Penguins add GM duties for new AHL coach Mike Vellucci

[cvrle1]

Not really a surprise, as this was discussed as one of the possibilities once Billy G left.

Mike Vellucci Named General Manager of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins

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[WayneSid9987]

Figured he'd get the role once Billy left.

 

[BHD]

This is a mere formality. We all know Vellucci will be hired midseason before hoisting the Cup in June. That’s how it always works.

 

[ColePens]

I like what I read about this guy. But it's a tough tell because we are not behind the scenes. To be 100% fair, Johnston had a concept/idea but obviously would not be able to connect with the group. So it's really always tough to tell.

As for head coaches in Pittsburgh. This is f***ing insane.
- Bob Johnson: Stanley Cup in year 1 of HC of the Pens.
- Bowman: Stanley Cup in year 1 of HC of the Pens.
- Dan Bylsma: Stanley Cup in year 1 of HC of the Pens (technically less than 6 months in)
- Sully: Back to back Cups in about 19 months of head coaching of the Pens.

The 5 Stanley Cups have less than 5 tenured years of head coaching. That has to be an insane f***ing stat.

 

[Jacob]

There’s probably not a lot to do for that job right now anyway... all the minor league and two-way deals are done. All he’s gotta do now is coach and give the Pittsburgh FO periodic updates and recommendations on call-ups. Plus Karmanos is still an AGM too.

Is he keeping Forrest & Skalde as assistants? I think Forrest could be a good head coach in his own right some day.

 

[SEALBound]

Hoping he will be a shot in the arm for the organization the same way Sullivan was.

Sounds like he wants to be a NHL head coach more than a GM...if WBS gets off to a good start and the NHL Pens don't, Sullivan better watch out.

I really wish Francis wasn't the GM of Seattle. I would really have liked to have brought him into the org. I do think there's a lot of good reasons to have faith in our FO's ability to produce quality executives, but I think we are getting into a crucial time with this org and I would like to have another solid, grounded vet up there to keep GMJR in check.

We have to start balancing fresh young talent with now acquisitions to help us squeeze the last bits out of the Sid-Geno era. We need to admit that we basically racked up the credit card bill for the last 14 years and now it's time to start paying it down.

 

[Peat]

There’s probably not a lot to do for that job right now anyway... all the minor league and two-way deals are done. All he’s gotta do now is coach and give the Pittsburgh FO periodic updates and recommendations on call-ups. Plus Karmanos is still an AGM too.

Is he keeping Forrest & Skalde as assistants? I think Forrest could be a good head coach in his own right some day.

To the best of my knowledge yes.

And agreed on it being a fairly quiet job for now. The big question is who's replacing Guerin's voice when Rutherford's talking about trade options - this move doesn't answer that.

 

[WayneSid9987]

To the best of my knowledge yes.

And agreed on it being a fairly quiet job for now. The big question is who's replacing Guerin's voice when Rutherford's talking about trade options - this move doesn't answer that.

Certainly no shortage of voices still.
Allvin, Karmanos, Ventura, Velluci and Craig Patrick are all guys i can see him leaning on.
Probably some North American long tenured scouts in there as well who's voices/thoughts he values.

 

[Peat]

Certainly no shortage of voices still.
Allvin, Karmanos, Ventura, Velluci and Craig Patrick are all guys i can see him leaning on.
Probably some North American long tenured scouts in there as well who's voices/thoughts he values.

But you don't know which one's loudest. I don't know which one's loudest. We used to be pretty sure Guerin's voice was very loud due to his position and media interviews. That's gone.

And Allvin handles amateur stuff, Karmanos is mainly amateur facing, and Vellucci will probably be too busy to weigh in heavily on NHL targets. Might he start learning harder on some of the pro scouts? Sure, but which ones?

And, of course, there's no guarantee he actually listens to them. It's pretty likely he listened a lot to Guerin.

Someone getting promoted to AGM would answer some of those questions. But it hasn't happened. It's still an open question.

 

[Freeptop]

But you don't know which one's loudest. I don't know which one's loudest. We used to be pretty sure Guerin's voice was very loud due to his position and media interviews. That's gone.

And Allvin handles amateur stuff, Karmanos is mainly amateur facing, and Vellucci will probably be too busy to weigh in heavily on NHL targets. Might he start learning harder on some of the pro scouts? Sure, but which ones?

And, of course, there's no guarantee he actually listens to them. It's pretty likely he listened a lot to Guerin.

Someone getting promoted to AGM would answer some of those questions. But it hasn't happened. It's still an open question.

When it comes to things like trades and signings, specifically, I would assume the people leaned on most right now would be Karmanos (he should have already been involved, since the Analytics department has been under him since he started), Ventura (as Directory of Hockey Research), Derek Clancey (as Director of Professional Scouting), and Mike Sullivan. Which is likely the same group as before, only minus Guerin.

Whose voice would now be loudest? I can't say, as I don't know the personalities involved. There may not be a loudest voice at the moment. Karmanos and Clancey have the titles that would seemingly grant them more authority on the matters, but there's a good chance that Sullivan's personality will hold the most sway in the short-term.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

I like what I read about this guy. But it's a tough tell because we are not behind the scenes. To be 100% fair, Johnston had a concept/idea but obviously would not be able to connect with the group. So it's really always tough to tell.

As for head coaches in Pittsburgh. This is ****ing insane.
- Bob Johnson: Stanley Cup in year 1 of HC of the Pens.
- Bowman: Stanley Cup in year 1 of HC of the Pens.
- Dan Bylsma: Stanley Cup in year 1 of HC of the Pens (technically less than 6 months in)
- Sully: Back to back Cups in about 19 months of head coaching of the Pens.

The 5 Stanley Cups have less than 5 tenured years of head coaching. That has to be an insane ****ing stat.

Let's just keep firing these mofos and keep winning cups.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Figured he'd get the role once Billy left.

You know I was saying the same thing.

I mean I wasn't and I'm genuinely surprised when this team does anything proper so yeah...

 

[steelcityassault]

Let's just keep firing these mofos and keep winning cups.

Mike Vellucci 2021

 

[dogthateats]

 

[WayneSid9987]

^He had some insights into POJ as well.

 

[WayneSid9987]

Caught this article just now:

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's Mike Vellucci brings fighting spirit to dual role

Pretty good article on the dude with some other stuff thrown in like the coaches meeting/retreat they had.

 

[Jacob]

Seems like a pretty smart guy that doesn’t mind having a lot on his plate. I assume he was coach/GM in juniors as well.

 

[WayneSid9987]

Seems like a pretty smart guy that doesn’t mind having a lot on his plate. I assume he was coach/GM in juniors as well.

Probably yea.