The Pittsburgh Penguins announced that Jason Spezza will be the general manager of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
The Pittsburgh Penguins announced that assistant general manager Jason Spezza would become the new general manager of the team's American Hockey League affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
Spezza joined Pittsburgh last season, assuming the role of assistant general manager under Kyle Dubas after one year as special assistant to the general manager, who was Dubas, with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
He played 19 seasons in the NHL, accumulating 995 points in 1,248 games with the Ottawa Senators, Dallas Stars, and Maple Leafs.
In addition to his NHL accomplishments, Spezza has plenty of international hockey experience, having won a World Championship and a Spengler Cup with Team Canada.
Since retiring in 2022, the former second-overall pick (2001) jumped into an executive role, continues to grow his experience, and is on a course to become an NHL general manager someday.
Last season, the baby Penguins finished with a 39-24-9 record, clinching third place in the Atlantic Division but losing in the first round.
Heading into the 2024-25 season, some of Pittsburgh's best prospects, including Sergei Murashov, Owen Pickering, and Brayden Yager, could be in the lineup, giving Spezza plenty of young players to groom into future NHL stars.