Penguins Blog

Dan Bylsma has been named head coach of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, it was announced Monday by Pittsburgh Penguins Assistant General Manager Chuck Fletcher.  He becomes the fifth head coach in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton history.

 Bylsma, 37, spent the past two seasons as an assistant with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, and takes over the head coaching duties from Todd Richards, who accepted a position as an assistant coach with the San Jose Sharks last month.

 “Dan is one of the brightest young coaches in the American Hockey League, and is more than ready to take on the role of guiding the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins,” said Fletcher.  “He has already helped in the development of several players who have made an impact in Pittsburgh, and his two years behind the bench in Wilkes-Barre give him a unique knowledge of our top prospects.”

 “I am extremely excited about the opportunity to continue my coaching career with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins,” said Bylsma.  “It’s been a goal of mine to become a head coach in the American Hockey League, and I can’t think of a better place to have that goal come to fruition.”

 Prior to joining the Penguins in the summer of 2006, Bylsma served as an assistant coach with the AHL’s Cincinnati Mighty Ducks (2004-05) and the NHL’s New York Islanders (2005-06). 

 Selected by the Winnipeg Jets in the sixth round (109^th overall) of the 1989 NHL Entry Draft, the native of Grand Haven, Michigan went on to appear in 429 NHL games with the Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks during a 12-year playing career.  He made his professional debut with the Greensboro Monarchs (ECHL) in 1992, finishing third on the team with 60 points in 60 games.  He also made his American Hockey League debut that season, playing in two games with the Rochester Americans.

 Bylsma cracked the NHL with the Kings in 1995-96, and appeared in 220 games with Los Angeles in parts of five seasons.  He joined the Ducks prior to the 2000-01 season, and was a member of the club that advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2003.  He retired from playing following the 2003-04 season.

 The former right wing played four seasons at Bowling Green State University (1988-1992), where he recorded 87 points (37+50) in 157 games with the Falcons.

 Bylsma is married to Mary Beth and has a son, Bryan (9).

The Pittsburgh Penguins have re-signed center Dave Gove and signed newly acquired defenseman Danny Richmond to one-year contracts, it was announced today by Executive Vice President and General Manager Ray Shero.

             Gove, 30, was acquired by Pittsburgh from the Carolina Hurricanes for Joe Jensen on January 31, 2008.  He appeared in 36 regular season games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins last season, recording 22 points (15 goals, seven assists) and 10 penalty minutes.  He led the team with three short-handed goals.

             The native of Centerville, Massachusetts began the season with the Albany River Rats, recording 23 points (eight goals, 15 assists) in 45 games.  He combined for nine game-winning goals with the Penguins and River Rats, one off the AHL lead.

             The 5-9, 190 pound forward has appeared in 429 career AHL games with the Penguins River Rats, Lowell Lock Monsters, Providence Bruins, San Antonio Rampage and Grand Rapids Griffins, recording 184 points (95+89). 

             Gove has also appeared in two games with the Carolina Hurricanes in his career, posting one assist.  Additionally, he has suited up for the Orland Solar Bears (International Hockey League), the Johnstown Chiefs (ECHL) and the Laredo Bucks (Central Hockey League).

             Richmond, 23, appeared in seven games with the Chicago Blackhawks during the 2007-08 season.  He scored 14 points (two goals, 12 assists) along with 156 penalty minutes in 40 games with the Rockford IceHogs of the American Hockey League (AHL), ranking third on the club in penalty minutes.

             The 6-0, 194-pound defenseman has played in 49 career games in the NHL, tallying three points (three assists) and 75 penalty minutes.  He has played in 223 total games in the AHL, posting 88 points (24 goals, 64 assists) along with 541 penalty minutes.

             The Chicago native was acquired by the Penguins in exchange for Tim Brent on July 17, 2008.  He was originally drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round (31^st overall) of the 2003 NHL Draft.

Not a whole lot has changed since the last time I put one of these lineups together, but Taffe, whom I assumed would re-sign, has, and Matt Cooke has been added. So here you go, the first (and second) of probably 163 possible lineups for your 2008-2009 Pittsburgh Penguins, as one idiot sees it:

IF Staal is a CENTER

Dupuis                  Crosby                   Satan

Fedotenko            Malkin                     Sykora

Cooke                  Staal                        Kennedy

Taffe                     Talbot                     Godard

 

IF Staal is a WING

Fedotenko          Crosby                  Satan

Staal                    Malkin                   Sykora

Dupuis                Talbot                   Kennedy

Cooke                 Taffe                     Godard 

                     

The San Jose Sharks today announced they have hired Todd Richards, head coach of the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins, as an assistant coach.

“Todd Richards has done a tremendous job for us in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, and we congratulate him on this great opportunity to coach in the NHL with the San Jose Sharks,” said Ray Shero, general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins. “We already have begun our search for a new head coach in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and can assure our fans that the Penguins will continue to play an exciting brand of hockey in 2008-09.”

 Richards, 41, spent two seasons as head coach of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, leading the team to a 98-48-5-8 record.  His 98 victories are second on the team’s all-time list, while his .653 winning percentage places him first in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton history. This past season, Richards led the Penguins to the East Division regular season title with a 47-26-3-4 record and a spot in the Calder Cup Finals against the Chicago Wolves.

The Penguins appear to have put the finishing touches on their 2008-09 roster today coming to terms with Jeff Taffe, Jonathan Filewich and Paul Bissonnette (2 s's, 2 n's, 2 t's). Taffe and Bissonnette receive 1-year contracts, while Filewich gets a 2-year deal.

Taffe, who saw action in 45 games last year should be up for a full-time gig this year in Pittsburgh. I think a lot of that depends on how NHL-ready Janne Pesonen turns out to be, but he's proven he's NHL caliber (Coyotes, Rangers, Pens). Filewich appeared in just 5 games with the Pens last year, making his NHL debut in January.  He didn't record any points and was a -2, but scored 31 points (10g, 21a) in 77 games with the Baby Pens.

Bissonnette is a big 23 year old defenseman who spent time in the AHL and ECHL last year.

With these signings, I'll put together another mock-Opening Day Lineup in the coming days. Stay tuned, and Go Pens!

Michel Therrien, who was entering the final year of his contract, received a new 3-year deal today. There was a lot of debate on when or even if this was coming, especially amid rumors that several players did not like Therrien (Marian Hossa among them), but to me this was a no-brainer. The team has improved steadily under Therrien, and players don't need to like their coach to play well for them.

Here is the official release from the team:

The Pittsburgh Penguins have agreed to terms with head coach Michel Therrien on a new three-year contract, it was announced today by Executive Vice President and General Manager Ray Shero. The contract covers the 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons.

 “Michel has done a tremendous job with our team over the past two-and-a-half seasons, developing our young players while leading us to division and conference championships and the Stanley Cup finals,” Shero said. “He had one year remaining on his previous contract, and we could have simply talked about an extension. But we thought that, based on the success we’ve had together, it was time to negotiate a new deal, starting with an increase in compensation for the 2008-09 season.”

 Therrien’s 2007-08 team went 47-27-8 during the regular season, won the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference championships, and advanced to the Stanley Cup finals against Detroit. It marked the Penguins’ first division title since 1997-98 and their first berth in the Cup finals since 1991-92.

 Over the past two seasons, the Penguins’ record under Therrien is an exceptional 94-51-19. He was a finalist for the Jack Adams Trophy as NHL coach of the year in 2006-07, when he led the Penguins to a 47-point improvement over the previous season. It was the fourth-biggest turnaround from one season to the next in NHL history. Therrien has allowed the talented Penguins to thrive offensively, even while demanding disciplined play and accountability in the defensive zone. In 2006-07, Sidney Crosby won the NHL scoring championship and, in 2007-08, Evgeni Malkin finished second in the league scoring race.

 “I’m excited to have a new three-year contract with the Penguins and am looking forward to continued success here in Pittsburgh,” Therrien said. “It is a great hockey city with an outstanding fan base. All of our players comment on how much they love playing in Pittsburgh, and I can tell you that our coaches love coaching in Pittsburgh. “We still have a lot of work to do, though, because we fell short of our biggest goal last season. Our goal is, and always will be, to win the Stanley Cup.

 Therrien, 44, was named head coach of the Penguins on Dec. 15, 2005, following a strong two-and-half year stint as head coach of the club’s American Hockey League affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. He led the Baby Penguins to the AHL finals in 2003-04, and his 2005-06 team was off to a remarkable 21-1-2-1 start, including a league-record 15 straight wins, when he was summoned to Pittsburgh as a mid-season replacement for coach Eddie Olczyk.

 The native of Montreal played three seasons as a defenseman in the AHL, registering 89 points in 206 games. In 1985, he played on a Calder Cup championship team with the Sherbrooke Canadiens, where his teammates included Patrick Roy, Stephane Richer and Brian Skrudland. He also played for the Baltimore Skipjacks, where his defense partner was current Penguins broadcaster and two-time Stanley Cup champion Phil Bourque. Therrien broke into coaching in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League with Laval and Granby, posting a .720 winning percentage in four seasons. His teams reached the league finals three times, and he captured the Memorial Cup as Canada’s national champion with Granby in 1996. He was head coach of Montreal’s AHL affiliates in Fredericton and Quebec from 1997-2000 and then gained his first taste of NHL experience as head coach of the Montreal Canadiens from 2000-03. He led the Canadiens to the playoffs in 2001-02.

 MICHEL THERRIEN’S PITTSBURGH COACHING RECORD

Regular season                                            Playoffs

Season           GP       W         L          O/T      Pts                  GP       W         L

 2005-06           51        14        29          8          36                  --          --          --

2006-07           82        47        24        11        105                    4          1        4

2007-08           82        47        27          8        102                  20        14        6

The Penguins traded the rights to center Tim Brent today to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for defenseman Danny Richmond. I have to be honest, I am a little disappointed we won't be able to see Brent become a part of the Penguins. He led the AHL in goals during the Baby Pens playoff run to the Calder Cup Finals with 12 goals in 23 games. He was second on the team in overall scoring with 27 points (second only to Alex Goligoski). Here's what

Brent, 24, has recorded one goal and six penalty minutes in 16 career National Hockey League games, which includes one appearance with the Penguins last season. The Cambridge, Ontario, native also skated in 15 contests with the Anaheim Ducks during the 2006-07 campaign. Brent notched professional career highs in goals (18), assists (43), points (61) and penalty minutes (79) in 74 regular-season matchups with the American Hockey League’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins last season.

Brent shared the AHL lead with 12 goals and tied for third overall with 27 points in 23 postseason games last year to help Wilkes-Barre/Scranton reach the Calder Cup Finals. Overall, he has tallied 133 points (54 goals, 79 assists) and 193 penalty minutes in 205 career AHL contests during his four-year professional career.Chicago's release said about Brent:

As for Richmond, the Penguins get a decent sized defenseman (6-0, 194 lbs) who has played about 50 games in the NHL. It's an odd move for a team already overloaded with defenseman, which makes it appear as if this is a move for 2009-10 and beyond when Sydor, Gill (one of which will most likely be traded this summer) and Scuderi become unrestricted free agents. Still, I'm left a bit confused. It's possible neither player could come to terms with their teams, as both were restricted free agents. Here is the official release from the Pens:

The Pittsburgh Penguins have acquired the rights to defenseman Danny Richmond in exchange for the rights to Tim Brent, it was announced today by Assistant General Manager Chuck Fletcher.

Richmond, 23, appeared in seven games with the Chicago Blackhawks during the 2007-08 season. He scored 14 points (two goals, 12 assists) along with 156 penalty minutes in 40 games with the Rockford IceHogs of the American Hockey League (AHL), ranking third on the club in penalty minutes.

The 6-0, 194-pound defenseman has played in 49 career games in the NHL, tallying three points (three assists) and 75 penalty minutes. He has played in 223 total games in the AHL, posting 88 points (24 goals, 64 assists) along with 541 penalty minutes.

Richmond, a native of Chicago, Illinois was originally drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round (31^st overall) of the 2003 NHL Draft.

Brent was originally acquired by the Penguins on June 23^rd, 2007 in a trade with the Anaheim Ducks. He appeared in one game in Pittsburgh, January 21^st vs. Washington. Brent scored 61 points (18 goals, 43 assists) in 74 games for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins during the 2007-08 season.

The Penguins announced their 2008-2009 regular season schedule. Highlights include season opening pair of game in Sweden, 5 straight games vs. playoff teams to open the season, a trip to Detroit in November, and like last season, a very busy March and April. Here is the official release from the team:

The Pittsburgh Penguins will open the 2008-09 season in Sweden with back-to-back games against the Ottawa Senators on October 4 and 5 at the Globe Arena in Stockholm. Both games will start at 2:30 p.m. Pittsburgh time. It marks the second time in franchise history that the Penguins will open the regular season outside of North America. In 2000-01, the Penguins opened the season with two games against the Nashville Predators in Tokyo, Japan.

Although the Penguins will again play a majority of their games against Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference teams, the NHL instituted a change in the schedule this season to involve more matchups against the Western Conference. The Penguins will play at least one game against each of the 15 teams in the Western Conference, and they will play three of the Western teams twice – Detroit, San Jose and Columbus.

The Penguins will visit the Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday, Nov. 11 and then host the Wings at Mellon Arena on Sunday, Feb. 8. The Penguins will play six games each against their Atlantic Division rivals, the Philadelphia Flyers, New York Rangers, New Jersey Devils and New York Islanders (three home, three road). They will play four games each against the other 10 teams in the Eastern Conference (two home, two road).

They will play 64 games against Eastern Conference teams and 18 against the Western Conference for a total of 82 regular season games. The Penguins will play their regular season home opener on Saturday, Oct. 11 against the New Jersey Devils at Mellon Arena (7:30 p.m.). They will close out the regular season at Montreal on Saturday, April 11.

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS 2008-09 REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE

• Sat., October 4^th @ Ottawa, 2:30 PM (Sweden)
• Sun., October 5^th vs. Ottawa, 2:30 PM (Sweden)
• Sat., October 11^th vs. New Jersey, 7:30 PM
• Tue., October 14^th vs. Philadelphia, 7:00 PM
• Thur., October 16^th vs. Washington, 7:30 PM
• Sat., October 18^th vs. Toronto, 7:00 PM
• Mon., October 20^th @ Boston, 7:00 PM
• Thur., October 23^rd vs. Carolina, 7:30 PM
• Sat., October 25^th @ New York Rangers, 7:00 PM
• Tue., October 28^th @ San Jose, 10:30 PM
• Thur., October 30^th @ Phoenix, 10:00 PM
• Sat., November 1^st @ St. Louis, 8:30 PM
• Thur., November 6^th vs. Edmonton, 7:30 PM
• Sat., November 8^th @ New York Islanders, 7:00 PM
• Tue., November 11^th @ Detroit, 7:00 PM
• Thur., November 13^th vs. Philadelphia, 7:30 PM
• Sat., November 15^th vs. Buffalo, 7:30 PM
• Tue., November 18^th vs. Minnesota, 7:00 PM
• Thur., November 20^th @ Atlanta, 7:00 PM
• Sat., November 22^nd vs. Vancouver, 1:00 PM
• Wed., November 26^th @ New York Islanders, 7:00 PM
• Fri., November 28^th @ Buffalo, 7:30 PM
• Sat., November 29^th vs. New Jersey, 7:30 PM
• Wed., December 3^rd @ New York Rangers, 7:00 PM
• Thur., December 4^th @ Carolina, 7:00 PM
• Sat., December 6^th @ Ottawa, 7:00 PM
• Mon., December 8^th vs. Buffalo, 7:30 PM
• Wed., December 10^th @ New Jersey, 7:00 PM
• Thur., December 11^th vs. New York Islanders, 7:30 PM
• Sat., December 13^th @ Philadelphia, 1:00 PM
• Thur., December 18^th @ Atlanta, 7:00 PM
• Sat., December 20^th vs. Toronto, 7:00 PM
• Mon., December 22^nd @ Buffalo, 7:00 PM
• Tue., December 23^rd vs. Tampa Bay, 7:30 PM
• Fri., December 26^th @ New Jersey, 7:00 PM
• Sat., December 27^th vs. Montreal, 7:00 PM
• Tue., December 30^th vs. Boston, 7:30 PM
• Thur., January 1^st @ Boston, 7:00 PM
• Sat., January 3^rd vs. Florida, 1:00 PM
• Mon., January 5^th @ New York Rangers, 7:00 PM
• Tue., January 6^th vs. Atlanta, 7:30 PM
• Thur., January 8^th @ Nashville, 8:00 PM
• Sat., January 10^th @ Colorado, 3:00 PM
• Tue., January 13^th @ Philadelphia, 7:00 PM
• Wed., January 14^th vs. Washington, 7:30 PM
• Fri., January 16^th vs. Anaheim, 7:30 PM
• Sun., January 18^th vs. New York Rangers, 3:00 PM
• Tue., January 20^th vs. Carolina, 7:30 PM
• Wed., January 28^th vs. New York Rangers, 7:30 PM
• Fri., January 30^th @ New Jersey, 7:00 PM
• Sat., January 31^st @ Toronto, 7:00 PM
• Tue., February 3^rd @ Montreal, 7:30 PM
• Wed., February 4^th vs. Tampa Bay, 7:30 PM
• Fri., February 6^th vs. Columbus, 7:30 PM
• Sun., February 8^th vs. Detroit, 3:00 PM
• Wed., February 11^th vs. San Jose, 7:30 PM
• Sat., February 14^th @ Toronto, 7:00 PM
• Mon., February 16^th @ New York Islanders, 2:00 PM
• Thur., February 19^th vs. Montreal, 7:00 PM
• Sat., February 21^st @ Philadelphia, 1:00 PM
• Sun., February 22^nd @ Washington, 3:00 PM
• Wed., February 25^th vs. New York Islanders, 7:30 PM
• Fri., February 27^th @ Chicago, 8:30 PM
• Sun., March 1^st @ Dallas, 3:00 PM
• Tue., March 3^rd @ Tampa Bay, 7:30 PM
• Thur., March 5^th @ Florida, 7:30 PM
• Sun., March 8^th @ Washington, 3:00 PM
• Tue., March 10^th vs. Florida, 7:30 PM
• Thur., March 12^th @ Columbus, 7:00 PM
• Sat., March 14^th vs. Ottawa, 3:00 PM
• Sun., March 15^th vs. Boston, 3:00 PM
• Tue., March 17^th vs. Atlanta, 7:30 PM
• Fri., March 20^th vs. Los Angeles, 7:30 PM
• Sun., March 22^nd vs. Philadelphia, 3:00 PM
• Wed., March 25^th vs. Calgary, 7:30 PM
• Sat., March 28^th vs. New York Rangers, 1:00 PM
• Wed., April 1^st vs. New Jersey, 7:30 PM
• Sat., April 4^th @ Carolina, 7:00 PM
• Sun., April 5^th @ Florida, 5:00 PM
• Tue., April 7^th @ Tampa Bay, 7:30 PM
• Thur., April 9^th vs. New York Islanders, 7:30 PM
• Sat., April 11^th @ Montreal, 7:00 PM
• (All start times reflect local Pittsburgh time)

You may have already seen this (thanks to the readers who posted comments about it!). This was an additional  release from the team about the regular season schedule:

Pens to Meet Devils in Regular Season Home Opener

The Penguins will play their first regular season home game on Saturday, Oct. 11 against the New Jersey Devils at Mellon Arena (7:30 p.m.).
   
The complete regular season schedule will be announced on Thursday.  The Penguins will play six games against each Atlantic Division opponent, four games against the other Eastern Conference opponents, and one game against all Western Conference teams.  They also will play three additional “at-large” games against Western Conference teams – Detroit, San Jose and Columbus.