"The Rockford IceHogs announced a contract signing on Wednesday and it brings back a former Chicago Blackhawks' defenseman. The IceHogs have signed Cody Franson to a one year AHL deal. Franson returns to North America after two years playing with Omsk Avangard in the KHL where he registered a total of 43 points in 98 games regular season games. The 33 year old was a big part of the IceHogs tea that made a run to the AHL Western Conference Finals a couple of years ago. «Cody is going to be a great addition to our squad and it will be like adding an extra coach for us,» IceHogs head coach Derek King said in a statement. «He may not have known it, but I kept an eye on him during his first time with us and he's been coaching the younger players ever since. He's a tremendous addition to our defensive core, the team overall, and willing to take younger players under his wing to show them how to be a good professional.»