The Penguins on Saturday rounded out Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's coaching staff with the addition of Nick Luukko as an assistant coach.
Luukko joins new head coach Kirk MacDonald behind the bench, along with returning assistant coach Sheldon Brookbank. Brookbank managed the defense and penalty-kill the previous two seasons. The second assistant coaching position became open when Kevin Porter's contract wasn't renewed along with that of previous head coach J.D. Forrest.
Luukko, 32, was the head coach and director of hockey operations for the ECHL's Jacksonville Icemen the previous three years. Under Luukko the Icemen went 126-73-17, including a franchise record 44 wins in the 2022-23 season. Before taking over the bench in Jacksonville, Luukko spent a year as an assistant coach for the ECHL's Reading Royals, where new Wilkes-Barre coach MacDonald was head coach at the time.
When Luukko took the Jacksonville job, MacDonald told the Royals' team website that “Nick has been a consummate professional over his six years as a Royal."
“From a rookie pro player to a trusted staff member and friend, he has been integral part of our organization on and off the ice," MacDonald said of Luukko. "His detailed knowledge of the game and ability to relate to players will serve him well in his new role as head coach. We are excited to see him take the next step in his coaching career, and wish him nothing but the best!”
Luukko, a former defenseman, was a sixth-round pick of the Flyers in 2010. He skated in six AHL games with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms and 274 ECHL games with the Royals over five seasons under MacDonald.
Luukko, a native of West Chester, Pa., is the son of Peter Luukko, who served as the Flyers' president from 1994-2014 and a chairman for the Panthers from 2014-17.
