Minnesota Wild: 3 potential replacements for head coach Bruce Boudreau
3. Clark Donatelli
Clark Donatelli is someone who Wild fans have probably never heard of. Older ones might vaguely remember him from his brief stint with the Minnesota North Stars, but that was back in 1989. It wouldn’t be surprising if Donatelli is on Guerin’s shortlist. At the very least, he should get an interview.
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Guerin knows Donatelli well, as Guerin was the general manager of the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins from 2017 to 2019 as a part of his duties as an assistant general manager with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Donatelli coached them from 2015 to 2019. Before that, he coached the Penguins’ ECHL affiliate, the Wheeling Nailers. They also briefly played together on Team USA.
In all, Donatelli has nine years of coaching experience. Additionally, he served as the Under-18 coach for the Hlinka Gretzky Cup for Team USA in 2017 and 2018.
It’s hard to tell which direction Guerin will go in. But general managers tend to gravitate towards those they have worked with. Guerin might prove to be different, but until he does, it’s fair to assume he’ll lean towards someone he has worked with.
Having a good relationship with the general manager is important for any head coach. The reverse is true as well. Guerin has experience working with Donatelli. If their experience in the AHL was positive, he’ll be among the candidates to replace Boudreau.