Morning Chirps: Draft pick controversy, women's Olympic tournament off to a strange start

Yesterday was the first full day of no National Hockey League action due to the Olympic break. There was still plenty of hockey being played across the AHL, college, and junior leagues. Plus, the women’s Olympic tournament is off to a weird start. Let’s get you caught up on all the news from Friday.

Blackhawks Chirps

• Frank Seravalli caused quite the stir on Friday when he reported that the draft pick the Blackhawks got from the Florida Panthers for Seth Jones is top-10 protected. The fact that he was the first to reveal this on the day that his new website launched is not a great look. It made many Blackhawks fans feel he had sat on this information for 11 months before reporting it. While CHGO’s Jay Zawaski confirmed with the Blackhawks that this has been the case all along, it’s still weird that it took so long for it to be revealed. Well, it was mentioned on Seravalli’s old website, Daily Faceoff, when the trade was made. You don’t get to where Seravalli is in this industry by sitting on news for 11 months to save it for a new website, so I don’t think there is any conspiracy here. It’s weird that this detail has been so overlooked, but then again, nobody expected the Panthers to be in the running for a top-10 pick when the deal was finalized. This whole thing might be moot if Florida plays well out of the Olympic break and gets itself out of the lottery.

• Justin Lynch wrote about how the Blackhawks will benefit from the three-week break from game action.

• The Rockford IceHogs could use a three-week break! They lost 5-2 on home ice to the Iowa Wild last night after being tied 2-2 heading into the final frame. Sam Rinzel was back in the AHL and was on the top defensive pairing with Ethan Del Mastro. The young defensive duo had the assists on both of Dominic Toninato’s goals. This was a game the IceHogs couldn’t afford to lose, as the Wild is the only team in the Central Division with fewer points than them. They are now six points behind the Milwaukee Admirals for the final postseason spot in the division with 30 games remaining.

• According to Mark Divver, Vaclav Nestrasil was injured in UMass’ last game on Sunday, which caused him to miss last night’s contest with UMass-Lowell.

• Jack Pridham scored his 32nd goal of the season in the Kitchener Rangers’ 6-2 win over the Guelph Storm. He also recorded an assist to put him all alone in third place in Ontario Hockey League scoring with 65 points.

• On this date in 1971, Bobby Hull scored the lone goal, while Tony Esposito stopped all 28 shots he faced in a 1-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins. The goal was the 544th of Hull’s career, tying him with the legendary Maurice Richard for the second-most in NHL history.

• Blackhawks Birthday Roll Call, Feb. 7: Tim Higgins, Peter Bondra, and Richard Panik.

NHL Chirps

• Yesterday, I took us on a trip around the NHL to see where all four divisions stand at the Olympic break. Later today, I’ll pick my Hart, Norris, Calder, and Vezina Trophy winners at the pause.

• Pennsylvania prosecutors have withdrawn the felony charge against Penn State forward Gavin McKenna. He still faces a misdemeanor charge for assault and disorderly conduct. After reviewing video evidence, they believe that McKenna "did not act with the intent to cause serious bodily harm nor did he recklessly act with extreme indifference to the value of human life."

• The women’s hockey tournament is underway at the Winter Olympics, but it hasn’t been a smooth start. No, it’s not because the arena isn’t ready, but rather because of teams getting sick. As Hailey Salvain reported, the entire Swiss women’s team is in isolation “as a precaution” after a player was diagnosed with norovirus. They are scheduled to play Canada later today. Canada’s first game was already postponed because of a norovirus outbreak on Finland’s team. Norovirus is common but highly contagious and spreads rapidly and easily. Team USA is scheduled to play Finland today.

• Every team except Canada and Finland has played at least one game. Team USA beat Czechia 5-1 on Thursday with Hayley Scamurra’s two goals leading the way. This is the Buffalo, NY native’s second trip to the Olympics. She had a goal and three points in seven games during Team USA’s run to the silver medal in 2022.

• NHL Birthday Roll Call, Feb. 7: Marc Reaume, Ross Lonsberry, Tom Williams, Lee Fogolin, Mike Hartman, Shawn Anderson, Yves Racine, Alexandre Daigle, Jody Shelley, Steven Stamkos, Ryan O’Reilly, Nathan Walker, Aaron Ekblad, and Nils Aman.