Wes Clark is joining the Pittsburgh Penguins as their vice president of player personnel, the team announced Tuesday.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was the first to report the story.
Clark spent the past six seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs organization, most recently as the director of amateur scouting. The 41-year-old will be reunited with former Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas and will directly report to him as part of the new role. Dubas immediately hired Jason Spezza last summer upon taking the Penguins’ job.
“Starting last fall with the addition of Trent Mann as a player development and scouting advisor and the elevation of Andy Saucier to lead our pro scouting department, we have sought to really bolster our player personnel system. Our personnel decisions in this short term will be critical as we seek to add the draft picks, prospects and young players that will serve to add an infusion of young, hungry players to our core,” Dubas said in a team-issued statement.
“By adding Wes to lead the departments directed by Nick Pryor and Andy, along with the valuable experience and wisdom that Trent provides, we have tried to put the Penguins in a strong position to go out and execute on our personnel strategy in the short and long run. Having worked with Wes for many years, I have a deep trust in his ability to identify talent, lead staffs, advance our scouting process and methods, learn from mistakes to improve processes and to challenge my own thinking and planning on a near daily basis.”
Clark was responsible for the Maple Leafs’ drafts and is widely credited with selecting Easton Cowan with the No. 28 overall pick, going against consensus at the time. Cowan responded by winning OHL MVP and will genuinely compete for a roster spot with the Maple Leafs this fall. He strode up to the podium during last month’s NHL Draft as the Maple Leafs selected Ben Danford with the No. 31 pick seemingly without any hesitation.
