Chicago Blackhawks general manager Dale Tallon announced on Wednesday that Rockford IceHogs head coach Mike Haviland has been promoted to the Blackhawks and named assistant coach for the National Hockey League club.
Haviland continues his quick acceleration up the coaching ladder. After three seasons of leading the Blackhawks’ top affiliate in the American Hockey League, Haviland will get his first stint in the NHL.
In 240 career AHL games as a head coach, Haviland amassed a record of 137-78-26, a .625 winning percentage. Haviland was named the winner of the Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award following the 2006-07 season with the Norfolk Admirals as the AHL’s coach of the year.
With the IceHogs last season, Haviland led the club into the West Division finals and pushed the eventual Calder Cup champion Chicago Wolves to seven games before bowing out.
Haviland also achieved his 300th career win as a professional head coach last season and has a career coaching mark of 309-158-61 (.643) in seven seasons as a head coach between the AHL and ECHL.
Under Haviland’s watch, the IceHogs had 19 different players promoted to the Blackhawks in 2007-08. Of those 19 players, seven made their NHL debut. In three AHL seasons, Haviland has helped nurture 21 different players to their NHL debut.
