News Blackhawks Team Notes

[Chicago Blackhawks]

Kane Talks, a Special Anniversary, Behm to ASU, Fantilli’s Next Contract, and Other Blackhawks Bullets

One fun nugget from my conversation earlier this week with Blackhawks President of Business Operations Jamie Faulkner came up when we were talking about the schedule for the coming season. I asked her about how much the league worked with the Blackhawks on some schedule items for the Centennial Season. She told me one specific request the Blackhawks made was playing the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday, Nov. 15 at the United Center.

The first game in Blackhawks history was against Toronto on Nov. 17, so the Hawks wanted to mark that occasion with a special, Original Six game on the weekend closest to the actual date of the franchise’s first game. Pencil that one in for a special night at the United Center.

• Patrick Kane is in town this week for his 8/8 celebration on Friday. He joined Pat Boyle on the Blackhawks Breakaway Podcast and talked about the events and a little about the current Blackhawks — including his thoughts on Connor Bedard. Good listen/watch here.

• Lyle Richardson at Bleacher Report put together a Mount Rushmore for every NHL franchise over the past 25 years. For the Blackhawks: Kane, Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook. Feels like a no-brainer, right? I was pleasantly surprised to see Seabrook getting his rightful props from someone outside Chicago and not give the spot to Marian Hossa like seemingly everyone else in and out of Chicago has done recently. Seabs deserves all the flowers. He’ll get a bobblehead at the United Center this year as one of the Blackhawks Centennial Season giveaways.

• Earlier this morning I took a look at how some experts are projecting the rosters for the upcoming 2026 World Junior Championship. It looks like the Blackhawks have a pretty good chance of having prospects on at least three — hopefully four — rosters in the tournament this year. Here’s how the guys at The Athletic projected five countries rosters for the dance.

2026 World Juniors roster projections: Predicting lineups for Canada, USA, Sweden, Finland, Czechia https://t.co/1RNoKNhJXr

— The Athletic NHL (@TheAthleticNHL) August 5, 2025

• Count me among those who were thrilled the Blackhawks were able to draft forward Nathan Behm in the third round (No. 66 overall) in the 2025 NHL Draft. On Tuesday afternoon, Behm shared on Instagram that he has committed to play at Arizona State for the 2026-27 season, meaning he’ll spend one more season in the WHL. Behm joins 2025 first rounder Mason West in being a college commit for the 2026-27 season (West is headed to Michigan State).

View this post on Instagram​

A post shared by Nathan Behm (@nathanbehm07)​

• The Rockford IceHogs announced they have signed right-handed defenseman Tyson Feist to a one-year AHL contract. He was a teammate of Colton Dach‘s during the 2021-22 season with Kelowna in the WHL.

• Interesting read here from Aaron Portzline on upcoming contract negotiations between the Blue Jackets and reps for Adam Fantilli, the third overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft (behind Connor Bedard). Fantilli is a wonderful player; I was fully sold on the Blackhawks picking him when there seemed to be little/no chance to win the lottery to get Bedard. His rookie season was cut short — literally (skate cut injury) — but he’s been as good as advertised in his two NHL seasons. With Bedard being in the same boat, this is a good one to read and consider.

The Athletic: #CBJ GM Don Waddell and Pat Brisson, the agent for 20-year-old Adam Fantilli, will meet later this month to negotiate a contract extension.

With Fantilli's career launching, and with the NHL's salary cap soaring, what term makes sense?https://t.co/KnHfhjafbD

— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) August 4, 2025

• We got an official logo for the Stadium Series game that will be played between the Lightning and Bruins in Tampa on Feb. 1. Nicely done, as always.

The 2026 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL #StadiumSeries will set sail in Tampa Bay on February 1. ︎ pic.twitter.com/mqwJ310vXY

— NHL (@NHL) August 5, 2025

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• The Bulls are bringing back their pinstripe jerseys!

• Luis isn’t worried about Caleb Williams’ training camp struggles (yet).

• Tom Ricketts talked about spending money.

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/blac...s-next-contract-and-other-blackhawks-bullets/

 

[Chicago Blackhawks]

Connor Bedard Embracing the Dark Side of the Force?

Have you seen the new ad that dropped from Sherwood featuring Connor Bedard?

That ad makes Cam Robinson’s prediction that big things are coming from 98 feel like the Death Star might be settling in at the United Center this year!

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/blac...-bedard-embracing-the-dark-side-of-the-force/

 

[Chicago Blackhawks]

It’s Patrick Kane Day! and Other Blackhawks Bullets

Happy Friday, Blackhawks Fans! Today’s date is 8-8, which means it’s Patrick Kane day. Kane is back in town for a series of events all over the city and suburbs. He’ll be a Blackhawks legend forever. No player will ever wear 88 again. And he’ll go down as the greatest American-born player in NHL history. Here’s his recent appearance on The Stretch talking about the events coming up and his time with the Blackhawks.

• And here’s 88’s appearance (again) on the Blackhawks Breakaway Podcast talking about the events around the city today and more thoughts on the Blackhawks. I love what he has to say about Frank Nazar. Apparently Kane and Nazar have spent some time on the ice together this summer and the young Blackhawks forward (who might remind some of us of a young 88) has impressed the greatest American-born player in NHL history.

• A reminder of Kane scoring the most famous goal in Blackhawks history. He was the only guy who knew it was in immediately, but the replay led to one of the greatest celebrations Chicago has ever seen.

• Here’s the story I posted when Kaner came back to Chicago for the first time with the tribute video and the fans in attendance that night giving him three victory laps on the ice. The result of that game was poetic perfection, even if it meant a loss to the Red Wings. That entire night — from Chris Chelios’ jersey retirement thru a terrific, competitive game — was amazing.

WATCH: Blackhawks Celebrate Patrick Kane With Tribute Video, Fans Give Him Three-Minute Standing Ovation

• We got a fresh hype video from the Blackhawks for the Centennial season. Lots of good history coming this year at the United Center.

• ICYMI: Sherwood dropped a new ad featuring Connor Bedard yesterday and I’m getting all sorts of Darth Bedard vibes…

Connor Bedard Embracing the Dark Side of the Force? #blackhawkshttps://t.co/dcFVZmB2F4

— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) August 7, 2025

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• Cade Horton made history twice in his start on Wednesday!

• It looks like Cole Kmet wasn’t hurt too badly earlier this week.

• Who’s going to be at BullsFest?

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/blac...atrick-kane-day-and-other-blackhawks-bullets/

 

[Chicago Blackhawks]

Nazar Having Fun, Kane-DeBrincat Kids Fight? a 2026 Draft Name to Watch, and Other Blackhawks Bullets

It’s August 9th today, which means today is *officially* the anniversary of two huge, enormous sports moments — that both happened 37 years ago. On August 8, 1988, lights turned on at Wrigley Field for the very first time. But that game got cut short because of rain. So, officially, the first night game at Wrigley Field was played on August 9, 1988.

The Cubs won that game 6-4. And it would have been the lead sports news story on the continent if … the Edmonton Oilers didn’t trade Wayne Gretzky to the Los Angeles Kings on the same day. Yes, folks. The Great One got traded to LA 37 years ago today. Happy anniversary, Kings and Cubs fans.

• I think the Rockford IceHogs nailed it here on behalf of Hogs fans, Blackhawks fans and hockey fans as a whole.

Anyone else? pic.twitter.com/OqPWZiHBUN

— Rockford IceHogs (@goicehogs) August 7, 2025

• Hey we got some pickleball from Alex Vlasic (get it? pickles?) and Frank Nazar on the Blackhawks social channels. That’s fun.

no pickles were harmed in the making of this video pic.twitter.com/akUIAWAUU1

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) August 8, 2025

• Speaking of Nazar, he spent some time on the ice with young hockey players this week in Chicago. Absolutely love to see it! And it looks like he had a blast doing it.

View this post on Instagram​

A post shared by Frank Nazar (@franknazar14)​

• FIGHT!?! Patrick Kane was on the ice on Friday morning to kick off the celebrations of 8/8 day and was joined by his former linemate with the Blackhawks and current teammate in Detroit, Alex DeBrincat. Their sons are friends… we thought.

A "vicious" fight breaks out between BFF's Archie DeBrincat and Patrick Kane III at Johnny's Ice House on Patrick Kane Day in Chicago. @88PKane @Brinksy97 pic.twitter.com/ieBIWTpFMV

— Krista Ruch (@KristaCBS2) August 8, 2025

• A name to write down for next June: Keaton Verhoeff. He’s a big right-handed defenseman who looks like he’s destined to be a top-two pick in the NHL draft. Teams are going to be working towards stacking their picks for the draft in 10 months just like they were for Connor Bedard‘s draft in 2023 (some already have) and he’s one of the reasons why.

Not only is Keaton Verhoeff going to make the World Junior team, but he’s also going to give Gavin McKenna a run for the money for No. 1 overall between now and June 2026. https://t.co/rQRL4f29HU

— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) August 8, 2025

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• The Cubs general manager talked about the trade deadline.

• The Bears head coach talked about his plan to start the preseason.

• An NBA insider talked about how much Coby White might want on his next contract.

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/blac...t-name-to-watch-and-other-blackhawks-bullets/

 

[Chicago Blackhawks]

Kaiser Contract? Quiet Days, Bad Contracts, Tkachuk Considering Surgery, and Other Blackhawks Bullets

It’s Sunday in early August and, frankly folks, there are only so many opportunities for hockey stuff to make us say “oh look!” until we get closer to September. The Blackhawks still need to get a deal done with RFA defenseman Wyatt Kaiser, and there will undoubtedly be some trades that still happen around the league between now and the opening of training camps. And there will be more player movement before the start of the regular season. But for now, not a lot going on.

I’m going to continue spending some time this month looking back through Blackhawks history at some unique records and the top performers in franchise history because we’re headed into the Centennial Season for the organ-I-zation. But I wanted to take a moment this morning to open things up and let y’all know that, if there’s anything you would like me to write about or dig into, please hit me up. Throw it in the comments here, on social media or shoot me an email ([email protected]).

What are the records for goals by a rookie in #Blackhawks history? Assists? Points? And what unique rookie NHL records have Blackhawks set or shared along the way?

We've got you covered here: https://t.co/comWdkkLwe

— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) August 8, 2025

• Since I brought him up, what’s keeping the Blackhawks from getting a deal done with Kaiser? If they’ve identified him as a potential top-four guy, he should have been the priority RFA this summer. And the Blackhawks aren’t trying to find/create cap space to make it fit.

• I’m genuinely surprised that Jack Roslovic is still unsigned. He scored 22 goals last year. It’s August 10. (Note: I’m not advocating for the Blackhawks to sign him — even if that might be intriguing. But the fact that nobody has signed him yet is a surprise at this point in the summer.)

• I’m becoming increasingly intrigued by Mason McTavish still being an unsigned RFA. For what it’s worth, his agent is Patrick Morris — the same Morris who represents Nick Foligno and Jason Dickinson. (Note: Depending on the cost of acquisition and the contract terms, I would absolutely be on board with the Blackhawks making a play here. McTavish is a terrific young player.)

• Happy 36th birthday to Sam Gagner. He infamously produced eight of his 529 career points (1.5 percent of the total) against the Blackhawks in Edmonton on Feb. 2, 2012.

• Good discussion points here from Sean McIndoe at The Athletic discussing some potentially bad (terrible?) contracts around the league. No Blackhawks were hurt in the writing of this piece, but there are a few big ticket players with bigger dollars attached to them. He looks at why the contract might be bad but also why they might be okay. Good work here.

Do Elias Pettersson and Juuse Saros have bad contracts? NHL Cap Court returns https://t.co/LgpgSUdUnX

— The Athletic NHL (@TheAthleticNHL) August 7, 2025

• The Dallas Stars signed forward Nathan Bastian to a one-year, one-way contract worth $775,000.

• The Colorado Avalanche re-signed forward Joel Kiviranta to a one-year deal.

• Greg Wyshynski reported for ESPN this past week that Matthew Tkachuk is still considering surgery for a torn adductor muscle and a sports hernia injury he suffered while playing for Team USA in the 4 Nations Face-Off in February. If he needs a surgical procedure, he could miss the first 2-3 months of the 2025-26 NHL regular season.

• On Friday’s edition of the Halford & Brough In The Morning on Sportsnet 650, Luke Fox reported the New Jersey Devils and RFA defenseman Luke Hughes are in agreement that his next contract will be long term (likely seven years). They’re working on the money side now.

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• Previewing the first preseason game: Bears vs. Dolphins

• Michael Busch lost one early last night to extend the Cubs’ lead.

• It looks like the Opening Night and Christmas slates for the NBA this coming season were leaked.

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/blac...idering-surgery-and-other-blackhawks-bullets/

 

[Chicago Blackhawks]

Chicago’s Got Talent, Blashill’s Approach, Boisvert Talks Transition to BU, and Other Blackhawks Bullets

I know I’m doing this a lot lately, but it appears I need to get my soapbox out again for a quick Monday morning Ted Talk. Travis Yost, who does really good work at TSN, ranked the “Talent Tiers” for defensemen around the NHL this morning. As you can see from the graphic he tweeted below, he has the Blackhawks in his Tier 4 — near the bottom of the league.

TALENT TIERS: Grading defensive depth charts https://t.co/8OvYqX4bnO pic.twitter.com/KSopvV87B3

— Travis Yost (@travisyost) August 11, 2025

My point of contention here: if he called this piece “expected productivity” or “likelihood of dominating” I could be more open to the Blackhawks being as low as they are because of how young they’re expected to be on the back end. But when you’re calling this “TALENT” tiers, the Blackhawks have a collection of guys — headlined by two players with No. 1 potential in Sam Rinzel and Artyom Levshunov — who are incredibly talented (but not fully developed/refined yet). I would argue the Blackhawks’ collection of defensemen could easily be in the upper third of the NHL if ranking based on “TALENT.” Final product — not yet there. But one thing the Blackhawks do not lack on the back end is talent.

With that being said, here’s what Yost wrote about the Blackhawks’ defensive group:

A name worth watching in Chicago? Wyatt Kaiser. In last year’s utterly futile season, Kaiser was a swiss army knife, playing well despite an unrelenting change of pair mates and forwards in front of him. But amidst the challenges, the Blackhawks played to a -1 even strength goal differential in the entirety of Kaiser’s minutes, juxtaposed against a staggering -55 even strength goal differential with Kaiser off the ice. With his first full season behind him, I expect Chicago to put a heavy workload on Kaiser inside of their top-four as they continue through the rebuild.

• A marvelous read here from Ben Pope at the Chicago Sun-Times on how Jeff Blashill is looking to open camp running in a few weeks. If you’ve had a seat in the 300 level at any point in the last 20 years, the two favorite words (that I can repeat here in a family-oriented environment) for many fans to yell are “Skate!” and “Shoot!” Based on Pope’s piece, those will be a couple areas of emphasis for the new coaches this year, which is lovely. And, like Ben Johnson with the Bears, Blashill is preaching “winning habits” as he tries to transition a young, talented team into one that starts winning games.

• This is a really good read from Pope, so please read it. This nugget was important info as well: how Blashill is splitting up the responsibilities with his coaching staff this year:

New assistants Michael Peca and Mike Vellucci will oversee the forwards, with Peca also coaching the penalty kill and Vellucci the power play. Anders Sorensen will oversee the defensemen — a role he previously held in Rockford. Long-tenured goalie coach Jimmy Waite retained his position.

Jeff Blashill has spent the summer getting to know his new players.

Now he has a plan in mind already for Blackhawks training camp.

"The first system we’ll implement will be our backchecking track."

New story: https://t.co/rXUr9HvMKm

— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) August 10, 2025

• Terrific read here from Tracey Myers, who spoke more with Sacha Boisvert about beginning his second college season in a new place. Boisvert, who earned NCHC Freshman of the Year honors at North Dakota last year, is taking his talents to Boston University this fall. He told us during development camp that the decision was made because UND made a coaching change that he wasn’t thrilled about. He’s now in a really good program that has produced a few current Blackhawks. I’m excited to see how his game progresses this year.

Blackhawks prospect Boisvert embracing change ahead of 1st year at Boston University https://t.co/MRiUSlRylq

— NHL.com (@NHLdotcom) August 11, 2025

• And now this camera angle of a filthy backhand goal from Connor Bedard while training last week.

View this post on Instagram​

A post shared by INTERACTIVE TRAINING SYSTEM (@kaivohockey)​

• You know what? It’s Monday, August 11 and there really isn’t any hockey “news” so here’s another ice-level camera angle of Bedard making someone look foolish on the ice this past week.

View this post on Instagram​

A post shared by INTERACTIVE TRAINING SYSTEM (@kaivohockey)​

• The Colorado Avalanche released their 30th anniversary logo. So… yeah. That’s something.

The Avalanche released their 30th anniversary logo pic.twitter.com/2SwvsuKpzB

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) August 10, 2025

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• The Bears may have settled for a tie in their preseason opener, but there are reasons for optimism.

• Matt Shaw was the total of the Cubs’ offense again last night.

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/blac...ransition-to-bu-and-other-blackhawks-bullets/

 

[Chicago Blackhawks]

Blackhawks History: Hart Trophy Winners

With there being little/no hockey happening in August, and the Blackhawks celebrating their centennial season in the coming year, we’re going to spend some time this month looking back at the history of the franchise. We’ll look at some unique NHL records, franchise records and Blackhawks who collected some individual hardware along the way.

Last week, we looked at the Blackhawks players who have won the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s rookie of the year. Today, we’ll go to the top of the individual hardware list and look at Blackhawks players who have won the Hart Trophy as the league’s most valuable player.

Two players have won the Hart Trophy twice with the Blackhawks. Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita kept the Hart in Chicago for four consecutive years in the 1960s, during a fabulous period in Blackhawks history.

Going back further, Al Rollins is one of just eight goalies in history to win the Hart Trophy. That list was only seven until Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck won it after the 2024-25 season.

In total, five Blackhawks have won the Hart Trophy a total of seven times. Here’s the list:

1945-46 — Max Bentley, C

1953-54 — Al Rollins, G

1964-65 — Bobby Hull, LW

1965-66 — Bobby Hull, LW

1966-67 — Stan Mikita, C

1967-68 — Stan Mikita, C

2015-16 — Patrick Kane, RW

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/blackhawks/2025/08/11/blackhawks-history-hart-trophy-winners-2/

 

[Chicago Blackhawks]

Could the Blackhawks and Canadiens Make a Deal Before Training Camp?

I want to discuss an interesting piece that, on the surface, has little/nothing to do with the Chicago Blackhawks — but it might. Marco D’Amico at RG Media wrote about the Montreal Canadiens looking to make more moves to improve their roster before the coming season begins. One hurdle: they still have Carey Price on their books with a $10.5M cap hit. Granted, that will be on LTIR once the regular season begins, but that doesn’t necessarily help them in the immediate.

Importantly, D’Amico points out Price is due a $5.5M signing bonus on Sept. 1 and his actual salary is only $2M for the coming season — the final year of his enormous contract. Insurance will pay 60 percent of that $2M, so the actual cash going out the door for an acquiring team is minimal, but the cap space absorbed would be significant.

Here’s the line from the piece that got my antenna up:

“That is an extremely attractive and cheap endeavor for a team close to the salary cap floor that knows it will unload major salary throughout the season.”

Enter the Chicago Blackhawks, who — as I have pointed out frequently — have a lot of players in the final seasons of their respective deals. And some of the veterans who might not return after the 2025-26 season — Jason Dickinson, Connor Murphy, Ilya Mikheyev, Sam Lafferty, Nick Foligno — could all be intriguing trade chips for the Blackhawks before the 2026 trade deadline.

Ironically, the Blackhawks already added the dead cap hit for Shea Weber at the deadline this past season. Weber and Price led the Habs to the 2021 Stanley Cup Final, and then both of their bodies fell apart and their careers effectively ended. The reason the Hawks acquired Weber’s paper is to help them get to the floor without having to add bodies.

The same theory could be in play with a potential deal for Price’s contract before training camp starts. Especially if the Blackhawks’ front office is heading into the coming season knowing they might be in a place where moving veterans out to make room on the NHL roster for the next generation is good business. Acquiring assets for players who are leaving is just that — good business. And the Blackhawks could have some attractive players to move at the end of February.

What could a Blackhawks-Canadiens trade look like?​

According to D’Amico, the “untouchable” prospects in the Montreal system right now are forward Michael Hage and defenseman David Reinbacher. With that being said, the Habs have been very aggressive in recent months to push their roster into position to make a deeper run in the playoffs.

Montreal traded both of their first-round picks in the 2025 NHL Draft — Nos. 16 and 17 overall — and forward Emil Heineman to the New York Islanders for defenseman Noah Dobson this summer. The Habs then signed Dobson to a big-ticket contract.

The Canadiens also traded defenseman Logan Mailloux to the St. Louis Blues for forward Zack Bolduc.

The Habs want to improve their NHL roster, but they don’t have the cap space to do much right now. But they do have draft capital and some other prospects who might be intriguing.

If the Canadiens aren’t willing to include Hage or Reinbacher, and Montreal is among the teams not thrilled at the prospect of trading their first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft (which is supposed to be good and deep), what could a trade between the Blackhawks and Canadiens look like?

The top forward prospect names in the Montreal pipeline who might be in play would be Joshua Roy and Owen Beck. They’re both young and could have some upside. Whether the Blackhawks view either of them as an improvement over the players who are coming in the Blackhawks’ pipeline is a question, however. And, assuming Reinbacher is indeed off the table, there isn’t a defenseman who is likely available in the Montreal system who does anything for me compared to what the Blackhawks have in their pipeline already.

The Canadiens are in an interesting position in net. Right now, their backup is Kaapo Kahkonen — who is not good. There’s a chance the Blackhawks could move out Laurent Brossoit‘s contract in a deal here and he could, if healthy, prove to be an upgrade for Montreal behind Sam Montembeault. And, again, if a deal here wouldn’t be consummated until September, that’s enough time for Brossoit to pass a physical and show that he’s potentially ready to play.

If the Canadiens are looking to improve their NHL roster in the process, the Blackhawks and Habs may have a conversation about potentially including Lukas Reichel in a deal. We’ve talked plenty about Reichel being a potential change of scenery candidate before the coming season begins, and the Blackhawks already found a new home for Kirby Dach in Montreal. Including Reichel could also make the assets attached to Price’s contract improve… dare I say, the price would go up?

So how about this potential trade package after Price gets his signing bonus on Sept. 1:

• Blackhawks receive:
  Carey Price’s contract ($10.5M cap hit)
  Montreal’s 2026 first-round pick
  Montreal’s 2027 first-round pick

• Canadiens receive:
  Laurent Brossoit
  Lukas Reichel
  Chicago’s 2026 second-round pick
  Toronto’s 2026 second-round pick
  Vancouver’s 2027 second-round pick

The Blackhawks would add two more premium assets, giving them three picks in the first round in 2026 — enough ammo to do something significant. It would add a second pick in the first round in the 2027 NHL Draft to their pipeline as well. If you’re concerned about the Blackhawks’ cap situation if they’re able to add an important piece during the season, remember that both Price and Weber can be moved to LTIR if necessary.

The Canadiens would acquire a potential upgrade as a backup in net, a fast, young forward who may have a ceiling that’s still higher than we’ve seen, and enough draft capital that they could still be active trying to move up in each of the next two drafts. Importantly for Montreal: both Reichel and Broissoit have expiring contracts, giving them future flexibility as well (Reichel will be an RFA in 2026).

“I wouldn’t be surprised if the Habs have another move planned after moving Price.”

Sources indicate the Canadiens continue to monitor the trade market, but with certain conditions.

via @mndamico https://t.co/UOE9p0bhlz

— RG (@TheRGMedia) August 12, 2025

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/blac...d-canadiens-make-a-deal-before-training-camp/

 

[Chicago Blackhawks]

Fan Survey Time, a Kaiser Contract Comp, Hlinka Gretzky Cup Begins, and Other Blackhawks Bullets

On Monday, The Athletic released their annual fan survey gauging confidence in each team’s front office. I’ll be very interested to see how the perception of the Blackhawks’ front office has changed from one year to the next. Last year, the Blackhawks moved up from 15th in 2023 to 12th in the league in 2024. Here’s the Blackhawks’ 2024 report card:

When we look back 12 months, more fans — and media — were understanding of and relatively high on the Blackhawks’ additions in free agency. I noted previously that the year vs. year grades given by The Athletic for how efficiently the Blackhawks are spending money (on non-ELCs) slid the wrong direction this summer compared to 2024. A big part of that was feeling good about deals for players like Tyler Bertuzzi, who was productive but incredibly streaky.

I would imagine the marks for Free Agency will go down after the Blackhawks did very little this summer. We’ve already discussed the number of reasons why this was a quiet summer. And the returns from last summer’s influx didn’t help the team improve in the standings as much as anyone wanted.

The areas I’m specifically interested to see how both the Chicago-specific fan base and the league at large change in 2025 are the Draft and Develop and Vision categories. I know there are some in this space that feel I can be too positive. The returns are still very early on how well this front office has drafted, but it’s hard to argue with what we’ve seen from guys like Sam Rinzel and Frank Nazar thus far.

• By the way, we’re now within two months of regular season games at the United Center and in Rockford.

See ya at the @BMOCenter in 2 months for puck drop!! pic.twitter.com/SyE3mRLl4x

— Rockford IceHogs (@goicehogs) August 11, 2025

• The Hlinka Gretzky Cup got started on Monday. Lots of names to write down, circle, commit to memory and start considering for the 2027 NHL Draft (and beyond) in this tournament. Good comments here from Steven Ellis for Daily Faceoff on the first day of action.

Day 1 of the Hlinka Gretzky Cup is over.

Here is a look at 27 players who caught my eye from the four games, including Keaton Verhoeff, Oliver Ozogany, Lukas Kachlir, Marcus Nordmark and more:https://t.co/9N7wyBYjNB #NHLDraft #HlinkaGretzkCup

— Steven Ellis (@SEllisHockey) August 11, 2025

• If you’re looking for potential deals that could be used as a benchmark for Wyatt Kaiser‘s next contract, the Seattle Kraken may have provided one on Monday. The Kraken announced they have signed defenseman Ryker Evans to a two-year that has a $2.05M AAV.

• Evans, 23, was originally a second-round pick by Seattle in 2021. He has appeared in 109 career NHL regular-season games.

• Kaiser, 23, was originally a third-round pick by the Blackhawks in 2020. He has appeared in 98 career NHL regular-season games.

• The Minnesota Wild announced they have signed 38-year-old defenseman (and Blackhawks legend) Jack Johnson to a professional tryout (PTO).

• Big news north of the border on Monday for the Ottawa Senators. Let’s see if they can get their new barn built before the Bears make the move to Arlington Heights…

A huge step forward for the Senators new arena! pic.twitter.com/AHy5pj34Wg

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) August 11, 2025

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• Are we not talking about Matt Shaw’s development enough?

• So, what did Caleb Williams do while not playing on Sunday?

• What’s going on with the Josh Giddey contract negotiations?

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/blac...tzky-cup-begins-and-other-blackhawks-bullets/

 

[Chicago Blackhawks]

GMKD Visits Hossa, UFC in Chicago, Story Time, Gallant to Russia, and Other Blackhawks Bullets

Yesterday I considered the possibility that the Blackhawks might entertain the idea of trading for Carey Price’s contract. The Canadiens are reportedly looking to move it after he gets paid his signing bonus on Sept. 1 and the Hawks might want a little more cushion in the event they move a chunk of salary out the door during the coming season. I can say that, after that published, I had two folks reach out to privately share the Blackhawks have indeed inquired about potentially being in the mix there.

However, while the trade I specifically proposed was a big swing, I’ll admit the most likely scenario is a comparable deal to the one the Blackhawks made for Shea Weber’s contract: effectively nothing for nothing but a little extra cap help.

While a Carey Price trade might have been completely unthinkable a decade ago, it wouldn’t be the most shocking goalie trade in Canadiens history. And this nugget from Pierre Turgeon on Spittin’ Chiclets is wild.

“It’s happening. It’s a matter of time and when, don’t know. But, it’s going to happen.”

Pierre Turgeon knew Patrick Roy and the Canadiens were a ticking time bomb because he would drive to the rink with Roy and hear about it every day. https://t.co/HwThG4L7b6 pic.twitter.com/dHkCrpHBrj

— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) August 12, 2025

• It looks like GMKD made a flight over to visit Marian Hossa. Beautiful town. Maybe he’s asking if they can clone Hossa to join the Hawks at some point in the next couple years?

• Really good read here from the AHL on the return of Jared Nightingale to Rockford as the IceHogs’ head coach.

• There’s a big UFC fight in Chicago this weekend. And, once again, Frank Nazar and Wyatt Kaiser were the photo opp representatives for the Blackhawks organ-I-zation.

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A post shared by Chicago Blackhawks (@nhlblackhawks)​

• Steven Ellis at Daily Faceoff offered some thoughts from the second day of action at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup. A couple names that have been coming up frequently in this tournament from Canada are Tynan Lawrence and Ethan Belchetz, both of whom project to be top-ten picks in the 2026 NHL Draft. He talks brieflt about Landon DuPont as well. He’s already projecting to go at/near the top of the 2027 NHL Draft.

• Lawrence is a name I have circled (in pencil) as someone of interest in the Picks 4-9 range in the first round. He was a teammate of Blackhawks 2025 first-round pick Václav Nestrašil with Muskegon in the USHL last season, where Lawrence will skate again this coming season. He is committed to Boston University for the 2026-27 season — a program the Blackhawks have a long history with (including Sacha Boisvert this coming season).

Who stood out on Day 2 of the #HlinkaGretzkyCup yesterday?@SEllisHockey looked at Landon DuPont, Oscar Hemming, Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll and more:https://t.co/xIJFImQ9am

— Daily Faceoff (@DailyFaceoff) August 13, 2025

• Gerard Gallant has been named the new head coach of the Shanghai Dragons in the KHL.

• It appears there’s a resolution in Ryan Johansen’s grievance case against the Philadelphia Flyers. Darren Dreger reported an arbitrator has ruled in favor of the Flyers. The NHLPA filed a grievance on behalf of Johansen for the Flyers terminating his contract last year.

Per a team source, the Johansen ruling is actually a big relief for the Flyers. They could have been dinged for the full $4 million cap hit this season had they lost. The Nashville Predators also benefit, by the way, considering they had 50% retention.

— Kevin Kurz (@KKurzNHL) August 12, 2025

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• Since I played football with his dad in college, I’m rooting for Austin Booker. Luis wrote a really good breakdown of his great first preseason game and hopes it translates to the regular season.

• Owen Caissie hit another home run last night.

• Like the Blackhawks, the Bulls have a lot of expiring contracts this coming season.

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/blac...llant-to-russia-and-other-blackhawks-bullets/

 

[Chicago Blackhawks]

High-Danger Donato, Nestrašil’s Hockey Family, Busy Black Friday, and Other Blackhawks Bullets

An interesting few stats from NHL.com’s EDGE-driven preview of the Blackhawks that posted last week on Ryan Donato last season: he “finished in the 94th percentile among forwards in high-danger goals (18), 82nd percentile in high-danger shots on goal (55) and 95th percentile in high-danger shooting percentage (32.7).”

Those high-danger areas are somewhere I think the Blackhawks want Landon Slaggert to start frequently visiting with an emphasis on getting the puck on net. In only 33 NHL games last season, Slaggert finished in the upper-half of the league (53rd percentile) in speed bursts over 20 mph (65 total). Donato had 77 of such bursts in 80 games played. Slaggert plays the game faster than Donato, but his skillset could make him an effective player in a similar role to Donato.

As I’ve mentioned before, a couple people inside the organization have compared Slaggert to Brandon Hagel in the past. Donato is a good role model for Slaggert to watch and follow.

• Fabulous read from Scott Powers at The Athletic on first-round pick Václav Nestrašil. It’s a great story that focuses on his much older brother, Andrej, and his hockey journey that included stops with the Red Wings and Hurricanes. Andrej is now 34 playing overseas. His younger brother will report to UMass for his freshman collegiate season. Highly recommend this one!

Sixteen years after his brother Andrej was drafted to the NHL, Václav Nestrašil brought his family’s hockey story full circle by being drafted by the Blackhawks.

Their family story https://t.co/Cr2OEToRUc

— Scott Powers (@ByScottPowers) August 13, 2025

• I’m putting together my top 25 all-time Blackhawks list to run next week. I’m curious: who do you consider an all-time great Blackhawks player who might not make that top-25 cut? In 100 years of hockey there have been some terrific players in Chicago. Let me know in the comments who you think might be on the cut line for my list. And stay tuned for that series starting Monday.

• Black Friday is Nov. 28 this year, and we’re going to have plenty to watch as Chicago sports fans. The Bears are in Philadelphia to play the defending champion Eagles at 2 PM CT. The Bulls are in Charlotte to face the Hornets at 6:30 PM CT. And the Blackhawks host the Predators at the United Center at 7 PM CT. Get fresh batteries for those remotes, folks!

• The Carolina Hurricanes’ owner, Tom Dundon, is jumping into the NBA ownership world. But he isn’t staying “local” in Carolina. He’s reportedly buying the Portland Trail Blazers.

NHL Carolina Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon has agreed to buy the Portland Trail Blazers from the estate of Paul G. Allen for a valuation of over $4 billion, sources tell ESPN.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 13, 2025

• Finally, this is fabulous.

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• The Cubs are calling up Owen Caissie!

• The Bears will play their starters this weekend.

• I mentioned Black Friday earlier because the Bulls game that day is part of the NBA’s in-season NBA Cup tournament.

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/blac...sy-black-friday-and-other-blackhawks-bullets/

 

[Chicago Blackhawks]

Blackhawks History: Goalie Records

Because August is a quiet month for hockey and the Blackhawks are celebrating their Centennial this coming season, we’ve been rolling through some of the franchise leaders from throughout the history of the franchise. Today, we’ll look at the best goaltenders in franchise history.

In the history of the NHL, there are 15 goaltenders who have recorded at least 400 regular-season wins. From that list, four have played for the Chicago Blackhawks:

• Marc-André Fleury — 2nd (575)
• Ed Belfour — 5th (484)
• Tony Esposito — 11th (423)
• Glenn Hall — 12th (407)

Eight players in NHL history have recorded at least 80 career shutouts. Two of them — Glenn Hall (84) and Dominik Hašek (81) — played for the Blackhawks.

In their careers while with the Blackhawks, four goaltenders were credited with at least 200 wins:

• Tony Esposito — 418
• Glenn Hall — 276
• Corey Crawford — 260
• Ed Belfour — 201

Three goaltenders have recorded at least 40 shutouts while with the Chicago Blackhawks:

• Tony Esposito — 74
• Glenn Hall — 51
• Charlie Gardiner — 42

How about adding some offense? Three netminders in Blackhawks history have been credited with at least 10 assists while playing for the franchise:

• Tony Esposito — 25
• Ed Belfour — 18
• Murray Bannerman — 10

If you didn’t hear that third (tird?) name coming out of Pat Foley’s vocal cords, I’m not sure we can be friends.

Blackhawks all-time playoff performers​

Let’s talk about the postseason for a moment. In the history of the organ-I-zation, only four goalies have won at least 30 playoff games:

• Corey Crawford — 52
• Tony Esposito — 45
• Ed Belfour — 35
• Glenn Hall — 31

While playing for the Blackhawks, four goalies have recorded at least five shutouts in playoff action:

• Tony Esposito — 6
• Charlie Gardiner — 5
• Glenn Hall — 5
• Corey Crawford — 5

Murray Bannerman (5) and Corey Crawford (2) are the only Blackhawks goaltenders to record multiple assists in the playoffs for the franchise.

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/blackhawks/2025/08/14/blackhawks-history-goalies-records/

 

[Chicago Blackhawks]

Which Non-Players Should Be Recognized in the Blackhawks Hall of Fame?

The voting for fans and media has closed for the inaugural Blackhawks Hall of Fame class. At some point between now and the Centennial season beginning we’ll learn which two individuals will join the legends whose numbers have been retired in the first class of inductees.

But there might be one more individual who will join the former players.

When the Blackhawks initially announced the team would have a hall of fame, the release included this:

“Additionally, the Blackhawks may induct one Builder such as a broadcaster, coach or other contributor for inclusion in the annual class through committee selection.”

This obviously limits each annual induction class to one, but who are some folks who should be at least considered, if not inducted, into the Blackhawks Hall of Fame in the Builder category? Let’s look at the three categories with some names that should be considered this year and in the future. Please note I am not considering ownership here.

Blackhawks Coaches​

Billy Reay​

At some point, Reay needs to be in the Blackhawks Hall of Fame. He’s the only head coach to spend more than 1,000 games behind the bench (1,012) and remains the franchise’s all-time wins leader (516). The 117 postseason games he coached with the Blackhawks is second in franchise history as well.

Rudy Pilous​

Pilious was behind the bench for six seasons (387 games between 1958-63) and led the Blackhawks to a Stanley Cup championship in 1961.

Mike Keenan​

Keenan was only behind the bench in Chicago for four years (320 games between 1989-92) but became a legendary coach for the Blackhawks during that brief time. Those 320 regular-season games are still fifth-most in franchise history for a head coach. He led the Blackhawks to one Stanley Cup Final.

Joel Quenneville​

Quenneville has a complicated legacy in Chicago. There is no denying this is a polarizing name to consider. We cannot ignore the revelations that came from the investigation surrounding the sexual assault of Kyle Beach. And there have been serious consequences for Quenneville’s career since that report was published. He is also the greatest head coach in Chicago Blackhawks history, leading the team to three championships. Q ranks second behind Reay in all-time wins as a Blackhawks’ head coach (452) and is the franchise’s all-time leader in postseason games (128) and playoff wins (76).

Blackhawks Broadcasters​

Lloyd Pettit​

For many Blackhawks fans, Pettit’s is the voice they will forever associate with the team. From 1967 to 1981 he worked on radio and television broadcasts of the Blackhawks, and also did some baseball in Chicago. He was an iconic game caller, known for exclaiming “there’s a shot… and a goal!” He left a huge role to be filled when he stepped away from the mic in 1981. Pettit was presented with the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award by the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1986.

Pat Foley​

One person who grew up and fell in love with the Blackhawks in large part because of Pettit’s voice was Foley. His voice became synonymous with the Blackhawks for the generations that followed Pettit. He spent most of four decades with the team with a brief gap in the mid-2000s. From “Savoir-Faire” to the dynasty teams, he was the voice of the Chicago Blackhawks. Foley was presented with the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award by the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2014.

John Wiedeman​

Wiedeman has been the radio voice (and occasionally television) for the Blackhawks for two decades. There are plenty of fans who will have an earbud in to listen to John and Troy on WGN radio while in the United Center. At some point he should get a call from Toronto and join Pettit and Foley in the Hall.

Blackhawks Special Contributors​

Dale Tallon​

Tallon did everything with the Blackhawks organization. He spent five years on the blue line. He then spent nearly two decades broadcasting Blackhawks games alongside Foley and others. Eventually, he moved into the front office and, as the general manager, assembled many of the pieces that became the dynasty teams. If you’re looking for a “special contributor” to the history of the Chicago Blackhawks, Tallon checks almost every box.

Eddie Olczyk​

Not many individuals have represented the Blackhawks from a fan level to the ice and into other capacities on a local and international level as well as Olczyk. Edzo was selected third overall by the Blackhawks in the 1984 NHL Draft and still holds many “young Blackhawks player to do ____” in franchise history. He appeared in 322 regular-season games for his hometown Blackhawks during a career that earned him enshrinement in the USA Hockey Hall of Fame. He was also an exceptional partner for Foley in the broadcast booth.

Troy Murray​

Murray may not have grown up in Chicago like Edzo, but he was drafted by the Blackhawks and was a terrific player for 12 years with the organ-I-zation in his own right. Murray has a Selke at home (and a Stanley Cup ring from 1996 with the Avalanche). He joined the Blackhawks’ broadcast team(s) in 1998 and has been a fixture in the booths since.

Harvey Wittenberg​

Recent generations of Blackhawks fans associate the in-stadium experience at the United Center with the booming voice of Gene Honda. But Wittenberg was the voice of the Chicago Blackhawks as the public address announcer from 1961-2002. He’s also written two books about the Blackhawks and contributes online for the team.

Wayne Messmer​

The end of the relationship here would undoubtedly complicate this being possible, but the National Anthem tradition at Blackhawks home games will forever be associated with two voices: Messmer and Jim Cornelison. Messmer did it big and loud at the Chicago Stadium. And no Anthem has ever come close to the one at the 1991 NHL All-Star Game.

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/blac...be-recognized-in-the-blackhawks-hall-of-fame/

 

[Chicago Blackhawks]

Love for Hammer, Parity Concerns, Blashill Bears Down, a Michigan Goal, and Other Blackhawks Bullets

James Mirtle at The Athletic shared a mailbag post yesterday that had a few interesting things in it. I rarely jump too far into those types of posts that aren’t Blackhawks-specific, but the first question in this one raised a fascinating topic to consider moving forward. “Does a quickly rising cap mean less parity?” Here’s part of Mirtle’s response:

It’s going to take time for the new CBA to affect roster construction and, by extension, team quality. Likely three or four years. We saw this offseason how much teams scrambled to lock up their existing talent and how weak an already-thin free agent class was as a result.

But how does that dynamic change if we’re talking about a cap that’s another $20 million or more north of where it is now? How is that extra $640 million league-wide going to get spent? Will it mean a major redistribution of talent, from contending teams to those trying to get better, or is it going to simply make it easier for the Floridas of the league to keep everyone in-house, like they did this summer? Will the full amount even get spent at all?

I’ve cautioned us from getting exceedingly excited about / hope for / expect the Blackhawks to have the opportunity to sign a big ticket, game-changer free agent in the coming years because of the NHL’s salary cap going up as much as it will in the coming years. And the new CBA is going to continue to bring a higher ceiling annually.

While the ceiling going up is because teams are making more money, not every market is equal. People have made a big deal out of states without income tax having an advantage, but teams that can charge more for tickets, concessions and other merch — like the Rangers, Leafs, Canadiens, Blackhawks — have an even bigger advantage as the salary cap continues to go up.

Will a rapidly rising NHL salary cap end the parity era? Plus questions on the Bruins, Red Wings, Blackhawks, and the draft in the latest mailbaghttps://t.co/IrZy5EoKGd

— James Mirtle (@mirtle) August 14, 2025

• Mirtle was also asked where he thinks the Blackhawks will finish this season (will they be back at the bottom of the league). While he said the bottom of the league — Blackhawks, Sharks — are improving, they’re doing it together. And, importantly, there aren’t other teams sprinting to the bottom to join them (though I would argue Pittsburgh should do that at some point, they likely won’t be that bad as long as Sidney Crosby is there). So he does think the Blackhawks will have some growing pains this year and will likely be better (he predicts they’ll be in the 70-75 point range), but that’s still near the bottom of the league.

• Here’s part of what Mirtle said about the Blackhawks approach this summer:

I actually thought they made the right move with a pretty quiet offseason this year. There was talk at the combine that perhaps GM Kyle Davidson would be really aggressive, throwing huge money at the Marners of the world, but instead they’ve left open nearly $20 million in cap space to try and accumulate future assets and aim for a rise up the standings in another couple years.

It’s going to mean a frustrating season at times for players like Connor Bedard, but trying to fast-track what they’re doing there could have been a disaster. As mentioned with the Red Wings, it’s a long road going full-rebuild in the NHL right now, even if everything breaks your way and you win some lotteries. If Chicago had signed a big-name UFA this summer, that huge-salaried star could be well onto the wrong side of the aging curve by the time they’re ready to contend and still making big money.

Contrast that with the upside of adding another pick at the top of a strong 2026 draft, and it’s a no-brainer decision.

• After I shared our look at the all-time best Blackhawks goaltenders yesterday, Tommy M. on Facebook asked about goalie records for penalty minutes. I hadn’t considered it, but… looking at the Blackhawks’ all-time records on NHL.com made me chuckle. Ed Belfour has the Blackhawks’ all-time mark for PIM from a goaltender with 240. Second place? Glenn Hall — with only 52! Ron Hextall has the all-time NHL record for penalty minutes for a goalie (569). Billy Smith is second all-time (475).

• I’ve talked a fair amount here about giving Brent Seabrook his flowers for being an important part of the Blackhawks dynasty teams because his excellent play was in the shadow of Duncan Keith winning awards and his leadership was often overlooked because Jonathan Toews was the captain. If Seabrook is taken for granted, Niklas Hjalmarsson also needs to get his proper respect. He was arguably the best shut-down, shot-blocking defenseman of the 2010s. Terrific piece here from Kevin Powell at WGN Radio on the Hammer.

Niklas Hjalmarrson was a shot-blocking machine during the Blackhawks' Stanley Cup run.@KPowell720 has more on "Hammer" with today's Centennial Profile!https://t.co/Kk9tjeIHGh

— WGN Radio 720 (@WGNRadio) August 14, 2025

• How about a Michigan goal in Sweden — from a Blackhawks prospect! Joel Svensson, the Hawks’ fifth-round pick (No. 138) in the 2024 NHL Draft, pulled one off. Absolutely love to see it.

• Anton Frondell lined up as the second-line center for Djurgården’s preseason game on Thursday.

• The Utah Mammoth announced forward Caleb Desnoyers, the fourth overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, had wrist surgery and will miss approximately 12 weeks. I’m sure many here will remember I was big on Desnoyers as a potential pick for the Blackhawks. Chicago took Frondell.

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• Owen Caissie should have had an extra base hit in his first big league at bat. He got robbed.

• The Bulls released their schedule for the 2025-26 season.

• How about some Big Ten (and Notre Dame) college football updates?

• Finally, the crossover content we live for here at Bleacher Nation:

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/blac...a-michigan-goal-and-other-blackhawks-bullets/

 

[Chicago Blackhawks]

College Free Agents, Blindfolded Bedard, the Big Rig’s a Coach, and Other Blackhawks Bullets

Yesterday (Aug. 15) was the deadline for NHL teams to sign graduating college players on their reserve list. Obviously the day came and went without the Blackhawks agreeing on a deal with center Dominic James, who had a nice run at Minnesota-Duluth where he served as their captain last year. It will be interesting to see where James lands; he’s a very good faceoff guy and felt he had a better shot at making the NHL somewhere other than Chicago.

If you’re wondering who else is available, PuckPedia posted a list at the end of July. I’ll also be interested to see if the Blackhawks look for some AHL depth here. The last drafted but not signed NCAA free agent the Blackhawks signed was Cole Guttman.

• Charlie Roumeliotis at WGN Radio went ahead and projected what he thinks the Blackhawks’ opening night lineup will look like with rationale behind all of the forward lines and defensive pairs. Solid write-up. When I joined Charlie and Pat Boyle earlier this summer on the Blackhawks Breakaway Podcast, we chatted through my early summer projected lineup.

Early projection of #Blackhawks’ 2025-26 Opening Night lineup: https://t.co/eNMNjeesJ9

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) August 14, 2025

• Connor Bedard worked on shooting without seeing the net. Still got it!

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A post shared by Sherwood Hockey (@sherwoodhockey)​

• Happy 19th birthday to Blackhawks prospect and Providence forward John Mustard.

• ICYMI yesterday I looked at some non-players who could/should be recognized in the new Blackhawks Hall of Fame.

The #Blackhawks will induct the first ever class into the team's Hall of Fame this coming season. One area where fans and media didn't vote was for broadcasters, coaches and "special contributors."

Here are a few names that should be in the Hawks' HOFhttps://t.co/beJoSdk8hK

— Tab Bamford (@The1Tab) August 15, 2025

• Julian McKenzie at The Athletic wrote a fun crossover piece this week about the Little League World Series — and two former NHL players. In 1982, Canada’s team at the LLWS included Pierre Turgeon future Blackhawk Stéphane Matteau — yes, Matteau! Matteau! Matteau! was one helluva baseball player as a 12-year-old. Matteau was acquired by the Blackhawks from Calgary for Trent Yawney in December of 1991 and was then dealt to the Rangers in the deal that brought Tony Amonte to Chicago in 1994. But his goal for the Blue Shirts — and the legendary call of it — will live on forever.

• Have a year, Penn State hockey! First they get the top-ranked prospect in the 2026 NHL Draft class, Gavin McKenna. Now, their head coach Guy Gadowsky will lead the US Collegiate Select Team at the Spengler Cup this winter. Note that the Spengler Cup overlaps with the World Junior Championship, so this roster will likely be comprised of more upperclassmen.

Penn State coach Guy Gadowsky will coach the U.S. Collegiate Select team that plays in the Spengler Cup Dec. 26-31. The team will consist of 25 NCAA D-I players, to be named at a later date.

— Adam Kimelman (@NHLAdamK) August 14, 2025

• The Detroit Red Wings announced the signing of defenseman Travis Hamonic to a one-year deal with a $1M AAV.

• The Columbus Blue Jackets announced the signing of RFA defenseman Daemon Hunt to a one-year, two-way contract.

• Finally, the Big Rig is going straight to coaching! The USHL’s Muskegon Lumberjacks, where Blackhawks 2025 first-rounder Václav Nestrašil played last year, have hired Pat Maroon to be part of their staff. Congrats!

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• How worried should we be as Cubs fans?

• The Bears’ new head coach wants someone to win the battle to start at left tackle asap.

• How many nationally televised games will feature the Bulls this season?

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/blac...ig-rigs-a-coach-and-other-blackhawks-bullets/