Pittsburgh Penguins to hire head coach Mike Johnston

The Pittsburgh Penguins have been taking their sweet time finding a coach, allowing outlets to mull over the possibilities and wonder who will be next. It appears that now the wait is nearly over. TSN’s Bob Mckenzie tweets that the Penguins are finalizing a deal with Portland Winterhawks GM/head coach Mike Johnston to become the 21st head coach in franchise history.

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Mike Johnston has been the GM and coach of the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks since 2008, where the team made a drastic 48-point improvement in the standings in his first season. He has been a career coach who’s worked in college hockey and professional hockey since the early 1990s. His specialty has been working with younger developing players. In 2010, a record eight Winterhawks were taken in the NHL draft.

Now Pittsburgh GM Jim Rutherford is hoping that the patience and teaching skills of Johnston will translate to success for a Pittsburgh Penguins team that could use a fresh pair of eyes on the tactical side of things. The team is also bare of young impact players and perhaps Rutherford hopes that Johnston can groom players such as Beau Bennett, Simon Despres and Olli Maatta.

Minutes after the McKenzie tweet, fellow TSN Insider Darren Dreger confirmed the Mike Johnston hire.

Congratulations, Penguins fans. It appears you’ve got your new man.