Forward Nick Bonino played three seasons in Pittsburgh across his NHL career, but he is now coming back to the Penguins, this time not as a player.
The former Penguins player played his final season in the NHL during the 2023-24 season with the New York Rangers before moving to the ICEHL. He spent the 2024-25 season in Slovenia with HK Olimpija Ljubljana, skating in 22 games and netting six goals and 11 assists.
Despite signing a contract to play the 2025-26 team in Slovenia, Bonino decided to retire from professional hockey to take an opportunity to join the Penguins coaching staff, he announced on Olimpija Ljubljana’s facebook.
“I had a really unique opportunity come up to coach the Pittsburgh Penguins, something we thought was the best move for our family at this time,” Bonino said. “Tough decision because we had an absolute blast in Ljubljana, it was so welcoming to us, can’t thank the fans enough for the support.”
The Penguins have not officially announced the move or what Bonino’s exact position will be within the team.
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The 37-year-old played with current players Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang where they won back-to-back Stanley Cups together in 2016 and 2017. Through 15 seasons in the NHL, he played 868 games, scoring 199 goals and 358 assists, going a career plus 30.
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Featured image via Joe Camporeale/Imagn Images