The Pittsburgh Penguins have acquired forward Chad Kolarik from the New York Rangers in exchange for Benn Ferriero, and have traded defenseman Carl Sneep to the Dallas Stars for a conditional draft pick, it was announced today by executive vice president and general manager Ray Shero.

Chad Kolarik

Kolarik, 26, will report to Pittsburgh’s minor-league affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League (AHL). This season, Kolarik has been one of the top players in the AHL while playing for the Connecticut Whale, earning a berth in Monday night’s AHL All-Star Classic in Providence, R.I.

The 5-foot-11, 185-pound Kolarik has ranked among the top scorers in the AHL all season. He currently places 13th (tied) in the scoring race with 35 points (16G-19A) in 41 games. Kolarik’s 16 goals and seven power-play tallies both lead the Whale.

Kolarik, who hails from Abington, Pa., made his NHL debut by playing in two games with the Columbus Blue Jackets during the 2009-10 season. He also appeared in four games with the New York Rangers in ’10-11, notching one assist in four games.

A former seventh round (199th overall) draft pick of the Phoenix Coyotes in 2004, Kolarik missed the entire 2011-12 season following a knee injury in training camp.

Kolarik has spent four-plus seasons playing in the AHL for the San Antonio Rampage, Syracuse Crunch, Springfield Falcons and the Hartford/Connecticut Whale. He has tallied 176 points (83G-93A) and 194 penalty minutes in 242 career AHL regular-season games. Kolarik has added 11 points (7G-4A) in 10 AHL postseason contests.

Prior to turning pro, Kolarik played four seasons of collegiate hockey at the University of Michigan between 2004-08. His best season came as a senior in ’07-08 when he notched 30 goals, 26 assists and 56 points in 39 games. Kolarik also spent two seasons with the United States National Team Development Program from 2002-04.

Ferriero, 25, posted 18 points (4+14) in 34 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this season after signing with the Penguins as a free agent over the summer. 

Sneep, 25, spent parts of three seasons with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, recording 27 points (4+23), 65 penalty minutes and a plus-22 rating in 102 games with the Penguins.  He was originally selected by Pittsburgh in the second round of the 2006 NHL Draft.