“We didn’t get a lot of practice time, we try to throw some stuff, but we don’t want to throw too much stuff at them so they overthink it,” said King after morning skate on the opening day of the tournament. “We just have to go out and play. I’m looking to see how they are on the bench, (how they) read and react, see if they have some hockey sense.”

King will have a slew of talent to work with during this year’s tournament, as the 2019 roster features three of the Chicago Blackhawks’ first-round draft picks and six players who helped the IceHogs down the stretch in their playoff push. The headlining attractions include this year’s third overall selection, forward Kirby Dach, and two first-round picks from last year’s draft in Adam Boqvist and Nicolas Beaudin.

Dach and Boqvist drew rave reviews during this summer’s prospect camp, and King said he’s looking forward to adding them to the lineup in actual game setting.

“They’re young, but they’re skilled players,” said King. “We’re going to just let them play, let them find themselves, kind of watch how they do things on the ice. But the biggest thing is put them in positions where they can succeed (this weekend).”

The first-round trio is joined by forwards Brandon Hagel, Reese Johnson, Philipp Kurashev and Dylan McLaughlin, and defensemen Dennis Gilbert and Chad Krys, who each skated with the IceHogs during the 2018-19 campaign. Gilbert especially brings a veteran presence to the squad after a full season in the American Hockey League and his National Hockey League debut.

The rest of the roster is relatively fresh faces for King and his staff. Which means the tournament is a great opportunity for both players and coaches to get a feel for each other.

“This is key (getting together before the regular season,” said King. “Obviously, it gives them a little jump start for the guys going to big camp, but some know they might be with me (in Rockford) and we get a good look on how they are, maybe what position they should play at.”

The tournament kicks off with round-robin play through the first three days. Chicago will face Detroit tonight (6 p.m. CST), Toronto Saturday (2 p.m. CST) and St. Louis Monday (4:30 p.m. CST), before being seeded for the finals. The top team from each of the two divisions at the tournament will face off for the championship Tuesday with the remaining squads pairing up based on overall record for the compensation rounds.

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The Blackhawks last won the tournament in 2017 with a roster that featured current Chicago star Alex DeBrincat.

“Obviously, we’re here to compete, to win, but as long as they put in an effort in and compete every night we’ll be happy with it,” King said. “I think if we do that you’ll see the raw talent come out in these players.

“I’m anxious to get going and I’m sure (the players) are anxious too. I’m looking forward to tonight."

NEXT HOME GAME: Saturday, Oct. 12 vs. Grand Rapids Griffins | 6 p.m.
The Rockford IceHogs will host their home opener for the 2019-20 season on Saturday, Oct. 12 against the Grand Rapids Griffins at 6 p.m. at the BMO Harris Bank Center. The first 4,000 fans in attendance to Rockford’s first home game of the campaign will receive a free IceHogs calendar, courtesy of Impact Networking. Call the IceHogs front office at (815) 968-5222 or visit icehogs.com to purchase tickets.