Jeff Blashill (born December 10, 1973) is an American professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

coach who is the

head coach A head coach, senior coach, or manager is a professional responsible for training and developing athletes within a sports team. This role often has a higher public profile and salary than other coaching positions. In some sports, such as associat ...

for the

Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (N ...

of the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

(NHL). He was formerly the head coach for the

Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...

of the NHL. Blashill previously served as the head coach for the

Grand Rapids Griffins The Grand Rapids Griffins are a professional ice hockey team based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. They compete in the American Hockey League (AHL), playing their home games at Van Andel Arena. They are the AHL affiliate to the Detroit Red Wings of t ...

of the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...

(AHL), an assistant coach for the Red Wings, the head coach at

Western Michigan West Michigan and Western Michigan are terms for a region in the U.S. state of Michigan's Lower Peninsula. Generally, it refers to the Grand Rapids- Muskegon-Holland area, and more broadly to most of the region along the Lower Peninsula's Lake ...

, the head coach and general manager of the Indiana Ice and the assistant hockey coach at both Ferris State and

Miami University Miami University (informally Miami of Ohio or simply Miami) is a public university, public research university in Oxford, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1809, it is the second-oldest List of colleges and universities in Ohio, university in Ohi ...

Playing career

Blashill was born in

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

, but grew up in Sault Ste. Marie in the state's

Upper Peninsula The Upper Peninsula of Michigan—also known as Upper Michigan or colloquially the U.P. or Yoop—is the northern and more elevated of the two major landmasses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan; it is separated from the Lower Peninsula b ...

. He played

college ice hockey College ice hockey is played principally in the United States and Canada, though leagues exist outside North America. In the United States, competitive "college hockey" refers to ice hockey played between colleges and universities within the go ...

as a goaltender at

Ferris State University Ferris State University (FSU or Ferris) is a public university with its main campus in Big Rapids, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1884 as Big Rapids Industrial School by Woodbridge N. Ferris and became a public institution in 1950. ...

for the Bulldogs from 1994 to 1998. He earned team Rookie of the Year honors in 1994 and was named to the

Central Collegiate Hockey Association The Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) is a college athletic conference in the Midwestern United States that participates in the NCAA's Division I as a hockey-only conference. The current CCHA began play in the 2021–22 season; a previ ...

(CCHA) All-Academic Team in 1997. Prior to his collegiate career, Blashill played at the junior level for the Des Moines Buccaneers of the

United States Hockey League The United States Hockey League (USHL) is the top junior ice hockey league sanctioned by USA Hockey. The league consists of 16 active teams located in the Midwestern United States and Great Plains, for players between the ages of 16 and 21. Th ...

(USHL) from 1991 to 1994.

Coaching career

After his playing career ended, Blashill joined Ferris State's Bulldogs team as an assistant coach in 1999. He remained there for three seasons before joining

as an assistant coach for the RedHawks in 2002. In 2008, Blashill was named head coach and general manager of the Indiana Ice, a Tier 1 junior hockey team in the USHL. In his first season, the Ice won the Clark Cup as USHL champions. Blashill was later named head coach of

Western Michigan University Western Michigan University (Western Michigan, Western or WMU) is a Public university, public research university in Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States. It was initially established as Western State Normal School in 1903 by Governor Aaron T. B ...

's Broncos team on April 6, 2010. In his first season as head coach, Blashill led Western Michigan to a top-four finish in the CCHA, the CCHA Championship game and the 2011 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey tournament, the most successful season for the University in 15 years. After the season, he was named USCHO Coach of the Year, Inside College Hockey Coach of the Year and College Hockey News Coach of the Year. In July 2011, after one season at the helm of the Broncos, Blashill accepted an assistant coaching position with the NHL's

under head coach

Mike Babcock Mike Babcock (born April 29, 1963) is a Canadian former ice hockey player and coach. He spent parts of eighteen seasons as a head coach in the National Hockey League (NHL), beginning when he was named head coach of the Anaheim Ducks, Mighty Duck ...

. On June 25, 2012, it was announced that Blashill would become the head coach of the

, the top minor league affiliate of the Red Wings in the

(AHL). He replaced Curt Fraser, who had accepted an assistant coaching position with the

Dallas Stars The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas. The Stars compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. The Stars ...

of the NHL. Blashill was replaced on the Red Wings staff by NHL veteran assistant Tom Renney. On June 18, 2013, the Griffins under Blashill won the

Calder Cup The Calder Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the playoff champions of the American Hockey League (AHL). It was first presented in 1937 to the Syracuse Stars. The cup is made of sterling silver mounted on a base of Brazilian mahogany. In it ...

as AHL champions for the first time in club history. In his second season with Grand Rapids, Blashill was awarded the Louis A. R. Pieri Memorial Award as the AHL's most outstanding coach for the 2013–14 season. In two seasons as head coach, he guided the Griffins to a combined 88–48–2–12 record. During his tenure, Griffins posted three separate seven-game winning streaks while never losing more than two consecutive games in regulation. On June 4, 2014, it was announced that Blashill had agreed to a new three-year contract with the Red Wings organization through to the 2016–17 season to coach the Red Wings. With a win over the Rockford IceHogs on April 1, 2015, Blashill became the first coach in Griffins franchise history to post three 40-win seasons and three 90-point seasons. In three seasons with the Griffins, he compiled a 134–71–12–11 regular season record and won seven of nine AHL playoff series. He is the only coach in Griffins history to qualify for the Calder Cup playoffs in three consecutive seasons. Following the departure of Detroit head coach Mike Babcock to the

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. The Maple Leafs compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the A ...

, Blashill was named head coach of the Red Wings on June 9, 2015. On April 2, 2019, the Red Wings announced they signed Blashill to a two-year contract extension. On May 18, 2021, the Red Wings signed Blashill to a contract extension. On April 30, 2022, general manager Steve Yzerman announced that Blashill's contract would not be extended, ending his tenure in Detroit. During his seven seasons as head coach, he led the Red Wings to a 204–261–72 overall record. On May 22, 2025, Blashill was named head coach of the

International

Blashill has also been a member of Team USA's coaching staff four times in international competition, at the 2006 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament, the 2009 World Junior A Challenge, the

2009 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships The 2009 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships (''2009 WJHC''), was the 33rd edition of the Ice Hockey World Junior Championship and was played in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, between December 26, 2008, and January 5, 2009. Games were held at the O ...

, and the

2017 IIHF World Championship The 2017 IIHF World Championship, the 2017 edition of the annual Ice Hockey World Championships, was held from 5 to 21 May 2017 in Cologne, Germany and Paris, France. The official tournament mascots were Asterix (character), Asterix and Obelix, ...

Personal life

Blashill was born in Detroit, Michigan and raised in

Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan Sault Ste. Marie ( ') is a city in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Chippewa County, Michigan, Chippewa County and is the only city within the county. With a population of ...

, where his father Jim was a professor at nearby

Lake Superior State University Lake Superior State University (colloquially Lake State, Soo Tech, and LSSU) is a public college in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, United States. It enrolls approximately 1,600 students. Due to its proximity to the Canada–United States border, ...

. Jim had originally worked as a police officer in Detroit and served as a professor of

criminal justice Criminal justice is the delivery of justice to those who have been accused of committing crimes. The criminal justice system is a series of government agencies and institutions. Goals include the rehabilitation of offenders, preventing other ...

at LSSU for over 30 years. Blashill is married with three children. Jeff's brother, Tim Blashill, also played and coached college hockey. Tim currently coaches high school hockey in Big Rapids, Michigan, and also serves as program coordinator for Ferris State University's Ewigleben Arena.

Head coaching record

NHL

* Shortened season due to the COVID-19 pandemic during the 2019–20 season

Other leagues

College

References

External links

*
Jeff Blashill's profile at EliteProspects.com

Western Michigan bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blashill, Jeff 1973 births Living people Chicago Blackhawks coaches Detroit Red Wings coaches Grand Rapids Griffins coaches Ice hockey coaches from Michigan People from East Grand Rapids, Michigan Sportspeople from Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan Western Michigan Broncos ice hockey coaches