General | 6/4/2025 12:24:47 PM

The Pittsburgh Penguins announced former United States Hockey League (USHL) head coach and Clark Cup champion Dan Muse as their 23rd head coach in franchise history. Muse is the fourth former USHL head coach serving the same duty behind an NHL bench, joining Jon Cooper (Tampa Bay Lightning, Green Bay Gamblers), Jim Montgomery (St. Louis Blues, Dubuque Fighting Saints), and Jeff Blashill (Indiana Ice, Chicago Blackhawks).
 
Muse led the Chicago Steel from 2015-17, helping the team to a Clark Cup championship in his second season and posting a 65-43-6-6 (W-L-OTL-SOL) combined regular-season record. After departing to become an assistant coach with the Nashville Predators from 2017-2020, Muse returned to the USHL as head coach of the NTDP U-18 program for the 2020-21 season and 2022-23 season, where the team set a single-season program record with 16 wins against NCAA opponents. The Canton, Mass. native was head coach of the NTDP U-17 program during the 2021-22 season. He has spent the last two years as an assistant coach for the New York Rangers.
 
"During this process, we met with many candidates who we felt would have been a fit as the next head coach of the Penguins, but ultimately, Dan Muse stood out as the best choice. What separated Dan was his ability to develop players, win at all levels where he has been a head coach, and his consistent success coaching special teams in the NHL," said Kyle Dubas, Penguins President of Hockey Operations and General Manager. "From his success in developing college and junior players, to his impactful work with veteran players during his time in the NHL, Dan has shown a proven ability to connect with players at all stages of their careers and help them to reach their potential.”
 
Internationally, Muse was head coach of the U.S. for its 2023 IIHF World Under-18 Championship gold medal and served as the video coach at two World Junior Championships (2012, 2013), winning gold in 2013.

Blashill (2009), Cooper (2010), Montgomery (2011, 2013), and Muse (2017) each won a Clark Cup during their time in the USHL. 
 
About the USHL
 
The United States Hockey League and its 16 member clubs are committed to being the world's leading 16–20-year-old junior hockey league. During the 2024-25 season, USHL alumni held over 50% of NCAA Division I roster spots, and over 25% of NHL players had USHL experience. With 10 first-round selections and 49 total picks in the 2024 NHL Draft, the USHL has developed the most draft choices of any junior hockey league since 2012.
 
Elevated through the recently announced Declaration of Excellence with the NHL and USA Hockey, the league's player-first approach, including a 2:1 practice-to-game ratio and a schedule with 92% of games played on weekends, provides its players with the optimal environment for athletic and personal growth, creating pathways for the next generation of stars like Kyle Connor (Youngstown Phantoms), Macklin Celebrini (Chicago Steel), Matthew Knies (Tri-City Storm), Adam Fantilli (Chicago Steel) and Jeremy Swayman (Sioux Falls Stampede). More.