The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed Sergei Gonchar!
To coach their defensemen.
According to a club press release, Gonchar will “work with Pittsburgh’s defensemen at the NHL level and throughout the Penguins’ system. He will also scout European tournaments on behalf of the team.”
Gonchar, 41, had a preseason tryout with the Penguins, but failed to make the team as a player.
Derrick Pouliot is the top-rated defensive prospect in the organization. The 21-year-old is currently in the AHL.
Pouliot was the eighth overall pick in the 2012 draft, the same year the Pens selected Olli Maatta.
Brian Dumoulin, 24 and Adam Clendening, 23, are two other young d-men in Pittsburgh.