The Chicago Blackhawks have hired Anders Sorensen to be their interim head coach. He has done well with some of the young IceHogs players.
On Saturday, Anders Sorensen is going to make his debut as the interim head coach of the Chicago Blackhawks. He was named into that position on Thursday when Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson announced that they made the decision to relieve Luke Richardson.
Sorensen is the first Swedish coach in NHL history, something that is long overdue. With that said, what made him the choice over an established head coach that may be available?
Well, he has done a great job with the development of a few players down with the IceHogs. For one, a guy like Frank Nazar has been dominating his rookie AHL season under Sorensen.
Nazar is currently tied for second in the AHL with 24 points. He has those 24 points in 19 games while the guy he's tied with, Luca Del Bel Belluz of the Cleveland Monsters, has played in 22 games. Only former Blackhawk Vinnie Hinostroza of the Milwaukee Admirals has more (26 points in 18 games played).
The system that Sorensen was running in Rockford was a good one for offensive players like Nazar. Other guys are also developing well like Colton Dack (8-9--17 in 20 games) and Cole Guttman (8-7--17 in 20 games) as well. We'll see who eventually gets time in the NHL down the stretch.
There are a few young defensemen down there putting up decent numbers offensively. Kevin Korchinski (7th overall in 2022) has 2 goals and 9 assists for 11 points in 20 games played while Artyom Levshunov (2nd overall in 2024) has 2 goals and 6 assists for 8 points in 17 games.
Both of these guys have some cleaning up to do on the defensive side of the puck but there is no doubt that they are skilled players. Making good breakout passes, creating shooting lanes for the forwards, and showing off some great skill is definitely in their game naturally. Once they work out the actual defending, they will be in the NHL full-time.
Now we will find out if some of these heights that Sorensen has allowed Rockford players to achieve will be reached by Chicago players. Will Connor Bedard score and create more if he is in this up-tempo system? Can Alex Vlasic become an even bigger contributor offensively? We will find out shortly.
It was a bit confusing for Kyle Davidson to make this move at this time but the one positive is the high-octane play that Sorensen developed in Rockford could be on its way to Chicago.
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