PROSPECTS: IceHogs Set to Open Calder Cup Playoffs Saturday

The Rockford IceHogs schedule for their Central Division Semifinal matchup with the Grand Rapids Griffins to open the 2024 Calder Cup Playoffs is set.

The IceHogs finish the regular season as the third seed in the division, while the Griffins finish as the second seed, and the two teams will meet in a best-of-five series beginning on Saturday evening in Rockford.

The winner of the Central Division Semifinal matchup will advance to face either the Milwaukee Admirals, the Texas Stars or the Manitoba Moose in the Central Division Final. 

Chicago's AHL affiliate will head to the postseason for the third consecutive year, and will be looking to advance past the division semifinals for the first time since reaching the Western Conference Finals in 2018. The third-place finish is the team's best regular season result since 2015-16 when club finished third. Rockford ends the campaign with 39 wins -- the most for the club since the 2017-18 side won 40 en route to the Western Conference Finals.

Through 12 meetings in the regular season, Rockford and Grand Rapids each claimed six wins in the season series. The Hogs were 2-3-0-1 against the Griffins at the BMO Center and 4-2-0-0 at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Rockford and Grand Rapids have met only once before in the postseason (2015), and the Griffins claimed a 4-1 series win in the West Division Semifinals.