Game preview: September 29, 24 in Ottawa (Hockeyville)

Game notes

Earlier this summer, the Penguins added David Quinn to head coach Mike Sullivan's coaching staff as an assistant coach. Quinn, 57, joins assistant coaches Mike Vellucci and Ty Hennes, goalie coach Andy Chiodo, video coach Madison Nikkel and assistant video coach CJ D'Alimonte. Quinn will oversee the team's defensive group.

Quinn, who has more than 30 years of coaching experience, was head coach of the San Jose Sharks (2022-24) and New York Rangers (2018-21). Under his reign as head coach of the Sharks and Rangers, two defensemen won the Norris Trophy as the NHL's top defenseman, with Adam Fox and Erik Karlsson earning the award in 2020-21 and 22-23, respectively.

The Cranston, Rhode Island, native has extensive experience at the international level with Team USA, most recently as head coach of the 2022 and 2023 World Championship teams and the '22 Olympic team. Quinn has also led Team USA as an assistant coach at three World Championships (2007, 2012 and 2016 ) and the 2005 Junior World Championships. He spent two seasons (2002–04) as head coach of USA Hockey's National Team Development Program. Quinn also helped lead the U.S. women's national team to two silver medals (2000 and 1999) at the Women's World Cup.

The Pittsburgh Penguins selected six players at the 2024 NHL Draft at the Sphere in Las Vegas. The Penguins selected defenseman Harrison Brunicke (44th overall) and forward Tanner Howe (46th overall) in the second round, defenseman Chase Pietila in the fourth round (111th overall), defenseman Joona Vaisanen in the sixth round (175th overall). and forward Mac Swanson (207th overall) and defenseman Finn Harding (223rd overall) in the seventh round.

Brunicke, who was drafted by the Penguins in the second round (44th overall) last June, played parts of three seasons with the Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League. Last season, the defender scored 10 goals, 11 assists and 21 points in 49 games. In 110 career junior games, he scored 14 goals, 15 assists and 29 points. Brunicke also played for Team Canada at the U18 World Cup last year, scoring one goal and four points in seven games.

Howe, who was drafted 46th overall by the Penguins in June, played four seasons with the Regina Pats of the WHL. As captain of the Pats last season, the forward scored 28 goals, 49 assists and 77 points in 68 games. In 207 career junior games, Howe has 92 goals, 141 assists and 233 points. He competed in two U18 World Championships with Team Canada in 2022 and 2023, winning the bronze medal in 2023.

Harding, a seventh-round pick (223rd overall) in 2024, spent the last two seasons with the Mississauga Steelheads of the Ontario Hockey League. In the 2023/24 season, the defender scored 10 goals, 24 assists and 34 points in 68 games. Over the last two seasons, Harding recorded 12 goals, 32 assists and 44 points in 131 games.

Pittsburgh's prospects went a perfect 3-0 at the 2024 Prospects Challenge in Buffalo, winning the tournament for the second year in a row. Below is a summary of each game:

Friday, September 13 – PIT vs. BOS: Pittsburgh got off to a slow start, falling behind 3-1 before scoring five unanswered goals and winning the opening game. Tristan Broz scored twice for Pittsburgh as he was one of five players to score multiple points.

Saturday, September 14th – PIT vs. OTT: Three goals from Pittsburgh in the second period helped them get off to a 2-0 start in the Prospects Challenge. Jack Beck (1G-1A) and Atley Calvert (2A) each scored multiple points.

Monday, September 16th – PIT vs. BUF: The Penguins capped off the weekend with an eight-goal tournament win. Atley Calvert recorded a hat trick (3G-1A) as he and Tristan Broz (1G-3A) each scored four points. Rutger McGroarty (1G-1A) and Ville Koivunen (1G-1A) each had multiple points in the win.

On September 16, the Penguins re-signed captain Sidney Crosby to a two-year contract extension that runs through the 2026-27 season and has an average annual value of $8.7 million.

The three-time Stanley Cup champion (2009, 2016 and 2017) will begin his franchise-record 20th season in a Penguins jersey and 18th with the “C” on his sweater, followed by Detroit captain Steve Yzerman (19). with the longest tenure in NHL history. Crosby is the Penguins' franchise record holder in games played (1st, 1,272), even-strength goals (416, 1st), even-strength points (1,025, 1st) and game-winning goals (90, 1st). as well as trailing only Hall-of-Famer Mario Lemieux in every major category in Penguins history, including goals (2nd, 592), assists (1,004, 2nd) and points (1,596, 2nd).

The 37-year-old was named one of the “100 Greatest NHL Players” and ranks 10th in NHL history with 1,596 points (592G-1,004A) in 1,272 games played. He averaged at least one point per game in each of his 19 NHL seasons, a feat only achieved by him and Wayne Gretzky. The 1.75 meter tall, 90 kilogram striker is among the top 25 in league history in goals (592, 21st), assists (1,004, 14th), points (1,596, 10th) and game-winning goals (90, 23rd). .) concerns). The 50-goal scorer in the 2009-10 season has reached the 30-goal mark twelve times, a franchise record, and has surpassed the 100-point plateau six times, which is the seventh-most goals in NHL history.

Of players drafted first overall in NHL history, only Lemieux (1,723) has scored more points than Crosby's 1,596.

The Penguins coaching staff will be well represented on the national stage as Mike Sullivan was named head coach of Team USA for the 2025 Four Nations Face-Off and the 2026 U.S. Men's Ice Hockey Olympic Team earlier this summer. Additionally, David Quinn will serve as an assistant coach for Team USA at the Four Nations Face-Off.

The Four Nations Face-Off 2025 is an international tournament featuring NHL players from the United States, Canada, Finland and Sweden that will be played February 12-20, 2025. The tournament takes place in Boston, MA and Montreal, QC. The 2026 Olympic Games will take place from February 6 to 22, 2026 in the Italian cities of Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo.

Sullivan, 56, will represent his home country at international level as a coach for the fifth time. He previously served as an assistant coach at the 2006 Olympics. He also represented his home country as head coach of Team USA at the 2007 World Cup and as an assistant coach at the 2008 World Cup and 2016 World Cup. He was named head coach of the 2022 Olympic squad, but did not participate because NHL players did not participate in the Games.

The Marshfield, Massachusetts native will be the third U.S. Olympic head coach in the last 20 years with ties to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Herb Brooks was a Penguins scout in 2002 when he led the Americans to a silver medal in Salt Lake City, while Dan Bylsma was Pittsburgh's head coach when he was bench boss of the U.S. Olympic team in 2014.

Sullivan has a career NHL head coaching record of 445-275-115 with Pittsburgh and the Boston Bruins and is one of only three U.S.-born head coaches, along with John Tortorella and Peter Laviolette, to reach 400 wins. Last season, he played his 800th NHL game as a head coach on February 6, 2024. His 430 wins in his first 800 NHL games were the 11th most in NHL history.