Penguins hire Mike Johnston

— -- The Pittsburgh Penguins have named Mike Johnston to be their next head coach, the team announced Wednesday.

Johnston has been coach and general manager of the Western Hockey League's Portland Winterhawks since 2008-09 and has a 224-116-11-10 record. Before that he was an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Kings and the Vancouver Canucks.

"As a career coach, you aspire to get to these positions," Johnston said. "It's been my goal. It's been my dream."

Johnston, 57, replaces Dan Bylsma, who won a franchise-record 252 games but was just 4-5 in playoff series since winning the Stanley Cup in 2009.

"Mike comes to Pittsburgh with great experience at all levels of hockey," Penguins vice president/GM Jim Rutherford said in a statement. "He has terrific knowledge of the game and proven leadership ability. His coaching style is going to be a good for the players we have here with the Penguins -- it's an up-tempo style, but it begins from deep in the defensive zone. We're very excited to have him."

Rutherford, the former GM of the  Carolina Hurricanes, replaced Ray Shero, who was fired last month.

The Penguins also announced that Rick Tocchet, who played with the Penguins from 1991-1994 during his 18-year career and also was the head coach of the  Tampa Bay Lightning for two seasons,  will join the coaching staff as Johnston's top assistant .

"He thinks out of the box," Tocchet said of Johnston. "And that's what I like."

The Penguins released Tony Granato and Todd Reirden from the coaching staff.

Information from ESPN.com's Scott Burnside was used in this report.