Here are 5 players who will start with Rockford IceHogs this week but are aiming for NHL

The Chicago Blackhawks jumped into the Connor Bedard-era with a big opening-night win over Bedard's hero Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday night, and the Rockford IceHogs hope to be right behind them.

The Hogs start the season on Friday in San Jose, California, against the Barracuda, and the home opener is on Oct. 21 against the Chicago Wolves.

The Hawks' opening day roster included six former Hogs: forwards MacKenzie Entwistle, Cole Guttman, Reese Johnson and Lukas Reichel, defenseman Alex Vlasic and goalie Arvid Soderblom. Now, as the two teams embark on their seasons, here is a look at some of the players starting off the season in Rockford who hope to end up playing for the Hawks:

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Isaak Phillips, 22, D

This star defenseman for the Hogs for the past three seasons now was the last player sent down from Chicago to Rockford before the Hawks opened the season on Tuesday night. Phillips is still just 22, and he had six goals and 17 assists in 51 games with the Hogs last year. He also played 16 games with the Hawks last year and had a goal and four assists. He has 57 points with 18 goals in 142 career games with Rockford.

David Gust, 29, F

This sixth-year pro out of Orland Park is running out of time to find his way into the NHL, but this could be his year. Some thought he was poised to start the season with the Hawks, but he was sent down to Rockford on Sunday. Gust was the leading scorer for the Hogs most of the way last year, with 26 goals and 33 assists.

Michal Teply, 22, RW

This right-winger from Havlíčkův Brod, Czech Republic, was another who appeared ready to stick with the Hawks, but he was returned to Rockford late last week and will try and work his way back up quickly. Teply is a skilled puck handler who has played two full seasons and a portion of another with the Hogs, and he has 22 goals and 39 assists in 134 games.

Drew Commesso, 21, G

Commesso, the reserve goalie for Team USA at the world championships in May and a member of the 2022 US Olympic team, was a 2020 second-round draft pick of the Hawks, which was the highest Chicago had taken a goalie since 2001. He left after three strong years at Boston University and is now a rookie. He was in net for the Hawks' prospect showcase win.

Mike Hardman, 21, F

Hardman was another late send-down from Chicago to Rockford, and he could get a call back up at any time. He has a goal and four assists in 37 NHL games in his career, so he could get another shot, but he will have to be sharp to stick the next time. He does have 24 goals and 26 assists in 101 games with the Hogs.

Jay Taft is a Rockford Register Star sports reporter. Email him at jtaft@rrstar.com and follow him on Twitter at @JayTaft. Sign up for the Rockford High School newsletter at rrstar.com. Jay has covered a wide variety of sports, from the Chicago Bears to youth sports, since the turn of the century at the Register Star, and for over 30 years all together.

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: 5 players to watch on the Rockford IceHogs in 2023-24