Prior to joining the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite as Hockey Director, Danny was the Hockey Director at Maritime Varsity Academy in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. He also served as the Head Coach for the Cole Harbour Major Midgets out of the Nova Scotia Major Midget Hockey League. Danny has coaching experience at all levels as he was a Graduate Assistant Coach at Bemidji State University and has helped develop numerous players into the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League during his time at Maritime Varsity Academy. Furthermore, Danny has spent time working within Hockey Nova Scotia’s program of excellence and most recently with Hockey Canada’s U17 Developmental program.
Danny finished his playing career at Acadia University and earned an Undergraduate Degree in Kinesiology. After Acadia, he moved to Bemidji, to complete a Master’s of Science degree at Bemidji State University.
Contact Danny at damackinnon@pittsburghpenguins.com
Mike is a former goalie from Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia. He is the current Manager of Youth Hockey for the Pittsburgh Penguins and Goalie Development Professional at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex. Mike is also the goalie development coach for the Pens Elite organization. Mike is a former Quebec Major Junior Hockey League goaltender with the Rimouski Oceanic and finished his playing career with four years at Acadia University. Prior to joining the staff, Mike spent two seasons as an assistant coach with the Acadia Axemen and the technical director for the Acadia Minor Hockey Association.
Contact Mike at mchiasson@pittsburghpenguins.com
Trevor joined the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex Staff in 2018 after coaching for 9 years with Detroit Honeybaked where his team won a USA Hockey 14U National Championship in 2015. He currently is heavily focused on the development of our advanced 8U and 10U players to help develop the skill set, passion, work ethic and confidence they need to continue to advance in the game.
Trevor was born in Toronto, Ontario and went on to play NCAA Hockey at Clarkson University (00-04'). After college Trevor spent 3 seasons in the United Hockey League (UHL) before retiring in 2007 after scoring 40 Goals, 49 assists, 89 points in 182 professional games.
Contact Trevor at tedwards@pittsburghpenguins.com
Jeff is a Pittsburgh native who grew up playing for the Pittsburgh Hornets and then moving on to play NCAA Division I Hockey at Niagara University. During his senior year, Niagara won the Atlantic Hockey regular season championship and advanced to the NCAA tournament. His senior year he was awarded with the Gallagher Sportsmanship Award for his contributions to the hockey program on and off the ice. Jeff is entering his fifth season coaching the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite and last season was the Assistant Coach in the North American Hockey League (NAHL) with the Coulee Region Chill, helping develop numerous Division I college hockey players.
Dan has spent the past two seasons at Trine University in Indiana where he has served as the Head Coach for the ACHA DII team and as the Assistant Coach for the NCAA team. In his two seasons as coach of the ACHA team, the Thunder has compiled a record of 54-9-2. They have also qualified for the ACHA DII national tournament in each of the last 2 seasons.
Dan has served in many coaching roles in his career. Since 2015, he has served as a NCAA Volunteer Coach at Bowling Green University, Head Coach of the Little Caesars 14U team, Associate Coach for the Honeybaked Midget 16/18U and St. Mary’s Catholic Central High School in Michigan.
Kevin has made a name for himself by blending his passion for hockey and technology into a unique training experience. His use of visual feedback and technical detail have made him a highly sought after skills coach across North America. Kevin has been working in private hockey training facilities and running numerous camps and clinics since 2002. In 2006 he formed online training and coaching website HockeyShare. In 2014 Kevin co-founded hockey training center LM Precision Training in Kenosha, Wisconsin. He currently works with a number of professional, collegiate, junior, and AAA athletes. Kevin also brings 15 years of team coaching at the bantam and midget levels as well as 3 years of hockey director experience.
Marco grew up in Beverly Hills, Michigan and played AAA hockey for the Compuware and Honeybaked organizations. He played junior hockey for three years in the USHL and NAHL before heading to Michigan State University. There he played one year of ACHA hockey and was a first team all American, National Tournament MVP, and National Champion. After college, Marco played minor professional hockey throughout the United States. After his playing career, Marco began coaching in Detroit with the Little Caesars, Detroit Red Wings BRICK, Honeybaked, and Victory Honda organizations. He has coached numerous NHL, Division I and Junior hockey players over the last 11 years. He also works as a regional scout for the Des Moines Buccaneers of the USHL.
Originally from Aurora, IL, Jason earned his Master’s Degree in Sports Medicine from the University of Miami in 2006. A major opportunity fell upon him in 2010 as Jason began serving as the Chief Operating Officer and Director of Athletic Development for IMPACT PERFORMANCE in Boca Raton, FL. That opportunity provided Jason access to train 1000’s of athletes, be an Athletic Trainer for multiple professional sports organizations, and run the NHL Combine for four years.
Early in Jason’s career, he was employed by the University of Miami and responsible for rehabilitating Olympic, professional, and collegiate athletes from various sports including football, track and field, and volleyball. A major highlight of Jason’s time at the “U” was serving as a Core Training specialist for the track and field program as well as working with numerous alumni from the NFL and MLB. For the past three seasons, Jason has had the awesome opportunity to serve the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite program and the Excel Hockey Academy as their Director of Sports Performance. Jason is a proud supporting member of the National Athletic Training Association (NATA).
Abrianna is a local Pittsburgh product and was a high level competitive gymnast growing up. She graduated from West Virginia University in 2021 with a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Exercise Physiology with a Minor in Psychology. During her undergrad, she completed her internship with Penguins Performance Training and was hired on as a pat-time Performance Training staff member after graduating. Since then, she has worked her way up to becoming a full time staff member.
During Abrianna’s tenure with the Penguins organization, she has facilitated top level training with Pens Elite teams, Excel Hockey Academy, and adult clients. “Aubs”, as her athletes know her, specializes in training for softball, figure skating, cheerleading, and track and field. She is currently working on obtaining her CSCS certification (Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist) and looks forward to being the Girls Performance Coordinator this season.
