The Chicago Blackhawks have a new coach for their AHL affiliate Rockford IceHogs, today naming Jeremy Colliton to that position. Colliton had been coaching in Sweden for Mora IK of the Allsvenskan for the past four seasons since his retirement from professional hockey. Obviously wanting to go in a new direction after a first-round exit, the Blackhawks dropped the hammer on both AHL coach Ted Dent and NHL assistant Mike Kitchen a few weeks ago. Now, they’ll go with a much younger name that may be familiar to some around the league.
Colliton was drafted by the New York Islanders in the second round, and would eventually make the NHL for a short while. In 57 career games, the forward registered just six points before heading to Sweden in 2013-14. When he was just 29, he retired from professional hockey due to post-concussion symptoms and was immediately asked to stay on with Mora as their head coach. Still just 32, Colliton coached this year’s iteration of Mora IK to the league Championship and promotion into the SHL for next season. Their 35-13-4 record was easily the best in the league during the regular season.
Considered a top young coach, Colliton will now have the chance to lead men who are in certain cases older than him. The Rockford team scored the fewest goals in the league this season and finished with a 25-39-12 record. He’ll be tasked to turn it around despite the continuous stripping of talent to feed the parent club, either through trade or call-ups.