Anders Sörensen

This article is about the ice hockey coach. For the Danish golfer, see Anders Sørensen.
Anders Sörensen
Born (1975-05-11) 11 May 1975 (age 49)
Södertälje, Sweden
Height 5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Weight 172 lb (78 kg; 12 st 4 lb)
Position Defence
Shot Left
Played for Ducs d'Angers
Sparta Sarpsborg
Current NHL coach Chicago Blackhawks
NHL draft Undrafted
Playing career 1993–2000
Coaching career 2011–present

Anders Sörensen (born 11 May 1975) is a Swedish professional ice hockey coach who is the interim head coach for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously coached the Rockford IceHogs, Chicago's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate. He is the first Swedish-born head coach in NHL history.[1]

Playing career

Sörensen played for Södertälje SK as a defenceman from 1992–1995. He also played for clubs in France and Norway.[2] Sörensen traveled to North America to play for the Mobile Mysticks and Baton Rouge Kingfish of the ECHL during the 1999–2000 season. He tallied three goals and one assist in 37 games.[3][4] He retired from playing in 2000 and went into coaching.[2]

Coaching career

Sörensen coached various youth hockey programs throughout the early 2000s in the Chicago area.[5] In 2006, he began coaching for the Chicago Mission of the Tier 1 Elite Hockey League, where he helped develop future NHLers Ryan Hartman, Vinnie Hinostroza, and Nick Schmaltz.[6]

Sörensen returned to his hometown of Södertälje to become an assistant coach for Södertälje SK of HockeyAllsvenskan in 2011. He was named as the team's interim head coach in October 2013.[7][4]

He joined the Chicago Blackhawks organization in 2013 as a development coach. Sörensen transitioned to the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL in 2018, serving as an assistant coach and later as an associate coach. In 2021, he took over as the interim head coach of the IceHogs.[8][4] Sörensen maintained a 117–89–16–7 record in 229 games through his first three seasons as head coach and reached the playoffs in each of these seasons.[7]

On 5 December 2024, the Blackhawks appointed Sörensen their interim head coach after firing Luke Richardson.[7][1] He made his NHL debut on 7 December, in a 4–2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets.[9]

Personal life

Sörensen is married and has four children.[2] He is close friends with fellow Swede Michael Nylander. Sörensen was the personal coach of Michael's sons, William and Alexander Nylander.[10]

Career statistics

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1993–94 Södertälje SK SWE.2 2 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
1994–95 Södertälje SK J20 26 0 9 9 28 — — — — —
1995–96 Södertälje SK J20 27 5 12 17 20 — — — — —
1995–96 Södertälje SK SWE.2 10 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0
1996–97 Ducs d'Angers FRA 25 2 13 15 28 — — — — —
1997–98 Sparta Sarpsborg NOR 43 7 20 27 20 — — — — —
1998–99 Fort Worth Fire CHL 17 3 6 9 4 — — — — —
1998–99 Tupelo T-Rex WPHL 8 0 1 1 8 — — — — —
1999–00 Mobile Mysticks ECHL 29 2 1 3 8 — — — — —
1999–00 Baton Rouge Kingfish ECHL 8 1 0 1 6 2 0 0 0 0
FRA totals 25 2 13 15 28 — — — — —
NOR totals 43 7 20 27 20 — — — — —

Head coaching record

HockeyAllsvenskan

Team Year Regular season Postseason
G W OTW OTL L Pts Finish W L Win% Result
SSK 2013–14 20 5 2 1 12 (20) (interim) — — — —
Total 20 5 2 1 12     — — — —

AHL

Team Year Regular season Postseason
G W L OTL SOL Pts Finish W L Win % Result
RFD 2021–22 66 35 26 4 1 (75) 4th in Central 2 3 .400 Lost in division semifinals (CHI)
RFD 2022–23 72 35 28 5 4 79 5th in Central 2 3 .400 Lost in division semifinals (TEX)
RFD 2023–24 72 39 26 5 2 85 3rd in Central 1 3 .250 Lost in division semifinals (GR)
RFD 2024–25 19 8 9 2 0 (18) (promoted) — — — —
Total 229 117 89 16 7     5 9 .357 —

References

  1. ^ a b Proteau, Adam (5 December 2024). "Five Coaching Candidates For The Chicago Blackhawks: Sorensen Gets First Crack". The Hockey News. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
  2. ^ a b c "2023 IHHOF Inductee Bios" (PDF). Illinois Hall of Fame. 2023. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 December 2024. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  3. ^ "Anders Sorensen – Head Coach". Rockford IceHogs. 5 December 2024. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
  4. ^ a b c Taft, Jay (12 July 2022). "Chicago Blackhawks name new head coach of Rockford IceHogs amid busy time". Rockford Register Star. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
  5. ^ Brown, Nate (8 January 2024). "Illinois Hockey Hall of Fame Calls Anders Sorensen: 'He's The Whole Package'". Chicago Hockey Now. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
  6. ^ Powers, Scott (12 May 2022). "IceHogs interim coach Anders Sorensen is pairing development and winning for Blackhawks prospects". The Athetlic. New York Times. Archived from the original on 6 December 2024. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
  7. ^ a b c "RELEASE: Blackhawks Announce Coaching Changes". National Hockey League. 5 December 2024. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
  8. ^ Powers, Scott (5 December 2024). "Blackhawks fire Luke Richardson after 8-16-2 start, name Anders Sorensen interim coach". The Athletic. New York Times. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
  9. ^ Sullivan, Paul (7 December 2024). "Column: Chicago Blackhawks fall flat in Anders Sorensen's coaching debut, losing to the Winnipeg Jets 4-2". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
  10. ^ Traikos, Michael (4 September 2014). "Toronto Maple Leafs' William Nylander builds his game on skill, hockey sense and lessons from his father". National Post. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
Sporting positions
Preceded by Head coach of the Chicago Blackhawks
(interim)
2024–present 		Incumbent