NEWSLETTER
With the AHL season over, the Rockford IceHogs are using this week to roll out their 2021 Team Awards. They’ve already named the Most Improved Player, the Heavy Hitter of the year, the Unsung Hero award, and the Rookie of the Year. Today, the IceHogs are handing out the “Best Defenseman” honor.
Nominees for the award include veterans Cody Franson and Anton Lindholm, along with Rookie of the Year winner Issak Phillips.
And your winner is…
He led us in ice time, power-play points, and second on the Hogs in overall points, Cody Franson is a two-time winner of the IceHogs Best Defenseman award! pic.twitter.com/VAerjzOJUO
— Rockford IceHogs (@goicehogs) May 21, 2021
Cody Franson!
A two-time winner of the IceHogs’ Best Defenseman award, Franson led all IceHogs blue-liners in goals and points with four goals and 17 points in 26 games played. He finished second on the team in scoring behind Dylan McLaughlin and led the IceHogs in powerplay points with nine.
"What does Cody Franson have in store for us?"
Bar. Down. pic.twitter.com/5k5LRhZESL
— Rockford IceHogs (@goicehogs) May 4, 2021
Franson returned to the IceHogs this season after playing the past two years in the KHL following a successful run with Rockford during the 2017-18 season where he had 28 points in 37 regular season games and 2018 Calder Cup Playoffs where he had 13 points in 13 games.
A leader on and off the ice, Franson was a veteran presence on an extremely young IceHogs team and was an extension of head coach Derek King all season. He came back to North America with the IceHogs in an effort to show that he can still play at a high level and maybe catch the eye of an NHL team, we’ll see where Franson’s career takes him from here.
