Penguins name Tom Kostopoulos as director of player development
With another executive heading west to join the Vancouver Canucks, the Penguins didn’t look far to find a replacement.
On Friday, the Penguins announced Tom Kostopoulos was appointed as director of player development. He replaces Scott Young who was named as the Canucks’ director of player personnel, also on Friday.
Kostopoulos was previously a player development coach with the organization. In his new role, Kostopoulos will oversee the franchise’s prospects at all levels.
Kostopoulos’ time with the organization dates back to 1999 when he was a seventh-round draft pick (No. 204 overall) of the Penguins.
As a forward, Kostopoulos spent 11 seasons in the NHL, including three with the Penguins during the early 2000s. As his 19-year professional career wound down in mid-2010s, Kostopoulous spent his final five seasons as an active player with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, serving as that squad’s captain.
After retiring in 2018, Kostopoulos was hired by the Penguins as a player development coach.
Young, who had been the Penguins’ director of player development for the past five years, is the latest one-time member of the Penguins’ front office to join the Canucks over the past half year. After former Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford was hired as the Canucks’ president of hockey operations in December, that franchise has installed former Penguins executives Patrik Allvin as general manager and Derek Clancey as assistant general manager.
Hired by the Penguins in the 2017 offseason, Young spent 17 seasons in the NHL as a forward, including part of the 1990-91 campaign with the Penguins, and helped the franchise win its first Stanley Cup title.
Additionally, the Penguins announced Madison Nikkel was promoted to video coach. Previously the assistant video coach, Nikkel had been in that position since 2019. Previously, he had been the video coach with the Wilkes-Barre/Scrnaton Penguins for three seasons.
He replaces Andy Saucier who was promoted to hockey operations analyst/pro personnel earlier in June.
Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.
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