Anders Sörensen (born 11 May 1975) is a Swedish professional ice hockey coach who is the interim head coach for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously coached the Rockford IceHogs, Chicago's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate. He is the first Swedish-born head coach in NHL history.[1]
| Anders Sörensen | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
11 May 1975 Södertälje, Sweden | ||
| Played for | Södertälje SK | ||
| Current NHL coach | Chicago Blackhawks | ||
| Playing career | 1993–2000 | ||
| Coaching career | 2011–present | ||
Playing career
editSörensen played for Södertälje SK as a defenceman from 1992–1995. He also played for clubs in France and Norway.[2] Sörensen traveled to North America to play for the Mobile Mysticks and Baton Rouge Kingfish of the ECHL during the 1999–2000 season. He tallied three goals and one assist in 37 games.[3][4] He retired from playing in 2000 and went into coaching.[2]
Coaching career
editSörensen coached various youth hockey programs throughout the early 2000s in the Chicago area.[5] In 2006, he began coaching for the Chicago Mission of the Tier 1 Elite Hockey League, where he helped develop future NHLers Ryan Hartman, Vinnie Hinostroza, and Nick Schmaltz.[6]
Sörensen returned to his hometown of Södertälje to become an assistant coach for Södertälje SK of HockeyAllsvenskan in 2011. He was named as the team's interim head coach in October 2013.[7][4]
He joined the Chicago Blackhawks organization in 2013 as a development coach. Sörensen transitioned to the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL in 2018, serving as an assistant coach and later as an associate coach. In 2021, he took over as the interim head coach of the IceHogs.[8][4] Sörensen maintained a 117–89–16–7 record in 229 games through his first three seasons as head coach and reached the playoffs in each of these seasons.[7]
On 5 December 2024, the Blackhawks appointed Sörensen their interim head coach after firing Luke Richardson.[7][1] He made his NHL debut on 7 December, in a 4–2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets.[9]
Personal life
editSörensen is married and has four children.[2] He is close friends with fellow Swede Michael Nylander. Sörensen was the personal coach of Michael's sons, William and Alexander Nylander.[10]
References
edit- ^ a b Proteau, Adam (5 December 2024). "Five Coaching Candidates For The Chicago Blackhawks: Sorensen Gets First Crack". The Hockey News. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
- ^ a b c "2023 IHHOF Inductee Bios" (PDF). Illinois Hall of Fame. 2023. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 December 2024. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
- ^ "Anders Sorensen – Head Coach". Rockford IceHogs. 5 December 2024. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
- ^ a b c Taft, Jay (12 July 2022). "Chicago Blackhawks name new head coach of Rockford IceHogs amid busy time". Rockford Register Star. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
- ^ Brown, Nate (8 January 2024). "Illinois Hockey Hall of Fame Calls Anders Sorensen: 'He's The Whole Package'". Chicago Hockey Now. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
- ^ Powers, Scott (12 May 2022). "IceHogs interim coach Anders Sorensen is pairing development and winning for Blackhawks prospects". The Athetlic. New York Times. Archived from the original on 5 December 2024. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
- ^ a b c "RELEASE: Blackhawks Announce Coaching Changes". National Hockey League. 5 December 2024. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
- ^ Powers, Scott (5 December 2024). "Blackhawks fire Luke Richardson after 8-16-2 start, name Anders Sorensen interim coach". The Athletic. New York Times. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
- ^ Sullivan, Paul (7 December 2024). "Column: Chicago Blackhawks fall flat in Anders Sorensen's coaching debut, losing to the Winnipeg Jets 4-2". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
- ^ Traikos, Michael (4 September 2014). "Toronto Maple Leafs' William Nylander builds his game on skill, hockey sense and lessons from his father". National Post. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
External links
edit- Biographical information and career statistics from Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
- Rockford IceHogs profile