Penguins coach Mike Sullivan is set to be named the coach of the U.S. hockey team for next winter’s Olympics.
The games will be held in Beijing in February. The NHL has not yet formally announced that its players will be involved, and Sullivan’s appointment by USA Hockey will not become official until it does.
The two-time Stanley Cup-winning Penguins coach previously was an assistant at the Turin games in Italy in 2006. Team USA has not medaled in the Olympics since 2010, when Sidney Crosby’s goal gave Team Canada the gold medal over the U.S. in the Vancouver games.
The Penguins yesterday extended qualifying offers to restricted free agent forwards Zach Aston-Reese and Radim Zohorna. Aston-Reese played 45 games last season after starting the year recovering from shoulder surgery. He had nine goals and six assists. Zohorna played eight games for the Pens after debuting in North American hockey for twelve games at Scranton-Wilkes Barre. He had two goals and two assists for the Pens.
Restricted free agents Mark Jankowski, Sam Miletic, Jesper Lindgren, and Emil Larmi were not extended qualifying offers and will become unrestricted free agents.
Tomorrow is the first day on which free agents may sign contracts with new teams.
