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PENGUINS SIGN BURTON, CRAMAROSSA, JOSEPHS AND SPINOZZI

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WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins announced today that they have signed forwards Joseph Cramarossa, Jarrett Burton and Troy Josephs as well as defenseman Kevin Spinozzi to American Hockey League contracts for the 2018-19 season.

Cramarossa returns to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton after spending the latter half of the 2017-18 campaign with the Penguins. Acquired in a Valentine’s Day trade with the Stockton Heat, Cramarossa went on to produce six goals and six assists for 12 points in 28 games as a Penguin. Combined with his stats from the first half of season with Stockton, the Markham, Ontario native earned a career-high 22 points (9G-13A).

Cramarossa, 25, has played 229 career games in the American Hockey League, and he has 26 goals, 27 assists, 53 points and 269 penalty minutes in that time. Cramarossa was originally drafted by the Anaheim Ducks in the third round (65th overall) of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft after playing for the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors in the 2011 Memorial Cup tournament.

Burton also had a strong 2017-18 season with the Penguins, posting AHL career highs in goals (9), assists (10), points (19) and games played (52). The two-way forward has played the entirety of his AHL career with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, previously skating for the Penguins’ ECHL affiliate, the Wheeling Nailers. In 232 professional games played, Burton has 51 goals and 61 assists for 112 career points.

Josephs spent the majority of last season with the Nailers, and during 43 games in a Nailers uniform, he posted 36 points (16G-20A). The rookie also notched his first career hat trick on Feb. 2, 2018 against the Indy Fuel. Josephs skated in four games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton last season, as well, but did not produce any points in that time.

Originally a seventh round pick (209th overall) by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, Josephs turned pro last season after a four-year career at Clarkson University. The 24-year-old from Whitby, Ontario also won the 2013 Ontario Junior Hockey League championship as a member of the St. Michael’s Buzzers.

Spinozzi, 22, was an undrafted free agent who made Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s team out of training camp on a professional tryout agreement. He ultimately signed an AHL contract with the club on Dec. 16, 2017 and posted two assists in 16 games. The rookie defenseman also appeared in 12 games for Wheeling, registering two goals and three assists for five points in that time.

Season ticket packages for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s 20th season of hockey, including full season, 22-game, 12-game and Flexbook plans, are available by contacting the Penguins directly at (570) 208-7367.

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

WILKES-BARRE/SCRANTON ANNOUNCES 20TH SEASON SCHEDULE

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WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins’ full 2018-19 schedule was released today by the American Hockey League, and the Penguins will play on weekend evenings or afternoons for 32 of their 38 home games during their 20th season.

Download PDF versions of the 2018-2019 schedule here | COLOR PDF | B&W PDF 

Sync your online calendar with the schedule here  Stanza Calendar

The Penguins will play a 76-game regular season schedule (38 home/38 road) featuring games against 13 teams in the Eastern Conference and an additional three opponents from the Western Conference. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton remains a member of the eight-team Atlantic Division, along with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, Charlotte Checkers, Hartford Wolf Pack, Hershey Bears, Lehigh Valley Phantoms, Providence Bruins and Springfield Thunderbirds. The Penguins will meet division foes 54 times (27 home/27 road) with their remaining 22 games coming against clubs in the North Division (eight home/eight road) and Central Division (three home/three road).

As it was revealed on Tuesday, the Penguins will open their 20th season on Saturday, Oct. 6, when they face off with the Thunderbirds at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza. They then quickly turn their attention to a road trip to Ohio for a two-game set with the Cleveland Monsters. The early-season road trip will be Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s first visit to Cleveland since the 2008-09 campaign. The Monsters come to Northeastern Pennsylvania to play on the Penguins’ home ice twice during the season, once on Dec. 7 and the next time on Feb. 1.

For the second year in a row, the Penguins will revisit home-and-home series with three Western Conference foes, the Grand Rapids Griffins, Milwaukee Admirals and Rockford IceHogs. The Penguins’ longest stretch of road contests this season is five games from Nov. 4 – 14. Their longest homestand lasts only three games, which will occur three separate times during the season in January and twice in March.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton will also participate in several games with unique start times this season. The Penguins will take the ice at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza with the Phantoms at 1:05 p.m. on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Monday, Jan. 21, 2019. While on the road, the Penguins will have three different contests with puck drops scheduled before noon. On Wednesday, Nov. 14, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton will play Springfield at 10:35 a.m. at MassMutual Center. The Penguins also have 10:30 a.m. start times for showdowns with the Sound Tigers on Wednesday, Jan. 23 and Tuesday, Apr. 2 at Webster Bank Arena.

The Penguins’ full 2018-19 schedule is listed below.

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.

 

WILKES-BARRE/SCRANTON PENGUINS 2018-19 REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE

(Home Games in BOLD, All Times EST)

Day Date Time  (EST) Visiting Team Home Team
Sat Oct. 6 7:05 p.m. Springfield vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
Thu Oct. 11 7:00 p.m. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton vs. Cleveland
Sat Oct. 13 7:00 p.m. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton vs. Cleveland
Wed Oct. 17 7:05 p.m. Hershey vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
Fri Oct. 19 7:05 p.m. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton vs. Lehigh Valley
Sat Oct. 20 7:05 p.m. Lehigh Valley vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
Fri Oct. 26 7:05 p.m. Hershey vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
Sat Oct. 27 7:00 p.m. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton vs. Hershey
Fri Nov. 2 7:05 p.m. Hartford vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
Sat Nov. 3 7:05 p.m. Hartford vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
Sun Nov. 4 3:00 p.m. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton vs. Bridgeport
Fri Nov. 9 7:05 p.m. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton vs. Providence
Sat Nov. 10 7:00 p.m. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton vs. Hartford
Sun Nov. 11 3:05 p.m. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton vs. Providence
Wed Nov. 14 10:35 a.m. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton vs. Springfield
Fri Nov. 16 7:05 p.m. Charlotte vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
Sat Nov. 17 7:05 p.m. Charlotte vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
Fri Nov. 23 7:05 p.m. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton vs. Springfield
Sat Nov. 24 7:05 p.m. Hershey vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
Sun Nov. 25 3:05 p.m. Providence vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
Wed Nov. 28 7:00 p.m. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton vs. Hershey
Fri Nov. 30 7:05 p.m. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton vs. Rochester
Sat Dec. 1 4:00 p.m. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton vs. Toronto
Fri Dec. 7 7:05 p.m. Cleveland vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
Sat Dec. 8 3:05 p.m. Bridgeport vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
Sun Dec. 9 5:00 p.m. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton vs. Hershey
Wed Dec. 12 7:05 p.m. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton vs. Springfield
Sat Dec. 15 7:05 p.m. Lehigh Valley vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
Sun Dec. 16 3:00 p.m. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton vs. Bridgeport
Wed Dec. 19 7:05 p.m. Bridgeport vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
Fri Dec. 21 7:00 p.m. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton vs. Hershey
Sat Dec. 22 7:00 p.m. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton vs. Syracuse
Wed Dec. 26 7:05 p.m. Lehigh Valley vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
Fri Dec. 28 7:05 p.m. Hershey vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
Sat Dec. 29 7:05 p.m. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton vs. Lehigh Valley
Mon Dec. 31 6:05 p.m. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton vs. Binghamton
Fri Jan. 4 7:05 p.m. Grand Rapids vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
Sat Jan. 5 7:05 p.m. Milwaukee vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
Fri Jan. 11 7:00 p.m. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton vs. Charlotte
Sat Jan. 12 6:00 p.m. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton vs. Charlotte
Fri Jan. 18 7:05 p.m. Rochester vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
Sat Jan. 19 7:05 p.m. Hershey vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
Mon Jan. 21 1:05 p.m. Lehigh Valley vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
Wed Jan. 23 10:30 a.m. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton vs. Bridgeport
Sat Jan. 26 7:05 p.m. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton vs. Binghamton
Fri Feb. 1 7:05 p.m. Cleveland vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
Sat Feb. 2 7:05 p.m. Bridgeport vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
Wed Feb. 6 8:00 p.m. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton vs. Rockford
Fri Feb. 8 8:00 p.m. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton vs. Milwaukee
Sat Feb. 9 8:00 p.m. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton vs. Grand Rapids
Wed Feb. 13 7:00 p.m. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton vs. Hershey
Sat Feb. 16 7:05 p.m. Utica vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
Sun Feb. 17 3:00 p.m. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton vs. Hartford
Fri Feb. 22 7:05 p.m. Hershey vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
Sun Feb. 24 3:05 p.m. Rockford vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
Fri Mar. 1 7:05 p.m. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton vs. Providence
Sat Mar. 2 7:30 p.m. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton vs. Hartford
Wed Mar. 6 7:05 p.m. Lehigh Valley vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
Fri Mar. 8 7:05 p.m. Hartford vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
Sat Mar. 9 7:05 p.m. Syracuse vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
Wed Mar. 13 7:05 p.m. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton vs. Lehigh Valley
Sat Mar. 16 7:05 p.m. Providence vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
Sun Mar. 17 3:05 p.m. Toronto vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
Tue Mar. 19 7:00 p.m. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton vs. Hershey
Fri Mar. 22 7:05 p.m. Lehigh Valley vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
Sat Mar. 23 7:05 p.m. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton vs. Lehigh Valley
Sun Mar. 24 3:05 p.m. Springfield vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
Wed Mar. 27 7:05 p.m. Providence vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
Sat Mar. 30 7:05 p.m. Springfield vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
Tue Apr. 2 10:30 a.m. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton vs. Bridgeport
Fri Apr. 5 7:05 p.m. Binghamton vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
Sat Apr. 6 7:05 p.m. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton vs. Lehigh Valley
Sun Apr. 7 3:05 p.m. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton vs. Lehigh Valley
Fri Apr. 12 7:00 p.m. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton vs. Utica
Sat Apr. 13 7:05 p.m. Bridgeport vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
Sun Apr. 14 3:05 p.m. Binghamton vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton

 

GAMES BY DAY OF THE WEEK   GAMES BY MONTH
Home Road Total   Home Road Total
Monday 1 1 2 October 4 4 8
Tuesday 0 2 2 November 6 8 14
Wednesday 5 7 12 December 6 8 14
Thursday 0 1 1 January 5 4 9
Friday 12 9 21 February 5 5 10
Saturday 15 12 27 March 9 5 14
Sunday 5 6 11 April 3 4 7

 

GAMES vs. OPPONENTS (Home/Road)  
Atlantic Division North Division Central Division
Bridgeport (4/4) Binghamton (2/2) Grand Rapids (1/1)
Charlotte (2/2) Cleveland (2/2) Milwaukee (1/1)
Hartford (3/3) Rochester (1/1) Rockford (1/1)
Hershey (6/6) Syracuse (1/1)
Lehigh Valley (6/6) Toronto (1/1)
Providence (3/3) Utica (1/1)
Springfield (3/3)

 

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

PENGUINS BEGIN 20TH SEASON AT HOME ON OCT. 6

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WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins announced today that they will open their 20th season of hockey on home ice against the Springfield Thunderbirds on Saturday, Oct. 6, 2018 at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza.

The Penguins had the Thunderbirds’ number in the 2017-18 season, going a perfect 4-0-0-0 against their fellow Atlantic Division foe. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton also managed to double-up Springfield in goals during that four-game season series, outscoring the T-Birds by a 16-8 margin.

The rest of the Penguins’ 2018-19 is expected to be released later this week.

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.

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

PENGUINS SIGN O’NEILL, HAGGERTY, McGRATH AND BROWN

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WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have signed defenseman Will O’Neill, as well as forwards Ryan Haggerty, Patrick McGrath and Cam Brown to American Hockey League contracts for the 2018-19 season.

O’Neill returns to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton after two years spent as part of the Philadelphia Flyers organization. In his one season with the Penguins, 2015-16, O’Neill led the team with 42 assists, and he topped all Penguins defensemen with 50 points. The Salem, Massachusetts native’s efforts earned him a spot at the 2016 AHL All-Star Classic.

A seventh-year pro, O’Neill has racked up 207 points (40G-167A) in 396 AHL games. The 30-year-old blueliner also appeared in his first NHL game last season on Nov. 2, 2017 at St. Louis.

Haggerty is coming off of a career season with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, recording personal bests in goals (16), assists (21) and points (37) over 47 contests in a Penguins uniform. He also notched the first hat trick of his career last season when he found the back of the net three times at Belleville on Jan. 12, 2018. The forward from Stamford, Connecticut has registered 51 goals and 56 assists for 106 points in 217 AHL games across four seasons between the Penguins, Hartford Wolf Pack and Rockford IceHogs.

McGrath notched two goals last season for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, an AHL career-high, in addition to 95 penalty minutes in 19 games. A native of Shavertown, Pa., McGrath became the first local hockey player to join the Penguins when he signed a professional tryout agreement with the team on December 26, 2014. He made his AHL debut the next night against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. He has since played in 70 total games with his hometown team, earning seven points (3G-4A) and 262 penalty minutes.

Brown appeared in one game for the Penguins last season, the regular season finale at Hershey on Apr. 15, 2018. He also appeared in 13 additional AHL contests on a professional tryout agreement with the Springfield Thunderbirds, earning a goal and an assist for two points. He scored his first AHL goal in his second AHL game on Feb. 17 vs. Providence. Where the then-first-year pro really shined was with the Penguins’ ECHL affiliate, the Wheeling Nailers. Brown notched 17 goals and 36 assists for 53 points in 55 games with Wheeling, placing his second on the team in assists and fourth in points.

Season ticket packages for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s 20th season of hockey, including full season, 22-game, 12-game and Flexbook plans, are available by contacting the Penguins directly at (570) 208-7367.

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

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

PENGUINS ANNOUNCE GUARANTEED HOME DATES

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WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins’ 20th season home opener will take place on Saturday, Oct. 6.  That contest is among the first six guaranteed home dates the team announced on Tuesday.

The Penguins’ guaranteed home dates for the 2018-19 season, all on Saturday nights, are as follows:

 

Saturday, October 6

Saturday, December 8

Saturday, December 15

Saturday, January 19

Saturday, February 16

Saturday, March 16

 

The full 2018-18 American Hockey League schedule will be released later this summer.

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.

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

TOM KOSTOPOULOS AND ANDY CHIODO HIRED BY PITTSBURGH

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WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – The Pittsburgh Penguins announced today that former Wilkes-Barre/Scranton players Tom Kostopoulos and Andy Chiodo have been hired to player development roles within the organization. Kostopoulos was named player development coach, and Chiodo was named goaltending development coach.

Both Kostopoulos and Chiodo will work closely with Penguins’ director of player development Scott Young and player development coach Jarrod Skalde.

Kostopoulos, 39, and Chiodo, 35, rank among the most popular players in the history of the Wilkes-Barre/ Scranton Penguins, and both made their NHL debuts with Pittsburgh in the early 2000’s.

A native of Mississauga, Ontario, Kostopoulos recently wrapped up a 19-year professional career that included a combined 1,468 NHL and AHL regular season and playoff games. He is Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s all-time leader in games played (658), goals (187), assists (282) and points (469), and he is one of only four players in hockey history to have logged 600 games at both the NHL and AHL levels. Kostopoulos served as Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s captain for the final five seasons of his career.

Although he was playing in Northeastern Pennsylvania, Kostopoulos played an instrumental role in Pittsburgh’s back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2016 and 2017. As Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s captain, Kostopoulos helped assimilate several of the young players who played starring roles for Pittsburgh to the professional ranks, a group that included Matt Murray, Jake Guentzel, Bryan Rust, Brian Dumoulin, Conor Sheary and Tom Kühnhackl.

Kostopoulos, the Penguins’ seventh-round selection (204th overall) in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft, broke into the NHL with Pittsburgh during the 2001-02 campaign. He skated for Pittsburgh through the 2003-04 season, before playing with Los Angeles, Montréal, Carolina, Calgary and New Jersey. He totaled 157 points (61G-96A) in 630 NHL regular season games and five points (3G-2A) in 16 postseason contests.

Chiodo hails from Toronto, Ontario and the goaltender enjoyed tremendous success with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton at the outset of his professional career in 2003-04, helping the Penguins reach the 2004 Calder Cup Final. Chiodo led Wilkes-Barre/Scranton with 18 wins in the regular season that year, then tacked on three shutouts during the team’s playoff run.

Chiodo, who was selected by the Penguins in the seventh round (199th overall) in the 2003 NHL Draft, saw his only NHL action with Pittsburgh that season. He sparked a late season revival after joining the club in February. His first NHL win came on February 25, 2004, a 4-3 overtime defeat of the Phoenix Coyotes. Not only was that Chiodo’s first win, but that victory ended the Penguins’ franchise-record-tying 18-game winless stretch. Chiodo posted a 3-4-1 record in eight games with Pittsburgh, as the Penguins went on a 12-5-3 run to close the season after winning just 11 of their first 62 games.

Following his three-year run in the Pittsburgh organization, which included time with the Wheeling Nailers as well, Chiodo continued to play professionally in North America and Europe through the 2016-17 campaign. His 14 seasons included stops in Russia, Finland and Austria. In 2007-08, his Finnish team, Kärpät, won the SM-liiga championship.

Chiodo spent the 2017-18 season as the goaltending coach for the Ottawa 67’s of the Ontario Hockey League.

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.

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