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NEW LEARN TO SKATE AND PLAY PROGRAMS AT THE TOYOTA SPORTSPLEX

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LEARN TO SKATE AT THE TOYOTA SPORTSPLEX

The next Youth Learn to Skate session at the Toyota SportsPlex (40 Coal Street in Wilkes-Barre) will begin Friday, SEPTEMBER 7 and runs through Friday, OCTOBER 26. Registration is just $80 for the eight-week course. You can also pre-rent your child’s skates for an additional $20 for the entire session! Walk-ins are available on a first-come, first serve basis for $13 per session (skate rental not included in walk-up fee).

The Youth Learn To Skate program is designed to teach beginning skaters of all ages.  After completing Learn To Skate, kids can go on to private figure skating lessons, our Little Pens Learn To Play Hockey program, or just attend public skating sessions and skate for FUN!

You can register by contacting Coach Matt Daube at 570-208-9474 or via e-mail at mdaube@toyotasportsplex.com or by Clicking Here!

*All children under the age of 7 MUST wear an approved hockey helmet or bicycle helmet.

LEARN TO PLAY HOCKEY AT THE TOYOTA SPORTSPLEX

The next Youth Learn to Play session at the Toyota SportsPlex (40 Coal Street in Wilkes-Barre) will begin Saturday, SEPTEMBER 8 and runs through Friday, OCTOBER 27. Registration is just $100 for the eight-week course. Skate rentals are available for $3 per weel. Walk-ins are available on a first-come, first serve basis for $15 per session (skate rental not included in walk-up fee).

The Youth Learn to Play Hockey program is designed to introduce fundamental hockey skills to beginner hockey players. All beginner hockey skill sets (skating, puck handling, passing, shooting, and game play) will be focused on to develop and improve players to better ready them for in-house or travel hockey. Learn to Skate is strongly recommended prior to participating in Learn to Play but not required.

You can register by contacting Coach Matt Daube at 570-208-9474 or via e-mail at mdaube@toyotasportsplex.com or by Clicking Here!

*PLEASE NOTE: FULL HOCKEY EQUIPMENT IS REQUIRED! (Equipment includes: Helmet with full cage/shield, shoulder pads, elbow pads, gloves, stick, hockey pants, shin guards, stick and skates)

2018-19 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Season Ticket Information

WHO BELONGS ON THE WBS MOUNT PUCKMORE?

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There’s a really fun piece over on ESPN.com from Greg Wyshynski taking a look at the Mount Puckmore (the players who define a team’s history) for all of the teams in the NHL’s Metro Division (take a look at it here).  And that got us thinking….who would be on a WBS Mount Puckmore?

So we’re reaching out for your thoughts, Penguins fans.  Which four players have made the biggest contributions, left a lasting impact, and become synonymous with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins hockey (we think we know one player that will be on almost every list)?

Here’s how you can take part.  Simply fill in the info below, and submit your selections between now and Friday, August 24.  We’ll tally all of the submissions at that point, and post the definitive list on Monday, August 27.

And to make it fun, one random submission will be selected to win a Penguins Prize Pack.

So let’s see who’s on your list!

Mount Puckmore

COAL STREET HOCKEY SCHOOL AND OFFICIALS CERTIFICATION

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Coal Street Hockey School

The Coal Street Hockey School is returning for its 7th Year: August 20th through the 24th – 8:00am to 4:30pm. For ages 7 through 17, $299 per player/goalie. Cash or checks should be made payable to Toyota SportsPlex. Online registration is also available at toyotasportsplex.com.

This intensive, week-long camp will help get your skater ready for the upcoming season. Instruction will be provided by members of the Toyota SportsPlex coaching staff AND coaches from the new Wilkes University NCAA DIV. III hockey program! For additional information, please contact us at programs@toyotasportsplex.com or mdaube@toyotasportsplex.com, or via phone at 570-208-9474. Thanks!

Ice Hockey Official Certification

Do you love hockey? Have you ever aspired to become an Ice Hockey Official? The NEPA Ice Hockey Officials Association wants to help you “earn while you learn!”

Join us Saturday August 18th from 8AM-4PM at the Toyota SportsPlex to become a certified Ice Hockey Official.

To register go to www.aaharefs.org and follow the registration links or contact Henry Augenstein at henryaugenstein1@gmail.com with any questions.

*PLEASE NOTE – You MUST be 13 years of age or older

2018-19 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Season Ticket Information

BID ON PENGUINS JERSEYS, EXPERIENCES AND MORE WITH DASH

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Scoring your favorite player’s game-worn jerseys, signed items and other in-game experiences just got easier and more exciting for fans of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, as the team has signed on with DASH Auction to host it’s auctions for the 2018-19 season.

To kick off the partnership, the Penguins will be auctioning off a game-worn Zach Aston-Reese sweater via DASH starting this Monday, August 6, with the auction running through noon on Monday, August 13.  You can preview the auction now on DASH.

Fans around the globe will be able to place bids on player sweaters, game pucks, autographed merchandise and more via the DASH app.  Available for both iOS and Android devices, the DASH app is “the only digital auction platform built specifically for professional sports teams and their fans.”

In order to place bids, fans must first register via DASH – either through the app on a mobile device, or via the Penguins DASH page ( https://web.dashapp.io/auctions/wbspenguins ).  They can then see all upcoming or current auctions for their favorite team, and watch the action in real time as the bids go up.

The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins begin their 20th season in the American Hockey League on October 6, when they host the Springfield Thunderbirds at 7:05pm.  Season ticket packages, including full season, 22-game, 12-game and flex plans, are available now by calling the Penguins at 570-208-7367.

Fans can also request information on ticket packages by filling in and submitting the form below.  

2018-19 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Season Ticket Information

TELL US YOUR 20 SEASONS STORIES

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The 20th season of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins hockey is right around the corner, and we’re looking forward to a season full of
stories celebrating the team’s history.
And while we’ll be reaching out to players, coaches and other Pens from the past to hear their memories, who we really want to hear from is YOU.
This is your chance to let us know what the Penguins mean to you.
Do you remember your first Penguins game?  Were you a member of the crowd for Game Seven in Bridgeport?  Have another favorite moment on the ice?  Have a chance meeting with a player out in the community?  Spend a memorable night with family or friends watching a game?
Tell us about it.
Give us as much info as you can.  Fill in the form below with your contact info and stories to share them with us.  We’ll be collecting your memories all year, and publishing them online and in our game program.
Thanks for your support of the Penguins in the past, as well as in the present.  Let’s Go Pens!

Your 20 Seasons Story

PITTSBURGH RE-SIGNS TROTMAN, ADDS THREE MORE ON TWO-WAY DEALS

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Zach Trotman had 17 points (3+14) in 49 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton last season.

The Penguins have signed four players to one-year, two-way contracts, it was announced today by executive vice president and general manager Jim Rutherford.

 
Pittsburgh signed forward Jimmy Hayes, defensemen Zach Trotman and Stefan Elliott, and goaltender John Muse. Trotman spent last year with the Pittsburgh organization, playing most of the season with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, and three NHL games with the Penguins.
 
All four deals contain an average annual value of $650,000 at the NHL level.
 
Hayes and Muse won the 2010 NCAA national championship at Boston College, where they were teammates that season with Penguins’ blueliner Brian Dumoulin.
 
Hayes, 28, spent last season with the New Jersey Devils, tallying nine points (3G-6A) in 33 games. The 6-foot-5, 215-pound Hayes has 334 games of NHL experience with the Chicago Blackhawks, Florida Panthers, Boston Bruins and Devils, producing 54 goals, 55 assists and 109 points. His best season came in 2014-15 with the Panthers, when he established personal highs with 19 goals and 35 points.
 
Hayes was originally chosen by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the second round (60th overall) in the 2008 NHL Draft.
 
Trotman, 27, spent the majority of the ’17-18 campaign with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. He saw action in 49 games, leading the team with a plus-24 while totaling 17 points (7G-10A). A 6-foot-3, 217-pound blueliner, Trotman has 70 games of NHL action with the Penguins and Boston Bruins on his resume (3G-9A-12PTS).
 
Elliott, 27, has played the past two seasons in Europe, skating for HV71 of the Swedish Hockey League in ’17-18 and Ak Bars Kazan from Russia’s KHL the year prior. He won a gold medal with Team Canada at the 2018 Olympic Games.
 
Elliott, who stands 6-foot-1, 190 pounds, has 84 games of NHL experience with the Colorado Avalanche, Arizona Coyotes and Nashville Predators, netting eight goals, 16 assists and 24 points. He was an AHL All-Star with the Lake Erie Monsters in 2014-15 when he led all league blueliners with 19 goals. Colorado chose Elliott in the second round (49th overall) in 2009.
 
Muse, 27, split last season between the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms and the Reading Royals of the ECHL. He posted a .919 save percentage in 15 games with the Phantoms, and a .931 mark in 26 games with Reading. Muse won a pair of national championships with Boston College in 2008 and ’10, then led the Florida Everblades of the ECHL to the 2012 Kelley Cup championship. He was the ECHL’s playoff MVP in ’12.
 
Muse was originally signed by Rutherford and the Carolina Hurricanes organization as an undrafted free agent in 2011.
Season ticket packages for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s 20th season, including full season, 22-game, 12-game and Flexbook plans, are available by contacting the Penguins directly at (570) 208-7367.  For more info on season ticket packages, fill in the form below, and a Penguins representative will contact you directly.

2018-19 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Season Ticket Information

PITTSBURGH RE-SIGNS J.S. DEA

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have re-signed forward Jean-Sebastien Dea to a one-year, two-way contract, it was announced today by executive vice president and general manager Jim Rutherford.

The two-way deal carries an average annual value of $650,000 at the NHL level.

Dea, 24, saw five NHL games in the 2017-18 regular season with the Penguins, scoring his first career NHL goal on Jan. 23 at PPG Paints Arena against Carolina. His tally went on to be the game-winner. Dea’s NHL debut came the in the Pens’ final regular-season game of the 2016-17 season, on Apr. 9, 2017 at Madison Square Garden against the Rangers, where he logged a career-high 11:18 minutes.

The 5-foot-11, 175-pound native of Laval, Quebec set career highs in assists (32) and points (50) in 70 contests in his fourth season with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton last year, finishing second on the team behind only Daniel Sprong, who led the team in both categories. Dea’s 18 goals tied for the second-highest total of his career. Dea had one assist in three postseason games with the WBS Penguins last year.

Dea has totaled 141 points (66G-75A) in 262 regular-season contests over his four seasons with the WBS Penguins. He has four points (2G-2A) in 22 postseason games with the team.

Dea had 192 points (111G-81A) over three seasons with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League before going undrafted. The Penguins originally signed Dea as a free agent on Sept. 17, 2013.

2018-19 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Season Ticket Information

HOME AND ROAD JERSEY VOTE ON FACEBOOK

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Fans, you helped us figure out the top Military Jersey in Penguins history recently (congrats to the 2011 sweater pictured to the right).  Now we’re looking for your help in selecting the best home or road sweater we’ve worn throughout the years.

There have been 10 different jerseys that have been considered ‘primary’ uniforms for the team over the years.  This is your chance to let us know which one is your favorite.

Preliminary round voting featuring four sweaters (1999 black vs 2007 white; 2007 black vs 2013 white) will get underway on Thursday, June 28 at 10am, and run for 24 hours.  Then, on Friday, June 29 at 10:00am, quarterfinals voting featuring the preliminary round winners, as well as the remaining six jerseys, will get underway.

We’ll take the weekend off, and return to action on Monday, July 2 with final four voting, and the overall winner will be decided in a head-to-head matchup culminating on July 3.

To participate, just head on over to our Facebook page, beginning at 10am on Thursday, Friday, Monday and Tuesday. Cast your vote in each of the daily polls (remember – there will be multiple polls on three of those days, so vote in them all) and check back to see who advances the next morning.

The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins 20th season home opener is set for Saturday, October 6 at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza.  The team’s full schedule will be announced in the near future.

Season tickets, including full season, 22-game, 12-game and flex packages, are on sale now, and available by calling the Penguins at 570-208-7367.  For more information, fill in and submit the form at the bottom of this page.

2018-19 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Season Ticket Information

PAT McGRATH MINI-CAMP AT THE TOYOTA SPORTSPLEX THIS WEEK

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Join current Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins forward Pat McGrath for a two-day minicamp at the Toyota SportsPlex on Thursday, June 28 and Friday, June 29. Hone your skills with the first local-born player in Penguins history!  For more information and registration CLICK HERE!

The Toyota SportsPlex has many other great programs and classes forming this summer, including:

Youth Learn to Skate – For all ages. Session begins Friday, July 13th and runs through Friday, August 31st. Classes are Friday evenings from 6:20pm to 7:20pm (There will be no class August 3rd). For more information and registration CLICK HERE!

Youth Learn to Play – For ages 16 and younger. Session begins Saturday, July 14th and runs through Saturday, September 1st . Classes are Saturday mornings from 8:00am to 9:00am.(There will be no class August 4th).  For more information and registration CLICK HERE!

Adult Skills-n-Drills – For ages 16 and up. Session begins Monday, July 9th and runs through Monday, August 27th. Classes will be held from 8:00 to 9:00pm unless otherwise noted. For more information and registration CLICK HERE!

2018-19 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Season Ticket Information

PITTSBURGH NEWS: PENS RE-SIGN LINDBERG, ANNOUNCE PROSPECT CAMP

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have re-signed forward Tobias Lindberg to a one-year, two-way contract, it was announced today by executive vice president and general manager Jim Rutherford.

The two-way deal carries an average annual value of $650,000 at the NHL level.

Lindberg, 22, was acquired by the Penguins back on Feb. 23 in the blockbuster three-team deal with Ottawa and Vegas where the Penguins also acquired Derick Brassard. Following the trade, Lindberg remained with the American Hockey League’s Chicago Wolves, Vegas’ minor-league affiliate, for the duration of the season.

The 6-foot-3, 215-pound native of Stockholm, Sweden produced 10 goals, 13 assists, 23 points and a plus-8 in 64 contests with the Wolves. He tacked on one assist in two playoff games. Lindberg has spent the majority of the last three seasons in the AHL with Chicago, Binghamton and Toronto, producing 73 points (27G-46A) and a plus-26 in 164 games.

Originally selected by the Ottawa Senators in the fourth round (102nd overall) in 2013, Lindberg has six games of NHL action on his resume, all with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2015-16. On March 31, 2016, Lindberg picked up the first of his two NHL assists when he set up a Brooks Laich goal against the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Arena, Lindberg’s NHL debut.

Lindberg starred for the Ontario Hockey League’s Oshawa Generals during his first season in North America in 2014-15. That year, he helped Oshawa win the OHL playoff championship, followed by a Memorial Cup title. Lindberg had five points (3G-2A) in four Memorial Cup appearances, including setting up the title-clinching goal scored by current Tampa Bay Lightning forward Anthony Cirelli.

In regular-season action that year, Lindberg finished second on the team in goals (32) and third in points (78) in 67 contests. Then during the playoffs, he finished third on the club again with 19 points (7G-12A) in 21 appearances.

Lindberg was acquired by the Toronto organization from Ottawa in the 2016 megadeal that saw defenseman Dion Phaneuf swapped from Toronto to Ottawa. Vegas had acquired Lindberg in October of 2017 as part of a package that sent goaltender Calvin Pickard to the Maple Leafs.

The Pittsburgh Penguins will host their annual prospect development camp next week, June 27-29, at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry.

Camp will begin with a pair of practices on Wednesday, June 27. Team A hits the ice from 2:15-3:00 PM; Team B follows from 3:15-4:00 PM.

On Friday night, beginning at 7:00 PM, all players will once again be broken into four teams to compete in a 3-on-3 tournament. Earlier that morning, the teams will hold traditional game-day morning skates. Team B skates at 10:30 AM, followed by Team A at 11:30 AM.

Thursday’s practice sessions will be held at 9:45 AM (Team A) and 10:45 AM (Team B and the goalies).

All practices are open to the public free of charge.

The Penguins will release their development camp roster early next week.

As in past years, development camp will feature a variety of off-ice presentations and activities focused on helping players transition to becoming a professional athlete.

Below is the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 2018 Development Camp Practice Schedule at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex:

Wednesday, June 27
2:15-3:00 PM – Team A Practice
3:15-4:00 PM – Team B Practice

Thursday, June 28
9:45 AM – Skills Session (Team A)
10:45 AM – Skills Session (Team B)
10:45 AM – Goalies Session (Rink 2)

Friday, June 29
10:30 AM – Team B Morning Skate
11:30 AM – Team A Morning Skate
7:00 PM – 3-on-3 Tournament