Morning Chirps: Artyom Levshunov's journey, Don Granato is back in the NHL

We’ve made it to another Friday! That’s another week down in the offseason, getting us closer to hockey returning! Let’s celebrate with another batch of Morning Chirps.

Blackhawks Chirps

• Ryan Gagne put together the Blackhawks' all-time lineup made up of players born in Illinois.

• Scott Powers of The Athletic recently had lunch with Blackhawks defenseman Artyom Levshunov. In addition to a gigantic strawberry shortcake, he gives us a lot of great insight into the young defenseman’s journey to the NHL and the adjustments he’s had to make. This article is out from behind the paywall, so please check it out!

• On this date in 2008, the legendary Scotty Bowman joined the Blackhawks organization. He was hired as a senior advisor of hockey operations. This allowed him to work alongside his son, Stan, who was an assistant general manager at the time. Scotty got his name on the Stanley Cup three more times with the Blackhawks, giving him 12 appearances on the greatest trophy in all of sports.

• Blackhawks Birthday Roll Call, July 31: Ray Frederick, Troy Murray, and Wyatt Kaiser.

NHL Chirps

• Don Granto, young brother of Blackhawks analyst Tony Granato, is back in the NHL. He will join Rick Bowness’ staff as an assistant coach for the Columbus Blue Jackets. This is his first job back in the league since being fired by the Buffalo Sabres in 2024. He started his coaching career in the USHL before moving on to the ECHL, where he won the Kelly Cup with the Peoria Rivermen in 2000. He spent some time in the AHL, including a brief stint as the Chicago Wolves head coach. Granato was the head coach of the USNTDP from 2013 to 2016 before joining Tony’s staff at the University of Wisconsin. In 2017, he was hired by Joel Quenneville to join the Blackhawks as an assistant coach.

• Earlier this week, Cal Foote signed with Färjestad BK in the SHL. His stint lasted all of two days, as the team dismissed his contract on Thursday. According to a team statement, the decision was made after consulting with team partners and stakeholders. They also said that the presentation of the person and his history were misaligned with expectations.

• The New Jersey Devils signed forward Colin White to a one-year, two-way contract. He’ll make $900,000 in the NHL and $400,000 in the AHL. The 29-year-old center has 323 games of NHL experience with the Ottawa Senators, Florida Panthers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Montreal Canadiens, and San Jose Sharks. His best season came in 2018-19 when he scored 14 goals and 41 points for the Senators.

• Russia will not be playing in any IIHF-sanctioned tournaments in 2027. Sean Gentille of The Athletic reported that Russia will not be permitted to field teams at the 2027 Men’s World Championship, the World Junior Championship, the U18 Men’s World Championship or the U18 Women’s World Championship

• NHL Birthday Roll Call, July 31: Bryan Hextall, Derek Smith, Dave Maloney, Tom McCarthy, Dale Hunter, Brian Skrudland, Jiri Fischer, Evgeni Malkin, Ryan Johansen, and Linus Ulmark.

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