General | 5/22/2025 3:31:49 PM


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Smaby Heads to North Dakota



The Chicago Blackhawks announced former Indiana Ice head coach and general manager Jeff Blashill as their 42nd head coach in franchise history. Blashill is the third former United States Hockey League (USHL) head coach serving the same duty behind an NHL bench, joining Jon Cooper (Tampa Bay Lightning, Green Bay Gamblers) and Jim Montgomery (St. Louis Blues, Dubuque Fighting Saints).

Blashill guided the Indiana Ice as head coach and general manager for two seasons from 2008-10, winning a Clark Cup in 2009. During his time in Indiana, Blashill coached future Stanley Cup champions and NHL veterans Torey Krug, Blake Coleman, and Casey DeSmith. He was 72-43-2-3 (W-L-OTL-SOL) with a .621 winning percentage in the regular season.

Blashill joins the Blackhawks after spending the previous three seasons as an assistant coach with Tampa Bay. Before joining the Lightning, Blashill served as head coach of the Detroit Red Wings for seven seasons from 2015-22.

Blashill, Cooper, and Montgomery won a Clark Cup between 2009 and 2013. Montgomery won twice. Derek Lalonde, head coach of the Red Wings for part of three seasons from 2022-24, was the other coach to win a Clark Cup during that span.

About the USHL

The United States Hockey League and its 16 member clubs are committed to being the world’s leading 16–20-year-old junior hockey league. During the 2024-25 season, USHL alumni held over 50% of NCAA Division I roster spots, and over 25% of NHL players had USHL experience. With 10 first-round selections and 49 total picks in the 2024 NHL Draft, the USHL has developed the most draft choices of any junior hockey league since 2012.

Elevated through the recently announced Declaration of Excellence with the NHL and USA Hockey, the league’s player-first approach, including a 2:1 practice-to-game ratio and a schedule with 92% of games played on weekends, provides its players with the optimal environment for athletic and personal growth, creating pathways for the next generation of stars like Kyle Connor (Youngstown Phantoms), Macklin Celebrini (Chicago Steel), Matthew Knies (Tri-City Storm), Adam Fantilli (Chicago Steel) and Jeremy Swayman (Sioux Falls Stampede). More.