AHL president and CEO Scott Howson announced on Sunday at BMO Center that the Rockford IceHogs will host the 2026 AHL All-Star Classic. The skills competition will be held on Feb. 10 and the All-Star Game on Feb. 11. The AHL will also hold its Hall of Fame induction and award ceremony on Feb. 11.
It’ll be the first time a Midwest-based AHL team has held the All-Star Classic since Grand Rapids in 2004.
“Really what’s gone on in Rockford for the last two or three years since the Blackhawks bought the team is quite remarkable,” Howson said. “The building has been transformed. The business has been transformed. They’re leading our league in terms of percentage growth for ticket revenue. So they’ve really done a nice job in generating excitement for the community. It’s become a really good franchise for us. I think it’s a perfect spot for the next (AHL All-Star Classic).”
Higher-ups from the state of Illinois, the city of Rockford, the Chicago Blackhawks and the IceHogs gathered nearly four years ago to announce their plans to revitalize BMO Center.
That revitalization, which has included $27 million, has really come along year over year. From the building’s main entrance to the quality of the ice to the video board, the concession stands and the bathrooms, BMO Center after three renovation phases is a much different home to the IceHogs than it was in 2021.
The investment made by the Blackhawks to purchase the IceHogs and the money put into the arena from the city and state has resulted in larger crowds and a higher quality all-around game experience.
“Rockford is one of the smaller markets in the American Hockey League,” Blackhawks executive vice president of affiliates Ryan Snider said. “So for us to attract an event like this to a small market size and to a community that could maybe use a little boost to its reputation and to its ego, I think that’s absolutely the goal to have the best event that we can possibly have and (for) people to feel like we exceeded their expectations and maybe exceeded what other markets have been able to do. So certainly from the events themselves, how we’re going to entertain, the logistics around our fan experience at those two events — the skills competition and All-Star Game — all the things that we can really do to elevate to take all the assets that we have at our disposal from our partners here in Rockford but also the Blackhawks.”
The Blackhawks will be involved in the planning, too. Next year will mark the Blackhawks’ centennial season, and the AHL All-Star Classic will take place when the NHL is off for the Olympics.
“It’s a big year for the Blackhawks next year,” Howson said. “We all know that. This will be a small part of their celebration and having their support is critical, obviously, and the proximity, it just works.”
The Blackhawks are hoping to use the AHL All-Star Classic as an opportunity to showcase BMO Center, Rockford and their own prospects.
“The Wirtz family continues to invest deeply into all levels of hockey in an effort to grow the game, and the future of the Chicago Blackhawks — one of the top prospect pools in all of the NHL — are showcasing some of that talent in Rockford right now,” Blackhawks president Jaime Faulkner said. “At the same time, we’ve worked with our arena partner and the city of Rockford to make significant enhancements to the BMO Center and improve the fan experience. This is going to be an all-around exciting event for our fans to not only see future Blackhawks, but also some of the best young players who will make up the future of the entire NHL.”
(Photo: Bryan Holliday / Rockford IceHogs)
