Morning Chirps: Sorensen Goes International, IceHogs Get Closer to Postseason

The Chicago Blackhawks will play their final home game of the 2024-25 season when they host the Winnipeg Jets tonight. We will have a full game preview following today’s morning skate and, of course, a recap with analysis after the final horn. The Rockford IceHogs picked up a big win to get even closer to punching their ticket to the postseason. Let’s start our busy day with a fresh batch of Morning Chirps!

Blackhawks Chirps

• In case you missed it, defenseman Ethan Del Mastro was reassigned to the IceHogs on Friday morning. He’ll get ready for the Calder Cup Playoffs and will likely be joined by Kevin Korchinski and Arytom Levshunov. Colton Dach was sent down to Rockford on trade deadline day to be eligible for the postseason, but he has yet to return from an elbow injury.
• Sam Rinzel was named to the NCAA All-American First Team last night.

• Blackhawks interim head coach Anders Sorensen will be part of Sweden’s coaching staff at the 2025 IIHF World Championships, which begin in May. This will be his first time coaching at an international event.

• Elliotte Friedman had some interesting words regarding David Carle on the most recent episode of 32 Thoughts: “He is not going to the NHL unless it’s a good situation, both financially and ‘path to victory-wise.’ He’s not going to go anywhere where he doesn’t see, even if it’s a rebuild, the kinds of players that have a path to victory.”
• On this date in 1938, the Blackhawks won their second Stanley Cup in franchise history by beating the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-1. They skated a record eight U.S.-born players on their way to victory. This was one of the biggest upsets in the early years of the NHL, as the Blackhawks finished the regular season 14-25-9. The NHL didn’t even send the Stanley Cup to Chicago for the celebration.

IceHogs Chirps

• The IceHogs rolled to a 6-3 victory over the Tucson Roadrunners Friday night. They settled in after giving up a goal 41 seconds into the game. Aku Raty, Cavan Fitzgerald, and Joey Anderson scored to give the IceHogs a 3-1 lead heading into the first intermission. Defenseman Taige Harding picked up his first professional point with an assist on Anderson’s goal. Cole Guttman scored in the second period, and Jackson Cates found the back of the net early in the third period before Nolan Allan added a late empty-net goal. Prospect Gavin Hayes recorded two assists. Anderson was back in the lineup for the first time since March 25, while captain Brett Seney played his first game since March 16. Drew Commesso made 35 saves to earn his 16^th win, while former IceHogs netminder Jaxson Stauber gave up five goals on 30 shots.

JOEY. IS. BACK. https://t.co/mehanobitu pic.twitter.com/5aLWAqNM0q

— Rockford IceHogs (@goicehogs) April 12, 2025

• The IceHogs will host the Roadrunners again tomorrow night and can clinch their spot in the Calder Cup Playoffs with one point.

NHL Chirps

• Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Isaac Howard won the 2025 Hobey Baker Award for being the best player in college hockey. Howard recently made the surprising decision to return to Michigan State for a fourth season. If he is not signed by next June, he will become an unrestricted free agent, which would be a massive misstep by the Lightning.

• Here is the list of all 32 nominees for the Bill Masterton Trophy. Pat Maroon is the Blackhawks’ nominee.
• Per Joe Smith of The Athletic, the Minnesota Wild are expected to sign defenseman Zeev Buium to his entry-level contract over the next couple of days. For his sake, hopefully, the Wild don’t choke away their Wild Card spot, so he can actually play in some games.
• Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog played his first pro hockey game in nearly three years as he suited up for the AHL’s Colorado Eagles. His teammates Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Josh Manson, Andrew Cogliano, and Avalanche general manager Chris MacFarland were among those in attendance. Landeskog had no points in the 2-0 win over the Henderson Silver Knights but did have two shots on goal and two penalty minutes.

• Sidney Crosby scored his 99^th game-winning goal in the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3 win over the New Jersey Devils. This moved him past Bobby Hull and Guy Lafleur for the 10^th-most in NHL history. Also, Crosby and Evgeni Malkin scored in the same game for the 128^th time. The Penguins are 112-10-6 when these two future Hall of Famers score in the same game. What an incredible stat!