Staff Report

ROCKFORD – The IceHogs today announced they have recalled defensemen Josh McArdle and Neil Manning from their ECHL affiliate, the Indy Fuel.

Manning, 27, has logged six points (2g, 4a) in nine games with the Fuel in 2018-19. He shares the team lead among defensemen in scoring, and his +3 rating is tied for third among all Fuel skaters thus far this season. The blueliner has registered points in back-to-back games with Indy, including scoring a goal on a season-high seven shots on Nov. 2 at Fort Wayne.

The Nanaimo, British Columnia native skated with Cortina in Italy’s Alps Hockey League (AlpsHL) last season, tallying 22 points (4g, 18a) with a +18 plus/minus rating in 40 games. He led all team defenseman in plus/minus that season and finished second among Cortina blueliners in points. Over his 78 career games in the AlpsHL, Manning combined for 56 points (11g, 45a) and 56 penalty minutes with Cortina and Fassa from 2016-18.

McArdle, 24, began the season with Indy and tallied one assist with nine penalty minutes in eight ECHL games. He picked up his lone point on Oct. 30 at Idaho, helping set up current IceHogs forward Radovan Bondra with Indy’s first goal of the contest.

The Roscoe, Illinois native completed his senior season at Brown University last year, where he served as the team’s captain and logged two goals, four assists and 28 penalty minutes. The defenseman was one of only two Brown blueliners to skate in each of the team’s 31 games in 2017-18, and he led all Bears defenseman in penalty minutes during the regular season.

Following the conclusion of his senior year, McArlde made his professional debut with the ECHL’s Worcester Railers and notched two assists in 10 ECHL games.

He is the first alumnus of Rockford’s Youth Hockey Program to sign with the IceHogs. R.