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Summer Synopsis: Chicago Blackhawks

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The Chicago Blackhawks haven’t had much success in recent years but they do appear poised to turn the corner very soon. Whether that turn happens next season or not remains to be seen, but the Blackhawks certainly seem ready to move their rebuild into the next phase adding plenty of veterans to create a mix with their younger players. Chicago is unlikely to be a playoff team next season, but given the veterans they’ve added and young phenom Connor Bedard ready to take the next step, it isn’t impossible to imagine them in the playoff picture come spring 2025.

Draft

1-2: D Artyom Levshunov, Michigan State (NCAA)
1-18: F Sacha Boisvert,  Muskegon (USHL)
1-27: F Marek Vanacker, Brantford (OHL)
3-67: F John Mustard, Waterloo (USHL)
3-72: F AJ Spellacy, Windsor (OHL)
3-92: F Jack Pridham, West Kelowna (BCHL)
5-138: F Joel Svensson, Vaxjo HC (J20 Nationell)
6-163: D Ty Henry, Erie (OHL)

The Blackhawks once again had a top pick in 2024 and used it to select Michigan State defenseman Levshunov. The 18-year-old from Belarus is a mobile defenseman who can make offense happen in a number of different ways boasting an excellent shot as well as lethal passing and explosiveness to his game that allows him to create open ice for himself out of nothing. He’s not just an offensive defenseman as his size and maneuverability allow him to play a steady defensive game.

The Blackhawks’ second pick in the first round was a goal scorer in Boisvert. The Trois-Rivières, Quebec native is a threat to score from all over the ice with his big one-timer and a solid wrist shot that is difficult for goaltenders to pick up. He can also score in tight, boasting a very good net-front presence and the ability to finish under pressure. The knock on Boisvert is his skating, which is very much a work in progress.

With their third and final first-round pick the Blackhawks drafted Brantford forward Vanacker out of the OHL. The Delhi, Ontario native has been called a cerebral player because of his ability to time his drives into open space and his knack for identifying soft coverage. He is a solid back checker and can create odd-man opportunities in transition. Vanacker has a solid offensive game, a good shot and a strong powerful skating stride that can open up space and also allow him to drive to the net with speed.

Outside of the first round, Chicago added five additional prospects to the pipeline with the most notable being John Mustard who notched 29 goals and 27 assists in 60 USHL games last season. Mustard’s 29 goals led all USHL rookies and helped him earn USHL Rookie of the Year honors.

Trade Acquisitions

F Ilya Mikheyev (Vancouver)

Chicago scooped up Canucks cast off Mikheyev in a salary cap dump alongside a second-round pick and the signing rights to Sam Lafferty. Although Chicago never re-signed Lafferty, the real centerpiece of the deal was the second-round pick. But now Chicago has a player in Mikheyev who will be looking to re-capture his scoring touch after a difficult season in Vancouver that saw him post just 11 goals and 20 assists in 78 regular season games. The Canucks retained 15% of Mikheyev’s cap hit which means the Blackhawks are on the hook for just over $4MM annually for the next two seasons.

Mikheyev’s fall from grace took just two short years in Vancouver after he was billed as a marquee signing back in 2022. Vancouver hoped they were paying a player who was only scratching the surface, but in retrospect, Vancouver overpaid a player who hadn’t yet established himself as a scoring winger and gave him scoring winger money. Ultimately, the free agent signing backfired, and Vancouver was forced to staple an asset to  Mikheyev in order to move on from his contract.

For Chicago, they get a player who can provide them with some depth scoring if he stays healthy. The versatile 29-year-old can play a two-way game which should allow Chicago to play him up and down their lineup as they try to mix in all the new pieces they’ve acquired this summer. Mikheyev has enough skill to play in Chicago’s top six, but if he is not a fit his game would allow him to be a complimentary piece on one of the team’s bottom two lines.

UFA Signings

F Joey Anderson (two-year, $1.6MM)
F Tyler Bertuzzi (four-year, $22MM)
D T.J. Brodie (two-year, $7.5MM)
G Laurent Brossoit (two-year, $6.6MM)
F Pat Maroon (one-year, $1.3MM)
D Alec Martinez (one-year, $4MM)
F Craig Smith (one-year, $1MM)
F Teuvo Teravainen (three-year, $16.2MM)

* denotes a two-way contract

Chicago was busy on July 1st, signing a plethora of players in an effort to insulate some of their up-and-coming prospects. The Blackhawks were aggressive up front, signing Bertuzzi and Teravainen to presumably play in their top six (possibly next to Bedard) and also signed veteran depth forwards Maroon and Smith.

Bertuzzi wasn’t great in Toronto last season, but he wasn’t bad either. The 29-year-old never really seemed to settle in with Toronto and appeared in search of a role until later in the season. Bertuzzi remained a play driver in Toronto but slumped at various times and was snake-bitten for small parts of the year. In Chicago, it is expected that he will take a top-six spot and will be relied on to continue going to the net to be a disrupter for the Blackhawks and hopefully find a way to gel more effectively with their skilled players than he did in Toronto.

Chicago’s other big forward signing was Teravainen who comes over from the Hurricanes. The 29-year-old had to settle for a three-year deal but could be a bargain for Chicago if he can return to the 50–60-point player that he has been in five of the past seven seasons. Teravainen is ideally suited for the middle six but might have to play top-line minutes in Chicago next season. He isn’t a particularly strong or tough player to play against, but he is an excellent passer who has good offensive instincts and should help drive Chicago’s possession numbers when he is on the ice.

On the back end, Chicago signed a couple of veteran defensemen in Brodie and Martinez. Brodie lost his way towards the end of his stay in Toronto as he went from being an excellent defender who could move the puck out of the defensive zone to a turnover machine in very short order. Brodie’s two-year deal is low risk for Chicago, particularly if he is used on the bottom pair, but if his play resembles that of last season and if his skating isn’t there, his signing might be one that Chicago regrets.

At 37, it’s hard to say how much longer Alec Martinez can continue to block shots the way he does. But his veteran presence and penalty killing will be welcomed in Chicago, particularly for a young defenseman like Kevin Korchinski who could learn a lot from a grizzled veteran like Martinez. The three-time Stanley Cup champion will likely be a third-paring defenseman for Chicago (alongside Brodie) and asking any more of him at this late stage of his career could be problematic.

RFA Re-Signings

D Louis Crevier (one-year, $775K)*
C Cole Guttman (one-year, $775K)*
D Isaak Phillips (one-year, $775K)*
F Lukas Reichel (two-year, $2.4MM)
F Zach Sanford (one-year, $775K)*
F Brett Seney (one-year, $775K)*

* denotes a two-way contract

Chicago had a relatively quiet summer on the RFA market thus far, signing mostly depth pieces to two-way contracts while only signing Lukas Reichel to a one-way contract. Reichel looked like a gamer during an extended NHL stay in 2022-23 potting seven goals and eight assists in 23 games while showing off his speed and playmaking ability. But last season his game came crashing down to earth as he struggled during his first full NHL season. The 22-year-old tallied just five goals and 11 assists in 65 games and was crushed in the possession department registering a CF% of just 40.9% at even strength. He will get another look next season but will need to show the Blackhawks a lot more than he did this past year.

Guttman could get a look next season in the NHL if injuries become a problem for Chicago, but he is unlikely to start the year with the team. The undersized forward has had a cup of coffee in the NHL the past two seasons, dressing in 41 games and posting eight goals and six assists, but hasn’t been able to establish himself as an everyday NHLer. At 25 years of age, Guttman could still carve out a role in Chicago, but at this stage, it would likely fall in the Blackhawks bottom six and could be as a 13th forward.

Departures

C Colin Blackwell (Dallas, one-year, $775K)
F MacKenzie Entwistle (Florida, one-year, $775K)*
F David Gust (unsigned UFA)
F Mike Hardman (New Jersey, two-year, $1.55MM)*
F Reese Johnson (Minnesota, one-year, $775K)*
C Tyler Johnson (unsigned UFA)
F Sam Lafferty (Buffalo, two-year, $4MM)
D Jaycob Megna (Florida, one-year, $775K)*
C Luke Philp (Washington, one-year, $775K)*
F Rem Pitlick (unsigned UFA)
F Taylor Raddysh (Washington, one year, $1MM)
D Filip Roos (Ottawa, one-year, $775K)*
G Jaxson Stauber (Utah, one-year, $775K)*
F Michal Teply (signed in Czech Extraliga)
D Jarred Tinordi (unsigned UFA)
D Nikita Zaitsev (signed in KHL)

* denotes a two-way contract

Chicago’s departures aren’t likely to keep management up at night as the team let a lot of depth players walk to open up roster slots for more effective players. Chicago was able to clear several bloated contracts with the departures of Zaitsev and Tyler Johnson and quickly used that money to add veteran pieces in free agency.

Johnson was probably the most effective of the departing players, posting 17 goals and 14 assists last season in 67 games. But at 34 years old Chicago opted to move on from the two-time Stanley Cup winner. Chicago doesn’t have great depth down the middle outside of Bedard, but despite this Chicago still opted to pass on re-signing Johnson.

On Chicago’s backend, Zaitsev’s departure won’t cause anyone in Chicago to lose sleep as he was largely a non-factor during his stay in the Windy City. Tinordi was another departure for the Blackhawks and despite his physicality, Chicago made an upgrade on the free-agent market by replacing him with the likes of Brodie and Martinez.

Salary Cap Outlook

The Blackhawks will enter training camp with just under $6.7MM in available cap space which should give them plenty of options depending on the direction their season takes. If the Blackhawks have a strong start to the season, they could look to add to their NHL roster and would have both the assets and salary cap space to do so. If their season falls off the rails and they become sellers, they could take on bad contracts from teams that are looking to make in-season moves. Long term, Chicago has a ton of cap space going forward, but that room will begin to shrink as their young prospects develop and come off their entry-level contracts looking for their first big payday in the NHL.

Key Questions

How Much Will Bedard Elevate His Game? Bedard had a solid rookie season, posting 22 goals and 39 assists on a very bad team. While he didn’t have a lot of help last season, he did manage to almost score a point a game and should be a lock to do so next season when he has a much better-supporting cast. But just how much better will Bedard be on his own? Bedard has been labelled a phenom and compared to both Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid, two players who elevated their games after their rookie season.  Crosby had 102 points as a rookie before registering 120 points in his Hart Trophy-winning second season, while McDavid had 48 points in 45 games as a rookie but dialled it up considerably in his second year tallying 100 points in 82 games. If Bedard’s career follows the same trajectory as the men he has been compared to, it’s not inconceivable to think he could hit 100 points next season.

When Should The Team Name Bedard The Captain? We all know that it’s just a matter of time before the Blackhawks name Bedard as team captain. Crosby was named captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins after his second NHL season, and both he and McDavid were just 19 years old when they were given the C by their respective teams. Time will tell when Chicago chooses to anoint Bedard as their next captain, but if it happens this season, he will have plenty of veteran support to help him lead the team.

Just How Much Better Will Chicago Be Next Season?  Chicago struggled badly with injuries last season to the point where they were calling the staff of PHR to suit up for the team. Okay, maybe things weren’t quite that bad, but the Blackhawks had to dig deep into the ranks of Rockford to ice an NHL team as they lost a league-high 351-man games to injury. A healthy lineup alone should guarantee Chicago a few extra points in the standings, but their roster has also improved significantly. Last season Chicago had the worst offense in the league, Bertuzzi and Teravainen should help in that regard. Chicago also finished 29th in goals against and should be aided by the defensive additions of Martinez and Brodie, as well as Brossoit in the net who should help to stabilize things between the pipes.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Blackhawks Expect Taylor Hall To Be Cleared For Preseason

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The Blackhawks made a splash on the trade market last summer when they acquired top-six winger Taylor Hall from the Bruins, but an injury to his ACL in his right knee derailed his campaign and shut him down back in November. After returning to practice in the final few days of the 2023-24 campaign, Hall told Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times that he’s completed his recovery from surgery and expects to be medically cleared to play by team doctors upon arriving for training camp next month.

Hall, 32, was expected to be Connor Bedard’s primary wingman in the first-overall pick’s rookie season. It’s easy to see why they targeted the veteran, who won the Hart Trophy with the Devils in 2018 and was just one year removed from a 20-goal, 61-point season at the time of his acquisition. He also came at a substantial $6MM cap hit, one that the Bruins needed to get rid of to increase their spending flexibility and one Chicago needed to help them hit the cap floor. But while he fulfilled the latter objective, his on-ice impact was negligible at best, posting just four points and a -3 rating in 10 games before exiting the lineup entirely.

Uncertainty about how Hall may perform coming off knee surgery directly influenced the Blackhawks’ offseason plans. After signing the slightly younger Tyler Bertuzzi and Teuvo Teravainen in free agency, Hall will likely be relegated to a second-line or even third-line role as he returns to the Chicago lineup. But if he’s needed to take on extra minutes, the 2010 first-overall pick “intends to come back hungry” after missing so much time, he tells Pope.

“I’m trying to take some rest breaks here and there because I’ve been working out and rehabbing for eight months now,” Hall said about his offseason recovery process. “You want to plateau — you want to be at your best — when training camp starts, and you don’t want to be fatigued from working out all summer. I’m playing around with that. But, in general, it feels like a normal offseason for me.” Notably, Pope says Hall has still yet to participate in any full-contact drills, but that’s expected to come with his clearance next month.

A solid rebound campaign from Hall, a pending UFA, likely has more value for Chicago in trade talks than it does in the standings table. They can comfortably retain up to 50% of his salary, making him a $3MM acquisition on deadline day, and his trade protection is limited to a 10-team no-trade list. Hall, who’s only made the playoffs five times in his 14 NHL seasons, would likely welcome a trade to any postseason contender regardless.

Maroon Not Yet Thinking About Playing Future Beyond Upcoming Season

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  • Veteran forward Pat Maroon signed a one-year, $1.3MM contract with the Blackhawks early in free agency which will be the 14th season of his career. The 36-year-old told Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times that he’s not focusing beyond the coming season and isn’t sure if this will be his final year.  Maroon spent most of 2023-24 with Minnesota before being acquired by Boston at the trade deadline although his injury at the time limited him to just two regular season games.  He had four goals and 11 assists along with 60 penalty minutes in 51 appearances last season.

Frank Nazar Could Be An X-Factor In Chicago’s New Top-Six

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The Chicago Blackhawks have had the wind behind their sails since drafting Connor Bedard. They’ve continued to announce exciting upgrades to the roster, the staff, and even the United Center; pulling out plenty of storylines ahead of next season. But that excitement has cast a bit of a shadow over the genuine rookie challenge awaiting top prospect Frank Nazar, and the X-factor role he could earn as a result.

Nazar signed his entry-level contract following the end of the University of Michigan season in April. He was soon granted the first three NHL games of his career, as part of a cohort of Hawks prospects receiving their debuts. But Chicago used Nazar the most, awarding him an average of 16 minutes of ice time and coupling him with Bedard for a quarter of his ice time. He only managed one goal in the appearances but looked ready to play at NHL pace, and next to NHL stars.

The hefty ice time he received in his debuts was an early sign of the role that Chicago thinks Nazar could fill. They didn’t waste his ice time, and gave him a chance to earn roles alongside their best players – sentiment that’d now be much more valuable following the many upgrades to the Blackhawks offense this summer. Chicago now sits with significantly improved top lines, thanks to the additions of Teuvo Teravainen and Tyler Bertuzzi, as well as the return of Taylor Hall. That trio will join Bedard and, likely, Andreas Athanasiou or Philipp Kurashev to form an excitingly high-tempo and high-skilled Blackhawks top-six. But that leaves one spot open – and while hardened veterans like Jason Dickinson, Nick Foligno, or Ilya Mikheyev are likely safer bets for the role, Nazar could be much better fit for the high-skill calling card.

That’s certainly the moniker he built for himself at the U.S. NTDP, where Nazar fought with Logan Cooley and Cutter Gauthier for top-line minutes. He scored above a point-per-game pace in the role, and built up a knack for elevating talented wingers like Rutger McGroarty and Jimmy Snuggerud. He became a bit easy to forget during his absentee 2022-23 season – but rebounded with purpose last season, showing that he still had the ability to sway games with his flashy offense. He worked with McGroarty to carry Michigan to the Big Ten championship game and Frozen Four semi-finals – and carried the high-energy into his first taste with Chicago.

Hawks general manager Kyle Davidson has said that all players stand an “equal chance” at making the Blackhawks lineup out of training camp, perhaps casting some doubt on Nazar’s undisputed role. But with a healthy summer and a sense of what he’s preparing for, it’s hard to imagine Nazar not taking a step up next season. He sits amid tough competition with Chicago’s hardened veterans and other top youngsters, like Lukas Reichel and Landon Slaggert. With one collegiate season to his name, Nazar also has the least experience of the bunch. But the Blackhawks will need a special offensive talent to round out their newly-constructed top-six – and Nazar’s skill seems like an early best fit. He may need to first prove himself in the minor leagues, or wait for others to struggle, but the sky will be the limit when Nazar earns a spot among Chicago’s now-high-scoring top-end.

Poll: Who Will Be The NHL’s Next Captain?

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August is finally here, marking the time of year when teams reconvene at their home rink and begin hardy planning for the upcoming season. That step will come with extra work for the six teams around the league who don’t currently have a captain.

Many of these teams, including Seattle, Anaheim, and Utah, have gone years without a captain – instead opting to disseminate responsibilities among multiple assistant captains. All three teams are amidst staunch rebuilds – with Utah even mapping out relocation – and are likely waiting for their top prospects to take a few more steps before earning the role. The trio of Matthew Beniers, Leo Carlsson, and Logan Cooley seem prime for that ascension with their respective teams, though they each have multiple challengers lining up behind them. The Buffalo Sabres are in a similar grouping, as they transition from a veteran-laden lineup to one of the league’s youngest rosters.

The Chicago Blackhawks also fall into the aforementioned discussion – not carrying a captain since legendary centerman Jonathan Toews ended his career in 2022. Toews leaves massive shoes as Chicago’s leader, after co-heading three Stanley Cup wins alongside winger Patrick Kane. Naming a successor will formally carry Chicago into a new era – one without many of the faces that came to define Chicago hockey in the 2010s. Teenage phenom Connor Bedard seems like a great option to lead that transition, after netting 22 goals and 61 points in 68 games last season – the most of any rookie Blackhawk since Artemi Panarin in 2016, and Kane before him. But Bedard is still young and was limited to a partial season last year by a jaw injury. Those factors could hold him back from Chicago’s prestigious ’C’. If that is the case, it doesn’t seem any of the team’s veteran leaders, including Nick Foligno and Seth Jones, would inspire Chicago to name a captain too early.

And while Chicago’s next captain will lead the team through new scenery, it’s the Tampa Bay vacancy that headlines the off-season. The Lightning now sit without a captain for the first time since 2002, after franchise icon Steven Stamkos chose to sign with the Nashville Predators in his first trip to unrestricted free agency. Stamkos wore the ’C’ for the last 10 years and established himself as a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer in that span, leading Tampa Bay to two Stanley Cups and setting the franchise’s all-time records in both goals and points scored. Like in Chicago, the Lightning will be entering a new era with their next captain – though they’re much more prepared for the vacancy than their counterparts. While forwards Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point could both serve as strong replacements, it’s defenseman Victor Hedman that offers the same rugged veteran leadership brought by Stamkos. Hedman recently signed a four-year extension in Tampa, taking him through his age-37 season and, potentially, the end of his career. He’s already appeared in 1,052 games with Tampa Bay – the most of any Lightning other than Stamkos – and holds the franchise records in all three scoring stats, among defenders. Transitioning from Stamkos to Hedman should prove more of a light handoff than a total change in power, which could be enough to sway a Lightning franchise that hasn’t gone longer than one year without a captain since naming Paul Ysebaert as their inaugural ’C’.

Mapping out when captain announcements will come is often a fool’s bet, but the candidates to earn the NHL’s next ’C’ seem to be becoming clearer. Who will it be? Will Tampa jump to another veteran, will Chicago move into their next step, or will an oft-captain-less team commit to their young guard? Let us know by voting in the poll below and discussing in the comments.

Who Will Be The NHL's Next Captain?
Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay 70.38% (625 votes)
Connor Bedard, Chicago 20.95% (186 votes)
Matthew Beniers, Seattle 5.07% (45 votes)
Leo Carlsson, Anaheim 3.60% (32 votes)
Total Votes: 888

If the embedded poll isn’t showing up, use this link to vote!

Rockford IceHogs Hire Josh MacNevin As Assistant Coach

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The Chicago Blackhawks organization is ready to put a solid developmental staff around their young prospects as their AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs, announced the hire of Josh MacNevin as an assistant coach. It will be MacNevin’s coaching debut in professional hockey as he’s spent the last decade coaching in the Western Hockey League.

As a player, MacNevin had a halfway productive career with the Providence College Friars in the NCAA and was ultimately drafted by the New Jersey Devils in the fourth round of the 1996 NHL Draft. He would never play in the NHL as MacNevin put together most of his professional career overseas in Finland, Italy, and Sweden. He ended his pro career after the 2012-13 season and would wait only one year before joining the WHL’s Lethbridge Hurricanes as an assistant coach.

Primarily serving as a defensive coach with Lethbridge, the only notable NHL defenseman developed by MacNevin was Calen Addison who played for the Hurricanes from 2015-19. Addison’s playmaking ability from the blue line was certainly enhanced under MacNevin’s tutelage as he racked up 174 assists and 215 points in 252 games in Lethbridge. The team never made it farther than the Eastern Conference Final during MacNevin’s tenure and he left the team for the Kelowna Rockets in 2022.

Caden Price served as MacNevin’s primary resource on the blue line in Kelowna and was recently drafted 84th overall by the Seattle Kraken in the 2023 NHL Draft. Additionally, MacNevin briefly coached Colton Dach in his first year with the organization who was drafted by the Blackhawks in 2021 and should suit up for the IceHogs again next year.

Chicago has several notable defensive prospects that could appear in AHL Rockford this year including Artyom Levshunov, Ethan Del Mastro, and Wyatt Kaiser. As the IceHogs’ new primary defensive coach, MacNevin will have a hand in each player’s overall development and will be instrumental in the Blackhawks’ future success on the back end.

Blackhawks Sign First-Rounder Marek Vanacker

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The Blackhawks have signed left wing prospect Marek Vanacker to his three-year, entry-level contract, per a team release. It carries the maximum ELC cap hit of $975K.

Vanacker, 18, was the 27th overall pick in June’s draft. Chicago acquired the selection from the Hurricanes on draft day, sending the No. 34 (Dominik Badinka) and No. 50 (Nikita Artamonov) picks the other way. He spent his draft year with the Brantford Bulldogs of the Ontario Hockey League.

Vanacker broke out as a star in Brantford last season, leading the team in scoring by a wide margin with 36 goals, 46 assists and 82 points in 68 games. The teammate of Blackhawks 2023 third-round pick Nick Lardis had just four goals in 55 games for the Bulldogs the year prior.

The strong-skating playmaker is an unlikely candidate for an NHL roster spot in the fall, though. He’ll attend training camp with the Blackhawks but will be returned to Brantford to play out the 2024-25 season. That will slide the beginning of his entry-level contract to the 2025-26 season, making him an RFA upon expiry in 2028. Vanacker is young enough that he’s eligible for an entry-level slide twice, so if he plays fewer than 10 NHL games in 2025-26, the contract may not begin until 2026-27, thus expiring as late as 2029.

Vanacker was the last of three first-round picks that Chicago made this year, joining second-overall selection Artyom Levshunov and No. 18 pick Sacha Boisvert. The former will be turning pro in the fall, while Boisvert remains unsigned ahead of his freshman season at North Dakota.

Are Blackhawks Emerging From Rebuild Missing A Key Piece?

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After a very active free agent period that saw them bring in several veterans in an effort to become more competitive next season, it appears as if the Blackhawks are finished with trying to land at the bottom of the standings.  Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times suggests that they’re taking a risk in doing so since they haven’t landed a second high-end forward prospect to partner up with Connor Bedard down the road.  Chicago has ample defensive depth and some quality goalie prospects but among their forward prospects, there aren’t any who project as high-end top-line talent (someone like Frank Nazar could get there in time but the safer planning would be with him in a second-line role).  Having said that, the Blackhawks will have ample cap space moving forward so if they don’t draft a running mate for Bedard, they could try to land one in free agency down the road.

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.

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