Former Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins coach Clark Donatelli acquitted of sexual assault
Former Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins coach Clark Donatelli was acquitted Wednesday by the Rhode Island Superior Court of an alleged sexual assault four and a half years ago in Providence, R.I.
He was cleared in what the Providence Journal termed a “sharply worded bench ruling.”
Donatelli was a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins organization for parts of eight seasons, including four campaigns as head coach of American Hockey League affiliate Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. He was accused of assaulting Erin Skalde, wife of then Wilkes-Barre/Scranton assistant coach Jarrod Skalde, during a road trip in Providence, R.I., in November 2018.
In his ruling, Superior Court Judge Daniel A. Procaccini granted a motion to dismiss charges after stating he could not square Erin Skalde’s account from the night with the testimony of Jarrod Skalde.
Erin Skalde’s inability to “clearly and consistently” describe facts, paired with Jarrod Skalde’s contradictory recollection of the events, significantly undermined her credibility, the judge concluded, according to the Journal.
Donatelli was indicted July 26, 2021, by a Rhode Island grand jury.
Erin Skalde spoke of the alleged assault during an interview with Canadian broadcaster TSN.
In December 2020, the Skaldes filed civil suits against the Pittsburgh Penguins, accusing them of violating whistleblower laws after Jarrod Skalde reported Donatelli’s alleged assault to management. Jarrod Skalde claimed he was the target of retaliation until his position was eliminated in May 2020 as part of staff reductions related to the pandemic.
The Pittsburgh Penguins own and operate the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Settlements in those lawsuits were reached in November 2021.
Donatelli quietly resigned from his position with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in July 2019 for what the franchise described as “personal reasons.”
In January 2021, Donatelli was hired as head coach of the Krefeld Pinguine of Germany’s Deutsche Eishockey Liga. About nine months later, Donatelli was fired by Krefeld. He has not coached since.
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.
Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience but still support the journalists who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free.