Happy Saturday! Let’s start your weekend off with a fresh batch of Morning Chirps. The NHL is celebrating the league’s top stars, and a familiar name to Chicago Blackhawks fans is at the top of their list. Meanwhile, a Central Division rival re-signed one of their budding young stars.

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Blackhawks Chirps

It’s Young Stars Week at NHL.com, and they revealed their list of top players under 23, as voted by nine different writers. Connor Bedard tops the list of impressive future stars with 236 points and three first-place votes. Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson got the most first-place votes with five, but finished third overall behind Macklin Celebrini of the San Jose Sharks.

You may or may not agree with The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler’s prospect rankings, but it’s hard to argue with this:

Have you planned your trips to the United Center yet? If not, Gail Kauchak of The Hockey Writers tells you which 10 games to circle on your calendars.

Dick Irvin was born on this date in 1892, in Hamilton, Ontario. After very successful runs in both the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA) and the Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL), he made his NHL debut as a player with the Blackhawks in 1926. He scored 18 goals and 36 points in 44 games during the 1926-27 season and served as the team’s first captain in its history. Injuries, including a fractured skull, limited Irvin to just 51 games over the next two seasons, forcing him to retire in 1929. When he could no longer play during the 1928-29 season, he became the Blackhawks’ head coach. He led them to the 1931 Stanley Cup Final but was not retained the following season. Irvin went on to coach for 24 more years between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Canadiens, winning four Stanley Cups. He returned to the Blackhawks’ bench for the 1955-56 season, but retired after just one year.

Blackhawks Birthday Roll Call, July 19: Bob Carse, Craig Muni, and Drew Commesso.

NHL Chirps

The biggest NHL news on Friday was the Winnipeg Jets signing forward Gabriel Vilardi to a six-year, $45 million contract extension. There is no trade protection of any kind in the contract, per PuckPedia. Vlardi, who will be 26 when the season opens, scored a career-high 27 goals and 61 points last season. The Jets also signed forward Parker Ford to a two-year, two-way, $1.625 million contract.

The Anaheim Ducks signed restricted free agent defenseman Drew Helleson to a two-year, $2.2 million contract. The 24-year-old started last season in the AHL, but became a staple on Anaheim’s blue line after being recalled in November. He finished with four goals, 13 points, and a plus-6 rating in 56 NHL games.

Goaltender Jaroslav Halak told Tomas Prokop of the Slovak website Dennik Sport that he is officially retired after not playing for the last two seasons. The two-time Jennings Trophy winner had 295 wins and 53 shutouts in 581 NHL games with the Canadiens, St. Louis Blues, Washington Capitals, New York Islanders, Boston Bruins, Vancouver Canucks, and New York Rangers.

NHL Birthday Roll Call, July 19: Craig Cameron, Steve Shields, Scott Walker, David Tanabe¸Fedor Tyutin, Devin Shore, and Zach Werenski.