Penguins add Wes Clark to head up scouting

Dubas poaches a former Maple Leaf employee

The Penguins have added Wes Clark to the front office to head up their scouting departments. Clark worked closely with Kyle Dubas with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

From the team:

The Pittsburgh Penguins have named Wes Clark Vice President of Player Personnel, it was announced today by President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Kyle Dubas.

Clark will oversee the club’s amateur, professional and college/European free agent scouting departments and will report directly to Dubas.

“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,” said Dubas. “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, 41, has spent the last six seasons in the Toronto Maple Leafs organization, holding various roles with the team. Clark has run the NHL Draft for the Toronto as the Director of Player Personnel (2023-24) and Director of Amateur Scouting (2021-23). He has also served as the Assistant Director of Player Personnel (2018-23) and as a Player Evaluation Consultant (2014-16).

Prior to his time in Toronto, the Oakville, Ontario native spent two seasons with the Florida Panthers as an Amateur Scout from 2016-18. He also was the Director of Player Personnel and Development with the Soo Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League from 2011-15.

Clark is a graduate of the University of Maine, where he played four seasons of collegiate hockey from 2004-08.

Clark was a key figure in Toronto, being the director of player personnel and amateur scouting over the last three seasons and a part of their organization for the last eight.

Clark will now oversee Pittsburgh’s quest to scout, draft and develop youngster as Dubas brings the team into the future.