IceHogs Year in Review: Rob Klinkhammer

                      Position: Left Wing               Shoots: Left
                      Height: 6'3"                         Birthday: August 12, 1986
                      Weight: 210                        Hometown: Lethbridge, Alberta

2010-11 Stats
GP   G   A   PTS   +/-   PIM   PPG   SHG   SOG   S%
76   17  29   46    +14     63      0       1      204    8.3

Rob Klinkhammer was an extremely versatile player for the IceHogs this season. He was mainly used as a top six forward for the club, had limited power play time on the second unit, and was one of the top penalty killers. He was very effective as a PKer. He'd use his ability to block shots and his active stick to get the puck out of the zone and, more often than not, get a shorthanded breakaway out of the deal. He'd even get breakaways at even strength due to his defensive zone play. Three times he drew a penalty shot, but he never converted on them. On a lot of his other breakaways, he also didn't convert as often as he should have. Late in the year, he started to convert on more of them.

Klinkhammer's a character guy in the dressing room and on the ice. He gives 100% effort every shift. He finishes his checks, uses his size to his advantage, and is a fast skater. He led the Hogs in +/- ratings with a +14. His 17 goals, 29 assists, and 46 points were all career highs for him. He was also third in team scoring.

This season was his fourth in the pros and on December 8th he was called up by the Blackhawks and he made his NHL debut at the United Center against the Dallas Stars. He was also recalled by the Hawks on April 14th to be a part of the Black Aces for the playoffs.

Klinkhammer's contract is up this summer. He's a restricted free agent and the Hawks did send him a qualifying offer. He'll be back in a Hogs sweater next year if he doesn't make the big club.

Teammates Brain Connelly and Chris DiDomenico celebrate with Klinkhammer after he scored a goal on October 23rd against the Chicago Wolves.

Klinkhammer after he was announced as 2nd star of the game on October 23rd.

IceHogs Year in Review: Alec Richards

                    Position: Goalie                   Catches: Left
                    Height: 6'4"                        Birthday: June 29, 1987
                    Weight: 200                       Hometown: Robbinsdale, Minnesota

2010-11 Stats
GP   W   L   SOL   SO   GA   GAA   SVS   SV%   A   PIM
44   17   21   1       2    114   2.89  1017   .899    1     0

Alec Richards came into the 2010-11 season with the IceHogs as the No. 2 goaltender. Early in the season, he made quite a few relief appearances for Hannu Toivonen. Richards looked like he was turning into the No. 1 goalie for awhile. He got a lot of starts toward the end of January and into February, but the team was in quite the slump then and he didn't always get the help in front of him that he should have. Toivonen took most of the starts down the stretch, consequently.

Richards' 17-21-1 record is kind of deceiving. It seemed like he was at least at a .500 record because he never seemed to be too far off of his game. For his first full year in Rockford, he did a pretty good job. He was rewarded by being recalled by the Blackhawks on April 14th to be a part of the Black Aces for the playoffs.


Richards' contract is up this summer, and the Hogs still don't have a goalie under contract. They can still re-sign him if they want to, and it wouldn't hurt at all if they brought him back.

Richards in net on January 22nd against the San Antonio Rampage on Pink in the Rink night at the MetroCentre.

IceHogs Year in Review: Ivan Vishnevskiy

                      Position: Defenseman            Shoots: Left
                      Height: 6'0"                         Birthday: February 18, 1988
                      Weight: 200                        Hometown: Barnaul, Russia

2010-11 Stats
GP   G   A   PTS   +/-   PIM   PPG   SHG   SOG   S% 
46    5   10   15      0      26      2        0      81     6.2    

2010-11 was Ivan Vishnevskiy's first season in the Chicago Blackhawks organization after being acquired from the Atlanta Thrashers in exchange for Andrew Ladd. He was with the IceHogs all year long, but he was limited to 46 games, mostly due to multiple injuries.

When he was healthy, there were some nights where Vishnevskiy looked like he should be in the NHL. On the flip side, there were also nights where he looked like he was just right for the AHL. The inconsistency wasn't a great thing, but overall, he was serviceable for the Hogs. He was used on the power play a lot and was good at getting his shots from the point through to the net. Vishnevskiy is also a pretty good skater. He's not the fastest guy, but he's solid on his skates.

Vishnevskiy will not be back on the blueline for the Hogs next year. He signed a contract with Mytishchi Moscow of the KHL on May 17th.

Vishnevskiy in a game at the MetroCentre. (chicagoblackhawks.com)

IceHogs Year in Review: Hannu Toivonen

                    Position: Goalie                    Catches: Left
                    Height: 6'2"                         Birthday: May 18, 1984
                    Weight: 205                        Hometown: Hattula, Finland

2010-11 Stats
GP   W   L   SOL   SO   GA   GAA   SVS   SV%   A   PIM
49   21  16    4       3    119   2.90  1159   .907    1    10

2010-11 was a tale of two seasons for Hannu Toivonen. The first half was kind of rocky for the first round (29th overall) pick of the Boston Bruins in 2002. He had some good performances, including a shutout on November 18th against the Manitoba Moose, but he let in many goals he'd probably like to have had back. For awhile, Alec Richards was turning into the go-to-guy.

 

Toivonen started redeeming himself towards the last couple of months of the season. He was solid in net and was able to make the saves it seemed like he wasn't able to before. He posted two shutouts after the first of January. He also ended up being the IceHog with the most number one star selections with 11. The Blackhawks called him up on April 11th to be a part of the Black Aces for the playoffs.

Toivonen's contract is up this summer. Currently, there are no goalies under contract for the Hogs. They could choose to bring him back, or they could let him walk in favor of either another veteran netminder or they could possibly go with a younger one. 

Toivonen in net on October 23rd against the Chicago Wolves.

IceHogs Year in Review: Peter LeBlanc

                      Position: Center                   Shoots: Left
                      Height: 5'10"                       Birthday: February 3, 1988
                      Weight: 175                        Hometown: Hamilton, Ontario

2010-11 Stats
GP   G   A   PTS   +/-   PIM   PPG   SHG   SOG   S%
57   12  18   30     -8      12      3       0      107    11.2

Peter LeBlanc spent the beginning of the 2010-11 season with the Toledo Walleye. He played in 22 games, registering 22 points (8G, 14A) and an even +/- rating. He was recalled by the IceHogs on December 6th and was up for the rest of the year. He made an impact with the club right away. He scored some timely goals and worked his way up to centering the third line. He tallied his first AHL goal on December 8th against the Texas Stars. On December 18th in a home game against Lake Erie, LeBlanc scored the game winning goal 53 seconds into overtime, which ended up being the fastest overtime goal scored by the Hogs this season. 

LeBlanc was also used a lot on the second power play unit and on the penalty kill. He was very effective in both roles. Despite not being the biggest guy in the world, he would always be in the corners, working hard for pucks, and using his speed to help set up plays. He was pretty reliable in every situation. He also ended up being tied for the team lead in game winning goals with four.

LeBlanc had signed an AHL contract on July 21, 2010, and it expires this summer. It would be good for the Hogs to re-sign him, considering how much he helped the team this year.

LeBlanc in a game against the Manitoba Moose. (rrstar.com)

IceHogs Year in Review: Brandon Pirri

                     Position: Center                   Shoots: Left
                     Height: 6'0"                         Birthday: April 10, 1991
                     Weight: 180                        Hometown: Toronto, Ontario

2010-11 Stats
GP   G   A   PTS   +/-   PIM   PPG   SHG   SOG   S%
70   12  31   43      -6     50      2       0      128    9.4

After leaving RPI to turn pro, Brandon Pirri had a pretty good training camp with the Blackhawks. He was ultimately sent down to Rockford after a couple of preseason games. He made his NHL debut on October 9th, which was the Hawks' home opener and the 2010 Stanley Cup banner raising ceremony. The Hawks had called him back up due to an upper body injury to Patrick Sharp. He was sent back the next day.  

He had a decent start to his season. He started off with 6 points in 8 games and then his production slowed down some. At some points, it looked like he was still getting used to playing against bigger and stronger guys than he played against in college. Pirri was invited to Team Canada's World Junior tryouts, but he ended up being cut on December 15th. He came back to Rockford and his play started to pick up a bit. He missed five games at the end of February into the beginning of March with an injury.

When he came back from that though, his play improved a lot. Pirri had been used as the second line center for most of the year, but then he got a chance towards the end of the year to center the first line with Jeff Taffe on his wing. He was used as the center on the top power play unit, too. With the increased ice time, his point production increased and he came up big for the IceHogs down the stretch. He even led all Hogs rookies with 43 points.

The Hawks recalled him on April 14th to be a part of the Black Aces for the playoffs as well. According to IceHogs Insider, the Hogs' official gameday publication, Pirri is going to work with Gary Roberts this summer. That will definitely help him put on some size and muscle, which is something that he needs.

 

Pirri will more than likely be back in Rockford next season. He'll definitely be an option for the Hawks to call up when in need for a center, especially as he develops more.

Pirri lining up for a draw on November 27th against the Peoria Rivermen.

Pirri taking a draw in the same game.

IceHogs Year in Review: Igor Makarov

                    Position: Right Wing              Shoots: Left
                    Height: 6'1"                         Birthday: September 19, 1987
                    Weight: 200                        Hometown: Moscow, Russia

2010-11 Stats
GP   G   A   PTS   +/-   PIM   PPG   SHG   SOG   S%
68   11  13   24      -8     49      2       1      130    8.5

2010-11 was a transition year for Igor Makarov. It was his first year playing in North America since he was drafted by the Blackhawks 33rd overall in 2006. He had been playing in the KHL for the last three years.

Makarov started out the year on a good note. He was impressive during training camp and, after being sent down to Rockford, had a pretty good October. One of his biggest moments came on October 23rd when he scored the game winning goal in overtime against the Chicago Wolves.

 

As the year wore on, Makarov kind of trailed off and just had an average season. He was obviously still getting fully adjusted to the North American game. He has a great physical aspect to his game, though. He battles hard every shift and can throw some pretty big hits. He was also used on the penalty kill sometimes and he cashed in for a shorthanded, wraparound goal on January 7th against the Toronto Marlies. His season was cut a week or two short, though, as he was out with an injury.

Makarov had signed a two year entry level contract on August 3, 2010, so he should be back in Rockford next season. 

Makarov celebrating his game winner in overtime on October 23rd.

Makarov being named 1st star on October 23rd.