In an announcement from General Manager Kyle Dubas this morning, the Pittsburgh Penguins have announced the hiring of Marty Lauzon as the team’s new Director of High Performance. Lauzon will now oversee the team’s strength and condition, nutrition, mental fitness, injury prevention, and injury rehabilitation.
Although this will be his first stop with an NHL organization, Lauzon has accrued over 25 years of experience in similar roles with both professional and collegiate athletes. His career initially began back in 1997, spending three years with the University of California – Los Angeles as the Director of Rehabilitation for all of the school’s athletic programs. Garnering some eyes during his time at UCLA, he would then spend the next 10 years working for the Cleveland Browns of the NFL, originally working as the team’s Assistant Athletic Trainer, and finally getting promoted to the Head Athletic Trainer in 2005.
After his time with the Browns, Lauzon embarked on an 11-year stretch with the Atlanta Falcons, also of the NFL, transferring from the team’s Head Athletic Trainer to the team’s Director of Sports Medicine and Performance. During his time with the Falcons, the team would reach Super Bowl LI in 2017, eventually losing to the New England Patriots. His last stop before finally joining the Penguins organization was a two-year stint with the Atlanta Hawks of the NBA.
- A little over a month ago, former-NHL defenseman, Zach Redmond, terminated his contract with EHC Red Bull Munich of the DEL. At the time, it was thought that Redmond would be making his way back to North American hockey, but not in the way that many thought. In an official team announcement, the Buffalo Sabres have added Redmond as one of their new Player Development coaches for the 2023-24 season. In the same announcement, Buffalo states they have added former Princeton University Associate Coach, Brad Dexter, as a scout.
- University of Michigan alumni, Jimmy Lambert, has agreed to a one-year contract with the Providence Bruins of the American Hockey League. Last season, Lambert split time between the Bridgeport Islanders of the AHL and the Worcester Railers of the ECHL. His most successful stint came in Worcester, scoring 11 goals and 13 assists in 27 games.
- The Hartford Wolf Pack have extended forward Cristiano DiGiacinto for the 2023-24 AHL season. Over the last two years, DiGiacinto has split time between both the Wolf Pack and the Jacksonville Icemen of the ECHL. This season, if DiGiacinto is once again a bubble player for Hartford, he will be playing for the Cincinnati Cyclones as opposed to Jacksonville.