The preseason has begun in Sweden, meaning the Chicago Blackhawks’ top pick from this year’s draft was in action. Plus, a late-round pick from last year scored a highlight reel goal with his new team. Additionally, the fourth overall pick from June underwent surgery, which will cost him the first three months of the season.

Blackhawks Chirps

If you’re worried that Jeff Blashill is going to play a defense-first style of boring hockey like Luke Richardson, I ease your fears with a look at the systems he ran with the Detroit Red Wings.

Speaking of Blashill, he made the trip to Hallas Hall for Chicago Bears’ training camp, where he met their new head coach, Ben Johnson.

Djurgården played its first preseason game yesterday, with Anton Frondell centering the second line. Former Blackhawk Marcus Kruger centered their top line and picked up an assist on the team’s lone goal, scored by Charles Hudon. Leksand scored two goals in the second period to earn a 2-1 victory.

Joel Svensson made quite a first impression in his preseason debut for HockeyAllsvenskan’s IK Oskarshamn, as the 2024 fifth-round draft pick scored a beautiful Michigan goal.

Tillbaka i moderklubben för första gången sedan han var 14 år…

Då bjöd Joel Svensson på ett Zorro-mål i sin seniordebut för Oskarshamn. 💫 pic.twitter.com/hyekbsK0Nd

— HockeyAllsvenskan (@hockeyallsvensk) August 14, 2025

On this date in 2002, the Blackhawks signed free agent Theo Fleury to a two-year, $8.5 million contract after the Rangers declined to pick up his contract option. He was suspended for violating the league’s substance abuse program and did not make his debut with the team until December. Fleury only played in 54 games, scoring 12 goals and 33 points. He was suspended a second time during the season for an off-ice incident. After the season, he was suspended for another substance abuse program violation and never played in the league again.

In 2020, the Vegas Golden Knights took a 3-0 series stranglehold by beating the Blackhawks 2-1 in Edmonton. Vegas took a 2-0 lead into the final frame after a shorthanded goal by William Karlsson in the first period and a Patrick Brown tally in the second. Defenseman Olli Maatta’s third postseason goal drew the Blackhawks to within one with over 13 minutes to play, but they could not get the equalizer. Corey Crawford made 24 saves in the losing effort, while future Blackhawk Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 26 of the 27 shots he faced.

Blackhawks Birthday Roll Call, August 15: Norm Corcoran, Ivan Boldirev, Neil Wilkinson, James Black, Brendan Morrison, and Adam Boqvist.

NHL Chirps

Caleb Desnoyers, the fourth overall pick by the Utah Mammoth, underwent wrist surgery and will be out of action for three months. As Belle Fraser of the Salt Lake City Tribune reports, Desnoyers only had one wrist operated on despite injuring both during the season.

According to James Mirtle of The Athletic, the Red Wings were willing and able to give defenseman Aaron Ekblad a huge payday and plenty of term to get him to play in Detroit. However, the veteran blueliner took less money to stay put with the Florida Panthers. It’s hard to blame him.

NHL.com’s Adam Kimelman reports that Penn State’s Guy Gadowsky will be the head coach of the new U.S. Collegiate Select Team for the 2025 Spengler Cup.

NHL Birthday Roll Call, August 15: Craig MacTavish, Peter Taglianetti, Greg Adams, Martin Biron, Jakub Voracek, Teddy Blueger, and Oskar Lindblom.