhawks. Over their last five games, Rockford is 3-2-0 with two overtime wins and two shutout losses. Since Derek King took over as interim Head Coach for Jeremy Colliton, the IceHogs have a 5-7-2 record over the 14-game span. Over the weekend, Rockford concluded a four-game homestand with an overtime win over the Grand Rapids Griffins on Friday night and a shutout loss to the Chicago Wolves on Saturday night.
Dylan Sikura, Again, Highlights Rockford IceHogs Weekend Action
Although the IceHogs play has been up and down as of late, one player consistently leading the way on the scoresheet is forward Dylan Sikura. Evident again this past weekend that Sikura has driven the offensive numbers for Rockford, the IceHogs faced a 2-1 deficit to the Griffins on Friday night and he scored the game-tying goal late in the third period, and then closed the game in overtime with the game winner in a tremendous individual effort.
See said efforts starting at 1:17:
Over his last five games, Sikura has four points (3G, 1A) including the last two game-winning goals for the IceHogs. As a rookie, Sikura is leading the IceHogs in scoring with 18 points (9G, 9A) through 26 points and his nine goals is the team-best mark. His 18 points also places him in a three-way tie for fifth in the AHL for rookie points leaders.
While Sikura’s two-goal effort highlighted Friday’s win, the under-the-radar storyline was the performance in net from starter Anton Forsberg.
Anton Forsberg makes a save against the Milwaukee Admirals. (Courtesy: Rockford IceHogs)
Entering Friday’s home game against Grand Rapids, Forsberg held a 4-3-0 record with all four wins coming away from the BMO Harris Bank Center. At home this season, Forsberg was 0-3-0 with a 4.86 GAA and a 0.850 save-percentage thanks in large part to a Nov. 23 outing against the Chicago Wolves where he allowed seven goals in two periods of work. Turning in a stellar 41-save performance, including two major saves in overtime, Forsberg earned his first win at home, improving his season totals to a 5-3-0 record with a 2.59 GAA and a 0.911 save-percentage.
Forsberg has allowed more than two goals in a start just once this season, the previously mentioned game against the Wolves, and has a 1.84 GAA and a 0.932 save-percentage outside of that Nov. 23 start.
Brandon Pirri Nets Hat-Trick Against His Former Team
The IceHogs came off of their second overtime win in as many games and took on the Chicago Wolves on Saturday night to close out a four-game homestand that spanned two weekends. Hosting the Chicago Wolves in the fourth installment of the Illinois Lottery Cup Rivalry of the season, Rockford was haunted by a former player who knows the BMO Harris Bank Center all too well.
Anthony Louis (right) and former Rockford IceHog Brandon Pirri (left) of the Chicago Wolves await a face-off. (Courtesy: Rockford IceHogs.
The AHL leader in points this season, Chicago Wolves forward Brandon Pirri continued his high-scoring season against his former team. Pirri netted his third career AHL hat-trick on Saturday in the Wolves’ 4-0 win over the IceHogs. It marked his second career hat-tick with the Wolves, with his first career hat-trick coming on Nov. 23, 2011 while playing with the IceHogs.
Since his return to regular AHL action with the Chicago Wolves last season, Pirri has 16 points (10G, 6A) against the IceHogs in 14 regular season games. He was held off the scoresheet in last season’s Calder Cup Playoff series between Rockford and Chicago. Pirri ranks sixth all-time in games played for the IceHogs with 238, and is the team’s AHL all-time leader in points with 200 and assists with 132.
Collin Delia of the Rockford IceHogs. (Courtesy: Rockford IceHogs)
Other notes from the 4-0 loss to the Wolves include the IceHogs’ streak of 18 penalty kills in-a-row coming to an end on Saturday night, Carl Dahlstrom leading the team with six shots on goal, and goaltender Collin Delia making his return from injury and stopping 35 of 39 shots faced. Delia’s record falls to 5-5-4 on the year, but his 2.46 GAA ranks seventh in the AHL and his 0.930 save-percentage is tied for the second-best in the league. Of Delia’s nine total losses this season (5 regulation, 4 overtime/shootout) he has allowed two or fewer goals in six of them.
The Dylan Debate
Much like last week, here it is again, an opportunity to talk about what the Chicago Blackhawks may or may not do with one of their top young players in their minor-pro system, Dylan Sikura. As mentioned before, Sikura is one of the top rookies in the AHL and is leading the Rockford offense, even, if the offense is the worst in the league in terms of goal-scoring.
Sikura came into this season with a ton of steam behind his professional debut late last year and many had him slotted into the Blackhawks NHL lineup to begin the year. He did not make the big league squad and has since been a solid player at the AHL level. But what his numbers show is only part of the picture when it comes to Sikura’s game and what his worth to the Blackhawks is at this point in time.
Dylan Sikura of the Rockford IceHogs. (Courtesy: Rockford IceHogs)
While his point totals are impressive for his first full professional season in the AHL, they are far from world-beating. Sikura has 18 points in 26 games this year for a 0.69 point-per-game pace, and ranks second in the league (first among rookies) in shots on goal with 90. A high shot-rate is good, but deceiving for a player like Sikura who fires a decent number of those shots from perimeter positions hoping for tips and screens to help him. At 5-11 and 165-pounds, he doesn’t possess the most intimidating frame for the NHL and is not a player who will go into the “dirty” areas or try to drive through opponents to get to the front of the net.
Sikura works better with a larger-bodied player paired along with him on his line, along with someone who can match his speed and skill. In recent games, Sikura has been paired with Luke Johnson, Jacob Nilsson, Victor Ejdsell, and his older brother Tyler Sikura. Players like Nilsson and Ejdsell match well with Sikura’s playmaking style, while Johnson and Tyler Sikura are players who will play physical and create space and traffic in front of the net. All-said, for Sikura to move up to the NHL and play within the Blackhawks’ system, he wouldn’t be able to just fill in anywhere in the lineup. He would need to be pair with the right players to succeed.
Dylan Sikura celebrates a goal. (Courtesy: Rockford IceHogs)
Another thing to consider is what would he be walking into if he were recalled to the Blackhawks? A dumpster-fire currently burning at over 1000-degrees, the Blackhawks are far from contending for anything but the top-three picks in next Summer’s NHL Draft lottery. While Sikura could come into the locker room and maybe inject a bit of pace into the lineup, at what cost would it come if he begins to experience the doom and gloom on a Chicago team that has lost more games since the firing of Joel Quenneville than they have won all season? Sikura should not be thrown into a virtually no-win situation just for fun. He would need to come into the lineup with the mentality that he will be an offensive focal point of the roster. Not sure Jeremy Colliton is willing or ready to make that kind of roster choice just yet.
Leaving with this quote from IceHogs interim Head Coach Derek King following Saturday’s two-goal performance from Sikura:
“I think he’s finding his game in the AHL. I still think he puts a little too much pressure on himself to be the best player on the ice every night. There’s nothing wrong with that, but he’s got to realize this is a pretty good hockey league. At the next step, it’s pretty big. I try to explain to him not to be in such a rush to get to the NHL because when you do get there, you want to stay there. You don’t want to be up and down like a yo-yo. He’s a talented hockey player. He’s going to play in the NHL eventually. But I tell him, ‘Don’t be in a rush. Take your time because this isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon.’ If he takes those steps, in a year from now or, who knows maybe it takes two years from now, but he’ll be a complete hockey player and when he goes back up, he’ll be there for good.” – Dec. 7, 2018
Not sure if Sikura, the organization, or the Blackhawks fan community will be willing to wait possibly two years for him to get his regular NHL shot.
What’s Next?
The Rockford IceHogs are off until this weekend, when they begin a tough three games in three days stretch. It will be the third time the IceHogs will face a three-in-three slate this season, having five total stretches of three-in-three this year. Rockford is 3-1-2 this season in games play on three consecutive days.
The IceHogs travel to Grand Rapids to take on the Griffins on Friday Dec .14. Puck drop is scheduled for 6pm CT at the Van Andel Arena. After that, the IceHogs return home to host the Texas Stars on Saturday, Dec. 15. Puck drop is also set for 6pm CT at the BMO Harris Bank Center in Rockford. Finally, the IceHogs close the weekend with a Sunday night matchup against the Griffins. Puck drop is scheduled for 5pm CT on Sunday.