The Blackhawks have demoted Norm Maciver from assistant general manager to vice president of player personnel, according to their website. The move was made amid the team’s hockey operations staff restructuring under interim president Danny Wirtz as pointed out by Scott Powers of The Athletic.
Maciver held the assistant GM position for eight seasons after previously serving as director of player personnel for one season and director of player development for three seasons.
The Blackhawks elevated three people to have an assistant GM label to their job title with Kyle Davidson at the top of hockey administration after previously being the assistant to the GM. Davidson started in the organization as a hockey analytics video analyst in 2010 then in June 2011 was elevated to hockey administration coordinator, a job which saw him help manage the salary cap and decide market value for players.
“I enjoy the idea of helping build the roster in a salary cap (era),” Davidson told the Sudbury Star in July 2015. “It’s a bit of a puzzle putting together the roster, one you gotta combine certain types of players, but also have to build in the financial aspect as you need to be compliant of the NHL salary cap. It’s a balance of finding good players, but finding good players at a right cost. It’s a puzzle always evolving, and you’re projecting years from now on what and how players are doing or will be doing.”
Davidson is the highest ranking person in the hockey operations and scouting department on the team’s website and does not have a staff biography.
Mark Eaton (player development) and Ryan Stewart (pro scouting) went from director and vice president roles, respectively, to having the assistant GM tag. Mike Doneghey was promoted from head USA scout to director of player evaluation/recruitment, while Rob Facca went from amateur scout to head USA scout.
The Blackhawks also moved three people from director roles to senior advisor positions with Ron Anderson (player recruitment) and Pierre Gauthier and Barry Smith (player personnel). Smith, who was as an assistant coach for two and half months when Jeremy Colliton took over as Chicago’s NHL coach during the 2018-19 season before moving back to the front office, was previously involved with player recruitment.
The Blackhawks also removed 17 people from their hockey operations, scouting and coaching sections, highlighted by six pro scouts, development coach Derek Plante and Rockford IceHogs/European strength and conditioning coach Kristian Skarphagen.
Mary DeBartolo, Chicago’s coordinator of research, development and hockey analytics, remains the lone woman listed in the Blackhawks’ hockey operations and scouting departments. DeBartolo along with Andrew Contis (hockey analytics video analyst) are the two people the Blackhawks identify with analytics background on their website. Rockford IceHogs assistant GM Nick Anderson served as a hockey analytics video analyst and hockey operations coordinator the past two seasons before he was elevated to his current role last year.