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Hall Of Fame Executive Murray Costello Passes Away

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Former Hockey Canada president Murray Costello has passed away at the age of 90. Costello was a pillar of Canadian hockey, with an executive career spanning over 50 years. Much of that was spent in decision-making roles with Hockey Canada and the IIHF, where Costello played a pivotal role in the growth of both junior and women’s hockey internationally. He earned induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2005 – the only builder inducted in a year that also enshrined Cam Neely and Valeri Kharlamov.

Costello’s career began with the 1953-54 Chicago Blackhawks, who signed him from a St. Michael’s Major team that featured many future professionals, including long-time NHL goalie and coach Ed Chadwick. Costello scored five points in 40 games during his rookie season, pushing the Blackhawks to trade him to the Boston Bruins. But Costello couldn’t find his groove in New England either, leading to a trade to the Detroit Red Wings in 1956 and a move away from the NHL entirely in 1957. He concluded his career with 32 points and 54 penalty minutes in 162 games.

Costello would go on to support some minor professional teams and junior hockey programs in Seattle. But he’d ultimately work his way back to Canada, assuming the role of president of Hockey Canada in 1979. The role brought major oversight of Canada’s national programs, which allowed Costello to form Canada’s first national U21 team in 1982 and set up the first IIHF Women’s World Championship in 1990. He also championed the merger of CAHA and Hockey Canada in 1994, bringing together amateur and junior hockey across Canada. Costello moved to a council role with the IIHF in 1998, where he stayed until his retirement in 2012.

The strides of junior and women’s hockey in the years since sit largely on Costello’s innovations. Fellow Hall-of-Famer Angela James emphasized that point to the CBC’s Emma Weller, saying, “You don’t always see who the people are that are advocating for your sport, but I know that Murray Costello was one of them.” James added that Murray’s support of the 1990 Women’s Worlds – where she joined Team Canada in winning an inaugural gold medal – was ample show of that support.

Costello’s career is marked by countless accolades, including additions into the IIHF Hall of Fame, Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame, and ’Order of Hockey in Canada’. It stands as a true legacy, built on a passion for expanding opportunity to the game. PHR sends our condolences to Costello’s family and friends.

Blackhawks Notes: Bertuzzi, Teravainen, Hall, Nazar, Korchinski

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The Blackhawks were one of the league’s more active teams in free agency at the beginning of this month, adding a decent slate of veteran talent to avoid overworking their prospects as they slowly begin to exit their rebuild stage. Expect two of those additions to flank Connor Bedard on the Hawks’ first line come opening night, writes The Athletic’s Mark Lazerus. Lazerus projects Tyler Bertuzzi and Teuvo Teravainen to serve as Bedard’s wingers to begin 2024-25 after they each inked multi-year deals to come to Chicago.

Blackhawks Re-Sign Louis Crevier, Isaak Phillips To Two-Way Deals

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The Blackhawks have re-signed RFA defensemen Louis Crevier and Isaak Phillips to two-way deals for this season, per a team announcement. They’ll carry $775K cap hits if on the NHL roster.

Crevier, 23, was selected in the seventh round out of QMJHL Chicoutimi in 2020. He turned pro and signed his entry-level contract with Chicago in 2022, joining their AHL affiliate in Rockford. The hulking 6’8″, 227-lb stay-at-home defender made his NHL debut last season after spending all of 2022-23 in the minors, playing 24 games largely as an injury replacement. The Quebec City native notched his first three NHL assists, understandably struggling to maintain possession in defensively-oriented minutes on one of the league’s worst teams. His -16 rating, 37.7 CF% and 33.2 xGF% were in the league-wide basement last season, but understandable for a developing blue-liner making his NHL debut ahead of schedule.

It’s worth noting that after being a relative non-factor in Rockford in 2022-23, Crevier did take a demonstrable step forward in AHL action last season. He played increased minutes and showcased increased efficiency on both sides of the puck, logging 11 points (3 G, 8 A) and a +12 rating in 41 games. His above-average skating for his size clicked, a promising sign. That’s likely his ticket to a full-time NHL role somewhere down the line.

That full-time role likely won’t come next season after the Blackhawks bolstered their defensive depth earlier this month with a pair of veteran signings in T.J. Brodie and Alec Martinez. He’ll likely receive some outside consideration for the seventh D-man spot on the opening night roster, but he’ll face competition from a few other young blue-liners in the Chicago system, including Phillips.

Phillips, who was selected two rounds ahead of Crevier in 2020, entered RFA status this summer with more NHL experience than his counterpart. Also coming off the completion of his entry-level contract, he appeared in 33 games for the Hawks last season, posting six assists and a -26 rating while clocking in at over 17 minutes per night. The left-shot defender has 53 NHL games under his belt spread over the last three seasons, totaling a goal and 10 assists with a -37 rating.

He’s not as massive as Crevier, but he still has good size at 6’3″ and 205 lbs. He’s been a stronger all-around player in the minors, where he has 71 points (22 G, 49 A) in 171 games with Rockford over the past four seasons. He got an early start to his professional career after suiting up for Rockford in 2020-21, thanks to the OHL pausing operations due to COVID-19.

Crevier and Phillips were the Hawks’ last remaining unsigned RFAs this summer. Neither were eligible to file for salary arbitration last month, and Crevier was ineligible to sign or receive offer sheets as a 10.2(c) free agent. Both will be RFAs again in 2025.

Rockford Signs Four Players To AHL Contracts

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The Rockford IceHogs made a handful of signings today as the team announced four separate one-year AHL contracts for Kevin Lombardi, Lucas Brenton, Colin Felix, and Adam McCormick. None of the four are a needle mover at the AHL level but it does improve the team’s overall depth — especially on the blue line.

As the only forward of the group, Lombardi recently ended his five-year NCAA career at Sacred Heart University. Lombardi showed some offensive growth during his last two years at school as he scored 23 goals and 26 assists in 72 games. He has good size for a forward and almost became a member of the IceHogs last season before deciding to return to school for his last season of eligibility.

Felix and Brenton are both physical defensemen who have had success in recent years. The former put up four goals and 32 points in 140 games at the University of Massachusetts from 2018-2022 while helping the program win its first National Championship in 2021. Brenton, on the other hand, spent the last four years with the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors and earned a berth in the 2024 Memorial Cup tournament after sweeping Portland in the WHL Championship series.

If any defensemen of the trio projects to make an impact on the score sheet it would be McCormick. He recently wrapped up a three-year run at the University of New Brunswick in the USports league in Canada. In his junior campaign, McCormick scored eight goals and 41 points in 28 games which was good for fourth on the team in scoring.

Other West notes:

  • The Colorado Avalanche are reportedly set to hire a new man to lead their Amateur Scouting Department as Penguins beat writer Josh Yohe reports Nick Pryor will be leaving the Penguins organization to take on a new role in Denver. It will be a major change for Pryor as the new vice president of player personnel in Pittsburgh, Wes Clark, looks to reshape the Penguins scouting departments. Pryor previously served as an amateur scout for the Philadelphia Flyers from 2013-2021 before spending the last three years as director of amateur scouting for the Penguins.
  • According to Mark Divver of the New England Hockey Journal, there are no long-term concerns for the recent 19th overall pick of the Vegas Golden Knights, Trevor Connelly. The young forward prospect will not participate in the World Junior Summer Showcase and was limited to one scrimmage the the Golden Knights’ development camp due to a knee injury. Connelly is committed to Providence College for the 2024-25 NCAA season and is still expected to start the season on time.

AHL Rockford Re-Signs Mitchell Weeks To Two-Year Deal

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  • The Rockford IceHogs have re-signed goaltender Mitchell Weeks to a two-year contract, CHGO Sports’ Mario Tirabassi reports. Weeks, 23, remains in the Blackhawks’ system after compiling a .902 SV%, 2.74 GAA, one shutout and an 8-4-3 record in 17 appearances for the IceHogs over the past two seasons. Most of the Ontario native’s playing time since turning pro in 2021 has come at the ECHL level with the Indy Fuel, where he has a slightly better 2.59 GAA and .905 SV% in 55 showings. Rockford is due to receive prospects Drew Commesso and Arvid Söderblom from the Blackhawks to serve as their primary tandem next season, so Weeks will likely be heading back to Indy, at least for the first year of his new deal.

Snapshots: Sprong, Misiak, Julien

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The Vancouver Canucks are among the teams interested in free agent winger Daniel Sprong, shares Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK News (Twitter link). Sprong is the top remaining free agent from PHR’s Top 50 Unrestricted Free Agents.

Sprong has fought his way into NHL legitimacy over the last two seasons, kicked off with a breakout 2022-23 with the Seattle Kraken. He recorded career-highs across the board – netting 21 goals, 25 assists, and 46 points in 66 games despite a measly role on Seattle’s third line. It was a flash-in-the-pan season for the veteran Sprong, who had only managed 70 points in 202 career games up to that point. And he held onto the scoring through a move to the Detroit Red Wings last summer, netting 18 goals and 43 points despite averaging just 12 minutes of ice time. He’s seemingly proven his ability to produce in a depth role, though it’s hard to ignore the long streak of struggles that started his career. Now 28, Sprong doesn’t seem destine for a long-term deal, though he could prove a valuable late-market add for a Canucks team in need of boost down their wings.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Chicago Blackhawks prospect Martin Misiak is expected to return to the OHL next season shares Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times (Twitter link). Misiak played through his first year in the OHL this season, netting 23 goals and 47 points in 60 games with the Erie Otters. He signed his entry-level contract with the Hawks at the end of Erie’s season, coupling the deal with an amateur try-out in the AHL. But it seems he’s now quite ready to jump to the pros, instead focused on finding another layer of scoring after a meager debut in the OHL.
  • The St. Louis Blues are sitting happy with their addition of long-time NHL head coach Claude Julien, who joined the team as an assistant coach last June. Blues general manager Doug Armstrong compared the hire to when Larry Robinson, an NHL Hall-of-Famer, joined Craig Berube’s coaching staff ahead of the team’s 2019 Stanley Cup win, telling Lou Korac of NHL.com that he hopes this move will have similar long-term ramifications. He said, “The experience Larry Robinson showed a young staff, it was really impressive. I think Claude’s at a portion of his life now where I think accepting this is easier and seeing the joy of working with young coaches and making them better, sharing his experiences, sharing his experiences with players.” Julien, a 19-year veteran of NHL head coaching, seems set on maintaining his mentoring role in St. Louis, as the team promotes up-and-coming coaches in Drew Bannister and Steve Ott.

Blackhawks Loan Antti Saarela To Finnish League

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After a rough first year in North America last season, the Blackhawks are giving prospect forward Antti Saarela a fresh start.  Per an announcement from Luuko in Finland’s Liiga, Chicago has loaned Saarela to them for the upcoming season.

The 23-year-old was a fourth-round pick by the Blackhawks in 2019, going 123rd overall.  After a good showing with Lukko in 2022-23 that saw him record 18 points in 41 games, Chicago signed Saarela to a two-year, entry-level contract just a couple of months before they would have lost his NHL rights.

However, things didn’t go well for him in his first year with AHL Rockford.  Between injuries and some struggles, Saarela was limited to just 27 games where he picked up five goals and one assist.  He did not suit up for the IceHogs in the postseason.

Saarela is entering the final year of his entry-level contract and will be a restricted free agent next summer with salary arbitration rights.  Considering how the first season went, it’s safe to say that Saarela is tracking toward non-tender status unless he has a very strong showing back home next season.

Rockford IceHogs Sign Austin Strand To AHL Contract

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The Chicago Blackhawks AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs, will have another familiar face on the roster next season as the team announced they have signed defenseman Austin Strand to a one-year contract for the 2024-25 AHL season. Strand is projected to spend the entire season with the IceHogs after the team acquired him via trade from the AHL’s Chicago Wolves last season.

Strand turned professional in 2018 after signing his entry-level contract with the Los Angeles Kings after an impressive season with the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds. He spent his first full season with the Ontario Reign of the AHL, scoring seven goals and 18 points in 43 games. Strand spent the next three years with the Kings organization and collected three assists in 21 games at the NHL level with 12 goals and 27 points in 92 AHL contests.

Moving further south in California, Strand signed as a free agent with the Anaheim Ducks heading into the 2022-23 season. He participated in five games with the Ducks that season collecting two goals and eight points in 46 games for the AHL’s San Diego Gulls. Anaheim traded Strand to the Buffalo Sabres organization in exchange for Chase Priskie at that year’s deadline, suiting up in nine games for the Rochester Americans down the stretch.

Outside of his offensive production — Strand carries plenty of value to the IceHogs as a veteran presence and stabilizing defenseman. The team’s president of hockey operations, Mark Bernard, said as much, “He brings experience and energy to the rink each day and is someone that can help carry the coaching staff’s message into the locker room. He will be a great asset this year as we will have a lot of young prospects that he can be a mentor to“.

Blackhawks Open To Signing Taige Harding

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Scott Wheeler of The Athletic released the summer edition of his Top 100 drafted NHL prospects rankings. Not surprisingly, Macklin Celebrini tops the list and is one of 22 players from the 2024 NHL entry draft. Philadelphia Flyers 2023 first-round pick Matvei Michkov is the second-ranked prospect just ahead of Montreal Canadiens prospect Ivan Demidov who rounded out the top 3.

Celebrini’s soon-to-be teammate Will Smith ranked eighth on the list and was the second of six San Jose Sharks prospects to make Wheeler’s top 100. The six prospects for San Jose was the most among any team alongside the Columbus Blue Jackets and Montreal Canadiens who also had six ranked prospects. The Sharks, Blue Jackets, and Canadiens are all in the midst of a rebuild and isn’t surprising to see them have the most players on the list.

In other league notes:

  • Scott Powers of The Athletic is reporting that the Chicago Blackhawks could still sign 2021 third-round pick (91st overall) Taige Harding. The unsigned defenseman has had a steady but unspectacular NCAA career at Providence College and is going into his senior year with the Friars. Powers believes that the Blackhawks would be willing to give Harding an entry-level deal and a role in the AHL if Harding is interested. The 21-year-old won’t provide much offence, but at 6’7” tall and 235 pounds he will be a presence in the Blackhawks’ defensive zone when he makes the jump to professional hockey.
  • The Vegas Golden Knights have announced that their new ECHL affiliate will be the Tahoe Knight Monsters. The multi-year affiliation agreement will start this season and will see the Knight Monsters play in Stateline, Nevada out of the Tahoe Blue Event Center. The ECHL approved the expansion franchise a year ago and the team already had six players signed for next season before the affiliation. The Knight Monsters will begin their inaugural season on October 24th against the Jacksonville Icemen.

Luke Richardson Could Enter Hot Seat This Season

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The Chicago Blackhawks made several additions to the lineup this offseason while operating near the league’s basement for the past two years. The organization hopes to be much more competitive this season which may indirectly impact the future of the head coach, Luke Richardson. Scott Powers of The Athletic (subscription article) wonders if Richardson may be on the hot seat this season if the Blackhawks are not more competitive.

There should be a grain of salt taken with any ideas of competition coming out of Chicago as the organization still does not project to be close to a Stanley Cup contender. However, with phenom Connor Bedard entering his sophomore season and the team adding $25.05MM to their salary cap structure for the 2024-25 NHL season, the Blackhawks could compete for a .500 record. After collecting a record of 49-102-13 over the last two years — is Richardson the coach to oversee this next step for Chicago?

The Blackhawks organization would have been hard-pressed to find a coach who would have earned a better record than Richardson over the past two years, and his calm demeanor appears to have helped many of the younger players transition to professional hockey. Richardson was an assistant coach for the Montreal Canadiens when they made their improbable run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2021 but has little to no experience beyond coaching a competitive team. Chicago will have a longer leash than most on his performance this year but it’s clear the front office is looking to take a step forward in the rebuild.

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