As the first round of the NHL playoffs unfold, the Chicago Blackhawks are on the outside looking in. Most of the players are vacationing before they get back to their summer workouts and training. Meanwhile, the front office is focusing on who will be their head coach in the 2025-26 season. Even in the offseason, the news and rumors never end. Let’s get to the latest.
Vlasic & Nazar Headed to World Championship
Last Thursday (Apr. 24), USA Hockey released the first 18 members of the 2025 Men’s National Team for the upcoming IIHF World Championship. Blackhawks’ defenseman Alex Vlasic and forward Frank Nazar have both been selected to the initial roster.
Vlasic is 23 years old and a native of nearby Wilmette, Illinois. He’s currently the leading defensive defenseman for the Blackhawks, despite just having finished only his second full season in the NHL. Vlasic represented the United States in U17 Hockey Challenge tournament in 2017 and the U18 World Championship in 2019. He also participated in last year’s World Championship, where he contributed two assists.
Nazar is 21 years old and hails from Detroit, Michigan. While starting this season with the Rockford IceHogs, he was called up to the Blackhawks in mid-December and played in 53 games with the big club. He’s a dynamic player that’s just starting to hit his stride, contributing three goals and five points in the last three games of the season. Nazar represented the United States in the 2022 IIHF U18 World Championship and the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship.
Frank Nazar will compete for a spot on the opening night roster with the Chicago Blackhawks. (Photo by Ric Tapia/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Furthermore, Blackhawks’ assistant coach Kevin Dean will be a part of the coaching staff for Team USA. He already knows two of the team’s players quite well!
Other players will likely be joining Team USA as their respective teams are eliminated from the playoffs, but I would fully expect both Vlasic and Nazar to be integral members of the lineup. Just one more reason (two more reasons!) to watch this exciting tournament.
The 2025 World Championship runs from May 9 through May 25, hosted jointly in both Stockholm, Sweden and Herning, Denmark.
David Carle Declines Blackhawks’ Coaching Job
In other news, on Saturday (Apr. 26) Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman posted on X that University of Denver head coach David Carle has withdrawn from consideration for the Blackhawks’ head coaching job.
While we don’t know the particulars, Friedman added the Blackhawks made an aggressive pursuit. Until this development, Carle was rumored to be a front runner for the job.
Carle has an impressive resume, having led Denver to three Frozen Four appearances that included two national championships over the last four years. He also coached the U.S. team to back-to-back championships in the 2024 and 2025 World Junior Championship tournaments. He’s known for working with young players, of which the Blackhawks have many. However, Carle has no previous NHL coaching experience.
Personally, Carle pulling his name out of the race doesn’t surprise me in the least. He’s got a really good gig in Denver, being able to recruit his own players and cultivate his own program. He and the university have a long history together; it would be a tough place to leave. After Denver won their championship in 2024, Carle told The Athletic,
I don’t think NHL coaches are treated in a way that is conducive to long-term success. Last year, losing helped our team win. You factor our four-game losing streak in 2022, that’s 10 percent of our season. That’s eight games of the NHL. At that time, the seat is very hot. But that’s where growth happens.
(from ‘Life as a top NHL coaching prospect: David Carle is soaking in every second, and championship, at Denver’, The Athletic – 3/12/2025)
Hmmm. When the Blackhawks started out a disappointing 2024-25 season, they responded by firing head coach Luke Richardson. That knee-jerk reaction probably isn’t very appealing to prospective coaches. However, the entire NHL tends to do the same thing. Coaches are the first scapegoats when things aren’t going well. That’s NOT the kind of job security Carle currently enjoys in Denver.
We don’t yet know if Carle is considering another head coaching job in the NHL, but I would be very surprised if he doesn’t stay in Denver. In the meantime, we wait to hear who else might be in the running as the next bench boss in Chicago.
IceHogs Advance to 2nd Round of Calder Cup Playoffs
In some exciting news, the Blackhawks’ AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs, have advanced to the second round of the Calder Cup Playoffs! The IceHogs swept their initial opponent, their long-time rival Chicago Wolves, by winning the first two games of a best-of-three series.
In Game 1, Blackhawks’ defensive prospect Kevin Korchinski scored in regulation, while his fellow defensive prospect Artyom Levshunov provided the overtime winner. Both players also spent time with the Blackhawks this season.
Kevin Korchinski played in 76 games in his rookie season for the Chicago Blackhawks. But was that the best for his development? (Photo by Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Game 2 was a dominating 5-0 shutout affair. Korchinski scored again, and yet another defensive prospect, Nolan Allan , provided two assists. Goaltender Drew Commesso stopped 34-of-34 shots in the win. Here’s the schedule for the second round, where the IceHogs will take on the Milwaukee Admirals.
More good news includes Colton Dach returning from an elbow injury for this series. The 22-year-old forward played in 25 games with the Blackhawks at the end of this season, logging two goals and seven points before his injury. With the IceHogs before that, Dach was one of their top-scoring players, contributing 12 goals and 26 points in 33 games. He should be a big boost for this club that’s getting hot at just the right time.
Maroon Enjoying Retirement
I always like to end my News & Rumors pieces on a fun note. It looks like Pat Maroon was in the house on Sunday (Apr. 27) to cheer on his hometown team, the St. Louis Blues.
Maroon retired at the end of the 2024-25 season, after spending his last campaign with the Blackhawks. The 37-year-old was a mentor and leader for the up-and-coming young Hawks, as well as contributing five goals and 14 points in his final run. But it looks like he’s enjoying his retirement now!
Best of luck to Maroon! His team did bring home a 5-1 victory with him in attendance. Although with the bitter rivalry the Blackhawks and Blues have, we might be hard-pressed to hope the Blues win too many more games!
That’s all for the latest news and rumors. Be sure to keep it here at The Hockey Writers for all the latest news and analysis as the offseason continues.
