Penguins reach settlement with former minor league coach, wife over sexual assault allegations

The Pittsburgh Penguins reached a settlement with a former minor league assistant coach and his wife over an alleged sexual assault said to have occurred in November 2018.

On Tuesday, the franchise and lawyers representing Erin and Jarrod Skalde issued statements indicating a settlement was reached involving two separate lawsuits. Terms of the settlement were not revealed.

In November 2020, Jarrod Skalde, previously an assistant coach with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League, filed suit alleging the Pittsburgh Penguins violated the state’s whistleblower laws. He claimed the franchise punished him for reporting that former Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins head coach Clark Donatelli allegedly sexually assaulted Skalde’s wife during a road trip in Providence, R.I., two years earlier.

Jarrod Skalde reported the alleged assault to former Pittsburgh Penguins assistant general manager Bill Guerin in June 2019. Donatelli resigned about a month later, citing “personal reasons.”

Jarrod Skalde’s employment with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins ended in May 2020. The team claimed the move was part of staffing cutbacks caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The Pittsburgh Penguins own and operate the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

No criminal charges were filed over the alleged incident.

The Penguins’ statement on Tuesday read:

“In June 2019, the Penguins received a report about an alleged incident in November 2018 involving the then head coach of the AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre and Erin Skalde, the wife of then Wilkes-Barre assistant coach Jarrod Skalde. Upon receiving this report, the Penguins immediately conducted a thorough investigation and took prompt action. Within a few days, the former coach who was alleged to have been involved in the incident departed from the organization.

“In November 2020, Jarrod and Erin Skalde filed a lawsuit against the Penguins and the former Wilkes-Barre coach. The Penguins and Skaldes have agreed to resolve all claims. Through this resolution, the Penguins hope to bring closure to the Skaldes, provide some measure of peace, and continue to encourage and promote a culture of openness, accountability, and respect at all levels of professional sports.”

Erin Skalde said in a prepared statement that the past three years have been “challenging.”

“The events of the last three years have been deeply challenging and my hope is to now move forward as an advocate for others,” she said in the statement released by her lawyers. “I call this commitment my Meaningful Life Project and my most fervent energy and efforts will be focused there to continue my personal growth, support others and be an instrument of change.”

Jarrod Skalde also issued a statement:

“I am glad that this has been resolved and my hope is I can move forward with my professional coaching career and personal life.”

Jarrod Skalde is currently head coach and director of hockey operations for the Cardiff Devils, a team based in the United Kingdom’s Elite Ice Hockey League.

Donatelli is head coach of the Krefeld Pinguine of Germany’s Deutsche Eishockey Liga.

Guerin is currently general manager of the Minnesota Wild. A request to speak with Guerin before the Wild’s game in PPG Paints Arena on Saturday was declined.