We have quite a few Chirps for you for a late-July day! The Chicago Blackhawks had a pair of top prospects in action yesterday. Meanwhile, a former assistant coach gets a new gig and a franchise legend makes a movie cameo.

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Blackhawks Chirps

There is plenty of size, skill, and physicality in players 15-11 of our Blackhawks Prospects Rankings & Reviews.

Canada White beat Canada Red 4-3 in a shootout at the World Junior Summer Showcase. Sacha Boisvert and Marek Vanacker played for Red, with Boisvert picking up an assist on the opening goal. Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Cayden Lindstrom was the hero for White with two third-period power-play goals. San Jose Sharks draft pick Carson Wetsch had the lone goal of the six-round shootout.

Former Blackhawks assistant coach John Torchetti has been named the head coach, director, and president of hockey operations for the Tri-City Storm of the USHL. Torchetti’s career has taken him everywhere, including behind the bench for the Blackhawks’ 2010 Stanley Cup win. In addition to multiple stops in the NHL, he’s coached in the AHL, ECHL, IHL, QMJHL, and KHL. This is his first stop in the USHL.

If you watched Happy Gilmore 2 on Netflix recently, you might have recognized a familiar face. Blackhawks’ Hall of Fame defenseman Chris Chelios made a brief cameo, along with Sean Avery, as henchmen for a gangster. Hollywood suits Cheli nicely!

Sean Avery and Chris Chelios had a brief cameo in ‘Happy Gilmore 2’ serving as a gangster’s henchmen.

Avery racking up those IMDB credits like penalty minutes 😂 pic.twitter.com/Sng9RIxwXY

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) July 28, 2025

One of the greatest NHL Entry Drafts of all time was held in Ottawa on this date in 2005. The Pittsburgh Penguins drafted Sidney Crosby first overall before adding Kris Letang in the third round. Other notable picks from the opening round included Carey Price, Anze Kopitar, Tuukka Rask, and T.J. Oshie. This draft was the first for Dale Tallon, who was named general manager in June. He selected Jack Skille seventh overall with his first pick. By far the best pick in this draft was defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson in the fourth round—eight of the 12 picks made never played in the NHL.

Blackhawks Birthday Roll Call, July 30: Jack Portland and George Johnston.

NHL Chirps

Tuesday was a newsworthy day for the Boston Bruins. First and foremost, top defenseman Charlie McAvoy told Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald that he is good to go for the 2025-26 season. He injured the AC joint in his right shoulder during the 4 Nations Face-Off in February. The injury became infected, forcing him to undergo surgery.

The Bruins’ 2022 fourth-round pick, forward Cole Spicer, has decommitted from Arizona State, per Brad Elliot Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald. He spent two seasons at the University of Minnesota-Duluth before playing for the USHL’s Dubuque Fighting Saints last year. His playing status for the upcoming season remains uncertain.

Defenseman Jakub Zboril, a first-round draft pick of the Bruins in 2015, had his contract terminated with Czechia’s HC Dynamo Pardubice. It is unknown if the 28-year-old bluelinder will attempt an NHL comeback or remain overseas. The former 13th overall pick has one goal and 16 points in 76 games with the Bruins, and hasn’t played in the NHL since 2023.

Daria Tuboltseva of RG.org is reporting that Jimmy Vesey is receiving offers from multiple Russian teams in the KHL. The 32-year-old forward has 101 goals and 194 points in 626 NHL games with the New York Rangers, Buffalo Sabres, Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks, New Jersey Devils, and Colorado Avalanche.

Speaking of the Devils, they are being linked via trade rumors to Calgary Flames forward Nazem Kadri. James Nichols of New Jersey Hockey Now ponders if a trade for the veteran would be worth it.

NHL Birthday Roll Call, July 30: Pit Lepine, Reed Larson, Real Cloutier, Markus Naslund, Danny Markov, Alex Goligoski, Dylan Larkin, Jesper Brett, Shane Bowers, Joel Hofer, and Jani Nyman