DETROIT - Jeff Blashill has been the heir apparent as the Detroit Red Wings head coach for a couple of years.

When Mike Babcock left for the Toronto Maple Leafs on May 20, it cleared the way for Blashill's promotion from the Grand Rapids Griffins. The Red Wings just were waiting for the Griffins' Calder Cup playoff run to end before making it official.

The Red Wings will announce Blashill's hiring during a news conference next week at Joe Louis Arena, a source said.

Blashill, 41, will become the second-youngest head coach in the NHL, behind recently hired John Hynes of the New Jersey Devils, who is 40.

Blashill likely will receive a three-year contract, since general manager Ken Holland has three years remaining on his deal.

The Griffins were eliminated Tuesday in Game 6 of the AHL Western Conference finals by the Utica Comets.

An announcement ordinarily might have come later this week, but Holland has been in Buffalo for the NHL's Scouting Combine and will attend the league's general managers meetings in Chicago early next week during the Stanley Cup finals.

Blashill has scheduled exit interviews for players in Grand Rapids on Monday. So, the earliest an announcement on his hiring can come is on Tuesday.

Blashill, who was born in Southfield and raised in Sault Ste. Marie, was the clear-cut choice as Babcock's successor, given his success with the Griffins and everywhere else he has coached. Blashill posted a record of 134-71-23 during three seasons in Grand Rapids. He won the Calder Cup championship in 2013, his first season and was named AHL coach of the year in 2014.

Five NHL clubs contacted the Red Wings last off-season asking for permission to speak with Blashill. All were denied. The Red Wings signed Blashill to a three-year extension, doubling his salary to $400,000, about twice the average pay for an AHL coach, and told him he'd be next in line if Babcock left.

Blashill has coached many players already on Detroit's roster -- 10 who appeared in this year's playoff series against the Tampa Bay Lightning -- and coached several more who will make the leap to the NHL over the next several seasons.

Red Wings who've played for him praise his communication skills, his ability to motivate and his penchant for putting players in a position to succeed.

The Red Wings hired Blashill as an assistant coach in 2011, following one season as head coach at Western Michigan, when he led the Broncos to the NCAA Tournament.

A former goaltender at Ferris State University, Blashill spent three years as an assistant coach at his alma mater before joining Miami University as an assistant in 2002. In 2008, he became head coach of the USHL's Indiana Ice, winning the championship in his first season.

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