Ex-Penguins defenseman Alain Nasreddine grateful for chance with Devils

NEWARK, N.J. — On a handful of walls at the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins’ practice facility in Northeast Pennsylvania, there are an assortment of photos featuring NHL players.

Everyone from the likes of All-Stars such as Jake Guentzel to journeymen such as Brian Strait are included in the collection.

They are all players who have reached the NHL after an apprenticeship with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

Above the photos is a message in reference to where the facility is located:

“The Road to Pittsburgh starts at Coal Street”

They could probably fill up another wall with the NHL coaches who have used Wilkes-Barre/Scranton as a springboard to Pittsburgh and other locales in the NHL.

Or at least a support beam.

New Jersey Devils interim coach Alain Nasreddine is part of that group of one-time NHL coaches who have come through Coal Street.

He attained his current position Dec. 3 when his friend, John Hynes, was fired as head coach.

Nasreddine was an assistant coach to Hynes, who was hired as head coach of the Nashville Predators on Jan. 7. Before that, he held the same position under Hynes with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

They are members of a fraternity of who have graduated to NHL head coaching jobs. Also included in that group is Penguins coach Mike Sullivan and Washington coach Todd Reirden as well as former Penguins coaches Dan Bylsma, Michel Therrien, former Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues coach Mike Yeo and former Wild and Columbus Blue Jackets coach Todd Richards.

“I’d like to credit to (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins CEO) Jeff Barrett, but when he hears that, I’m never going to hear the end of it,” Nasreddine quipped. “But Wilkes-Barre, they prided themselves in being, at the time, the 31st NHL team, now the 32nd (following the addition of the Vegas Golden Knights). I’m sure it’s the same thing. They do everything like the NHL. All their resources are there. They treat their players and coaches very well. They always want to have a good product on the ice.”

Penguins coach Mike Sullivan knows that firsthand.

“It’s really a first-class organization,” said Sullivan, himself Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s head coach for a few months in 2015. “It’s run like an NHL organization, honestly. The Penguins have always valued the development process. So they’ve provided the necessary resources to allow for that development process to be at its best.”

Working as an assistant with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton from 2010 through ’15, Nasreddine’s duties as an assistant including working with the organization’s developing group of defensive prospects including one named Brian Dumoulin.

“He was great for me,” said Dumoulin, one of the NHL Penguins’ top defensive players. “He was a very good communicator. We had a lot of young defensemen, and he was the type of guy that helped us out a lot on our defensive coverages and in the arena and out of the rink. He was a really good mentor for me when I was younger. I’m very grateful to have him as a coach when I was younger.”

Even though he worked primarily with defensemen, Nasreddine’s door was open to forwards, as well.

“He was a real players’ coach,” said Penguins forward Conor Sheary. “He was an easy guy to talk to. A lot of times, we didn’t want to go to the head coach, he was there to kind of be the ‘middle man.’ I’m happy to see him get the opportunity as a head coach.”

Nasreddine spent parts of five seasons playing for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. His greatest success with the NHL Penguins came in 2006-07 when injuries to the incumbent defensemen allowed him to set career highs with 44 games and seven points, including his only NHL goal.

In a 6-3 loss to his hometown Montreal Canadiens, Nasreddine scored with 1 second remaining in the first period.

The second-year center who recorded the primary assist on the score remembered the details in vivid fashion.

“It was rare to see him in front of the net as a defenseman in the offensive zone,” said Penguins forward Sidney Crosby. “But he knew time was ticking away. He came down the slot and scored a goal in Montreal. That was big for him being in his hometown. I remember the celebration. It was a big celebration, but I think that first goal is pretty special for everybody. And to do it in his hometown is pretty cool.”

Nasreddine’s ascent to his current position was hardly ideal considering his friend, Hynes, had to be fired for him to get promoted. And considering the Devils are bound to miss the playoffs, Nasreddine’s interim status is tenuous, at best.

But that doesn’t mean he’s dismissive of the opportunity he has been afforded.

“It’s been a whirlwind for three months,” Nasreddine. “But after the first two, three weeks, you get a good hang of it. Then you start to appreciate the position and the responsibilities. The more you do it … it’s almost like a drug. It’s unfortunate the way it all happened, but I consider myself fortunate and grateful that I got the opportunity.”

Follow the Penguins all season long.