During his first days on the job, Pittsburgh Penguins goalie coach Andy Chiodo chose to lend his endless enthusiasm to breath life into a goalie’s career going sideways. And like most of the goalies who have inhabited the Penguins’ net ever since, Chiodo has also had a winding road, too.

Chiodo was tapped as the Penguins’ new goalie coach last summer, replacing … himself. Chiodo remained the Penguins’ goalie coach despite last April’s changing of the guard, in which general manager Kyle Dubas fired head coach Mike Sullivan and allowed all assistant contracts to expire, including Chiodo’s.

However, Chiodo interviewed for the same position under new coach Dan Muse and was rehired.

At the time, Muse stressed that it was his choice to bring back Chiodo and had done so only after the interview process.

Harkening back to the beginning when Chiodo was promoted to NHL goalie coach in the summer of 2021, one of the first goalies in his charge was Louis Domingue, who had been traded three times in the COVID season prior, and spent nearly the entire two seasons separated from his teams in the AHL or on their practice squads. Domingue admittedly was wondering if he really wanted to continue playing hockey.

Direct Effect

Then, Chiodo called.

“I had a good conversation with Andy Chiodo. And I’ve never been in a better space since,” Domingue beamed back on Sept. 21, 2021. “I’ve worked some things in my game right away that really made sense to me. And it kind of changed my whole mindset, the way I was seeing things, and I am in a good headspace right now.”

That was just the first example. Domingue had a bounce-back season with his AHL save percentage climbing to .924 from the .880s, where it had languished in the previous campaigns.

The Penguins’ goaltending situation has not been a strength in quite some time–not since 2016 and 2017, when the very talented duo of Marc-Andre Fleury and Matt Murray pushed each other to career heights. Yet, into November of this season, the Penguins’ goalies–Arturs Silovs and Tristan Jarry–both of whom were banished back to the AHL for parts of last season, placed the Penguins among the top three in team save percentage.

“I think you see how he works, how he prepares these guys. And I think it’s the day-to-day work that he makes sure they’re getting what they need,” Muse said of Chiodo. “I think everybody, just like all players, might have slightly different needs. I think it’s the same thing with goaltenders. It’s not just one blanket thing that you need to be working on with everybody. I think it’s about understanding the person. It’s understanding what they need, what they are going to need to continue to take steps.

“I think he’s done a really good job with that, with every guy that he’s worked with over the course of this year.”

Chiodo Overview

Chiodo has been able to tout some success through his five years on the job, but also some struggles, too. Jarry is on both of those lists, having been waived in January of 2025 but rebounding to be among the best statistical goalies in the league this season (The Penguins traded Jarry to the Edmonton Oilers in December for goalie Stuart Skinner, Brett Kulak, and a 2029 second-round pick).

But from the overview, there have been more successes.

Domingue nearly helped the Penguins to Round Two of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs, and would have if not for bad breaks in Games 5 and 6 of the Round One series against the New York Rangers. Both the team and the spicy broccoli goalie deserved better in that series loss.

In the previous two seasons (2023-24, 2024-25) with the Penguins before departing via trade to the San Jose Sharks in July, Alex Nedeljkovic had a career resurgence with the Penguins. He, too, had been cast to the AHL for much of the previous season with the Detroit Red Wings organization. In his first year with the Penguins, Nedeljkovic posted a .902 save percentage, the best since his rookie year, three years prior, and started the Penguins’ final 14 games of the 2023-24 season in the team’s frantic but unsuccessful push to make the playoffs.

This season, Jarry looked to be recapturing his best form, while Silovs has begun establishing himself as an NHL goalie after failing to do so with the Vancouver Canucks.

Chiodo had a vagabond career as a goalie, too. In his first pro year, 2003-04, he played eight NHL games for the Penguins, but also spent time with the Wheeling Nailers and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. After a few years with the Penguins organization, his career path is a long list of European and AHL teams.

After sampling many organizations (14), Chiodo isn’t the type of goalie coach to overhaul a goalie’s game with some new philosophy or fad technique. It seemed unanimous with the goalies we spoke to that Chiodo is one to build upon what exists or could be–not deconstruct–with a healthy side of encouragement.

“I think for sure, he brings you a fresh aspect of what he sees, and that maybe that’s something I maybe didn’t realize, or I didn’t think about it,” Silovs told PHN. “And, yeah, I think it’s a combination of past experiences and things I’m feeling where I’m solid, I’m good at, and just adding the new aspect, or improving the aspects I already have, and just getting better at those things.”

Chiodo Positivity

After a rough year for Penguins goalies (Jarry and Nedeljkovic) last season, Chiodo’s approach is again bearing some results this season.

Of course, better team defense and a change of head coaches are positive factors, too.

Silovs has recovered from his rough patch in December, and still has the best save percentage of his career (.884), though the number figures to improve with more games to offset the December skid. Jarry was bubbling near his best numbers in a few years (around a .912 save percentage) before the trade, too.

For context, one of Chiodo’s past pupils discussed the goalie coach with PHN, but to contrast his enjoyment of working with Chiodo, he shoveled a good bit of shade on past goalie coaches, too.

“So much pressure. Like, I’m just trying to play,” the goalie said.

Chiodo seems to be the opposite kind of coach, as Stuart Skinner, who is just getting acquainted, explained.

“He’s extremely positive. What I really noticed is he’s very process-oriented,” Skinner told PHN. “So, it was my third game here, there’s a goal that was kind of an unlucky bounce, and I felt pretty bad about it, and he was just like, ‘No, it’s just an unlucky bounce. You still played a heck of a game, and there’s a lot to still work on and keep on moving forward.’

“So that was his approach, even at a point where it’s easy for me to get down on myself because I’m a competitor, he was a light in that. And that kind of showed me that it’s about just working and keep on getting better, rather than just blaming myself for everything.”

PHN should also note that it is a long-standing Penguins policy that assistant coaches are not accessible to the media. So, we were unable to speak with Chiodo himself.

But Skinner pumped his new goalie coach’s tires quite well.

“When I got (to Pittsburgh), he was amazing. And I think he just knows the situation … So yeah, when I came in, he obviously knew (my situation), had an idea of how I was playing. And he was like, ‘We’re not going to change too much.’ And you know, he’s the type of goalie coach who is very open to communication. So if I have anything that I honestly need to talk to him about, about my game, or the mental approach, or anything like that, he wants that open communication.

“I found it just so helpful, and also it’s been very pleasurable to be working with him.”

Tags: andy chiodo arturs silovs penguins coaches penguins goalie penguins goalie coach Pittsburgh Penguins stuart skinner

Categorized: Penguins Locker Room