Rebuilding Blackhawks hire Jeff Blashill as head coach - ESPN

Jeff Blashill has been hired as head coach of the Chicago Blackhawks, it was announced Thursday.

The veteran bench boss steps in to replace interim coach Anders Sorenson, who was promoted after the Blackhawks fired Luke Richardson early in the 2024-25 season. Sorenson was thought to be a candidate for the permanent role, and Chicago had also shown interest in University of Denver coach David Carle.

The Blackhawks ultimately landed on Blashill to be the 42nd head coach in franchise history. The 51-year-old most recently spent three seasons as an assistant coach on Jon Cooper's staff with the Tampa Bay Lightning. He previously replaced Mike Babcock to take on his first NHL head coaching job with the Detroit Red Wings from 2015-22, attempting to guide Detroit through a lengthy rebuilding process.

After reaching the playoffs in his first year with the Red Wings, Blashill's teams never improved beyond fifth in the division and, after six consecutive seasons outside the playoff field, he was fired following the 2021-22 campaign. He left the Red Wings with a 204-261-72 overall record.

Blashill now joins another organization deep into a rebuilding process, providing experience that Chicago has been lacking. The Blackhawks have churned through four different first-year NHL head coaches — Jeremy Collition, Derek King, Richardson and Sorenson — since Joel Quenneville's departure in 2018, and now they've targeted a new voice with a developmental background.

Blashill has worked in the NCAA, USHL and AHL throughout his career. His time spent under Cooper — the NHL's longest-tenured head coach — is another asset.

«Jeff is an incredibly smart and talented coach who boasts more than 25 years of coaching experience across developmental