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The Toronto Maple Leafs did not see as much of an exodus as expected last summer after the dismissal of Kyle Dubas other than Jason Spezza, as most of the club’s management and scouting staff were under contract and were retained by GM Brad Treliving. Last month, the Leafs parted ways with longtime Assistant GM Laurence Gilman and on Tuesday, the club saw another significant defection from their ranks, as Wes Clark stepped down as the club’s Director of Amateur Scouting and was named Vice President of Player Personnel under Dubas with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Clark had been with the Leafs in some role since Dubas joined Toronto as Assistant GM in 2014 except for a two-year gap when he served as a scout for the Florida Panthers. When Dubas took over as GM in 2018, Clark came back to the Leafs as Assistant Director of Player Personnel (2018-23), and later became Director of Amateur Scouting (2021-23). and Director of Player Personnel (2023-24).
The Penguins have named Wes Clark Vice President of Player Personnel.
Clark will oversee the club’s amateur, professional and college/European free agent scouting departments and will report directly to Kyle Dubas.
“By adding Wes to lead the departments directed by Nick Pryor and Andy, along with the valuable experience and wisdom that (Player Development and Scouting Advisor) Trent (Mann) provides, we have tried to put the Penguins in a strong position to go out and execute on our personnel strategy in the short and long run.” Dubas said in a press release, “Having worked with Wes for many years, I have a deep trust in his ability to identify talent, lead staffs, advance our scouting process and methods, learn from mistakes to improve processes, and to challenge my own thinking and planning on a near daily basis.”
With the departure of Clark, the Leafs will begin a search for a replacement to head up their amateur scouting, but at this early point, it is unknown whether the club will promote from within or seek someone outside the organization.
Toronto Maple Leafs Blogger • 
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