Jeff Greenberg, who spearheaded the Blackhawks’ analytics development growth over the past year, did too well for the Hawks to keep him.
Greenberg was named the Detroit Tigers’ general manager Thursday after just 16 months as the Hawks’ associate GM.
The move represents a return to baseball for the 37-year-old executive, who spent 11 years with the Cubs — working underneath Scott Harris, formerly the Cubs’ assistant GM who has since become the Tigers’ director of baseball operations — before joining the Hawks in April 2022.
Greenberg was a finalist for but ultimately lost out on the Hawks’ GM role to Kyle Davidson that spring. Nonetheless, he later accepted Davidson’s offer to come aboard beneath him and build out a comprehensive analytics database, since dubbed the “Madhouse” database, similar to the Cubs’ “Ivy” database.
The Hawks have remained secretive about the database’s details, but Davidson leaned heavily on Greenberg’s advice and gave him extensive resources and autonomy. He said last fall that Greenberg’s “unique skill set and experience” had proven “really illuminating and educational” to the entire front office.
Greenberg also made a number of new hires within the analytics department, which currently has eight employees listed in the team directory. The highest-ranking person left is director of hockey systems and technology Ryan Kruse, who — like many in the department — also came from the Cubs.
With the staff now fleshed out enough to be capable of carrying on existing projects and momentum, Greenberg’s departure doesn’t sting as much as it previously might have.
“[I] will forever be thankful for the opportunity I was provided with the [Hawks] organization,” Greenberg said in a statement. “I know the club is on the right path to success with the leadership they have in place and the vision they are building for the future. I look forward to this new challenge and the Blackhawks will always have a special place in my heart.”
Hawks coach Luke Richardson said after Thursday’s opening training-camp sessions that he was happy for Greenberg but would miss him.
“We want to be one of the first [NHL] teams that use analytics in a really positive and helpful way, to build [our product] not just on the ice but even going all the way down to prospects,” Richardson added. “We’ve got it started. [Jeff’s] team’s going to continue to build that going forward, and I look forward to seeing it finished.”
