Hennes, 43, spent the previous four seasons as the Penguins' skating and skills development coach. In his previous role, he assisted the Penguins' coaching staff with practices, skills sessions and on-ice injury rehabilitation. During his first two seasons with Pittsburgh, Hennes acted as an 'eye in the sky' during Penguins' home games, then joined Head Coach Mike Sullivan and his assistant coaches behind the bench during all games beginning in the 2019-20 season.
Prior to joining the Penguins' development staff in 2018, Hennes worked as the skill development professional at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry, the Penguins' practice facility. In addition to working with the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite AAA travel program, Hennes also worked with the Penguins' organization.
Hennes played four seasons of collegiate hockey at Boston College, where he was a member of the Eagles' 2001 national championship squad. An alternate captain as a senior, Hennes helped Boston College reach the NCAA Tournament three times, including twice advancing to the Frozen Four. Prior to joining the Eagles, Hennes played two seasons for the Omaha Lancers of the United States Hockey League, serving as captain his final year.
After graduating from Boston College, Hennes signed with the Detroit Red Wings organization, playing three seasons of professional hockey. He skated for the Toledo Storm, Bakersfield Condors and Texas Wildcatters of the ECHL, and the Fort Worth Brahmas, Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs and Texas Brahmas of the Central Hockey League. Hennes earned his doctorate in 2011 from Parker College of Chiropractic Medicine in Dallas.
A native of Dickinson, North Dakota, who grew up in Kent, Washington, Hennes has been heavily involved within the USA Hockey organization. He has served as a coach and evaluator at the various USA Hockey National Player Development Camps where USA Hockey formulates its roster for international tournaments that include the Five Nations Tournament and the Hlinka Gretzky Cup.
Hennes was also a player development coach for the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), where he presented each year at that organization's player development symposiums. The IIHF is the worldwide hockey government body.
Before joining the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex staff, Hennes worked for USA Hockey as a regional manager for the Amateur Development Model between 2013-15. The American Development Model (ADM) is a joint initiative between the NHL and USA Hockey to develop the next generation of American born hockey players.
