The Pittsburgh Penguins face a boatload of pressure to get back into the Stanley Cup playoffs after missing out on the past two post-seasons.
That doesn’t stop the business of filling out a Penguins organization that’s undergone major change since Kyle Dubas took over as GM and president of hockey operations last summer.
And on Monday, the Penguins announced a slew of hirings and promotions that will make waves across the pro hockey landscape.
The Penguins have announced several staff hirings and promotions to the hockey operations department.
Read more about the staff: https://t.co/biy7LSS8l5pic.twitter.com/pSaV4wCu2g
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) August 19, 2024
The most recognizable name who officially got new duties Monday is assistant GM and former NHL star center Jason Spezza, who was named GM of the Penguins’ AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Spezza joined Dubas’ management team last summer after departing from the Toronto Maple Leafs with Dubas, and his expanded role will further educate and inform him as he one day will almost assuredly take on an NHL GM’s position.
Meanwhile, another star player, American hockey icon Amanda Kessel, who had been a special assistant to Dubas last season, got promoted to manager of minor league operations and assistant GM for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
The new duties – which will prevent Kessel from even entertaining a return to the ice for the PWHL – give the 32-year-old input on the AHL team as well as oversight of Pittsburgh’s ECHL affiliate in Wheeling, W.Va.
It's official: Amanda Kessel will not play in the PWHL this season after she was promoted to the Pittsburgh Penguins' Manager of Minor League Operations and assistant GM of the AHL's Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. https://t.co/TaHl47zlWk
— The Hockey News - Women’s (@TheHockeyNewsW) August 19, 2024
Elsewhere, Dubas chose to go outside of hockey to hire Jonathan Erlichman as vice-president of hockey research, development and strategy. Erlichman had served for the past 12 years as a management member of MLB’s Tampa Bay Rays, most recently as their VP of process and analytics. He'll run the team's research and development strategy and lead future hockey operations strategy projects.
It’s not surprising Dubas decided to hire an advanced stats expert to fill out his management team in Pittsburgh. He’s always been on the cutting edge of advanced stats, so bringing in Erlichman aligns with his philosophy. Dubas is clearly comfortable bringing in new perspectives for the Penguins, and we’ll see if that approach pays off with on-ice success at all levels of the organization.
In total, Dubas made nine new hires Monday, including Erlichman, Kevin Elliott (head athletic trainer), Lucas Malloy (manager, hockey operations), Chris Roque, Brandon Dennis and Brian Ihnacak (amateur scouts), Jason Pietrzykowski and Chad Nehring (pro scouts) and Karel Popper (goaltending coach, ECHL affiliate).
But don’t take the new additions to mean Dubas no longer feels the heat. He’s now completely made over the franchise’s management team, but it will be his job on the line if he can’t deliver wins at the NHL level.
The Penguins are by no means a lock to make the post-season this coming year, but Dubas can no longer claim he isn’t the primary author of his team’s destiny. His fingerprints are now all over the organization, and he will feel more pressure to produce than any other management member in Pittsburgh.
