‘This is really happening’: Anders Sorensen’s life-changing first week as Blackhawks coach

This article originally appeared on hockeysverige.se and has been translated from Swedish to English.

For the general public in Sweden, he has remained relatively unknown throughout his 10 years within the Chicago Blackhawks organization.

However, since last week, Anders Sörensen has suddenly become a familiar name in many circles. This comes after he made Swedish hockey history by becoming the first NHL coach from Sweden. The Blackhawks recently dismissed their head coach, Luke Richardson, after approximately two and a half years and decided to promote the Swede to serve as interim head coach for the remainder of the season.

The 49-year-old admits that the days following the announcement have been overwhelming.

“It’s been chaotic, a lot has happened, but I’ve had great support from both my family and the organization. Everything moves so fast, and there are so many thoughts swirling around, so many people to talk to. It’s been a lot, but at the same time, very exciting,” Sörensen said during a virtual press conference with Swedish media.

Sörensen shared that he has been in contact with Richardson following the coaching change. Since then, the Swede has led his Chicago team in two NHL games [at the time this story was first published in Swedish]. The first was a loss to the Winnipeg Jets over the weekend, but the first win followed shortly thereafter.

Anders Sörensen became the first Swedish coach to win an NHL game when the Blackhawks defeated the New York Rangers on the road with a 2-1 victory—a proud moment for Sorensen.

“Being part of something like that was, of course, a big deal,” he said. “It was especially important for the team as well, since we had lost a few games in a row. That was the most important thing. The entire game was a great experience—playing in Madison Square Garden, meeting Henrik Lundqvist briefly before the game, and saying hello to him. It was an incredible experience.”

Since 2021, Anders Sörensen has served as the head coach of the Blackhawks’ AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs. But now, he’s taken the step up to the best hockey league in the world. Sörensen shared that he has received many congratulatory messages from friends, family, and others in the hockey community over the past few days. After breaking the news to his family, he called his parents in Sweden, who were more shocked by the announcement than he was, he revealed.

For seven years, Sörensen has stood behind the bench in the AHL, but now a new reality awaits in the NHL.

What are the differences between coaching an AHL team and an NHL team?

“It’s obviously much bigger in terms of media attention and overall visibility. I also feel like you get more support from the team around you.”

Anders Sörensen admits he never expected to become the first Swedish head coach in the NHL. He had thought that someone like Ulf Samuelsson would be more likely to take on such a role before him.

“It’s actually pretty incredible when you think about the journey I’ve been on,” he said. “Especially considering how many great coaches we’ve had in Sweden and abroad over the years. It’s a bit like, ‘Wow, this is really happening.’ ”

Between 2011 and 2014, Sörensen coached Södertälje in HockeyAllsvenskan. After that, he moved to the U.S. to work with youth hockey before being recruited by the Blackhawks.

Initially, he worked as a player development coach for five years before stepping behind the bench as an assistant coach for the Rockford IceHogs. After a little more than three seasons as an assistant, he was promoted to head coach in Rockford, where he became highly regarded.

Sörensen says he never had any expectations of climbing the ranks to become an NHL head coach.

“I’ve gone from being a player development coach to assistant and then head coach in Rockford, and I guess I’ve been fortunate to land in the right places at the right time along the way,” Sörensen said. “As for whether I thought about it… I’d say no. I’ve always focused on the task at hand and not looked too far ahead.”

Sörensen doesn’t see himself as a pioneer breaking barriers for other Swedish or European coaches. However, he believes it will become increasingly common for NHL teams to hire coaches from Europe.

“We have so many great players coming from Europe, and I know there are many great coaches as well. I think we’ll start seeing more and more Europeans because there’s such a wealth of hockey expertise in Sweden and across Europe.

“Just look at Patrik Allvin, who’s the GM in Vancouver—that’s a huge role. And there are many former players now working in player development. I think we’ll see more of this in the future.”

Sorensen describes his coaching style as a blend of lessons he’s learned in both Sweden and the U.S.

“It’s probably a bit about openness and being direct, which I think we do more of back home,” he said. “I also think that’s starting to come over here more and more. For me personally, it’s a mix of both worlds—a bit of Swedish hockey and a bit of the American approach.”

The Blackhawks sit at the bottom of the NHL standings this season and are in the midst of a rebuild, meaning they aren’t expected to contend for higher positions in the division or make a playoff run. How does Sorensen approach coaching in a situation where the team’s goals aren’t focused on immediate success?

“Of course, you always want to win games, but right now, it’s about developing the players,” he said. “We’re in a phase where we have a mix of younger players on the rise and older players who have won before. But the focus is on growth and improvement. A lot of it is about helping the younger players come in and understand what it takes to play in the NHL and to do it consistently every day.”

When the Blackhawks announced Sörensen as interim head coach, the organization made it clear that he would remain in the role for the rest of the season. Depending on how the team performs over the remaining 54 games, he could potentially continue in the position beyond this season.

How does he view your chances of earning the job permanently after the season?

“We haven’t had those kinds of conversations yet—that’s up to the organization,” he said. “I know I’ll be here for the rest of the season, and that’s a comfort. But we all know how the hockey world works—you never know what’s going to happen. I’m just taking it one day at a time. But of course, it would be fantastic for me to continue.”

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