Luukko spent the past three seasons as head coach and director of hockey ops for the ECHL's Jacksonville Icemen
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have hired Nick Luukko as an assistant coach, the team announced Saturday.
Luukko, a native of West Chester, Pa., joins the Penguins after spending the past three seasons as head coach and director of hockey ops for the Jacksonville Icemen (ECHL).
Prior to getting into coaching in 2019, Luukko played parts of five seasons as a pro. Drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers in the sixth round of the 2010 NHL Draft, Luukko saw time in the ECHL and AHL before retiring.
After retiring in 2019, Luukko stepped right into coaching, joining the Reading Royals (ECHL) as an assistant coach in 2019-20. Following one season with the Royals, Luukko joined the Icemen in the same role he held up until he got hired by the Penguins.
As Luukko makes the jump to the AHL level for the first time as a coach, he will have the opportunity to learn under new Wilkes-Barre/Scranton head coach Kirk MacDonald. While Luukko has only been in the coaching game for four seasons, he's proven to be a quick study and will be worthy of watching in the future.
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