20 years later, Spezza is developing again in the AHL | TheAHL.com

Patrick WilliamsTheAHL.com Features Writer

Jason Spezza learned to play the pro game in the AHL. Now he is also learning the game of management there.

Before Spezza established himself as the NHL's top scorer who went on to play 1,248 games and score 995 points, he was the second overall pick in the Ottawa Senators organization. Spezza made his pro debut with the Grand Rapids Griffins during the 2002 Calder Cup Playoffs, then split the 2002-03 season between Ottawa and the Binghamton Senators.

AHL Hall of Famer John Paddock he mentored Spezza, then 19, as Binghamton's head coach and provided the tough guidance Spezza now says he needed at the time.

Spezza returned to Binghamton in the 2004–05 NHL offseason, amassing a league-leading 117 points and being named the AHL's most valuable player.

Mississauga, Ont., retired in 2022, after his third season with the Toronto Maple Leafs. That's when Spezza first contacted the general manager Kyle Dubaswho had brought Spezza to Toronto to help the Leafs pursue the Stanley Cup.

As he began to wind down his playing career, Spezza's attention turned to what might be next. Management felt like a good fit, and he had someone like Dubas there for advice.

“I can't imagine my life without hockey in it,” said Spezza.

So after retirement, Spezza went straight into management as a special assistant to Dubas. The mandate was to start studying business administration. And when Dubas left for the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2023, Spezza came with him as an assistant general manager.

This summer Spezza added another role to his portfolio: general manager of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

Now that Dubas is in his second season with the Pittsburgh organization, there is much that is new about Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Spezza played a major role in the hiring of the new coach Kirk MacDonald. Pittsburgh also acted aggressively this past summer to replace its veteran AHL team with the signing of several free agents. With the core of an NHL team now in the 30-and-older age bracket, Pittsburgh will be relying heavily on its pipeline of young talent to eventually contribute to an NHL roster, and experience is needed in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to help in that process. .

Also, authority is learning. Spezza will remain based in Pittsburgh, but will handle all of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's daily news and will be in town regularly. When Dubas was in Toronto, whether it was the Leafs or the Marlies, the AHL affiliate always got the most attention. Toronto's management made a splash to sign the Marlies' free agents, which paid off for the 2018 Calder Cup champions. The team has never lacked talent, a quality training facility, or any other resources needed to improve their chances of winning hockey games.

That same formula has now come to Pennsylvania, stretching the state from Pittsburgh to Wilkes-Barre. The AHL Penguins have reached the Calder Cup Finals three times in their first nine seasons, but have won just one series since 2016, leaving local fans hungry for a playoff game. And with Pittsburgh's management hungry to see success from their AHL affiliate, Dubas knows exactly what it means for the Leafs' hopes when the Marlies play deep in the postseason.

Naturally the move to this role brought Spezza back to his days as a top prospect trying to prove himself through Binghamton. This is where the future foundation of Ottawa began to take shape. Antoine Vermette, Chris Kelly, Brian McGrattan and late Ray Emery they were some of his Binghamton teammates as a rookie who went on to join him as Ottawa mainstays playing for Paddock, who eventually moved on to the NHL club.

“It's a very different place,” Spezza said of today's game. “It was definitely a tough love season. The AHL was good for me. It helped me a lot to shape who I am as a player and made me stronger.”

Now he's following the same path that Dubas took a decade ago, when he moved up to Toronto from Sault Ste. Marie of the Ontario Hockey League.

“He's a great leader,” Spezza said of Dubas. “He is a person who knows how to talk. I think his behavior is something I respect a lot. You are well thought out. You have a very good process. You probably show me why having a good process is so important…if you do all your preparations ahead of time, you will never be surprised by any situation that may arise. From player to manager now, one thing you notice is how much stuff goes on behind the scenes.

“And the way he treats people. I think he can be a strong manager. He may be very demanding by his standards, but he is a great person. I consider him a great friend and I really enjoy working for him.”

Hiring MacDonald was one of Spezza's first big jobs. Dubas let Spezza manage that process. As the training came in and piled up, Spezza sorted through them, began compiling his list, and then went into the interview. And then he had to make a decision and go with MacDonald.

“It's been a great process to go through,” Spezza said. “I had never done anything like this. I thought I learned a lot from it.”

With MacDonald in a strong coaching position, Spezza is excited to see what it can mean for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton fans. He remembers coming to Mohegan Arena as a fan of the intense meetings between the two rivals.

“I love the small town feel,” Spezza said. “I think it's a great hockey town. We've rounded up new, exciting prospects that will ignite the fan base. We know it's a deep fan base, a hockey-loving fan base.

“For me, that makes me happy about taking over the team because I thought it was the best.”

In the American Hockey League for two decades, TheAHL.com features writer Patrick Williams and currently covers the league for NHL.com and FloSports and is a regular contributor to SiriusXM NHL Network Radio. He was the recipient of the AHL's James H. Ellery Memorial Award for the league's top scorer in 2016.