Despite little success in his first two years, the Hawks have committed to Jeremy Colliton as the coach to run their rebuild.
Colliton signed a two-year contract extension, one that runs through the 2022-23 season, Tuesday on the eve of his third season as Hawks head coach.
He had been entering the final season of a three-year deal signed when he replaced Joel Quenneville in November 2018.
“As we continue to build on the foundation we have here with this team, we will remain committed to working with our players to put them in the best positions to succeed,” Colliton said in a statement. “I look forward to the challenge of developing a team our fans will be proud of and leading the Chicago Blackhawks back to a championship level.”
Despite little success in his first two seasons behind the bench — the Hawks have gone 62-58-17 in the regular season and 4-5 in the postseason — Tuesday’s announcement shows the franchise’s commitment to Colliton as the coach to lead their rebuild.
Colliton and general manager Stan Bowman also have a close relationship with steadfast belief in one another; with Bowman promoted just last month to president of hockey operations, it’s not surprising to see him enacting similar commitment to Colliton.
“Jeremy has shown an innate ability to develop young talent throughout his two seasons as head coach of the Chicago Blackhawks,” Bowman said in a statement. “This, coupled with his vast knowledge of the game, exceptional communication skills and determination to win, makes us extremely confident Jeremy has what it takes to lead our team back to an elite level.”
Indeed, the coach’s communication skills, down-to-earth approachability — as a former player himself — and strong track record developing prospects at previous coaching stops in Rockford and Mora, Sweden, are traits often cited for why he’s fit for this role.
On the other hand, fans longing for the days of Quenneville often criticize Colliton’s not-so-commanding personality and unique, complicated offensive and defensive systems.
Still the youngest coach in the league, Colliton turns 36 on Wednesday.
