The coaching shuffle continued for the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday, with Jared Nightingale returning to the Rockford IceHogs.
Nightingale takes over for interim coach Mark Eaton, who filled in as a first-time coach when the Hawks promoted Anders Sörensen to interim coach in Chicago on Dec. 5 after firing Luke Richardson.
Nightingale, 42, was an assistant coach in Rockford from 2021-2024 (under Derek King, and then Sörensen) before serving as head coach of the ECHL South Carolina Stingrays last season, his first season as a bench boss.
The Stingrays finished as regular-season champions at 52-15-5, but lost in the first round of the Kelly Cup playoffs. However, Nightingale was named ECHL coach of the year and also served as director of hockey operations for the Stingrays, who set franchise records in points (109) and wins (52).
“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,” Hawks general manager Kyle Davidson said in a statement. “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.”
Nightingale also served as an assistant coach for the U.S. U17 team in 2018-19 that featured IceHogs prospects Drew Commesso and Landon Slaggert, and on the Juniors roster that had Hawks goalie Spencer Knight and defenseman Alex Vlasic. He worked under then-head coach Seth Appert, a longtime colleague of new Hawks coach Jeff Blashill.
Blashill was named the Hawks’ 42nd head coach this month, and while he has kept on some staffers, he’s shaken up the rest of the coaching tree:
- Sörensen will stay on as an assistant, though Davidson decided to keep him in some capacity before Blashill was hired
- Top assistants King (offense) and Kevin Dean (defense) were dismissed
- Eaton will return to his front office role as assistant general manager of player development
- Former New York Islanders assistant coach Michael Peca joins the Hawks as an assistant
- Blashill will keep goaltending coach Jimmy Waite, video coach Matt Meacham and assistant video coach Adam Gill
- Nightingale will keep assistants Rob Klinkhammer (offense) and Josh MacNevin (defense)
Despite his one-year absence from the organization, Nightingale will likely be reunited with some top prospects who may spend at least some of next season in Rockford, including defensemen Nolan Allan and Ethan Del Mastro and forward Colton Dach.
