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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

WHEELING NAILERS TRYOUT CAMP JULY 21-22

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The Toyota SportsPlex is excited to once again announce an open tryout for the Wheeling Nailers, ECHL affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins. The tryout is scheduled for Saturday, July 21 and Sunday, July 22, 2018, and a minimum of three participants will be invited to attend Wheeling’s 2018-19 training camp.

“Last year, Wheeling ended up offering four players training camp invites from this tryout,” said Jarrod Skalde, Pittsburgh Penguins player development coach. “It’s a great opportunity, and we’re already looking forward to another strong showing from some of these skaters.” Skalde, along with former Nailers assistant coach Jay Spess, will oversee this year’s tryout.

Registration information is available at www.toyotasportsplex.com. The tryout is limited to 75 participants. All interested parties must provide proof of medical insurance and be paid in full prior to participating. The cost to attend the camp is $350.00.

“This was a great event last year, and I’m glad we’re able to host it again,” added Jason Jarecki,  General Manager of the Toyota SportsPlex. “As I’ve said before, this might be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for these players.”

A full tryout camp itinerary will be provided upon completion of registration. For additional information, please contact Jay Spess via e-mail at jspess@toyotasportsplex.com

PENGUINS ANNOUNCE FRONT OFFICE CHANGES

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WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have named Nick Hart play-by-play broadcaster/media relations director and Jason Spess manager of team services, it was announced today by CEO Jeff Barrett.

In addition to Hart and Spess’ new duties, broadcaster Mike O’Brien is leaving the organization to pursue other opportunities in Boston, Massachusetts.

Hart joined Wilkes-Barre/Scranton prior to the 2015-16 season, serving as Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s media relations manager while providing color commentary for the team’s broadcasts. Hart, 25, is a 2015 graduate of Ohio University with a degree in journalism.

Spess has served as assistant general manager of the Toyota SportsPlex for the past two years and served as an assistant coach with the Penguins’ ECHL affiliate the Wheeling Nailers, last season.

O’Brien joined the Penguins prior to the 2011 season, serving initially as the team’s media relations manager and color commentator, before taking over play-by-play duties prior to the 2013-14 season.  He later added team services to his job description, handling all travel arrangements and player movement for the club.

“Mike did a tremendous job during his seven year tenure in Wilkes-Barre, not only behind the microphone, but behind the scenes handling the team services functions for the club,” said CEO Jeff Barrett.  “We are also happy to hand these new duties to Nick and Jason, who have worked tirelessly for the team over the past several years.”

The Penguins will begin their 20th season in the American Hockey League this October. 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.

PITTSBURGH SIGNS DEFENSEMAN JUSSO RIIKOLA

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed defenseman Juuso Riikola to a one-year, entry-level contract, it was announced today by executive vice president and general manager Jim Rutherford.

Riikola, 24, spent the past few weeks representing his native Finland at the 2018 World Championship, where he had two assists and was plus-4 in eight contests.

The 6-foot, 190-pound Riikola, a left-handed shot, has played the last six seasons with KalPa in Finland’s top professional league. He made his debut as a 19 year old back in 2012-13. He has served as an alternate captain for his club each of the last three years.

A native of Joensuu, Finland, Riikola steadily improved his offensive numbers over his six professional seasons. This past season, he scored a career-high eight times and added 16 assists for 24 points in 59 games. One year ago, in 2016-17, Riikola set personal highs in both assists (19) and points (25) in 59 games. That same year, Riikola added seven points (1G-6A) and a plus-7 in 18 postseason contests, helping KalPa advance to Finland’s championship series.

Riikola, who went undrafted in the NHL Draft, had 26 goals, 63 assists and 89 points in 283 regular-season games with KalPa. He tacked on 10 points (2G-8A) in 31 playoff games.

Riikola was teammates with Olli Maatta on the Finn’s 2013 World Junior Championship squad. Riikola’s older brother, Simo-Pekka Riikola, is an eight-year veteran of Finland’s top professional league.

The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins will begin their 20th season of play this coming October.  For more info on season ticket packages, including full season, 22-game, 12-game and flex plans, call the Penguins at 570-208-7367 or fill in your info below.

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

PENGUINS REVEAL OPPONENT SLATE FOR 2018-19 SEASON

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WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins announced their opponents for the upcoming 2018-19 season, the club’s 20th season of hockey. Among the 16 teams that the Penguins will face next year is a new foe, the Cleveland Monsters.

Cleveland was moved to the Eastern Conference’s North Division as a result of AHL realignment announced earlier in the week on Monday, May 7. The Penguins will take on the Monsters four times this season; twice at home and twice on the road. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton will also return to home-and-home sets with three Western Conference opponents that they saw in 2017-18, the Grand Rapids Griffins, Milwaukee Admirals and Rockford IceHogs.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s full slate of opponents is as follows:

Opponent Home Road   Opponent Home Road
Binghamton 2 2   Milwaukee 1 1
Bridgeport 4 4   Providence 3 3
Charlotte 2 2   Rochester 1 1
Cleveland 2 2   Rockford 1 1
Grand Rapids 1 1   Springfield 3 3
Hartford 3 3   Syracuse 1 1
Hershey 6 6   Toronto 1 1
Lehigh Valley 6 6   Utica 1 1

 

The Penguins have not faced off against the Monsters since the 2008-09 season, when they were then known as the Lake Erie Monsters. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton is 3-1-0-0 against the Monsters all-time.

Guaranteed home dates and the full 2018-19 schedule will be announced at a later date.

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.