Meet Jeff Blashill: Kyle Davidson Introduces His New Head Coach to the Media

Jeff Blashill was officially named the Chicago Blackhawks' head coach last week on May 22. Blashill and general manager Kyle Davidson met with the media on May 27 to answer questions. Blashill expressed his excitement for the Blackhawks' future core, how he plans to utilize their strengths, and his thoughts on his somewhat new coaching staff.

Meet Jeff Blashill

Throughout the Blackhawks' head coaching search, Kyle Davidson mentioned that he wanted a coach who is excited about what they're building in Chicago. Blashill didn't waste any time saying that "this job at this moment with this team was the exact job" he was looking for. A new coach is expected to at least sound enthusiastic about their new job. But Blashill seems legitimately excited to be here. He seems to be especially excited about his new roster. 

Blashill hinted as much by saying there are "potential superstars at every position." He also talked about how he wants to develop players to their strengths, and he noted Connor Bedard. But there is a concern I have from his previous head coaching job.

In my profile of Jeff Blashill, one of my worries was how he doesn't like letting players cheat in the offensive zone. Blashill likes to focus on a defense-first mentality to build into offense. A player like Bedard usually needs to be allowed to cheat a little bit to generate those scoring chances. Of course, Bedard being a center means that cheating is a bit counterintuitive to his role. It will be interesting to see how Blashill works with Bedard. 

Dave Melton of Second City Hockey asked about how Blashill will adapt his philosophies and strategies to the Blackhawks' current players and prospects. Blashill praised the skating abilities and speed of the young players Davidson drafted and said that they will factor into his coaching. Except, he also said "there's certain beliefs in hockey that [Blashill] has that aren't going to change no matter what."

That's very interesting. We'll have to see what exactly Blashill believes is unchangeable. Does having fast defensemen who can join the rush and put the Blackhawks at risk of odd-man rushes change anything?

Phil Thompson of the Chicago Tribune asked Blashill about his coaching style. Blashill talked about employing an aggressive forecheck, about being a pressure team when they don't have the puck (i.e., not passive). A lot of fans worry (myself included) if Blashill will resort to a passive form of hockey, much like we saw under Luke Richardson. Blashill's answer to Thompson's question alleviates that a little bit.

While Blashill strongly believes in certain tactics (we don't know what those are yet, at least not definitively), it seems that he's willing to play more aggressively and less passively. By nature, that opens you up to more goals against, making it a very interesting team to watch next season. 

Blashill also commented on his new coaching staff. Sorensen and Blashill are long-time friends, and Blashill wanted continuity within the team. Michael Peca, who was announced as an official hire last week, received praise for his coaching abilities and his experience as a two-time Selke winner. Jimmy Waite, who worked with the goaltenders, will also remain on the coaching staff. Blashill stated that one more addition was not yet finalized. 

What's On Tap Next?

Since the rumors of the hiring began to circulate, my thoughts on Blashill have grown more optimistic, but I remain cautiously optimistic. As far as the coaching staff as a whole goes, I can't say that I'm too impressed. Waite is a great keep, and Peca seems like a smart hire. But keeping Sorensen here seems like a move "just because." Wouldn't it be best to return him to Rockford if the AHL is as important as the Hawks front office says it is? 

Be on the lookout for more discourse on the coaching hire over the next few days as we present different angles on Blashill. He has no facial hair, but he's our coach. Welcome to Chicago, Jeff Blashill.