Rockford, Illinois, was the host city for the 2026 AHL All-Star Game. The Rockford IceHogs had three participants in the event: Kevin Korchinski, Nick Lardis, and Brett Seney, which made it fun for both IceHogs and Chicago Blackhawks fans. Day one of the event included the Skills Competition, and among the three players, they were included in five of the seven events.
Between the crowd and the event itself, it made for a memorable night.
Korchinski Basked in Second All-Star Appearance
For defenseman Korchinski, it was his second AHL All-Star appearance.
Korchinski was the first of the three players we talked to in the locker room before the skills competition. He spoke to us for over 10 minutes, and the atmosphere was lively. Music was playing, and all the other All-Stars representing the Western Conference were in there as well. His stall was next to Lardis, and you could feel the excitement.
When speaking on the event and if he will repeat as the All-Star Game MVP, he said, “Yeah, we’ll see. Just should be fun. You know, compete, meet new guys, have fun. Obviously, it’s going to be fun to do it with Lardy and Senes- to be with the guys on your team, it’s a blast, and being in front of the home crowd, it should be a great atmosphere…”
Korchinski also spoke about his two-game stint with the Blackhawks in January, “Yeah, I think obviously when you get that taste in your mouth, you want it to last. You want to stay up there as long as you can. I think getting the opportunity to just play your game up there, it’s awesome, and you want to be playing there the whole year. So I think whenever the opportunity arises, you just got to make the most of it and do whatever you can to stay there, and help the team win, and be the best version of yourself.”
Seney’s Influence
Seney, who is the captain of the IceHogs, was a last-minute addition to the All-Star roster, as he replaced John Leonard (Grand Rapids Griffins). It was his second appearance, as well.
Seney also gave some insight on the IceHogs this season, “I think we’re definitely a lot younger team than, I’m sure, a lot of other teams in the league, so you’re going to go through some growing pains. And for Kevin and Nick, it’s, you know, their games haven’t dropped off at all. They’ve been two of our best players all year. That’s the main reason why they’re here representing Rockford.”
Photo Credit: Brooke LoFurno / The Hockey Writers
Korchinski referred to Seney as the “heart of our team”, and Seney is Rockford’s leading scorer with 35 points in 41 games. Lardis leads the team in goals (15) and is fourth-best in points (28 points in 28 games). Korchinski leads the defense in points (23 points in 43 games, fifth-best on the team).
Lardis Enjoying the Moment
Lardis has had a whirlwind of a season. He had his first taste of the NHL in a 21-game stretch, and now he is an AHL All-Star.
He spoke about his transition, “It was great. I mean, got the experience at both levels, and it’s been unbelievable to learn from this league, gain a lot of confidence and trust in my coaches, and then obviously get that call-up to the NHL for a little bit of time- that was unbelievable, too. So, I learned a lot there, learned from the players and the coaches too. So, just trying to use that information, and bring it down here again and grow my game even more. So when I do get that next opportunity, I’m ready to go even more.”
He also talked about his first AHL All-Star experience post skills competition, “Yeah, a lot of fun. Obviously, even cooler to kind of experience this here in Rockford, too, with Brett and Kev, too. So, it was special.”
Like Korchinski, you could sense the anticipation from him, too.
Showcasing Rockford
In the skills competition, Lardis was excellent at accuracy shooting. It took him five attempts to hit all four targets. He also got the Western Conference on the board during the first event (Puck Control Relay). Made the points 3-1.
Unfortunately, Korchinski did not have the best luck. He was stopped on all his attempts in the rapid-fire and the pass-and-score, where he was paired with Quinn Hutson and Michael DiPietro.
Seney didn’t have the best luck in the rapid fire either, as he hit the post a couple of times, and during the puck control relay, he had a collision with the cameraman, which Lardis said afterward, “That was hilarious.” Furthermore, all three were stopped in the breakaway relay.
But the results weren’t the point. The point was that they got to represent Rockford and had enjoyed doing so.
Korchinski, Lardis, and Seney stayed on the ice after the competition for a while, signing autographs for the fans. You could see how much the support meant to them.
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Korchinski said, “I think it just showcases kind of what Rockford’s about. And I know a lot of guys were asking me like, ‘Hey, is this like the kind of energy and the crowd you get every night?’, and just knowing that we get this every night, a lot of guys would just dream to play at a place like this. So it was really cool to just get the energy, get the energy from the crowd, and just the cheers, the roars, obviously some of the boo’s for some guys was really cool. And to showcase what we have to offer. Obviously, in the American League, you don’t always travel across conference. A lot of guys on the other team, I’ve never played before, but obviously, them getting to come here and see our rink, see our fans, kind of lets them know what we’re about.”
Lardis said, “Yeah, it’s so cool. I mean, to see all the support just after, and even [what] I thought was pretty cool, is the ovation, and even we went on for warm-ups too- it was a big crowd cheering that, too. So, yeah, I mean, the whole night was special. You know, every event that we were in, the fans were super into it and cheering a lot. So, it was cool to see.”
Seney mentioned before the competition, “Yeah, it’s been a lot of hard work. You know, seeing all the effort, and obviously the new boards and new stuff around the locker room, and kind of gives people from other teams an inside look at how professional, how well-run Rockford is. And you know, it’s maybe not a team that guys would think is as polished as it is. But once you get in the rink and see the staff, and see all the resources we have. I think guys are pretty quick to see how well we’re treated here.”
It was an exciting night at the BMO Center. It was loud. The ovations that Seney, Korchinski, and Lardis recieved were huge, even if they just showed them on the Jumbotron for a second.
The fans got a good show; the three players were all elated to experience it together at home, and maybe the most significant skill was showcasing Rockford itself.
They will do it again for the All-Star Game on Feb. 11.
