New Blackhawks head coach Jeff Blashill spoke at length to Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times about his philosophy to steer the team out of its rebuild in an interview published Sunday.
That will revolve around making Chicago’s young forward group more backcheck-oriented. “The reason for that is, one, it’s a work-ethic indicator,” Blashill said, “…it’s one of the best ways to create transition offensive opportunities — by being smothering in your effort to come back as forwards. That allows your [defensemen] to gap up, create turnovers and go the other way.”
As Blashill states, that style of play should better suit one of the league’s youngest defense groups that’s heavily stocked with offensive-minded players. Doing so should help accentuate the strengths of names like 2022 No. 7 overall pick Kevin Korchinski, looking to get back on his feet after spending most of his sophomore professional season with AHL Rockford.
Blashill also clarified the responsibilities of his assistants. Anders Sorensen, staying on as an assistant after ending last season as their interim head coach, will manage the team’s defensemen. Incoming assistants Michael Peca and Mike Vellucci will both work with the forward group, while Peca oversees the penalty kill and Vellucci oversees the power play.
More from around the league this Sunday evening:
- A tumultuous run for Casey Mittelstadt might continue. While the Bruins acquired him from the Avalanche at last year’s trade deadline in exchange for Charlie Coyle, the organization isn’t deadset on keeping him long-term and would listen to trade interest, James Murphy of RG reports. Mittelstadt was the most widely known portion of their trade return, but Boston’s focal point in the return for sending Coyle to Colorado was picking up the signing rights to forward prospect Will Zellers, a league source told Murphy. The 2024 third-rounder had 71 points in 52 games for the USHL’s Green Bay Gamblers last season and will kick off his freshman year with North Dakota in a few weeks.
- As the KHL’s Kunlun Red Star rebrands to the Shanghai Dragons, defenseman Jake Chelios won’t be staying with the team, per Anton Panchenko of Championat. The former Red Wings rearguard and son of Hall-of-Famer Chris Chelios had played for Kunlun since the 2019-20 season, ranking as the franchise’s all-time leader in games played. That was long enough for him to obtain Chinese nationality, allowing him to suit up for the country at the 2022 Winter Olympics, 2022 Division 2A World Championship, and the 2023 Division 1B World Championship. The 34-year-old had just five points and a -25 rating in 31 appearances last season, though.
Commit to the Indian!
Jeff Blashill’s NHL head coaching record begs the question, What does Blackhawks management see in him? He was in no way the best available coach to assist the young Blackhawks squad in their quest to turn the corner. I don’t see the team getting noticeably better this season under Blashill.
You could say the same for Vancouver. Could be those two franchises know something that no other organization knows?
If Sparky ever said anything positive about the Hawks I’d crap myself. Hopefully on his front lawn. Just a troll.
Agree with Sparky.
As I’ve said a couple times on this site, the Hawks are in “Full tank mode” for this season.
As a long time Hawks fan, it’s very disappointing that they did virtually nothing this offseason other than change the man behind the bench. The same team will be taking the ice this season.
Lets play some games first before you make any statements even remotely like that. Otherwise you’re just whistling in the dark. Root for another team then. It’s OK, The Hawks won’t miss you.
hawks will never make the playoffs with this
ownership again.more money coming in less money going out.period
We’ll see who’s right I guess. Your love affair with “Hot prospects,” or my reality that the Hawks won’t see the playoffs this decade. (You must be a White Sox fan too).
Agreed. He put the Red Wings rebuild 3-4 years behind schedule. His coaching style is archaic & wrong for younger players & restricts their offensive potential. Could care less about offense and all about defense.
Now I know who you guys remind me of. You guys voiced Glum the Liliputian in the Cartoon Gullivers Travels. ” Oh no, It’ll never work I just know it”. If you guys attended a Stanley Cup winning locker room party there would be people committing suicide within 5 minutes. Nobody knows what’s going to happen. The facts are most coaches learn more about what NOT to do in their first go at it than what to do. I’m quite sure he’ll be better this time around. Anyway I’m willing to look first before I’m dumb enough to make wild predictions. More so than the Nostra dumb a..es around here.
basing it on his quote above. same MO as his Red Wings days. Not like he said anything new & evolutionary !!
So there’s a NEW untried strategy in Hockey? Please do tell oh wise one! Pretty much every strategy has been done in Hockey, I mean it has been around over a hundred years and the rink is still the same size basically in every town. I mean tell me the NEW strategy the Panthers are doing that other people haven’t? Being a good Coach isn’t about that anyway. The key thing about being a good coach is taking the personnel you do have and putting them in the right places and order for them to succeed. In other words make the system fit the talent, Not the other way around. Some coaches never learn that. Anyway I’m willing to look before I leap. You’re the kind of guys who would see a shiny piece of gold in a pond and jump in and then notice the alligators. What ya gonna do now?
Someone who thinks nothing new can ever be done is either naive, lazy, close-minded, or small-minded. Or just a whiny quitter.
For every new thing you think you’ve thought of in Hokey I’ll bet it was being done in the 1930’s. Until you enlarge the rinks, Add more players and make the nets bigger there isn’t anything new. And as far as the nets go, With the size of the Goalies now that should have been done long ago.