Morning Chirps: Bedard’s Olympic Invite, Boisvert’s Big Game

Happy Saturday! Let’s start this lovely weekend off with some hockey talk, shall we? The Chicago Blackhawks won’t have a lot of representation at February’s Winter Olympics, but one player is still in the running. Plus, we check in with the prospects playing at the WJSS and get the details on the league’s only arbitration case.

Blackhawks Chirps

• Team Canada will be holding an orientation camp at the end of this month and has invited 42 players, including Blackhawks star Connor Bedard. Back in June, Canada announced its six-player preliminary roster of Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Connor McDavid, Brayden Point, and Sam Reinhart. Making the final roster will be difficult for Bedard. He’ll need a scorching hot start to the season and likely a couple of injuries if he is to head to Italy come February.
• The four teams at the World Junior Summer Showcase returned to action on Friday. Sweden rolled Canada 8-4 in the early game. Sacha Boisvert had a pair of assists in the loss. Marek Vanacker returned to the lineup after being scratched for Wednesday’s game. He did not find the score sheet.

• Team USA lost the late game, 6-3, to Finland. A.J. Spellacy was in the lineup, but did not get any points.
• I had the opportunity to chat with my buddy Jay Zawaski on the CHGO Blackhawks Podcast. We talked about the Bedard invitation, the World Junior Summer Showcase, the Blackhawks Hall of Fame, and even chicken fingers!

• On this date in 1999, the Blackhawks signed free agent forward Wendell Clark. This one was of many signings from this era of a notable name who was way past his prime. Clark’s stint with the Blackhawks was not very memorable. He was released after scoring two goals in 13 games. In January of 2000, he returned to the Toronto Maple Leafs for the third time in his career. He scored two goals and four points in 20 games before officially retiring at the end of the season.
• Blackhawks Birthday Roll Call, Aug 2: John McCormack, Howie Young, and Tony Amonte.

NHL Chirps

• Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman revealed the details for the NHL’s lone arbitration case that hasn’t been resolved between the Maple Leafs and Nicholas Robertson. The Maple Leafs came in at $1.2 million, while Robertson wants $2.25 million. Robertson has been a highly-touted prospect since Toronto drafted him in the second round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. He’s yet to even sniff the NHL success his older brother Jason has had with the Dallas Stars, with 15 goals and 22 points in only 69 games. He’s a perfect candidate for a “change of scenery” trade. Who knows? Maybe they’ll swap him for a guy like that on the Blackhawks.
• Former Boston Bruins and Minnesota Wild forward Jakub Lauko is heading home to Czechia. HC Dynamo Pardubice of the Czech Extraliga announced that they have signed the 25-year-old to a three-year contract. Surprisingly, he was unable to secure a contract in North America this summer. The physical center has 11 goals and 28 points in 139 career NHL games.
• George Richards of Florida Hockey Now nicely recapped Brad Marchand’s day with the Stanley Cup in Nova Scotia. The entertaining day included visits from Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon, and a trip to the Tim Horton’s drive-thru. Good thing Ryan O’Reilly wasn’t invited!
• NHL Birthday Roll Call, Aug 2: Leo Boivin, Dave Balon, Rick Lapointe, John Cullen, Evander Kane, Justin Kirkland, and John Ludvig.