IceHogs sign Marcus Joughin to one-year AHL contract

Marcus Joughin can affect Rockford right away, not as a headline grab but as a useful left-shot forward who has already shown he can score in a short runway. The IceHogs added him on a one-year AHL contract Tuesday, giving the Blackhawks affiliate another young option as the Calder Cup chase continues in the Central Division.

The 24-year-old from Tecumseh, Ontario, stepped into pro hockey at the end of the 2025-26 regular season and made the jump look smooth. In 11 games with the Indy Fuel, Joughin produced six points with two goals and four assists, then added four more assists in five ECHL playoff games. For a Rockford team looking for depth that can survive the pace of the postseason, that is the kind of recent form that matters more than a simple transaction line.

Joughin’s value is not just about a hot finish in Indy. He spent four seasons at Sacred Heart University, where he wore an alternate captain’s letter in his senior year and finished with 100 points, including 27 goals and 73 assists, in 150 NCAA games. Sacred Heart said his 100th career point came in a 5-0 win over Robert Morris in the Atlantic Hockey America semifinals, and he closed his college career tied for fifth in program history in games played and ninth in career assists. That track record points to a player who has already handled bigger roles, tougher minutes and the pressure that comes with meaningful games.

The IceHogs also have a built-in developmental thread here. Joughin was a Sacred Heart teammate of Mikey Adamson and Reid Pabich, who also recently started their pro careers in the ECHL, and Rockford general manager Mark Bernard pointed to Joughin’s stretch at Sacred Heart and his connection there with Kevin Lombardi. Bernard’s move suggests the organization sees more than a fill-in body: Joughin brings a four-year college base, a productive first pro sample and enough versatility to deepen the pipeline while Rockford pushes through the playoffs.

Before Sacred Heart, Joughin played two seasons with the West Kelowna Warriors in the BCHL and two seasons at New Hampton School in New Hampshire. That path has taken him from junior hockey to college captaincy to a first taste of the pro game, and now to Rockford at a moment when every smart depth addition can matter in the spring.