Chicago Blackhawks name new head coach of Rockford IceHogs amid busy time

The Chicago Blackhawks made some high-impact moves that will greatly affect the Rockford IceHogs this week just as prospect camp opened in Chicago, including the naming of Anders Sorensen as the Hogs' official head coach on Tuesday.

While Derek King will stay in Chicago with the Hawks in an assistant's role, Sorensen was given the nod to continue building the Hogs and the interim tag in front of his head coaching title was removed. They are both expected to be key figures in the organization's rebuild, which is now well underway.

"I'm excited, right, and proud to be a part of what's going on in the organization here," Sorensen said Tuesday. "Last year was kind of the interview process, I guess. And the team did well, and the combination of winning and that individual development was the biggest thing."

King is a former Hogs' head coach who was called up to replace Jeremy Colliton, also a former Hogs head coach who took over in Chicago last season. King was reportedly considered for the Hawks' long-term head coaching position, but that eventually went to Luke Richardson.

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So instead it was announced this week that King will stay on as a part of Richardson's staff in Chicago, and Sorensen will stay on in Rockford.

Keep building

Sorensen, 47, a native of Södertälje, Sweden, was named interim head coach of the Hogs on Nov. 6, 2021, and he proceeded to go 35-26-4-1, helping the Hogs qualify for the Calder Cup Playoffs for the seventh time in team history and first time since 2018. They swept the Texas Stars in the first round, but then fell to the eventual Calder Cup Champion Chicago Wolves in the next round.

“After seeing how Anders excelled in the interim head coaching role last season, we felt confident in promoting him to the full-time position,” new Hawks GM Kyle Davidson said in a statement. “The road between Rockford and Chicago is much shorter now and the connection between the two teams is vital to our plan. We trust that Anders will be able to empower our group of prospects and get them ready to play at the NHL level so we will have a stronger and more successful team in the future.”

Prior to becoming head coach, Sorensen spent three seasons as an assistant coach with the Hogs from 2018-21, and five seasons as a development coach for the Hogs and Hawks from 2014-18. Sorensen also played for the Mobile Mystics and Baton Rouge Kingfish of the ECHL during the 1999-2000 season, totaling four points over 37 games.

"He's a pretty hard-nosed guy," defensive prospect Alex Vlasic said about Sorensen after Tuesday's camp workout. "I'd love to play for him... For the D, it's a pretty shutdown game, where you focus on the defense first. That definitely suits my strengths, and I think it would be fun to play for him."

Hawks, Hogs changing quickly

Also this week, Hogs forward Brett Connolly was placed on unconditional waivers as the organization, under the guidance of Davidson, has dumped players and salary at a high rate the past month. Two high-profile trades just before last week's draft netted the Hawks' seven selections in the first three rounds of the NHL draft and 11 overall.

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Chicago then went out and selected Canadian junior defenseman Kevin Korchinski with the seventh pick, U.S. development team center Frank Nazar at No. 13 and Minnesota high school defenseman Sam Rinzel at No. 25 to kick things off, and the new era is off and running.

"It is a new era here now," prospect player Louis Crevier said. "And I like the way it's headed."

Rockford will play a major role in the development of the next wave of the Hawks, starting next season. All of the new players recently drafted are at this week's prospect camp in Chicago.

Other additions will help

King and Kevin Dean were just hired as assistant coaches, and goaltending coach Jimmy Waite and video coach Matt Meacham were re-hired onto the Hawks' coaching staff as well.

“It’s great to have this experienced staff with me behind the bench,” Richardson said earlier this week. “Derek has made an impact here on this organization and I’m thrilled to have someone like him on our staff."

King, 55, was named the interim head coach of the Hawks on Nov. 6, 2021, winning four straight to start and going 6-3-0 in his first month after the Hawks started the season 1-7-0. King finished last season with a 27-33-10 record.

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Prior to joining the Hawks, King was hired as the Hogs' head coach on April 25, 2019, after serving as interim head coach from Nov. 6, 2018, through the conclusion of the season.

Many of the players who will suit up next season for the Hogs, set to open the home portion of next year's schedule on Oct. 22 at the BMO Harris Bank Center, are at this week's Chicago Blackhawks 2022 Development Camp (also known as prospect camp) at the Fifth Third Arena in Chicago from Monday through Friday. The camp is being led by assistant general manager in charge of development, Mark Eaton, and Sorensen is on hand as well.

Jay Taft is a Rockford Register Star sports reporter. Email him at jtaft@rrstar.com and follow him on Twitter at @JayTaft. Sign up for the Rockford High School newsletter at rrstar.com. Jay has covered a wide variety of sports, from the Chicago Bears to youth sports, for more than 20 years at the Register Star, and for nearly 30 years all together. He was a four-sport athlete himself, and is the father of five that went on to be jocks of some kind as well.

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Chicago Blackhawks name Anders Sorensen head coach of Rockford IceHogs