Last week, the Chicago Blackhawks announced the completion of their coaching search. Jeff Blashill was hired to be the 42nd head coach in franchise history.
Blashill replaces Anders Sorensen, who did a nice job as the interim following the firing of Luke Richardson during the 2024-25 season.
On Tuesday, the Blackhawks held an introductory press conference for Blashill. He was introduced to the media and answered questions. Kyle Davidson also spoke and answered questions.
These are the 10 most notable takeaways from the day:
1. Jeff Blashill benefited greatly from his time with the Tampa Bay Lightning
The Chicago Blackhawks needed a coach with experience, which Jeff Blashill had from his time as head coach of the Detroit Red Wings, but they needed someone fresh who could work well with young players. Blashill fits both molds.
Following his stint as Red Wings head coach, Blashill was the assistant coach for the Tampa Bay Lightning over the last three seasons. He made sure to thank the Lightning organization for allowing him to pursue this opportunity and giving him the tools to be qualified enough to get it.
"Couldn't have worked out better for my experience. You get a chance to work with elite players, and you get to learn from coaching them in their own ways and learn the approaches to connect with players like them."
He credited his friend Jon Cooper for being a great person to learn from. He also talked about learning how to coach Hall of Fame caliber players. He mentioned Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov, Victor Hedman, Andrei Vasilevskiy, and Brayden Point by name.
His time in Detroit was mostly spent as the head coach of a rebuilding team. In Tampa, as an assistant, they competed for the playoffs and were a Stanley Cup contender every year. That experience will help him in a lot of ways with this Chicago job.
2. Two Assistant Coaches have been officially named
There were rumors out there, but two of Blashill's assistants have been confirmed by Blashill himself.
During the presser, he announced that Anders Sorensen would remain on Chicago's staff. After acting as the interim head coach for most of the 2024-25 season following the firing of Luke Richardson, he is being retained.
Sorensen did a great job leveling this team when they needed a change, and he deserves the opportunity to stick around. The players who are already in place loved playing for him. He also has a long history with a lot of them going back to the Rockford IceHogs, which will make him someone worth leaning on for help throughout the year. Jimmy Waite will also be retained as goaltending coach.
“I’ve known Anders for many years and am thrilled to have someone of his caliber joining our staff,” said Blashill. “He’s a great coach who brings a unique perspective of this team, making him an invaluable resource. The job he’s done developing the young talent on this roster has been tremendous, and I know he’ll continue to help this team forward as part of my staff.”
Michael Peca was the other coach named by Blashill at the presser. Peca has been an assistant coach for the New York Rangers over the last few seasons under Peter Laviolette. Now, he will come to Chicago under Blashill. One more assistant will be named at another time.
“Michael had a remarkable NHL career as a player and knows what it takes to be successful at this level. A two-time Selke winner, he brings the same focus and dedication to his coaching duties that defined him as a player, and the experience he’s gained as both make him an incredible asset to our staff.”
3. There is no "winning timeline" in place
The Chicago Blackhawks have been one of the basement teams in the National Hockey League for a long time. The fans would love to see them come out of it sometime soon.
When asked about a potential winning timeline, Blashill was very honest with the answer that he gave.
"Is that my 'welcome to Chicago' moment?" Blashill said while laughing when asked how long it will take to be a contender. "I can't put a timeline on it. I won't rush the process. I believe in the process. You have to make sure you have a winning culture in place. Once it is, the winning takes care of itself."
There is no reason for Blashill or anyone else to rush the rest of this rebuild. The most important thing is getting the important players on this team to do their part in developing.
This is an incredibly young organization with a few solid leaders in place. The goal will be for them to all learn together, which will lead to sustained success rather than finding themselves stuck in the middle. There is no need to place a timeline tag on that.
4. Development is important to Jeff Blashill because it will lead to winning
The Chicago Blackhawks are going to rely on young players who aren't fully developed yet, a lot going forward. Most of their impact players will be 24 years old or younger.
Blashill believes that winning will come through the development of these young players:
"They go hand-in-hand. The best way to increase the ceiling of your team is through individual growth. That's for everyone from young players to veterans."
Blashill also mentioned holding players accountable when developing them. He has a philosophy that sounds good, now it's about seeing the results on the ice.
If the young stars start to take steps in the aforementioned development, the team will start winning more games. They were in a lot of games during the 2024-25 season but let them slip away after having a lead. If the players start to show growth, they'll start to hang on to more of those leads.
5. Veterans will be relied upon, despite this being a mostly young group
A head coach in the National Hockey League can't do it all for his team. He needs help. Assistant coaches are important but veteran players play a key role as well.
Connor Murphy and captain Nick Foligno attended the presser for their new head coach, and he was grateful for that.
"We have the right veterans in our group to be 'Papa Bears' to the young players we have and to help them grow."
Taylor Hall and Seth Jones were traded away during the 2024-25 season. They seemed to want to be moved as they are looking to win in their careers. Now, they are both in the Eastern Conference Final with their new teams. The veterans who remain will play a role in helping the organization take a big step.
Murphy and Foligno will play an important part in that. Other veterans like Jason Dickinson, Ilya Mikheyev, and any free agents that they sign will be relied on as well. It can't just all be on the young kids, and it doesn't sound like that is the expectation.
6. Connor Bedard is going to thrive under Jeff Blashill as a head coach
The Chicago Blackhawks have tons of good young players. The most important one is Connor Bedard, who they selected with the first overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft.
Bedard has had some ups and downs through his first two years in the National Hockey League, but he still managed to have over 60 points in each season. He is one of the most productive teenagers in Chicago Blackhawks history. Now, it is time for him to take a step into superstardom.
Jeff Blashill is a firm believer that he is going to be a big key to the team's overall success for a long time.
“Connor’s gonna get to another level,” Blashill said when he was first asked about Bedard. Another level means turning into one of the great offensive players in the NHL right now. "Like other superstars in this league, he has the drive, the want, to be the very, very best he can be."
We already knew that Bedard has the talent to be one of the best players in the world. Now, it's about taking that talent and turning it into something special. The fact that he has that next-level drive is what will separate him.
With the right guidance, he should be able to do just that. Jeff Blashill recognizes this and plans to make it one of his main priorities as he takes over the on-ice product of the team.
7. This is the job that Blashill wanted to have
The Chicago Blackhawks' head coaching job had mixed levels of appeal to the general public. They are a rebuilding team that hasn't won in a while, but there is a lot of young talent compiled and ready to take a step.
Jeff Blashill, who likely had some other interviews around the league, wanted to be in Chicago. It is important to have a coach who's all in, rather than one who took the job because it's the only one available. At the time of his hiring, there were still three vacancies open (Seattle Kraken, Boston Bruins, and Pittsburgh Penguins).
“The scouts here have done an excellent job." Blashill said of the organization." We have a number of great young players. We have an opportunity to have depth at every position and potential superstars at every position, and that’s very unique in this league."
Blashill likely recognizes the potential of the talent that the Blackhawks have. They are especially deep on the blue line when it comes to prospects, but they have Spencer Knight, Drew Commesso, and Arvid Soderblom in goal, along with some talented forwards led by Connor Bedard.
"For me, this job, at this moment, with this team, was the exact job I wanted.” That is appealing to hear from a head coach.
8. A Championship Is On Jeff Blashill's Mind
Although he wouldn't put a timeline on winning, which is the right move for Jeff Blashill, he wants to win. He also believes that they are going to get it done with him at the helm.
Why would a head coach take a job if he didn't have a vision of winning? Well, some coaches know they are there for the rebuild, and that's okay. However, Blashill seems to be prepared to finish off the rebuild and still be there when they try to win again.
“In time, this great city of Chicago and our great Blackhawks fans, we can deliver a championship-level team, and I look forward to getting to that moment.”
The city of Chicago has mostly dealt with losing last-place teams over the last decade. The Blackhawks have been a part of that culture, but the plan is to turn it around. All of that talk about development will lead to a championship in the mind of Blashill. Following his time in Tampa, he knows what winning is like from behind the bench as an assistant, and now he wants to lead to that level of success in Chicago.
9. Kyle Davidson is confident in this hire
Kyle Davidson has been the General Manager of the Chicago Blackhawks for a while now. He's been around for a handful of head coaches. There is a chance that Jeff Blashill must be the one who helps them start winning again otherwise Davidson could be in trouble.
Davidson opened the presser by saying that he wanted someone who would grow with this team. With Blashill's history and potential as a second-time head coach, he fits that mold.
"We wanted a coach who would hold our players accountable in their development process," Davidson said. "We wanted someone who shares the same vision we have for our prospects and our future. Jeff checks all those boxes."
The Blackhawks have a lot to like about their organization. Now, it's about taking that and continuing to build. Davidson chose the man he wanted to coach them during this time, and he is confident in that decision.
10. Jeff Blashill has what it takes to coach the Blackhawks at this time
A good NHL head coach knows the time to be serious but can also have light-hearted moments along the way. Great examples of that are Paul Maurice of the Florida Panthers and Jon Cooper of the Tampa Bay Lightning, who Blashill just coached under for three years.
"We want to score a lot and give up a little" was Blashill's joking answer to being asked about his coaching philosophy. He went from making that funny remark to talking about the play style that he projects this team to have while coaching them.
Speed is something he emphasized, which is exactly what they need to look for, especially with all of their young talent. The NHL is a fast league, which means that speed is required to keep up with the best teams in the league. It sounds cliche, but it couldn't be more accurate.
All in all, it was a great first impression for Jeff Blashill as the new head coach of the Chicago Blackhawks. Now, the work begins. The players have to learn from their coach, and he has to learn from them.
Next up for Kyle Davidson and his staff is the 2025 NHL Draft. Chicago is currently scheduled to make the third overall pick. Only time will tell if any moves are made ahead of that pivotal moment.
