The host of next season’s American Hockey League all-star game is making sure local industries are well-represented in the event’s branding.
The league announced on Sunday, January 12, that the Rockford IceHogs — affiliates of the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks — would host the 2026 AHL All-Star Classic on February 10 and 11, 2026, at the newly renovated 6,200-seat BMO Center in downtown Rockford, Illinois.
Along with the announcement, the AHL and the IceHogs unveiled the logo for the 2026 event, which pays tribute to local landmarks and industries. At the center of the logo, “ALL-STAR” arches in white with a red star for the hyphen over a silver depiction of the Jefferson Street Bridge, which spans the Rock River in downtown Rockford. Above that is a red cog, a nod to the city’s industrial roots, which include a Chrysler assembly plant that opened in 1965.
The threading on the R in “ALL-STAR” is an homage to Rockford’s manufacturing industry, specifically the production of screws and fasteners. According to the Rockford Area Economic Development Council, fastener manufacturing picked up in Rockford after World War II as the demand for machinery grew. By the 1960s, the city had dubbed itself the Screw Capital of the World.
The IceHogs have acknowledged this manufacturing history in recent seasons with a Screw City IceHogs alternate identity.
Between the inner edge of the cog and the arched “ALL-STAR” text, a streaking spaceship and four-pointed stars run in between and above “2026” and “AHL” in silver. These are nods to the aerospace industry, which remains one of the Rockford area’s biggest employers to this day.
“CLASSIC” is written in white under the “ALL-STAR” text, and the city name and state are written in black on the silver bridge, with red dots on either side. The logo of presenting sponsor BMO appears under the bridge.
The 2025 AHL All-Star Classic is being hosted by the Coachella Valley Firebirds (affiliates of the Seattle Kraken) on February 2 and 3 at the Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, California. Rosters were just announced last week.