Cubs' Greenberg headed to Blackhawks
Nearly two months after being beaten out by Kyle Davidson for the Blackhawks' general manager job, Jeff Greenberg was hired as associate GM by the team.
The Hawks announced the move in a statement Thursday.
Greenberg has been part of the Cubs' baseball operations for 11 seasons and is their assistant GM. The systems he created to develop and scout talent are considered big reasons why the Cubs' rebuild was so successful.
"Jeff will be both an architect and connector of the hockey operations group, ensuring that we're always at the forefront of professional sports," Davidson said. "He reached out to congratulate me after I was named general manager, and we connected instantly over our parallel paths, shared love for hockey and vision for this sport's future.
Said Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer: "Jeff is simply one of the best teammates I have worked with in baseball. He has done so much to the make the Cubs a better organization over the last 10 seasons with his powerful combination of intelligence, work ethic, leadership and integrity. He was critically involved in forward-looking decisions as we built the core of a world champion.
"As the Blackhawks look to build their next championship team, Jeff is an ideal hire."
Greenberg was considered a dark horse when the Hawks were conducting their GM search, but Jaime Faulkner and Danny Wirtz came away extremely impressed after his opening presentation.
The Hawks expect Greenberg to use data-based systems so that they draft, sign and develop the correct players during the upcoming rebuild.
"What I've learned about the Blackhawks is they're serious about using this rebuilding period to not only set this franchise up to be the best in hockey, but the best in all of sports moving forward," said Greenberg, who joins the Hawks May 9. "There couldn't be a more exciting time to get in on the ground floor of this journey and pursue every possible solution to put this team back on the path to winning hockey."
Regula to Rockford
Alec Regula was assigned to the Rockford IceHogs Thursday. The defenseman had 1 goal in 15 appearances and averaged more than 19 minutes in his last nine games. Regula will try to help Rockford (37-28-5) make a long run in the Calder Cup playoffs, which begin next week.