Former Pittsburgh Penguins forward Toby Petersen was hired as head coach of the Texas Stars, the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Dallas Stars.
That team announced the appointment Monday.
Petersen, 46, spent the past two seasons as a skills coach with the Colorado Avalanche. Before that, he had roamed the AHL as an assistant coach with the Springfield Falcons, Lake Erie/Cleveland Monsters and Rochester Americans.
A ninth-round draft pick (No. 244 overall) of the Penguins in 1998, Petersen spent four seasons with the Penguins in the early 2000s, including two campaigns at the NHL level. His most notable moment with the Penguins came when he recorded his only NHL hat trick during a 5-2 home win against the Ottawa Senators on Oct. 16, 2001, at Mellon Arena.
Rick Kehoe made his debut as head coach in that contest and placed Petersen on a line with franchise pillar Mario Lemieux, prompting the scoring outburst.
In addition to the Penguins, Petersen played for the Stars and Edmonton Oilers during his NHL career.
