PITTSBURGH RECALLS ASTON-REESE, WILSON
The Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled forwards Zach Aston-Reese and Garrett Wilson from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League, it was announced today by executive vice president and general manager Jim Rutherford.
Forward Derek Grant has been re-assigned to the WBS Penguins.
Aston-Reese and Wilson are coming off strong performances in their most recent appearance for WBS on November 4 in Bridgeport. Aston-Reese completed the first hat trick of his pro career and added an assist for four points. Two of his goals came on the power play, and the other was a shorthanded marker. Wilson contributed two goals and three points.
Aston-Reese, 24, places third on WBS in scoring with nine points (6G-3A) in 11 games thus far. He has notched seven of those points (4G-3A) over his past four games. Aston-Reese has skated in 62 career AHL contests with WBS over the last three years, producing 18 goals, 26 assists and 46 points with a plus-26.
Last season, the 6-foot, 204-pound Aston-Reese split the campaign between WBS and Pittsburgh. At the NHL level, he notched four goals and six points in 16 regular-season games, plus an assist in nine postseason contests.
Wilson, 27, is in his first season as the captain of the WBS Penguins. He is off to a fast start offensively, leading the club with 11 points on the strength of six goals and five assists in 11 games. Wilson has points in eight of 11 games. In three seasons with WBS, Wilson has 84 points (34G-50A) and a plus-25 in 139 games. Last year, Wilson spent time at the NHL level with the Penguins, but he is still looking to make his Pittsburgh debut.
Wilson, who stands 6-foot-2, 199 pounds, does have previous NHL experience, playing in 34 regular-season games and six postseason contests with the Florida Panthers between 2014-16. He recorded his first NHL point in Game 4 of the Panthers’ 2016 First Round matchup against the New York Islanders by assisting Alex Petrovic’s game-winning goal.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s next game is Friday, Nov. 8 when they visit the Providence Bruins. The Penguins’ next home game is Friday, Nov. 16 in what promises to be a heated head-to-head with the Charlotte Checkers. Puck drop between the Penguins and Checkers is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza.
Individual tickets for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton home games can be purchased at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza box office, through all Ticketmaster outlets, or by contacting the Penguins’ offices at (570) 208-7367. Season ticket packages for the 20th season of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins hockey, including full season, 22-game, 12-game and Flexbook plans, are available by reaching out to the Penguins directly at (570) 208-7367.
Fans can also keep up with the Penguins through the AHL’s brand new high definition streaming service, AHLTV. Subscriptions for AHLTV, which include live and archived games, begin at just $79.99 for the entire 2018-19 regular season. Fans can visit theahl.com/AHLTV now to register for a free AHLTV account and purchase 2018-19 subscriptions.
