This morning, a shockwave of epic proportions was sent through Chicago and the NHL. The Chicago Blackhawks decided to fire the legendary coach and surefire Hall of Famer, Joel Quenneville. The same Joel Quenneville who made the Blackhawks relevant again and brought home 3 Stanley Cups in 5 years.
The Blackhawks also announced that the new head coach will be a familiar face, Jeremy Colliton, who I actually predicted to succeed Coach Q back on August 31st.
The Chicago Blackhawks have relieved Joel Quenneville of his coaching duties and have named Jeremy Colliton the 38th head coach in franchise history.
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) November 6, 2018
Why Jeremy Colliton Was The Right Choice To Succeed Joel Quenneville
To this point in his coaching career, Jeremy Colliton has had quick success everywhere he has coached. Colliton turned his 1st team, Mora IK of the SHL, into a winner in just a couple of seasons.
In the SHL, there are tiers of different competition levels. If your team wins, your team actually gets promoted to the next tier. Colliton was able to do just that, as Mora IK was promoted from Tier 2 to Tier 1 following the 2016-17 season. Mora IK finished with an impressive 35-4-13 record in 2016-17 under Jeremy Colliton.
Following the 2016-17 season, Colliton was brought on as the new head coach of the Blackhawks’ AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs. In his first season in Rockford, Colliton led the IceHogs to a 40-28-8 record. The Rockford IceHogs also went on to have a red-hot playoff run in the AHL Calder Cup playoffs.
This season has been more of the same for Colliton. Rockford is currently tied for 2nd place in the Central division with a 6-3-3 record through 12 games.
Sometimes, all it takes is a new perspective for things to start clicking. That is what the Blackhawks are hoping for right now from Colliton. Here’s a live look at StanBo begging for this last ditch effort to save his job to work.
It Shouldn’t Be Long Before Jeremy Colliton Feels Comfortable
Jeremy Colliton has a few things working to his advantage right now. He already had the chance to work with some of the players that are currently on the Blackhawks’ NHL roster.
David Kampf, Andreas Martinsen, John Hayden, Alexandre Fortin, Luke Johnson, and Erik Gustafsson all have experience playing for Colliton. He also knows which players that are currently in Rockford will make the Blackhawks better going forward.
Honestly, I am hoping to see Colliton bring Dylan Sikura and Victor Ejdsell with him. They can add some much-needed depth to the Top 9, where the team has been lacking some serious offensive production. I believe these guys would be a great addition right now. There’s not much to lose and honestly, they are being wasted in Rockford. Here are Sikura and Ejdsell’s stats through 12 games this season.
Dylan Sikura:
Victor Ejdsell:
Both Sikura and Ejdsell are on expiring contracts and losing out on crucial development time in the NHL. Why not see what you really have with them? StanBo will be able to find out how much they’re actually worth too. Although, he’ll probably overpay and tack on an NMC to their contracts in classic StanBo fashion.
What To Watch For
Nobody really liked the firing of Joel Quenneville, but I understand why it happened. The Blackhawks have been steadily declining over the past few seasons and needed a scapegoat.
They were knocked out of the playoffs in the 1st round, two years in a row, and then missed the playoffs altogether last season. I just did not expect it to happen during the season, especially not this early. It is what it is though.
With the firing of Coach Q, the Blackhawks have made it clear that they are not afraid to make changes, no matter how drastic they might be. I think it is safe to say that StanBo is on a short leash going forward.
During the Jeremy Colliton introductory press conference, Blackhawks’ president, John McDonough, said that his expectations for this team are to make the playoffs this season. This goal is a little unrealistic in my opinion, especially with the current state of the roster and a new head coach.
“I wouldn’t label it as a rebuilding, more of a remodeling. We still have hall of fame players. My expectations are this is a playoff team and if we get in, anything can happen.” – John McDonough on #Blackhawks
— Chris Wescott (@TheChrisWescott) November 6, 2018
StanBo repeatedly emphasized the bizarre fact that he will continue to look at ways to improve the team this season through trades. This makes no sense since the Blackhawks really don’t have many bargaining chips at this point. The team can’t afford another StanBo blunder where he sets the team back even further. There were a lot of confusing components in the awkward press conference this morning. If you missed the press conference, you can find it here.
Watch LIVE: Blackhawks press conference introducing new head coach Jeremy Colliton https://t.co/ZbAYbsqahM
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) November 6, 2018
My Expectations Going Forward For The Blackhawks
There will obviously be an adjustment period for Jeremy Colliton and the Blackhawks. They will need to learn how to communicate effectively, learn each other’s quirks and personalities, and work together to reach one common goal.
I think the Blackhawks are really limited by a lack of depth on the NHL roster. They may make the playoffs, but the lack of roster depth will prevent them from going very far.
Set realistic expectations for this team. There’s a blend of future Hall of Fame players, some bridge players, and some aging players. Then, you add a brand new head coach with no NHL experience to the equation. There will undoubtedly be growing pains and some frustrations, but whatever you do just don’t give up on your Blackhawks.
In my opinion, this coaching change will end up being a positive thing in the long run. Seeing things like this video is very reassuring to me, as a Blackhawks fan. The team seems to be in very capable hands.
#Blackhawks new head coach, Jeremy Colliton, shares his expectations and his plan of attack for the remainder of the 2018-19 season. pic.twitter.com/02IxR0RCdj
— ✶ ✶Tony Gianares✶ ✶ (@Certified_TonyG) November 8, 2018
From here on out, it’s on management to provide Jeremy Colliton with the things he needs to succeed. If they don’t, then they’ll be the next ones out of a job and that starts with Stan Bowman.
For more Blackhawks news and updates, follow the author @Certified_TonyG on Twitter.
