The Pittsburgh Penguins announced today that Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins head coach John Hynes and assistant coach Alain Nasreddine have been signed to multi-year extensions.
“John and Alain have done a tremendous job creating a winning environment on and off the ice during their time in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton,” said Pittsburgh Penguins associate general manager Jason Botterill. “They have been instrumental in the overall success of the Penguins organization by developing and preparing their players to make an immediate impact at both the NHL and AHL levels.”
Hynes, 39, recorded his 200th American Hockey League victory on Sunday at Hershey, accomplishing the milestone in just 333 games. He has led Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to an overall record of 200-111-8-14, four Calder Cup playoff berths and the 2011 AHL regular-season championship, while also being winning the Louis A.R. Pieri Award as the AHL’s outstanding coach in 2010-11.
During his tenure as head coach of the Penguins, Hynes has totaled the most wins in the AHL and the most road wins (104), and three times the team has led the league in defense (2010-11, 2012-13, 2013-14).
In the postseason, Hynes made history in 2013 when Wilkes-Barre/Scranton became the third team in AHL history to win a best-of-seven playoff series after trailing 0-3, and the first to do so by winning Games 6 and 7 on the road. Under Hynes, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton has been the only team in the AHL to make it past the first round in each of the last four playoffs.
Hynes served as an assistant coach in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in 2009-10, his first year within the Penguins organization, working under former Pittsburgh assistant coach Todd Reirden and helping the team to the postseason. Prior to joining WBS, Hynes spent six seasons as a head coach with USA Hockey’s National Development Team Program, posting an overall record of 216-113-19-9. In 2007, he was a finalist for the U.S. Olympic Committee Development Coach of the Year.
Hynes has enjoyed great success on the international stage, leading the U.S. Under-18 National Team to three medals at the IIHF World Under-18 Championships – gold in 2006, silver in 2004 and bronze in 2008. The native of Warwick, R.I., was head coach of the U.S. National Team at the 2008 World Junior Championships, and was an assistant coach on the 2004 U.S. team that won a gold medal at the World Junior event.
Hynes played four seasons at Boston University, helped the Terriers win the 1995 national championship and earned a bachelor’s degree in Education.
Nasreddine is in his fifth season as assistant coach of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins after playing 15 years of professional hockey as a defenseman, include five seasons with the Penguins organization. He has served as Hynes’ assistant for his entire tenure with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, coaching the defensive groups that allowed the fewest goals in the AHL during the 2010-11 (183), 2012-13 (178) and 2013-14 (185) seasons.
The 39-year-old Nasreddine played for the Penguins organization from 2003-08, including 249 contests for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. He helped the team earn berths in the Calder Cup Finals in 2004 and 2008.
Originally drafted by Florida in the sixth round (135th overall) of the 1993 NHL Draft, Nasreddine played for Chicago, Montreal, the New York Islanders and Pittsburgh during his NHL career. The Montreal native also played 726 games in the American Hockey League over parts of 12 seasons.
