Ron Hextall on Monday announced the additions of four new scouts and one new development coach to the Penguins' hockey operations staff.
Will Acton and Kerry Huffman were hired as professional scouts, and will scout players in the NHL and AHL, and will report to director of professional scouting Ryan Bowness.
Alexander Khavanov was hired as a European amateur scout to scout draft-eligible players and free agents in Russia, and will report to director of amateur scouting Chris Pryor.
Matt Mangene was hired as an amateur free agent scout and will scout draft-eligible players in North America, and also report to Pryor.
Brett Hextall, the son of Ron Hextall, was hired as an integrated development coach and will work with the players in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and elsewhere in the Penguins' system, and will report to director of player development Scott Young.
Acton, who turns 34 this week, is in his first front office role after retiring as a player following the 2019-20 season. Acton's nine-year professional career as a forward included 33 NHL games with the Oilers, 237 AHL games, and 253 games in the German DEL. His father Keith played 14 years in the NHL with the Canadiens, North Stars, Oilers, Flyers, Capitals, and Islanders and was a teammate of Ron Hextall in Philadelphia. Keith also spent two decades as an assistant coach in the NHL with various teams.
Huffman, 53, spent the last five years as an assistant coach for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, AHL affiliate of the Flyers. Prior to joining the Flyers organization Huffman worked as an assistant coach and director of hockey operations for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights, a junior team in the NAHL. Huffman had a 10-year professional career as a defenseman, playing for the Flyers, Nordiques, and Senators at the NHL level. He was a teammate of Hextall's in Philadelphia.
Khavanov, 49, is in his first front office role. A former draft pick of the Blues, Khavanov played in the NHL as a defenseman with the Blues from 2000-04, then one year with the Oilers following the lockout. He played a year in Switzerland before retiring in 2006-07. Earlier in Khavanov's career he spent seven years in the top Russian league, as well as a year in the ECHL.
Mangene, 32, is also in his first role in a front office. Mangene had an eight-year professional career as a defensemen in the AHL and NHL, and was playing for the Flyers' then-AHL affiliate in Adirondack when Hextall was assistant general manager in Philadelphia. He spent last season playing in Austria before retiring as a player.
Brett Hextall, 33, was a development coach for the Flyers from 2017-20. He had a four-year professional career as a forward, playing in Portland and Lehigh Valley in the AHL.
