On Wednesday, the Chicago Blackhawks made moves that will help the Rockford IceHogs in their quest to make a deep run in the Calder Cup Playoffs.
First, they announced the signing of Cameron Rowe to an ELC that will kick in next season. For the rest of this season, he is on an ATO that will allow him to play with the IceHogs if they decide to use him.
Rowe is coming off his third season with the Western Michigan Broncos. Just under a week ago, Rowe and WMU won the National Championship, winning over Boston University in the National Championship.
The gain for Rockford continued in the afternoon when the Blackhawks sent Kevin Korchinski and Artyom Levshunov down. This anticipated move will provide a tremendous boost to the defense of the IceHogs as they work towards the postseason.
Korchinski and Levshunov have each played a fair amount of time in Rockford and Chicago this year. They gained valuable experience in the 2024-25 regular season, which should help them take a step once they're back down in the AHL.
These two players each have high ceilings as NHL players. We don't know what the Blackhawks' plan is with their blue line, as they are stacked with young talent, but these two can count on making an impact somewhere.
Rockford has three more games before the playoffs which should give them plenty of time to get re-established down there before the stakes rise.
