PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Penguins promoted Chris Pryor to assistant general manager on Tuesday, one of several front-office moves made by general manager Ron Hextall.
Pryor, 61, spent last season as Pittsburgh’s director of player personnel, which included overseeing the team’s scouting efforts in North America and Europe. Pryor will assist Hextall in hockey operations while still keeping his hand in the team’s personnel decisions.
The Penguins also named Andy Saucier, 35, hockey operations analyst/pro personnel. The role, which was created exclusively for Saucier, makes him a liaison between the club’s coaching staff and analytics department.
He also will be involved in scouting while keeping his duties as Pittsburgh’s in-game video coordinator. Saucier has helped coach Mike Sullivan determine when to challenge a goal by an opponent.
Hextall also promoted Erik Heasley to general manager of the franchise’s American Hockey League affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.