Former NHLer Alex Goligoski among Wild’s management, coaching changes
A familiar name is receiving a promotion in the State of Hockey.
On Monday, Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin announced a few changes to their hockey operations staff, including moving former NHL defenseman Alex Goligoski from player development advisor to player development coach.
Goligoski was hired by the Wild prior to the 2025-26 season, his first job in hockey after retiring from playing following the 2023-24 season. Minnesota is where the Grand Rapids, Minn. native spent the final three seasons of his NHL career, scoring four goals and 42 assists for 46 points in 152 regular-season games, including four games with the club during the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
In 1,078 regular-season contests across his 17-year career in the league, making stops with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Dallas Stars and Arizona Coyotes, Goligoski totaled 87 goals and 388 assists for 475 points, with another 21 points in 47 postseason affairs. He was on the Penguins team that won the Stanley Cup in 2009.
In other news, the Wild hired Dan MacKinnon as assistant director of amateur scouting. He spent the past 10 seasons with the New Jersey Devils, serving as senior VP of hockey operations and assistant general manager for the previous seven years. He also worked with the Penguins for 10 years as a head professional scout, director of player personnel and director of professional scouting.
Jankik Biechier joins the organization as a European amateur scout after serving as director of European scouting for Elite Prospects. He was also a European scout for the Western Hockey League’s Spokane Chiefs for seven seasons.
Elizabeth Hudson was also added as Guerin’s executive assistant. She was an administrative coordinator and manager of team operations for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, Pittsburgh’s American Hockey League affiliate.
