The Chicago Blackhawks announced today the hiring of Mike Haviland as an assistant coach on Denis Savard’s staff.

Haviland, 41, comes to the Blackhawks after spending the last three years as the bench boss of the organization’s AHL affiliate in Norfolk (2005-07) and Rockford (2007-08). The Middletown, New Jersey, native has never missed the playoffs during his seven-year minor league coaching career, which includes capturing the ECHL’s Kelly Cup in 2003 with the Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies and 2005 with the Trenton Titans.

Last season, Haviland guided the IceHogs to a 44-26-4-6 regular-season record (.613) before taking the squad to the second round of the playoffs. He has posted a .600 or better winning percentage in six of his seven seasons as has finished no lower than a .588 percentage. He earned the Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award for the 2006-07 season, which is given annually to the AHL’s outstanding coach.

Haviland began his professional coaching career as an assistant for Trenton in 1999 before moving behind the bench as the head coach of the Boardwalk Bullies before the 2001-02 campaign. After a one-year stop as the head coach of the Titans (2004-05), Haviland joined the Blackhawks organization when he was appointed to his position with the Norfolk Admirals in 2005-06.

Haviland played two years of professional hockey, which includes appearing in four games with the AHL’s Binghamton Whalers (2 goals) in 1989-90 and the ECHL’s Richmond Renegades and Winston-Salem Thunderbirds (five goals, five assists) in 1990-91 before an injury cut his career short.