The Pittsburgh Penguins have named Kirk MacDonald the new head coach of their American Hockey League affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
MacDonald, 40, joins the Penguins following two seasons as head coach at Dubuque in the United States Hockey League. Before that, he spent eight seasons with Reading of the ECHL in various roles including assistant coach, head coach and director of hockey operations. He began his coaching career in 2013-14 as an assistant at his alma mater, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
MacDonald spent most of his six-year professional playing career in the AHL, skating in 272 regular-season games with the Albany River Rats, Providence Bruins, Iowa Chops and Houston Aeros. He also played 24 Calder Cup Playoff games, helping the Bruins reach the Eastern Conference Finals in 2009.