Former Pittsburgh Penguins Forward Steps Down from Head Coaching Position

Stu Barnes was once the No. 4 overall pick in the NHL Draft way back in 1989, and throughout his career, he'd play 1,136 games in the league, including three seasons with the Penguins between 1996 and 1999.

These days, he is a minority owner of the WHL's Tri-City Americans, the team he played junior hockey for in 1988 and 1989, and now, he serves as the teams Head Coach, beginning in the role in 2021.

However, the 54-year old is now officially done with that role, as the team announced on Friday that he would be departing the organization, citing the fact that he is 'pursuing other professional opportunities' as the reason behind it.

With four years of experience as a Head Coach in the WHL, it appears as though Barnes is looking to take a step up in the coaching world, with plenty of opportunities in other professional settings throughout North America.

Barnes didn't make it clear that he wanted to remain a coach, as he could pursue other avenues in hockey, but given the good job he's done with the Americans in recent years, there's no doubting that if he continued to grow as a Head Coach, he could end up in some capacity in the NHL one day.

For now though, we sit back and wait to see what the future holds for Barnes, who was considered to be a very underrated player in his time, and now, he's got the opportunity to become a very good coach whether it be at the AHL, NHL or any other level in professional hockey.