Being the farm team for an NHL organization isn’t always easy. Outside of a few fringe guys who might be signed to minor league deals, most of your players are technically signed to an NHL team that ultimately makes the big decisions.

The Rockford IceHogs have seen the pros and cons of this arrangement over the years. Sometimes, the IceHogs get to host a first-round talent like Teuvo Teravainen or Nick Schmaltz for a few months, giving the fine people of northern Illinois something to get excited about other than the No. 1 Mexican restaurant in town. (Sorry Rockford friends I’m sure you have way better places to eat, as several of you have pointed out to me.)

But then there are seasons like 2016-17, where outside of the brief appearances by the likes of Schmaltz and Gustav Forsling, the IceHogs were devoid of exciting young talent. They ended up finishing last in the AHL’s Central Division with a 25-39-9-3 record and the lowest goals for average (2.3 per game) of any team in the league.

It was enough to get head coach Ted Dent fired amid reports that he had clashed Blackhawks management.

The IceHogs now have a fresh, new head coach in 32-year-old Jeremy Colliton, and they’re also set to give him a much more interesting roster than the one Dent was handed a year ago. With an influx of recently signed prospects to the organization, Rockford looks to be a much more entertaining team next season.

Alex DeBrincat could give them a superstar

We’ve seen what DeBrincat, a 2016 second-round pick, can do in the OHL, where he was league MVP last season. There’s a decent chance that the forward will be able to earn a spot on the Blackhawks for opening night, but if he falls short, the IceHogs will be the benefactors as they get one of the most exciting young scorers in hockey.

DeBrincat would immediately give a charge of energy to BMO Harris Bank Center. He’s produced at a level unlike any other Blackhawks prospect in recent memory, and could push for 35-plus goals if given extended time in the AHL. If the 19-year-old ends up in Rockford next season, it’s a guarantee that the IceHogs don’t finish dead last in scoring again.

Other new forwards will help, too

Last season’s IceHogs just didn’t have enough scoring talent to stay competitive. Their best forwards midway through the season were Spencer Abbott, Sam Carrick, and Mark McNeill, who all got traded away at the deadline. Apparently these deals fueled the discord between Dent and Hawks management last season.

Abbott ended up leading Rockford with 35 points last season despite playing in only 53 games. Next up were Kyle Baun (34 points in 74 games) and Brandon Mashinter (30 points in 61 games), then Carrick, McNeill, Michael Latta, and Martin Lundberg. The only one of those players set to return to the IceHogs next season is Baun.

That might actually be good news considering the influx of talent coming in to replace them. DeBrincat is the big name at the top, but even if he doesn’t come, other players will be ready to fill spots. That’s particularly true if the Blackhawks stick with veterans like Tommy Wingels, Lance Bouma, and Jordin Tootoo at the bottom of the roster.

The list of potential new forwards for Rockford under that scenario is impressive: John Hayden, Vinnie Hinostroza, Anthony Louis, Nathan Noel, Laurent Dauphin, Alexandre Fortin, David Kampf, Matthew Highmore, Matheson Iacopelli, and Graham Knott are among guys who could play key roles in the AHL next season.

Compared to the group that was used a year ago, full of uninteresting journeymen like Abbott, Carrick, and Mashinter, this Rockford team will be younger with more upside and potential entertainment value.

Related Every Blackhawks trade and signing during the 2017 NHL offseason in one place

Defense will see fewer changes

Part of the variable here is that we don’t quite know how the Blackhawks’ defense will look next season yet. Presumably Forsling will get a permanent NHL spot, but on the right side, it’s unclear who will get the third spot behind Connor Murphy and Brent Seabrook.

The top candidates are Pokka and offseason signing Jan Rutta, although there’s also the (very extreme) long shot possibility that minor league signing Darren Raddysh impresses to the point that the Blackhawks give him an NHL deal. Pokka is no longer waiver-exempt, so that may give him an advantage toward earning an NHL opportunity, as the Hawks would likely lose him through waivers if they try to reassign him to the AHL.

The defense will also see one intriguing addition in 2014 fifth-round pick Luc Snuggerud, who got into 13 games with Rockford during a brief stint last season. He put up big numbers (11 goals, 20 assists) in 39 games with Nebraska-Omaha as a junior to earn an entry-level contract from the Blackhawks. He may be needed to help replace Pokka’s offensive production, or he could add another skilled option lower in the lineup.

One problem for the IceHogs will be handedness. Pokka, Rutta, Robin Norell, and Raddysh, an AHL signee, are right-handed, but Carl Dahlstrom, Jordan Oesterle, Luc Snuggerud, Viktor Svedberg, and Robin Norell are all lefties. There’s also unsigned RFA Erik Gustafsson, who is another lefty. So it’ll be one area for Colliton to tackle as he figures out how to build his defense.

2017-18 IceHogs projected lineup Position IceHogs Position IceHogs F1 Alex DeBrincat - Laurent Dauphin - Vinnie Hinostroza F2 David Kampf - Matthew Highmore - John Hayden F3 Alexandre Fortin - Nathan Noel - Matheson Iacopelli F4 Anthony Louis - Luke Johnson - Kyle Baun D1 Carl Dahlstrom - Jan Rutta D2 Luc Snuggerud - Jordan Oesterle D3 Viktor Svedberg - Darren Raddysh Goaltender Jean-Francois Berube - Jeff Glass Bench Graham Knott, Tommy Olczek, William Pelletier, Robin Press, Robin Norell, Matt Tomkins

Obviously this is just a rough sketch given how many moving pieces there will be in the coming months. Here are a few quick thoughts on this lineup: