The Pittsburgh Penguins have set their affiliate coaching staffs for the 2026-27 season, filling out the benches and support groups for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in the AHL and Florida in the ECHL.
At Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Kirk MacDonald is back for a third season as head coach after guiding the club to a 46-17-7-2 mark in 2025-26 and its first Eastern Conference Finals appearance since 2014. Since taking over behind the bench, MacDonald has put together an 86-41-14-3 record, a .656 points percentage and back-to-back Calder Cup Playoff trips.
MacDonald will be joined by assistant coaches Brad Malone and Nick Luukko, both returning to the staff, while the Penguins are also promoting two familiar names into new roles. Evan McFeeters, who served as a Roving Development Coach, moves up to Assistant Coach, Development, and Karel Popper shifts from the ECHL staff in Wheeling to become Goaltending Coach. Ryan Lennon is the new video coach after spending the past two seasons in the OHL with the Kingston Frontenacs.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton also reshaped its support staff. David Roper has been promoted to Head Equipment Manager, and Dan Resavy has been elevated to Head Athletic Trainer. Eddie Duffy is back for his first full season with the team, Morgan Payne joins after six seasons with the Barrie Colts, Connor Keenan returns for a fourth year as Strength and Conditioning Coach, and Cédrik Cabana comes aboard as Manager of Team Services after the last two seasons in the QMJHL with the Victoriaville Tigres.
Florida’s staff is led once again by Brad Ralph, who returns for his 11th season as head coach and general manager. Ralph has steered the Everblades to four Kelly Cup Championships in the last five seasons, with titles in 2026, 2024, 2023 and 2022. Since becoming head coach and director of hockey operations in 2016-17, he has also taken Florida to five Kelly Cup Final appearances, five regular-season conference championships, five division titles and two Brabham Cups.
Kyle Mountain is back for a second season as assistant coach, and Anthony Butrico is moving into a full-time goaltending coach/development role after working part-time last season. Florida’s support staff includes Head Equipment Manager John Sellers, Head Athletic Trainer Nicholas Bufinsky, and Strength and Conditioning Coaches Miranda Hartlieb and Mike Carey.
In Other News...
Penguins Double Down On A Farm System Plan Fans Should Notice
The Penguins are making a point of continuity in the places where prospects are supposed to take their next steps. Pittsburgh announced the coaching staffs for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Florida for the 2026-27 season, keeping Kirk MacDonald in charge of the AHL affiliate and Brad Ralph at the helm of the ECHL club. Several assistant coaches and support staff were also confirmed or moved up, a sign the organization is leaning into a more stable development structure across both levels.
For a team trying to build better habits from the bottom up, these decisions matter almost as much as the moves at the NHL level. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton remains the critical bridge for players closest to Pittsburgh, while Florida continues to serve as a proving ground for younger prospects and depth pieces. The staff announcements do not grab the same attention as a trade or a draft pick, but they do tell you something about how the Penguins want their system to look in the years ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Penguins Forward Logjam Is Fueling A Frustrating Debate About Youth
Ville Koivunens new eight-season extension has only sharpened the conversation around how the Penguins are handling their forward group and the next wave of talent. A player with limited NHL experience and production landing that kind of commitment is the sort of move that usually signals belief in a long runway, but it also lands at a time when the roster already feels crowded enough to make every opening feel precious. For a team trying to balance present-day competitiveness with a real look at the future, that is not a small question.
The debate gets even louder when the path for young forwards is already so narrow, because the Penguins are not the only club facing this kind of squeeze. Torontos crowded forward depth has become a cautionary example of how quickly prospects can get boxed out when veterans, proven middle-six pieces and contract decisions all pile up at once. For Pittsburgh, the issue is less about one player than the larger choice it keeps facing: how much patience to show with youth before the roster structure starts making that patience harder to sustain. [Read more 🡒]
Penguins Fans Are Split On How Far This Rebuild Should Go
The Penguins are at the kind of crossroads that tends to stir up every version of the same debate all at once. With the roster aging in key spots and the trade and free-agent markets offering only so much help, the conversation has turned from simple tinkering to bigger questions about what the next phase should look like and how aggressively the front office should chase it.
That makes the hypothetical exercise around names like Harrison Brunicke, Shane Wright, Jason Robertson, Evgeni Malkin, Erik Karlsson and Sidney Crosby feel especially relevant, even if none of it is tied to a confirmed move. Some possibilities point toward a quicker retool, others toward a deeper reset, and the tension is in how far the Penguins should be willing to go before the roster finally starts to look different in a meaningful way. [Read more 🡒]