Penguins Promote Spezza, Kessel in Staff Changes

The Pittsburgh Penguins have made significant changes to their hockey operations staff, promoting Jason Spezza to general manager of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, while Amanda Kessel has been named assistant general manager and manager of minor league operations. Spezza will continue in his role as assistant GM for the Penguins, having previously served as a special assistant to GM Kyle Dubas after retiring from his playing career. The team also hired Jonathan Erlichman as vice president of hockey research, development, and strategy, shifting from a successful tenure with the Tampa Bay Rays. Additionally, Kevin Elliott has been appointed as head athletic trainer, replacing Chris Stewart, who retired after 29 years. Other promotions included Kain Tisi as goaltending coach and Mark Osiecki as a professional and NCAA scout, reflecting the Penguins' focus on enhancing their operations and analytics capabilities.