Penguins hire Nick Bonino, Rich Clune, Todd Nelson as assistant coaches

Pittsburgh means something to Nick Bonino.

Sure, that connection is primarily based on him being a key component to the Penguins’ Stanley Cup titles in 2016 and 2017.

But Bonino’s attraction to this city is even more profound than the ultimate success this sport can offer.

When he rejoined the team via a trade late in the 2022-23 season, Bonino was limited to three games during his second stint with the club after suffering a lacerated kidney as a result of being on the wrong end of a collision.

During the Penguins’ season-ending media availability, Bonino spoke about what his return meant.

“Four days after I got hurt, I was going into Giant Eagle to buy some soup,” Bonino said in April 2023. “And a guy rolled his window down out of nowhere and was like, ‘Get better, Bones!’

“I think that’s Pittsburgh.”

That covalent bond was formally reestablished Friday when the Penguins appointed Bonino as an assistant coach along with Rich Clune and Todd Nelson. Troy Paquette was installed as an assistant video coach.

Additionally, the team revealed incumbent goaltending coach Andy Chiodo would remain on new head coach Dan Muse’s staff.

It is not immediately clear what duties the three new assistant coaches will inhabit. Previous assistant coaches Ty Hennes (skills and skating), David Quinn (defensemen and power play) as well as Mike Vellucci (forwards and penalty kill) all departed in recent weeks after former head coach Mike Sullivan left the team April 28. Previous assistant video coach C.J. D’Alimonte also left the organization.

Incumbent video coach Madison Nikkel remains on staff.

Bonino announced his retirement as a player Wednesday via social media through his most recent team, HK Olimpija Ljubljana, a Slovenian squad that competes in the International Central European Hockey League.

The 37-year-old Bonino enjoyed a 15-year career in the NHL, primarily as a bottom-six center.

The most ballyhooed portion of his NHL existence came with the Penguins. As center of the celebrated HBK Line — Carl Hagelin and Phil Kessel skated on his wings — Bonino was essential to the success of the franchise’s two most recent championships.

Gritty and willing to sacrifice his body for the sake of defense, Bonino, a native of Hartford, Conn., was also cerebral and viewed the game in a fashion that made him popular with coaches. He also was cognizant of the business side of the sport and served as the Penguins’ representative to the NHL Players’ Association.

In addition to the Penguins, Bonino played for the Anaheim Ducks, Vancouver Canucks, Nashville Predators, Minnesota Wild, San Jose Sharks and New York Rangers.

During Bonino’s time with the Predators and Rangers, Muse was an assistant coach with those teams.

Hershey Bears

Todd Nelson has spent the past three seasons as head coach of the Hershey Bears.

Another former player rejoining the franchise is Nelson, who briefly played for the Penguins as a defenseman during the early 1990s.

The 56-year-old Nelson has the most accomplished coaching resume among the staff. He spent the past three seasons with the powerful Hershey Bears, the American Hockey League’s champions each of the previous two seasons.

A native of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Nelson has had a nomadic existence as a player and as a coach.

From behind the bench, Nelson has made several stops around the NHL, including a brief stint as head coach of the Edmonton Oilers in 2014-15 when he guided the club to a 17-22-7 record.

In addition to the Oilers, Nelson has been an assistant coach with the Dallas Stars (2018-2022) and the Atlanta Thrashers (2008-2010).

Elsewhere in the AHL, Nelson has been a head coach of the Grand Rapids Griffins, winning the Calder Cup championship in 2017, and the Oklahoma City Barons.

Nelson’s coaching resume includes a three-year stint with the Muskegon Fury of the defunct United Hockey League. He won that league’s championship in 2004 and 2005.

On the ice, Nelson was a fourth-round draft pick (No. 79 overall) of the Penguins in 1989 and played in a single game for the club during the 1991-92 season (a 2-2 tie with the New York Islanders on Nov. 23, 1991).

In total, Nelson spent three seasons in the Penguins organization as a player, primarily with their main minor-league affiliate, the Muskegon-turned-Cleveland Lumberjacks of the also defunct International Hockey League.

Nelson also played in two games for the Washington Capitals in 1993-94. The vast majority of his playing career came in the AHL with the Bears, Griffins, Portland Pirates and Rochester Americans.

AP

Forward Rich Clune spent parts of five seasons in the NHL with the Nashville Predators, Los Angeles Kings and Toronto Maple Leafs.

Clune, 38, joins the Penguins after spending the 2024-25 season as an assistant coach with the Anaheim Ducks, overseeing that squad’s forwards and power play. He was jettisoned by that team May 10 after a single season. Previously, he worked as an assistant coach for the Toronto Marlies of the AHL and a development coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

A rambunctious bottom-six energy forward during his playing career, the Toronto-born Clune spent five seasons in the NHL with the Los Angeles Kings, Predators and Maple Leafs. Most of his playing career was spent in the AHL, including seven seasons with the Marlies when current Penguins president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas oversaw that squad as general manager.

Paquette, 29, joins the Penguins after spending four seasons as video coach of the Marlies. He is a native of Kingston, Ontario.

Chiodo’s return was in doubt after a 2024-25 season that saw all three goaltenders at the NHL level — Joel Blomqvist, Tristan Jarry and Alex Nedeljkovic — struggle at various times.

When Sullivan’s departure was announced April 28, Dubas indicated Chiodo’s contract would not be renewed, but he would be given an opportunity to interview for his job with the new coach.

Chiodo, 42, spent the past four seasons as the team’s goaltending coach. Before being promoted to that position in 2021, he was the organization’s goaltending development coach for three seasons, overseeing the Penguins’ prospects at the position.

Also a native of Toronto, Chiodo was a sixth-round draft pick (No. 199 overall) of the Penguins in 2003 and briefly played for the team, appearing in eight games and posting a 3-4-1 record, a 3.46 goals-against average and .892 save percentage.