Blackhawks Tap Kendall Coyne Schofield As Development Coach

PALOS HEIGHTS, IL — A Palos Heights native has broken through the glass ceiling of the National Hockey League. Kendall Coyne Schofield, 28, has been hired as the first-ever female player development coach and youth hockey growth specialist for the Chicago Blackhawks.

Coyne is a long-serving community liaison for the Chicago Blackhawks organization. She will carry over this work in the hybrid role as a youth hockey growth specialist, specifically focused on grassroots youth hockey programs and clinics. This includes the implementation of girls hockey programming and the continued enhancement of her namesake, all-girls program “Golden Coynes.”

As a player development coach, Coyne will assist the AHL affiliated minor league Rockford IceHogs' coaching staff in the skills development of current players, while also evaluating, assessing and scouting potential prospects, the Blackhawks said in a news release.

Asked if she was worried about male players not taking direction from a female coach, Coyne said that any new coach needs to earn the trust and respect of the players.

“I plan on doing that right away,” she said during a virtual news conference Monday afternoon. “There’s a work ethic I will show them that’s how I made it as a player and how I plan to make as a coach. I might be the first female coach a lot of these players have worked with. I don’t see it being an issue.”

She wants young players to see her as someone who is going to help them to get to the next level to fulfill their NHL dream and said, “I’m going to do everything I can to get them ready to do that.”

Growing up in Palos Heights, Coyne was a natural athlete who excelled in multiple sports. She's the daughter of John and Ahlise Coyne and has two brothers, Kevin and Jake, and one sister, Bailey. She's married to NFL player Michael Schofield, a fellow Sandburg graduate and a Super Bowl winner with the Denver Broncos. He’s also played for the L.A. Chargers and Carolina Panthers.

When she was 7 years old, she met Cammi Granato, the national women’s team’s career leading scorer who also grew up in the Chicago area, at a hockey camp.

“I did reach out to Cammi, she fueled my dream to want to the Olympics,” Coyne said. “I held her gold medal.”

A forward for the United States Women's National Ice Hockey Team, Coyne is a six-time World Champion at the International Ice Hockey Federation Women's World Championship. She has twice represented the United States in the Olympic Winter Games, earning a gold medal in Pyeong Chang 2018 (2G, 1A) and Silver Medal in Sochi 2014 (2G, 4A).

She was a standout collegiate player for Northeastern University, leading the NCAA in goals, goals per game, points per game, shorthanded goals and hat tricks during the 2015-2016 season, earning the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award as the top player in women's college hockey as a senior, according to her Blackhawks bio.

In January 2019, Coyne became the first woman to compete in the National Hockey League's All-Stars skills competition, posting a time of 14.326 seconds in the fastest-skater challenge. She has also recently held broadcasting analyst roles with NBC Sports and NBC Sports California.

Coyne said much of her time with Blackhawks will be working with the young prospects in Rockford to get them “NHL ready.” A lot will depend on the COVID-19 policies for the 2020-2021 hockey season, as the Blackhawks enter a rebuilding era.

“I’m a competitor and I’ve won at a majority of levels that I’ve played at,” Coyne said. “To be in a role to help develop and help this team win championships that I grew up watching win three Stanley Cups … and now to be in a role to help developed those next generation of players who are going to want to raise the cup is phenomenal.”

Coyne said she reached out to her childhood idol — Granato — for advice on her next professional move.

“I definitely called her and got her advice,” Coyne said. “I reminded her that she continues to inspire me no matter how old we get. I hope to do the same for girls who are younger than me in today’s hockey world.”