The Chicago Blackhawks continued to shape the coaching staff for their American Hockey League team on Wednesday when they announced that former NHL defenseman Sheldon Brookbank has joined the Rockford IceHogs staff as an assistant.
Brookbank, along with Derek King, will serve as the assistants on first-year coach Jeremy Colliton’s staff.
This will be his first coaching experience in pro hockey.
“I always knew I wanted to stay in hockey one way or another and coaching is a great way to do that,” Brookbank said, via Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune. “You try to pay attention to things that you like as a player and things that maybe you didn’t like as a player and you try to piece everything together that you think would work for a hockey team and that’s kind of what you go off with as far as your coaching style.”
The 36-year-old Brookbank spent parts of eight seasons in the NHL, appearing in 351 games with the Nashville Predators, New Jersey Devils, Anaheim Ducks, and Blackhawks. He scored seven goals, recorded 37 assists and racked up 473 penalty minutes during his career.
He last played in the NHL during the 2013-14 season as a member of the Blackhawks, appearing in 48 games that season. He also appeared in 26 games during the 2012-13 season, plus one playoff game, when the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup.
Following his two-year run with the Blackhawks he spent two years playing overseas (one season in the KHL, one season in Finland) before returning to North America during this past season when he played for the Cleveland Monsters of the AHL. He only played in six games, recording one assist.