Blackhawks continue to rebuild their coaching staff after parting with assistant coach Don Granato

The Blackhawks announced on Wednesday that assistant coach Don Granato will not return next season, paving the way for coach Jeremy Colliton to add an assistant as the Hawks continue rebuilding their coaching staff.

Granato was retained last November when the team fired Joel Quenneville and assistant coaches Kevin Dineen and Ulf Samuelsson.

The Hawks said the team and Granato, who was hired prior to the 2017-18 season, had “mutually agreed to part ways.”

“We appreciate Don’s contributions to the Blackhawks organization while on the staff,” said Colliton said in a statement. “We wish him well in the future as he pursues other opportunities.”

At the time Colliton was hired as coach, Barry Smith left the Hawks’ front office to join the team as an assistant but returned to his job as director of player evaluation after three months.

Sheldon Brookbank, who was an assistant to Colliton with the Rockford IceHogs, joined the Hawks as an assistant coach in January.

jgreenfield@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @jcgreenx

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