The Chicago Blackhawks have four games left. As much as everything has gone wrong this season, contributing to another bottom-three finish in the standings, one thing has become increasingly evident in the past month: player development is doing its part.
Something special is happening with the Rockford IceHogs of the American Hockey League (AHL), where the coaching staff, led by head coach Anders Sorensen and assistant coaches Jared Nightingale and Rob Klinkhammer, have worked wonders by transforming players. Most players who did recent stints in Rockford returned to Chicago as entirely different players. The Blackhawks’ secret weapon to success lies less than two hours from the Windy City, and it should make fans excited about what that means for the future. Here are some success stories from Rockford this season.
Wyatt Kaiser
Let’s start with defenseman Wyatt Kaiser. He surprised everyone by forcing the Blackhawks’ hand and making the team after a solid training camp, but it didn’t necessarily translate. After two months, it became clear that he could use a fine tune in Rockford. He had four points in 21 games, and some iffy moments, leading the Hawks to assign him to the AHL in December. However, he has seen two call-ups since. Here’s something to note about Rockford coach Anders Sorensen: he identifies each player’s strengths and makes them a focal point of their development while collaborating with them to improve their weaknesses. It seems like a “build up their confidence and go from there” strategy instead of harping on everything they may do wrong.
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For example, when listening to one of Sorensen’s recent postgame interviews, he was asked about Kaiser. He quickly mentioned his strengths, “Obviously his skating and using his feet to defend, and making sure that he’s in good position to defend. Then, also, you know, with the puck, being able to skate the puck when opportunities are there, and I think he’s done a really good job of that.” When discussing what they were focused on improving with him, he mentioned, “Just getting back to skating and using his feet. He’s got some size, but he’s not the biggest guy [6 feet, 173 pounds]. So, similar to like a Duncan Keith, he had to defend with his stick and his feet, so focus on that and his retrieval situations.”
When he was recalled for the…
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