Kendall Coyne Schofield was hired Monday as the first female player development coach in Chicago Blackhawks history.
Coyne Schofield, a forward for the United States women’s ice hockey team, will assist the coaching staff of Rockford of the American Hockey League in the skill development of current players while evaluating, assessing and scouting potential prospects.
“To be able to be in a role to help develop and to help this team win championships, the team that I grew up watching, the team that I sat on the couch and watched win three Stanley Cups and shed a little tear here and there watching, now to be in a role to help develop those next generation of players who are going to want to raise the Cup, is phenomenal,” Coyne Schofield said. “I’m a competitor and I always have been, and that’s what I’m going to do in this role.”
Video: The guys discuss Kendall Schofield joining Chicago
Coyne Schofield is a native of Palos Heights, Illinois, about 25 miles southwest of Chicago.
The 28-year-old, who has long been a community liaison for the Blackhawks, will formalize this work in her new hybrid role as youth hockey growth specialist. She specifically will focus on grassroots youth hockey programs and clinics, the implementation of girls hockey programming and the continued enhancement of her namesake all-girls program, the Golden Coynes.
“I’ll have a few different responsibilities,” she said. “A lot will be working with the prospects, being in Rockford, watching games, scouting when I can. I know we don’t know when the season will start or what we’ll be allowed to do in terms of COVID policies, but a lot of it will be working with prospects in addition to scouting. Then my role as a youth hockey growth specialist is similar to what I’ve been doing under the direction of Annie Camins (Blackhawks senior executive director, fan development) and her group. So I’m really excited to continue to do that, to really grow the Golden Coynes program. But I’m excited to get on the ice eventually and work with the players.”
The Blackhawks also hired Erik Condra as a player development coach, and Juan Gonzalez was named strength and conditioning coach for Rockford.
“Adding talented people with diverse and multifaceted backgrounds like Kendall, Erik and Juan enhances our operations as we assess the changing landscape of hockey at all levels and continue to build and maintain a system of elite hockey,” Chicago general manager Stan Bowman said. “Each of these individuals brings unique experience to their position, and we are excited to welcome them to the Blackhawks family.”
Coyne Schofield won a gold medal at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics and silver at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. She helped the United States to six first-place finishes at the IIHF Women’s World Championship (2011, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019) and a second-place finish in 2012.
Video: Fastest Skater: Coyne Schofield sets the pace
She also was the first woman to participate in an NHL All-Star Skills Competition, taking part in the fastest skater competition at the 2019 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend at SAP Center in San Jose on Jan. 25, 2019. She also recently held broadcasting analyst roles with NBC Sports and NBC Sports California.
That resume should help her earn respect from the players she’ll be working with.
“As a new coach you need to earn trust and respect of the players and I plan on doing that right away through the work ethic I’ll show them,” Coyne Schofield said. “That’s how I made it as a player and that’s how I plan on making it as a coach. While I may be the first female coach a lot of these players have worked with, I don’t see it being an issue. I see them seeing me as someone who’s going to help them aspire to get to the next level, to fulfill their NHL dream, and I’m going to do everything I can to get them ready to do that. I think through my hockey career I’ve been on the ice with so many players and I’ve earned the respect of those players through my skill, through my merit, and that’s what they’re going to see me as when I walk through the door as a coach.”
Coyne Schofield’s job is full-time, but she also remains an active player.
“I am going to continue to play with the women’s national team and I’ve set my goal to make the 2022 Winter Olympics team,” she said. “The Blackhawks have an understanding that I’m still committed to the women’s national team, that I’m training full time, and I’m also committed to my new role here with the Blackhawks as a player development coach and a youth hockey growth specialist.”
Condra scored 99 points (40 goals, 59 assists) in 372 NHL games with the Ottawa Senators, Tampa Bay Lightning and Dallas Stars. Gonzalez most recently was a strength and conditioning adviser for the USA Hockey National Team Development Program.
Meghan Hunter was promoted to director of hockey administration and amateur scout for the Blackhawks. She previously was a senior executive assistant to Bowman.
