On May 22, 2025, Chicago Blackhawks general Kyle Davidson made his second NHL head-coach hire, bringing in Jeff Blashill to lead the next stage of the rebuild. Davidson had hired Luke Richardson in 2022 but dismissed him on December 5, 2024, turning to Anders Sörensen as interim coach. Now, Sörensen stays on Blashill’s staff, joined by new assistants Michael Peca (penalty kill), Mike Vellucci (power play), and Jimmy Waite continuing as goalie coach.
Blashill inherits a team that’s young, raw, and still far from contention—but one that has cornerstone talent in Connor Bedard and a wave of prospects pushing for NHL jobs. The challenge now? Building not just a system, but a culture.
Blashill’s NHL Journey to Chicago
Blashill spent seven seasons as head coach in Detroit (2015–22), making the playoffs once—in his first year, 2015-16. The Red Wings missed the postseason the next six years, often finishing near the bottom of the Atlantic Division. It was a tough environment—another young, rebuilding roster—but those years gave him deep experience in player development.
After Detroit, Blashill joined Jon Cooper’s staff in Tampa Bay for three seasons (2022–25). That time under one of the NHL’s best coaches gave him a front-row seat to a winning culture. Ironically, Cooper’s former assistant Derek Lalonde replaced Blashill in Detroit, while Blashill stepped into Lalonde’s old role with the Lightning.
Blashill credits his Tampa years for refining his approach, especially in “wholehearted delegation” and staff collaboration. As he told the Chicago Sun-Times:
“I’ve got a group of coaches that see things similarly—from a hockey standpoint, from a habits standpoint, from an importance-of-discipline standpoint. They’re guys I know will challenge me, and you want both those things.”
The Mindset Shift — Winning Habits
From day one, Blashill has hammered one phrase: Winning Habits. This isn’t just a slogan—it’s the identity he wants to build. Winning Habits means work ethic every day, playing the right way, not cheating the game or the team.
The first system he’ll implement? The back-checking track. That’s more than a defensive scheme—it’s a direct measure of work ethic and commitment. Forwards must take efficient lanes, stop on the puck, get sticks in lanes, and then explode the other way to create transition offense. Done right, it helps defensemen close gaps, force turnovers, and spring counterattacks.
“The first system we’ll implement will be our back-checking track,” Blashill explained. “It’s a work-ethic indicator and one of the best ways to create transition offensive opportunities.”
That’s Winning Habits in action: effort turning into opportunity.
Blashhill parallels with Martin St. Louis
Covering Martin St-Louis in Montreal the past four years, I’ve seen how a coach’s mindset can transform a young roster. MSL focuses on:
• Individualized coaching — tailoring approach to each player’s strengths.
• Concept-based play — giving players a framework, not rigid systems.
• Confidence & swagger — encouraging belief without arrogance.
• Explaining the “why” — today’s players respond to understanding, not blind orders.
Blashill’s vision lines up in many ways. Both stress buy-in, trust, and accountability. Both see culture as the foundation. The difference? St. Louis stepped into a storied franchise with immense fan pressure, while Blashill is tasked with rebuilding the Hawks’ identity from the ground up. The Kane/Toews era shine is gone.
Blashill Must Build Around a Young Defense
Blashill quickly identified Chicago’s blue line—eight of nine defensemen competing for jobs are 24 or younger—as a strength. He wants them to use their size and skating to drive breakouts, join the rush, and create odd-man chances.
When the puck goes low to high in the offensive zone, Blashill wants the first read to be the net—a shoot-first mentality Chicago has lacked. The Hawks have ranked dead last in five-on-five shot attempts per minute for three straight years. That has to change, and it’s part of the Winning Habits package: pressure, volume, and forcing opponents to defend.
Communication and Buy-In
Blashill’s summer wasn’t just about systems—it was about connection. He’s called players, asked questions, listened to what went wrong and what could improve. In today’s NHL, players are too smart to “just do drills.” They want context, purpose, and feedback. That’s where a coach earns trust.
Tyler Bertuzzi, who played under Blashill in Detroit, believes this is exactly what Chicago needs:
“It’s cool to see him get a spot back in NHL…ideal match for Connor Bedard.”
When the room buys in—when they see the why behind the work—that’s when Winning Habits stick.
The Road Ahead
This is still a rebuild. There will be growing pains. The goal in 2025-26 isn’t to chase the Cup—it’s to stack good days, as MSL would say, and for Blashill, to win the day through habits. That means patience from management, belief from players, and consistency from the staff.
If the Hawks stick with the plan over the next two to three years, the payoff could be huge: a young core that plays fast, disciplined, and confident, with a clear identity rooted in work ethic.
In the end, the true measure of this hire won’t just be in wins and losses, but in whether the Blackhawks’ daily standard changes. If Winning Habits become the norm in Chicago, Jeff Blashill will have done exactly what he was brought in to do.
Another good read Frenchy. The MSL comparison was interesting. I’m not expecting a big jump in the standings for the Hawks this year ala the Canadiens last season, but at least we can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Off topic – I noticed comments aren’t immediately posted. I assume someone has to approve the content. Nothing wrong with that since profanity and political comments aren’t necessary here. I just wish comments could be approved faster. I’ve had a couple linger in limbo for several hours before posted to the blog.
Thanks for your comment! I agree with you on the Blackhawks — I think we’re still about two years away from seeing them climb out of the bottom five, but the light is definitely there.
I’m still new here at Hockey Hot Stove, so I’m not entirely sure why the comment approval process takes time. From what I understand, all comments go through a review before being posted — same as my articles. For example, I submitted this one early at 4 a.m., and it had to be approved and edited if necessary before going live.
It’s a new site, and I believe things will get smoother over time. I really appreciate you reading my article. If you ever have any suggestions or topics you’d like me to cover, please let me know — I’m always open to ideas.
I have high hopes for Blashill leading the Hawks to their future winning ways. When you watch the upper echelon teams, and the way they backcheck, and then transition, it really puts a lot of pressure on their opponents. The Hawks have been victims of this for the past several years, and it’s high time that their young skilled players learn to play the right way. Brandon Hagel spoke of this when asked about Blashill—-“playing the right way”.
For the Hawks, the players with this backchecking attribute were the third or fourth line guys, but unfortunately the transition and the finish were usually less to be desired. The Hawks have a great group of talented D, and some good young goaltenders; hopefully with the future influx of young talent at forward, they can start a growth similar to I’d guess maybe New Jersey or Carolina.
First, thanks for your first comment on the Blackhawks since I started writing about them — I hope to hear more from you in the future. I really like how you focused on “playing the right way.” For young prospects turning pro in the NHL, I think one of the toughest adjustments is learning the full 200-foot game — not just excelling in one area, but being reliable at both ends of the ice. It takes time to learn it, and even more time to execute it consistently.
I also like how you drew the comparison to the Devils. They’re one of the best teams in the NHL at transition, using speed to create pressure and chances. That’s definitely an area where the Blackhawks need to improve if they want to take the next step.