Kyle Dubas assumes role as GM of Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins have announced that Kyle Dubas has been promoted to general manager within the organization.
Dubas was recently hired as the team’s president of hockey operations and will assume both roles.
The Penguins are proud to announce a handful of promotions in our hockey operations department.
Congratulations to Kyle Dubas, Andy Saucier, Erik Heasley, Amanda Kessel, and Trevor Daley.
“At this time, I feel it is best for continuity that I formally continue in both roles as President and General Manager in the hockey operations department,” Dubas said in a release.
“We will continue to reevaluate the GM position alongside all others in future off-seasons, to ensure that we are optimizing all facets of the department. We have a small but extremely dedicated management team here, and I have come to know each of them quite well over the last couple of months. We have also added both Jason Spezza and Vukie Mpofu to provide us with a nice mixture of playing experience, front office acumen, and growth potential.”
Dubas helped lead Toronto to a regular season record of 221-109-42, marking some of the most successful regular season runs in Leafs history. Dubas was GM of Toronto’s first playoff series win in 19 years when the Leafs beat Tampa Bay back in April. The team elected to part ways with Dubas a week after losing out in the second round to the Florida Panthers.
Dubas replaced the roles previously held by Ron Hextall and Brian Burke, who were let go in April after the Penguins missed the playoffs.
Along with Dubas, other promotions with the organization include:
- Andy Saucier as Director of Professional Personnel
- Erik Heasley as Director of Minor League and Amateur Scouting Operations
- Amanda Kessel as Special Assistant to the President of Hockey Operations and General Manager
- Trevor Daley as Special Assistant to the President of Hockey Operations and General Manager
Saucier has been a mainstay in the Penguins organization for the last 12 seasons, largely serving as the team’s video coach. He also completed his first season in management as a hockey operations analyst. The new role for Saucier will see him lead the pro scouting division of the Penguins’ player personnel department.
Heasley, a 15-year veteran of the Penguins organization, will oversee the Penguins’ minor league affiliates in the ECHL with Wheeling and the American Hockey League with Wilke-Barre/Scranton, where he serves as GM.
An Olympic champion with the United States, Kessel will play a part in all aspects of hockey operations. She will mainly focus on hockey research and development, player personnel, and minor league operations. This past season, Kessel gained experience in management by completing a year in Pittsburgh’s executive management program.
Daley will continue with a role in management for the Penguins and primarily focus on on player personnel, as well as player development and minor league operations. The former Pittsburgh Penguin defenseman has spent the last three seasons as the Penguins’ hockey operations advisor. In that role, he assisted in player evaluations at the NHL and AHL level, and participated in on-ice player development.