During the 3-on-3 tournament that wrapped up their prospect development camp Friday, the Penguins announced a change that will impact many of the prospects out there on the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex ice that night.
Clark Donatelli, who four years ago became the permanent replacement for Mike Sullivan in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, resigned Thursday, citing personal reasons. The Penguins quickly grabbed a championship coach to replace him.
Mike Vellucci is three weeks removed from leading the Charlotte Checkers, the American Hockey League affiliate of the Carolina Hurricanes, to the Calder Cup championship. But Vellucci parted ways with that organization Friday morning.
The Penguins, who had known Vellucci might become available, pounced.
“This just doesn’t happen all that often,” Penguins assistant general manager Bill Guerin, who oversees the AHL club, said Friday. “I guess we saw it with Barry Trotz last year, but I can’t really remember too many times this happening. So we’re extremely excited to have an opportunity to get a guy like Mike.”
Did you miss any of yesterday's big news?
— WBS Penguins (@WBSPenguins) June 29, 2019
Vellucci Named #WBSPens Head Coach: https://t.co/955F1YLXCg
Bill Guerin Talks New Head Coach: https://t.co/oJ3mYo68af pic.twitter.com/foUxjJ5JEu
Like Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford, Vellucci worked for Carolina’s Peter Karmanos in the Compuware youth hockey program in Michigan before heading to the Ontario Hockey League then the Carolina organization.
Vellucci took over as Checkers coach two years ago and last season led them to the AHL’s best record during the regular season and then a Calder Cup.
But Friday, it was announced that Vellucci and the Carolina organization mutually decided to part ways. In his statement thanking the Hurricanes, he said, “I have been presented with an exciting opportunity that makes sense for my future.”
As it turns out, that exciting opportunity was to rejoin Rutherford, his old boss.
“We knew a lot of teams were after him. So we had to act really quick,” Guerin said. “We’re very excited. He's coming off championship season. He's been a very good coach for the last 25 years or so, very accomplished at the [AHL] level.”
Guerin indicated that the Penguins had known for some time that Donatelli might move on from the Pittsburgh organization. He said they had “a number of discussions” about Donatelli’s future and Thursday “was the day” he resigned.
Donatelli, who ran practice Wednesday at the team’s annual prospect development camp, won one playoff series in his four seasons as Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s coach and the AHL club just missed the playoffs for the first time since 2001-02.
Matt Vensel: mvensel@post-gazette.com and Twitter @mattvensel.
First Published: June 29, 2019, 10:03 p.m.
Updated: June 29, 2019, 10:05 p.m.
