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New York Times

Why the Blackhawks brought back Jared Nightingale to shape their future with AHL IceHogs

Jared Nightingale has lived in more homes in Rockford, Ill., than he ever could've imagined. He started in an apartment when he was captain of the AHL's Rockford IceHogs in 2013. He lived in another apartment when he returned as an IceHogs assistant coach in 2021. He later purchased a house in Rockford while in that position and then sold it when he departed to become the coach and general manager of the ECHL's South Carolina Stingrays in 2024. And just recently, Nightingale bought another house in Rockford after being named IceHogs head coach. Advertisement 'Between that and (staying in Rockford's) Residence Inn, I've bounced around,' the 42-year-old Nightingale said with a laugh during a recent phone interview. Nightingale's latest return to Rockford was the most unexpected. He left the IceHogs after the 2024-25 season because he wanted to be a head coach, and the Stingrays provided that opportunity. His goal was to work his way back to the AHL as a head coach, but he never could have predicted that it would come so soon or that it'd be in Rockford again. For that to happen, a few things needed to fall into place. When Anders Sörensen was promoted from IceHogs head coach to Chicago Blackhawks interim head coach last season, Mark Eaton stepped into the IceHogs' position. At that point, IceHogs president of hockey operations and general manager Mark Bernard started thinking about permanent coaching candidates and kept close tabs on Nightingale in South Carolina. Bernard took notice when Nightingale's team went 52-15-5 in the regular season and he was named the ECHL's coach of the year. As Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson ran an NHL coaching search after the season, he put Bernard, Blackhawks associate general manager Norm Maciver and hockey operations adviser Brian Campbell largely in charge of the IceHogs' search. They looked at other candidates, but Nightingale made the most sense. 'He really just checked a lot of boxes for us — his ability to teach, his communication skills, he's detail-oriented,' Bernard said. 'I love the fact that he has that relationship with a lot of our prospects already and the ones that he didn't coach, he had met them through our development camps and rookie camps. So he's familiar with our prospects. He's familiar with how we do things in Chicago and Rockford. We're familiar with him. He knows all of our staff members. So it just made for a really easy transition. It's almost like we assigned him to the minors one year to become a head coach and we're bringing him back. It just really unfolded very well for us.' Advertisement Davidson said: 'Learning from some of the players and the management in South Carolina, just getting a sense of how he was as a head coach, came back very, very positive and a lot of really, really good references on his time as a head coach. It's a credit to himself to invest in himself and take that opportunity.' Nightingale found the season in South Carolina to be priceless. He finally got to run his own ship. There are challenges to also being the general manager at that level, but he said he learned so much from managing his own team's time. 'It's basically your schedule, kind of your blueprint of how you want to map out a day or a week and kind of the vision of what you want to work on as a team,' Nightingale said. 'I've always had my thoughts and what I thought was really important, but you never know until you actually have to live it and do it and present it to a team. So I'd say I learned a lot, just scheduling and what to get done in a week or a day for practice and helping the players ultimately have success. Then, as a head coach too, you got all those tough decisions of ice time and the roster. It was a good situation for me to live through, and I think that's really helped me for my first head coaching job.' Coming back to the AHL, Nightingale understands his job is different. The IceHogs want to win and be successful as a team, somewhat like the Stingrays, but it's much more about player development and answering to the Blackhawks' NHL needs and wants. It does help that Nightingale has some familiarity with new Blackhawks head coach Jeff Blashill. Nightingale played briefly for Blashill with the AHL's Grand Rapids Griffins during the 2014-15 season, and Nightingale's older brother, Adam Nightingale, was an assistant to Blashill with the Detroit Red Wings. Advertisement Nightingale's three years as an IceHogs assistant also gave him insight into what Davidson is seeking from player development in Rockford. From Davidson's perspective, that was important, too. 'He believes in the things that we believe in,' Davidson said. Nightingale, a former defenseman, worked with Blackhawks defenseman Alex Vlasic with the IceHogs during the 2022-23 season and prepared him for the NHL. Training camp will determine whether Artyom Levshunov, Kevin Korchinski or any of the Blackhawks' other early-round draft picks start the season in Rockford or Chicago, but Nightingale has a feel for who's in the pipeline and what his responsibility is with those prospects. 'Obviously you look at where the Blackhawks are right now in their rebuild and a lot of young, talented players,' Nightingale said. 'I want to be on the same page and on board with Blashill's vision and Kyle's vision and all the management's vision. I understand, I've lived it and coached it to just how important it is to help these guys develop so that when they do get the opportunity, they're ready to help the Blackhawks have success. I think that you look at any of the best teams in the NHL, I think a majority of roster guys are seasoned in the AHL, and it's a job that I don't take lightly. I think it's a privilege to have that opportunity to help in any way that I can in a player's development.' One question that Blashill was asked in his introductory news conference also happens to be one Nightingale has been asked lately: What's the correct balance between player development and team success? 'I think it's a good question,' Nightingale said. 'You get asked that a lot. I really think we're not just developing to make them better players. We want them to be executing at a high level to win games and to have success on the ice. So, I think it goes hand in hand. … I think part of development is winning and being successful. I think that's what we're going to try to create in Rockford and I think that's crucial.' Nightingale saw how that could work when he played for the Syracuse Crunch, the Tampa Bay Lightning's AHL affiliate. Advertisement 'I was in Syracuse, and we lost in the finals, and almost half our roster went up to Tampa, and they had a long career and they won in Tampa,' Nightingale said. 'They placed a priority on winning. I don't necessarily talk about winning, but just developing winning habits. More times than not, you see the results on the ice.' Those are the type of results Nightingale would love to give the Rockford community. Having spent so much time in Rockford, Nightingale has developed a relationship with more than just the IceHogs. 'I know the Rockford area and the community and a lot of good friends,' Nightingale said. 'Obviously, that always makes it more enjoyable. You have a sense of pride for the city and for the organization, and that always is fun. That's why in those few years that we had some good teams and felt like we could make runs in the playoffs, there's nothing better. You see how that community rallies behind the IceHogs, and I'm excited to hopefully bring them a product that they can be proud of.'