IceHogs Quick Shots: Rookie Hogs still shining

Tuesday
Jan 2, 2018 at 3:04 PM Jan 2, 2018 at 3:04 PM

Jay Taft Staff writer @jaytaft

Rookie Hogs still shining

It’s still the Year of the Rookies for the Rockford IceHogs, who lead the league with 289 games played and 119 points scored by first-year pros. Rockford’s Matthew Highmore leads the Hogs’ rookies and is tied for the overall team lead with 22 points (14 goals, 8 assists). He notched his second hat trick of the season during last week’s 6-3 victory over Iowa. “This is a huge time of year, and we have to play well,” Highmore said. “This is a huge challenge for us this next stretch. We’re really looking foward to it. We’re doing some really good things, and we just need to focus on the consistency part of things.”

Jeff Glass dominant in NHL debut

Jeff Glass, the 32-year-old goalie who was brought in to the Rockford IceHogs as much as a mentor as he was a star player, finally got his NHL shot last week — and he sure didn’t let the opportunity slip away. Glass, who was 10-4-2 in 16 starts for the Hogs, was promoted to the Blackhawks last week when Corey Crawford was injured, and he was inserted into the lineup on Friday for his first NHL start. It was a 13-year wait, and he was not only good, he was stellar in a 4-3 overtime victory in which he accumulated 42 saves. He even got plenty of praise from Chicago’s stars. “We were all jacked up after the game,” Hawks All-Star Patrick Kane said. “Probably happier than a normal win in the regular season, just because he (Glass) was in net.” With Chicago’s normal backup goalie Anton Forsberg slumping, Glass could finally find a long-term spot on an NHL roster. He started and suffered his first NHL loss, a 4-3 defeat in overtime, on Sunday night in Calgary.

Trio of Hogs stick in NHL

Glass is not alone, either. Three players who were on the Hogs’ roster to start the season have been called up to Chicago, and have stayed up. Along with Glass, center Vinnie Hinostroza has a goal and two assists in eight games and has been a mainstay in the Hawks’ lineup since his call-up on Dec. 8, and forward David Kampf has played in three games.

Stat of the Week

Rockford still leads the AHL in shots on goal with 1,142 shots in 33 games, which is 34.61 shots per game.

Jay Taft: 815-987-1384; jtaft@rrstar.com; @JayTaft

Tuesday
Jan 2, 2018 at 3:04 PM Jan 2, 2018 at 3:04 PM

Jay Taft Staff writer @jaytaft

Rookie Hogs still shining

It’s still the Year of the Rookies for the Rockford IceHogs, who lead the league with 289 games played and 119 points scored by first-year pros. Rockford’s Matthew Highmore leads the Hogs’ rookies and is tied for the overall team lead with 22 points (14 goals, 8 assists). He notched his second hat trick of the season during last week’s 6-3 victory over Iowa. “This is a huge time of year, and we have to play well,” Highmore said. “This is a huge challenge for us this next stretch. We’re really looking foward to it. We’re doing some really good things, and we just need to focus on the consistency part of things.”

Jeff Glass dominant in NHL debut

Jeff Glass, the 32-year-old goalie who was brought in to the Rockford IceHogs as much as a mentor as he was a star player, finally got his NHL shot last week — and he sure didn’t let the opportunity slip away. Glass, who was 10-4-2 in 16 starts for the Hogs, was promoted to the Blackhawks last week when Corey Crawford was injured, and he was inserted into the lineup on Friday for his first NHL start. It was a 13-year wait, and he was not only good, he was stellar in a 4-3 overtime victory in which he accumulated 42 saves. He even got plenty of praise from Chicago’s stars. “We were all jacked up after the game,” Hawks All-Star Patrick Kane said. “Probably happier than a normal win in the regular season, just because he (Glass) was in net.” With Chicago’s normal backup goalie Anton Forsberg slumping, Glass could finally find a long-term spot on an NHL roster. He started and suffered his first NHL loss, a 4-3 defeat in overtime, on Sunday night in Calgary.

Trio of Hogs stick in NHL

Glass is not alone, either. Three players who were on the Hogs’ roster to start the season have been called up to Chicago, and have stayed up. Along with Glass, center Vinnie Hinostroza has a goal and two assists in eight games and has been a mainstay in the Hawks’ lineup since his call-up on Dec. 8, and forward David Kampf has played in three games.

Stat of the Week

Rockford still leads the AHL in shots on goal with 1,142 shots in 33 games, which is 34.61 shots per game.

Jay Taft: 815-987-1384; jtaft@rrstar.com; @JayTaft

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