Morning Chirps: Frondell has successful return to SHL, Blues lock up young defender

Boy oh boy! What a Saturday in Chicago! The Bears beat the Packers in an instant classic, the Cubs made a huge free-agent signing, and Drew Commesso records his first career shutout. Absolute insanity. Your Sunday morning coffee is going to taste a little sweeter, brewed with Green Bay and Nashville tears. On to the Chirps!  

Blackhawks Chirps

• Ty Glenn had postgame duties last night for the Blackhawks big win over the Nashville Predators.

• With both of their goaltenders in Nashville, the Rockford IceHogs turned their crease over to Owen Flores on Saturday night. The 21-year-old netminder was impressive in his AHL debut, making 32 saves in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Manitoba Moose. The IceHogs got a shorthanded goal from Dominic Toninato in the second period and a Rem Pitlick tally early in the third period. These two teams will square off again at the BMO Center on Tuesday.

• NHL.com projected the lineup for Team Finland for the upcoming Winter Olympics. They have Blackhawks forward Teuvo Teravainen on the second line with Artturi Lehkonen and Sebastian Aho.

• After being named the top forward of the World Junior Championship, Anton Frondell carried his play back to the SHL. He had a goal and a primary assist in his first game back, leading Djurgården to a 3-1 win over Färjestad. He’s currently second on the team with 11 goals and fifth in scoring with 17 points.

• Vaclav Nestrasil got revenge on Sacha Boisvert and Boston University as he scored the game-winning goal in a 2-0 UMass victory last night. He leads the Minutemen with 11 goals on the season.

• On this date in 1988, Denis Savard recorded an assist for his 800th career point as the Blackhawks and New York Rangers skated to a 2-2 tie.

• Two years later, Al Secord scored his sixth and final career hat trick to lead the offense in a 5-4 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers.

• Blackhawks Birthday Roll Call, Jan. 11: Red Hamill and Bobby Sheehan.

NHL Chirps

• The Ottawa Senators are going through a rough patch with rumors swirling around why goaltender Linus Ullmark took a personal leave of absence. The team showed their support for Ullmark while they met the media on Saturday. Captain Brady Tkachuk did not sugarcoat his feelings.

• The St. Louis Blues are heading the wrong way in the standings, but they locked up one of their core defensemen. They signed Philip Broberg to a six-year, $48 million contract extension on Saturday. The 24-year-old blueliner’s career has blossomed ever since he arrived in St. Louis after signing an offer sheet in the summer of 2024.

• Things aren’t going great for the New Jersey Devils these days. They are closer to last place in the Eastern Conference than a playoff spot. Now veteran defenseman Dougie Hamilton will be a healthy scratch against the Winnipeg Jets today. Pierre LeBrun reached out to his agent, J.P. Barry, and got an interesting quote:

• Connor McDavid scored a goal to extend his point streak to a career-high 18 games. He has 19 goals and 42 points during his streak. However, the Los Angeles Kings beat the Edmonton Oilers 4-3 in a shootout to win a huge Pacific Division game.

• Speaking of point streaks, Macklin Celebrini extended his to 13 games with three assists in the San Jose Sharks’ 5-4 overtime win against the Dallas Stars. He is one game away from tying the franchise record of points in 14 straight games set by Erik Karlsson during the 2022-23 season.

• Detroit Red Wings forward James van Riemsdyk showed up to Saturday’s game against the Montreal Canadiens wearing a Batman costume for his son’s birthday. He might have to keep wearing it because the Red Wings beat the Canadiens 4-0.

• NHL Birthday Roll Call, Jan. 11: Dave Kerr, Mike Corrigan, Dave Burrows, Rob Ramage, Ronnie Stern, Mark Pysyk, Brian Halonen, and Nathan Legare.