Sean O’Brien has been named as Vice President, Community and Hockey Development for the Pittsburgh Penguins, it was announced today by President of Business Operations, Kevin Acklin.  

A native of Boston, Massachusetts, O’Brien most recently served as Head Coach of Boys Varsity Hockey and Assistant Athletic Director of The Hill School in Pottstown, PA, and previously served for 3 seasons as Director of Hockey Operations at Harvard University. 

Based at the Penguins’ UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry, O’Brien will oversee all amateur hockey operations for the organization, including the Pens Elite Hockey Program, Excel Hockey Academy, and Sports Performance programs at UPMC Lemieux, as well as the Penguins’ community hockey programming at the Highmark Hunt Armory in Shadyside.   

Kara Radeke will continue to serve as Executive Director of Business Operations at UPMC Lemieux, and Danny MacKinnon will continue to serve as Executive Director of the Pens Elite program.  O’Brien is expected to name final coaching appointments for the Pens Elite teams in the coming days, leading into tryouts in early March.

O’Brien started his career in hockey, after playing one season in Germany for EC Pfaffenhofen, as an NHL Scout with the Florida Panthers.  He then served as Vice President of LEGACY Global Sports, and continued as President/GM of the Portland Junior Pirates junior hockey organization in Maine. 

O’Brien is a graduate of New England College with a degree in Business Administration, where he served as Captain of the hockey team, and he earned a Juris Doctorate degree from the Massachusetts School of Law. 

O’Brien is a resident of Sewickley with his wife Keri, and their three children: Jack, Kate, and Will.