Morning Chirps: Familiar voice added to NHL 27, IceHogs sign forward

The Chicago Blackhawks have a ton of prospects on a respected analyst’s summer list, while NHL 27 will feature a familiar voice in the game presentation. Let’s get Chirpin!

Blackhawks Chirps

• Ryan McGregor, our guy in Vancouver, gave us three prospects who have a chance to earn an NHL roster spot at training camp this fall.

• Speaking of prospects, Scott Wheeler put out his list of the top 100 drafted prospects. The Blackhawks have eight players on the list, with Anton Frondell and Roman Kantserov being the highest-ranked.

• We talked about Wheeler’s list on yesterday’s episode of the CHGO Blackhawks Podcast and also had a great conversation with Rockford IceHogs general manager Mark Bednard.

• Before joining us, Bedard signed forward Kyler Kupka to a one-year AHL contract. He played 24 AHL games over the last two seasons and spent most of last year with the South Carolina Stingrays of the ECHL. He played under IceHogs head coach Jared Nightingale in South Carolina in 2024-25, scoring 53 points in 54 games and making the ECHL All-Rookie Team.

• Blackhawks Birthday Roll Call, July 15: Ed Litzenberger, Gary Donaldson, and Steve Thomas.

NHL Chirps

• Macklin Celebrini will be on the cover of EA Sports’ NHL 27, the youngest player to ever grace the cover. The new broadcast team will feature a familiar voice, with ESPN’s John Buccigross doing play-by-play and Blackhawks analyst Darren Pang on color commentary.

• According to Bill Meltzer, the Philadelphia Flyers are expected to avoid arbitration with both forward Trevor Zegras and defenseman Jamie Drysdale. They still have over $29 million in salary cap space, so there is no shortage of funds for the young duo, both of whom were acquired from the Anaheim Ducks.

• The Pittsburgh Penguins signed Nicolas Robertson, avoiding arbitration. He is officially reunited with general manager Kyle Dubas, who drafted him when he was with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Robertson signed a two-year, $6.5 million contract.

• Former Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams has a new job. He was hired by the Boston Bruins to be a special consultant to general manager Don Sweeney.

• NHL Birthday Roll Call, July 15: John McKinnon, Rick Kehoe, Chuck Arnason, Barry Melrose, Eric Laroix, Bill Muckalt, Jonathan Cheechoo, Adam Cracknell, Tyler Kennedy, Zach Bogosian, Anthony Bitetto, and Anthony Cirelli.

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