At the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins, not only do we have amazing talent on the team season after season, but our staff is also made up of some of the best talent out there. Of course, the success of any team depends on the skills and experience of everyone involved, not just the players you see on the ice. Many of our players go on to play in the NHL, and so have our staff. The WBS Penguins have several connections to general managers in the NHL, including the following.
Patrik Allvin – Vancouver
Patrik Allvin’s staffing career began in the 2002-03 season as a European scout for the Montréal Canadiens and continued on until the 2005-06 season. During the 2006-07 season, he became a European scout for the Pittsburgh Penguins until the 2012-13 season, when he became the director of European scouting. He continued to hold the position of director of European scouting until the 2020-21 season when he was named assistant general manager and GM of the WBS Penguins. Later, he became the interim general manager, following Jim Rutherfords’s departure and preceding current general manager Ron Hextall. Allvin was a member of the Penguins’ staff when they won the Stanley Cup in 2009, 2016, and 2017.
The Vancouver Canucks recently announced that Allvin has been named the 12th general manager for the team. Allvin is the first Swedish general manager in the NHL.
Chuck Fletcher – Philadelphia
Prior to working with the WBS Penguins, Chuck Fletcher spent nine years as the assistant general manager of the Florida Panthers. During three of these years, he also served as general manager of the team’s AHL affiliate, the Louisville Panthers. From the 2002-03 season to the 2005-06 season, he worked with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim as their assistant general manager and director of hockey operations. Fletcher joined the WBS Penguins and the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2006-2007 season.
After three seasons as the general manager of the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins and assistant general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Fletcher became the second general manager of the Minnesota Wild, a position he held for nine years. During the 2018-19 season, he held the position of senior advisor for the New Jersey Devils and later that season, became VP of hockey operations and ninth general manager for the Philadelphia Flyers. Fletcher is still the current general manager for the Flyers, in addition to being their president of hockey operations and general manager of their AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
Bill Guerin – Minnesota
Bill Guerin spent 21 seasons playing in the NHL on several teams, including the Pittsburgh Penguins. During his time as a professional hockey player, he played on two Stanley Cup-winning teams, and later served as the assistant general manager for the Pittsburgh Penguins when they won the Stanley Cup in 2016 and 2017. He represented the US in the 1998, 2002, and 2006 Winter Olympics and was inducted into the United States Hall of Fame in 2013.
Guerin began his staffing career in the 2011-12 season as the development coach for the Pittsburgh Penguins and served as an assistant coach for Team USA at the Deutschland Cup. He became the assistant general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2014-15 season and was the general manager of the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins in the 2017-18 and 2018-2019 seasons. His time with both Penguins teams ended when he became the fourth general manager for the Minnesota Wild in the 2019-2020 season, a position he still holds today.
Tom Fitzgerald – New Jersey
As a professional hockey player, Tom Fitzgerald played for several NHL and AHL teams. He was the first captain for the Nashville Predators, a position he held for four seasons. Fitzgerald played a total of 17 seasons in the NHL and retired as a player in 2006. He represented the US in one Junior World Championships and two World Championships.
Fitzgerald was part of the Pittsburgh Penguins for eight seasons, first as director of player development in the 2007-2008 and 2008-09 seasons and then as assistant general manager from the 2009-2010 season until the 2014-15 season. During this time he also served as GM of the WBS Penguins. He started working with the New Jersey Devils as their assistant general manager and their AHL affiliate the Albany Devils as their general manager in the 2015-16 season. After the Albany Devils relocated and became the Binghamton Devils, he continued as the team’s general manager. He was assistant general manager, assistant coach, interim VP of hockey operations, and interim general manager for the New Jersey Devils in the 2019-2020 season. He officially became general manager for the New Jersey Devils in the 2020-21 season.
Who Will Be the Next from the WBS Penguins to Move to the NHL?
You never know when you could be watching one of the next stars of the NHL, whether they’re a WBS Penguins player or staff member. Stay updated with our upcoming games and be sure to get tickets to support the WBS Penguins for the remainder of our 2021-22 season.
