Derek Plante Named Assistant Coach with Blackhawks

The Chicago Blackhawks today announced Derek Plante has been hired as an assistant coach, joining Kevin Dean and Derek King under Head Coach Luke Richardson.

Plante, 51, rejoins the Blackhawks after spending five years with the club as a player development coach from 2015-20. Last season, Plante helped coach the University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs, his alma mater, to a 22-16-4 overall record in his second season as associate head coach, a team that included Blackhawks prospects Dominic James, Wyatt Kaiser and Connor Kelley. Plante helped the team make it to the Frozen Four in 2021 and also qualify for the NCAA Tournament in each of the past two seasons with him behind the bench.

Prior to joining the Blackhawks as a development coach in 2015, Plante began his coaching career with the Bulldogs, serving as an assistant coach there from 2010-15. In his first season with University of Minnesota-Duluth, Plante helped the team to an NCAA Championship after they defeated the Michigan Wolverines in 2011.

Plante played for the Bulldogs from 1989-93, serving as captain in his senior year. Drafted in 1989 by the Buffalo Sabres in the eighth round (161st overall), Plante went on to play eight seasons in the National Hockey League including six with Buffalo (1993-99), and partial seasons with Dallas (1999-00), Chicago (2000) and Philadelphia (2001). The Cloquet, Minnesota native combined for 248 points (96G, 152A) in 450 career regular-season NHL games and 16 points (6G, 10A) in 41 postseason contests, winning a Stanley Cup with the Stars in 1999.