The Chicago Blackhawks announced today that Mike Vellucci has been hired as assistant coach under Head Coach Jeff Blashill. Vellucci joins assistants Michael Peca and Anders Sorensen, goaltending coach Jimmy Waite, assistant coach/video Matt Meacham and assistant video coach Adam Gill to round out new Head Coach Jeff Blashill’s coaching staff.
“I’m looking forward to working alongside Mike who has excelled behind the bench at every level, as both a head and assistant coach,” said Blashill. “Serving as an assistant coach at the World Championship this summer and winning a gold medal for our country alongside Frank Nazar and Alex Vlasic will bring such valuable experience to this group. That kind of championship-caliber background only makes our team better and I’m excited to get to work.”
Vellucci, 58, joins the Blackhawks after spending the previous five seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins from 2020-25. During his time in Pittsburgh, the club logged a record of 195-140-49 in the regular season and made two trips to the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2020-21 and 2021-22. He also served as General Manager and Head Coach of the Penguins’ American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, for one season (2019-20), helping the club to a 29-26-8 record.
Prior to his time with the Pittsburgh organization, Vellucci spent five seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes as Assistant General Manager and Director of Hockey Operations from 2014-19. From 2017-19, he also served as the Head Coach for the Charlotte Checkers, Carolina’s AHL affiliate, where he led the team to its first Calder Cup in franchise history in 2018-19 after posting a 51-17-8 record in the regular season. The Checkers won their first division title with 110 points and the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy for the league’s best regular-season record, marking the first time a Charlotte hockey team had broken the 100-point barrier since the SHL Checkers (101) in 1974-75.
The Farmington, Michigan native also spent 13 seasons with the Plymouth Whalers of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) from 2001-14, where he served as General Manager and Head Coach for all 13 seasons, and as the President for one season in 2013-14. Over that span, Vellucci helped lead the Whalers to a 468-268-36-54 record in 826 career regular-season games, winning the OHL Championship in 2006-07, the third in club history. In 2007, Vellucci won the Matt Leyden Trophy as the OHL Coach of the Year, becoming the first American in OHL history to win the award.
Internationally, Vellucci was behind the bench as an assistant coach for Team USA in the 2025 IIHF World Championship, helping guide the country to its first World Championship gold medal in 92 years.
Vellucci was originally selected by the Hartford Whalers in the seventh round (131st overall) of the 1984 NHL Draft. He appeared in two career NHL games with the club, as well as 40 career AHL games with the Binghamton Whalers, registering 18 points (9G, 9A). He also played in 142 career games in the International Hockey League (IHL), compiling 63 points (13G, 50A) with the Salt Lake Golden Eagles (1986-87), Milwaukee Admirals (1987-88), Indianapolis Ice (1988-89) and Phoenix Roadrunners (1989-90).
