The cast behind the bench looks to be set in the Windy City.
According to Daily Faceoff insider Frank Seravalli, the Chicago Blackhawks are closing in on adding Mike Vellucci to their coaching staff for the 2025-26 season.
Per Seravalli, Vellucci was interviewed for one or more head coaching roles and had multiple opportunities to find work before moving his focus to Chicago.
Vellucci will join new head coach Jeff Blashill’s staff, which is set to include former NHL player Michael Peca and former Hawks interim head coach Anders Sorensen as assistants.
The Northville, Michigan native is expected to join the Blackhawks after spending the last five seasons as an assistant coach with the Pittsburgh Penguins under former head coach Mike Sullivan. During his tenure with the team, the Penguins made it to the playoffs in 2021 and 2022 but have missed the postseason in each of the past three years. It led to the dismissal of Sullivan, with Vellucci clearly deciding a change of scenery was necessary.
The 58-year-old had been with the Penguins organization since 2019, as he also served as the head coach of Pittsburgh’s American Hockey League affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, for one season. Before that, Vellucci was the head coach of the Charlotte Checkers for two years, guiding the team to the Calder Cup in 2019.
It’s been a good couple of weeks for Vellucci, as he was an assistant coach under Ryan Warsofsky for Team USA at the 2025 IIHF Men’s World Championship. With the two behind the bench, the Americans went on to capture the country’s first gold medal in the tournament in 92 years.
Along with his experience at the professional level, Vellucci had a fruitful run as the head coach of the Plymouth Whalers of the Ontario Hockey League. In his 13 years with the team, he coached the Whalers to the playoffs in every year but one. The Whalers made it to the Memorial Cup in 2007 after winning the OHL championship.
More must-reads: