'It's A Nice Mix': New Penguins' Coaching Staff
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It’s no secret that the Pittsburgh Penguins have begun to shift into a new era. With the organization in a transitional period – and in the midst of a rebuild – the Penguins are putting the focus on youth and development.
And that focus on development is certainly prevalent when examining their new coaching staff.
On Apr. 28, the Penguins decided to move on from longtime head coach Mike Sullivan – who ended up with the New York Rangers – and usher in a new era for the team and its direction. A little more than a month later, they announced the hiring of Dan Muse as the 23rd head coach in franchise history, officially ushering in that new era with a clean slate.
Fast forward to mid-July, and that clean slate has been written on with nearly an entirely new coaching staff, save for a few. Muse brought on assistants Todd Nelson, Nick Bonino, Rich Clune, and Mike Stothers and added assistant video coach Troy Paquette. The only retentions from Sullivan’s old staff were goaltending coach Andy Chiodo and video coach Madison Nikkel.
GM and POHO Kyle Dubas were clearly going for a different direction, and each coach made the decision to join the staff for different reasons. But they are united in their messaging, as they want to help this team simultaneously maintain its winning culture while putting the focus on a younger generation.
And that work will kick into high gear after all of the initial relationship-building and planning heading into training camp this fall.
“It’s making sure that we’re growing every day and growing an environment that’s going to be extremely competitive, but it’s where the individuals can grow and the group can grow on a daily basis,” Muse said. “I believe a big part of my job is setting that environment there, along with the coaching staff, and making sure that foundation is there right from day one.”
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