Sorensen seeks to get Bedard, Blackhawks on track as new coach

CHICAGO -- Anders Sorensen wasn’t wasting any time at practice Friday, his first day as the Chicago Blackhawks coach.

“I just wanted to have good pace and get some energy,” said Sorensen, who will make his NHL coaching debut when the Blackhawks host the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday (4 p.m. ET; CHSN, TSN3).

“I thought I’d touch on some D-zone stuff and just the biggest thing is we have to enjoy the competitive part of the game and get up to speed that way,” he said.

Sorensen was named interim coach after Luke Richardson was fired Thursday. The 49-year-old had coached Rockford, the Blackhawks’ American Hockey League affiliate, since 2021-22.

He has much to do to help turn around the fortunes of the Blackhawks, who are last in the NHL at 8-16-2 and have lost four straight games. They have struggled in several areas, including scoring, where they’re averaging 2.42 goals per game (31st in NHL).

Part of that is helping get center Connor Bedard, the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, back to his productive form. The 19-year-old led the Blackhawks with 61 points (22 goals, 39 assists) in 68 games last season and won the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year. He has 19 points (five goals, 14 assists) in 26 games this season, including seven points (two goals, five assists) in his past 13.

“He’s one of those guys we have to get him up the ice and get skating. That’s when he’s at his best,” Sorensen said. “We all see what he can do when the puck is on his stick. We have to get a way for him to get the puck in motion. That’s the biggest thing right now.”

Bedard said he enjoyed Sorensen’s first practice.

“Really good pace,” Bedard said. “I thought we were buzzing, everyone was putting a good sweat on, working really hard, and that’s how we want to play. It’s good to have the first skate and get comfortable and talk to him. It’s good we all know him a little bit from being at training camps and stuff like that, so it was a good first day.”

Sorensen is the first Sweden-born coach in NHL history, according to NHL Stats. Sorensen said “it was a neat part of it” and otherwise didn’t put too much thought into the history he made, but Washington Capitals defenseman Rasmus Sandin said it was great for Swedish hockey.

“It shows we have some knowledge, at least, about the game over here, too,” Sandin said with a laugh. “He’s been doing a good job putting the time in in Rockford. Even though they’ve gone through some changes, he’s always been there, so I think that’s a good sign that the organization likes him, the players like him.”

Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander had Sorensen as a coach as a youngster in Sweden and said he’s a close family friend.

“I liked the way he thought about the game and the way he would coach guys,” said Nylander, who talked with Sorensen on Thursday. “I mean, just his overall coaching approach. He was coaching me there and he made his way up, which is incredible.

“He’s super excited. Pretty cool to become a head coach of an Original Six team.”

Sorensen has been a big part of helping the Blackhawks develop their prospects, including current defensemen Alex Vlasic and Wyatt Kaiser and forward Lukas Reichel, as well Rockford players Artyom Levshunov, a defenseman who was the No. 2 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, and forwards Frank Nazar and Landon Slaggert.

“I knew what it was like in Rockford and to see it here, he’s pretty much the same,” Vlasic said. “He's not nervous to step on anyone’s toes just because it’s the NHL and there are a lot of veteran guys here and big names.

“It’s a new voice for all of us to hear and he brings a good level of intensity for us, especially the first practice today. It was pretty high-paced and a lot of energy out there. So, it was a good start for him.”

Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson said Sorensen will be the coach for the rest of this season before the team conducts a search in the offseason.

“It’s a great opportunity for [Sorensen] to show what he’s got,” Davidson said.

That opportunity will be a challenge for Sorensen, but he’s ready to see how he can help Chicago improve.

“I’ve been a big believer that where my two feet are is where I’m going to work and try to get better, and we’ll see what happens,” Sorensen said. “Obviously you want to strive to improve and get up to higher levels. It’s surreal right now, trying to digest. Part of me feels ready but there’s always a part where I’m sure I’ll have to learn on the fly here. We have a great staff around here to help me out, so I’m really leaning on those guys, too.”

NHL.com independent correspondent Dave McCarthy contributed to this report