Portland Pirates General Manager Eric Joyce today announced the hire of Nick Vitucci as the team’s new Assistant Coach. He joins the Pirates staff from the Toledo Walleye of the ECHL, where he served as the Director of Hockey Operations for the past seven seasons, including five years as the club’s head coach. He will take over the Assistant Coach’s job vacated by Scott Allen when he assumed head coaching duties on January 1.
“As a member of the ECHL Hockey Hall of Fame and coach of the Toledo Walleye, Nick brings a wealth of playing and coaching experience to our staff,” Joyce said. “He is intimately familiar with the attitude and preparation necessary for professional hockey players to both win and develop to their fullest potential. Nick is a welcome addition to Scott’s staff, our team in Portland, and the Florida Panthers organization.”
“I am very excited to begin this next chapter of my career in joining the Portland Pirates,” Vitucci said. “Scott Allen is one of the hardest working coaches in hockey. He is a former teammate and someone that I’m fortunate to call a friend. His ability to coach, prepare and teach is second to none. The opportunity to work with and learn under him is something that I’m looking forward to.”
“I am pleased to have Nick on our staff here in Portland as we continue to work on developing successful players for the Florida Panthers while trying to compete for a Calder Cup,” said Pirates Head Coach Scott Allen.
Vitucci played a total of seven games in the AHL over his career, including one for Portland’s previous AHL team, the Maine Mariners, during the 1991-92 season. He also played in four games with the Hershey Bears that year, and two more with the Binghamton Rangers during the 1996-97 season.
