Penguins' Jason Spezza, Amanda Kessel earn promotions

The Pittsburgh Penguins announced several hockey operations staff promotions and hirings Monday afternoon.

• Assistant general manager Jason Spezza has additionally been named general manager of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

• Amanda Kessel, entering her third year with the Penguins, has been promoted to manager, minor league operations, and will serve as Spezza’s assistant general manager for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Kessel, who spent 2023-24 as special assistant to president of hockey operations/general manager Kyle Dubas in Pittsburgh, will also oversee the Wheeling Nailers of the ECHL.

• In addition, the Penguins have tapped Kain Tisi to serve as Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s goaltending coach, where he’ll work with top prospect Joel Blomqvist on new coach Kirk MacDonald’s staff.

Tisi had spent the past two seasons as goaltending development coach for the Penguins, with an emphasis on the netminders at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

• The final internal promotion announced by the Penguins is Mark Osiecki to professional and NCAA scout.

Osiecki enters his second year with the Penguins and extends his role from scouting pro organizations in the midwest to draft-eligible prospects and collegiate free agents.

The Penguins have announced several staff hirings and promotions to the hockey operations department.

Read more about the staff: https://t.co/biy7LSS8l5 pic.twitter.com/pSaV4wCu2g

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) August 19, 2024

• Prominent among the new hirings is Kevin Elliott as head athletic trainer, replacing Chris Stewart, who resigned in July after spending 18 years with the Penguins.

Elliott spent the past three seasons with Hockey Canada as manager of medical services.

Previously, he spent 17 seasons (2003-07, 2009-21) as head athletic trainer of the Charlottetown Islanders of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL).

• Jonathan Erlichman has been hired as vice president, hockey research, development and strategy after spending the past 12 years with the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball.

Most recently with the Rays, Erlichman was vice president, process and analysis.

He will report directly to Dubas and oversee the Penguins’ research and development strategy.

• Lucas Malloy was named manager, hockey operations, and is a five-year veteran of Fenway Sports Group, having served as special assistant to David Beeston, former alternate governor for the Penguins.

His emphasis will be on major business-related projects and strategic initiatives.

• Three new amateur scouts, Chris Roque, Brandon Dennis and Brian Ihnacak, join the Penguins and will report directly to vice president of player personnel Wes Clark.

• The Penguins are also bringing aboard a pair of pro scouts, Jason Pietrzykowski and Chad Nehring.

• Lastly, Karel Popper was named goaltending coach of the Nailers.