Penguins president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas has announced the hiring of Dan Muse as the team’s new head coach. Ironically, he’s spent the last two seasons as an assistant with the New York Rangers, a Penguins’ Metro Division rival. Former Penguins coach Mike Sullivan was hired as the new head coach of the Rangers on May 2nd.
Calling him the “best choice” among many candidates, Dubas touted Muse’s “ability to develop players, win at all levels where he has been a head coach and his consistent success coaching special teams in the NHL.”
After coaching for three years as an assistant with the Nashville Predators from 2017 to 2020, Muse spent three years with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program, where one of his players was Penguins prospect Rutger McGroarty. His college coaching career included stints with Williams College beginning in 2007, Sacred Heart in 2008, and Yale from 2009 to 2015, where he was part of a national championship team in ’13. He also coached junior hockey for two seasons, winning the U.S. Hockey League Clark Cup championship in 2017.
The 42-year-old is known for his special teams coaching and “his ability to connect with players at all stages of their careers and help them to reach their potential,” according to Dubas.
Muse is the 23rd coach in Penguins history.
