The Chicago Blackhawks relieved Luke Richardson of his duties and have named Rockford IceHogs head coach Anders Sorensen the NHL club’s interim head coach.
Mark Eaton, the Blackhawks’ assistant general manager overseeing player development, will assume interim head coaching responsibilities in Rockford.
Sorensen was in the midst of his fourth season as head coach of the IceHogs, where he has compiled a record of 117-89-16-7. He took over the Rockford bench on Nov. 6, 2021, when Derek King was promoted to Chicago.
Sorensen served as an assistant with Rockford from 2019 to 2021, and was previously a development coach for the Blackhawks organization.
Prior to working joining the Blackhawks, the Sodertalje, Sweden, native spent the 2014-15 season as head coach of the Chicago Mission U16 club and the 2010-11 season as head coach of the Chicago Mission U18 team. Sorensen was also previously an assistant coach with Swedish club Sodertalje SK from 2011-13, before taking over as interim head coach in October 2013.
Eaton joined the Blackhawks front office in 2014 as a player development coach and was named director of player development in 2017. The native of Wilmington, Del., Eaton played 15 professional seasons as a defenseman, including 650 games in the NHL with Philadelphia, Nashville, Pittsburgh and the New York Islanders. He won a Stanley Cup championship with the Penguins in 2009.
Eaton also skated in 159 games in the AHL with the Philadelphia Phantoms, Grand Rapids Griffins and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. He was an AHL All-Star in 2000.
