The Pittsburgh Penguins added a new man to their front office staff today. GM Kyle Dubas announced that Doug Wilson, who was most notably the longtime GM of the San Jose Sharks, has joined the Pens as the senior adviser to hockey operations.
Per the Pens, he will provide counsel, opinions, and expertise to hockey operations leadership on all matters, including personnel decisions. He will join the team at home and on the road several times this season, as well as in the off-season, and will help guide and mentor all levels of hockey operations.
Wilson is one of the oldest members of the Pens front office at 66 years old, which includes former players Jason Spezza and Trevor Daley and women’s hockey star Amanda Kessel. Spezza is in his second year as being on the front office of an NHL team, being on Dubas’ staff in Toronto last season, while Daley has been around since Jim Rutherford brought him on in 2020. Amanda Kessel joined in an internship opportunity last year and got promoted this summer by Dubas.
Kessel is only 32, while Vukie Mpofu, the new director of hockey operations and legal affairs, is 37. Dubas is also 37, Daley is 39, and Spezza is 40.
Wilson worked for the Sharks from 2003-2022. In that span, it included a President’s Trophy in 2009, a Stanley Cup Final appearance in 2016, and five Pacific Division titles (2004, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011). The Sharks also made the playoffs 14 times and went to the Western Conference Finals in 2004, 2010, 2011, 2016, and 2019.
Wilson also played in the NHL for the Sharks and Chicago Blackhawks from 1977 to 1993. He was named to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2020.
