One week to the day after officially hiring Jeff Blashill to be the head coach, the Chicago Blackhawks made another important hire.
It was announced on Thursday that Jared Nightingale would be the new head coach of the Rockford IceHogs. Assistant coaches Rob Klinkhammer and Josh MacNevin will remain with the club under Nightingale.
Before last season, Nightingale was an IceHogs assistant coach from 2021 to 2024. He was also the team captain as a player during the 2013-14 season.
During this past season, Nightingale was the Head Coach and Director of Hockey Operations for the South Carolina Stingrays during the 2024-25 season.
The team went 52-15-5 which was the ECHL's best record. For his efforts, Nightingale won the John Brophy Award as the ECHL Coach of the Year.
Bringing Nightingale back to the organization following a successful year gaining some experience as the bench boss in the ECHL is be a wise move for Kyle Davidson and his staff.
The rebuild is still at a stage where the development in the AHL is one of the most important parts of their process. Having a strong head coach down there is key.
“Jared did a phenomenal job with South Carolina this past season in his first campaign as a head coach,” Davidson said. "A natural leader, Jared’s confidence and direction behind the bench has produced a coaching style that is perfectly suited to help develop and advance our young prospects in Rockford. His familiarity with the organization and our players is an incomparable asset, and we’re excited to see Jared succeed in this role moving forward.”
Mark Eaton, who replaced Anders Sorensen when he was brought up to be the Chicago Blackhawks' interim head coach, will return to his role as the Assistant General Manager, Player Development. Down the stretch, he did a great job leading the young IceHogs during a Calder Cup Playoff run that saw them lose a winner-take-all Game Five of the second round.
Rockford is going to have more talented young players on the roster in 2025-26. There will be call-ups throughout the season, but it should be a competitive team looking to get back into the playoffs. It is up to Jared Nightingale to keep the AHL development going in the right direction.
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