KEMP FIT SEAMLESSLY IN CAPTAINCY ROLE

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins were shorthanded. Not only was Chase Pietila sent to the box for a tripping penalty, but the Penguins were down to four defensemen on the bench.

Sebastian Aho had already left Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final with an injury. Team captain Phil Kemp had been playing through formidable pain, and an aggravation of his ailment had him used sparingly during the second and third periods. But with the Penguins trailing in the series and entrenched in another nip-and-tuck battle with the Toronto Marlies, Kemp knew that his team needed him.

“I CAN KILL,” Kemp barked with an intense stare, as Owen Pickering remembers.

Sure enough, Kemp was out there on the ensuing penalty kill, blocking shots, boxing out the net-front, fighting through pain and discomfort to help his team.

“He can’t even move, and we’re like, ‘This guy’s nuts!’ But I’m also thinking, ‘Well, I better go then, too,’” Pickering said, who was contending with a broken foot during the playoffs, himself. “He drags guys into the fight.”

It was the last shift that Kemp took this past season. The injury kept him out of Games 5 and 6, but the impression left by that penalty kill (and all of his previous shifts during the season) lasted well beyond the two-minute minor.

“He’s just like what a captain should be to me,” Pickering said.

That Game 4 P.K. was far from the first time that Kemp’s teammates saw his intensity. It was evident from his first days as a Penguin. Kemp signed a two-year deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins as an unrestricted free agent last summer. The then-26-year-old blueliner wasn’t bashful about being himself during the initial skates of training camp. Needless to say, his signature blend of passion and authenticity won over new teammates immediately.

“The first time I met him, I’ll never forget it,” reflected Avery Hayes. “At first, I thought he was kidding with how excited he was and how genuine he was. He’s the man, and meeting him for that first time, you could just feel that he was going to be a leader on the team.”

The coaching staff felt the same. Kemp was officially awarded Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s captaincy in early November, ending a 17-month captainless era for the Penguins that stands as the longest such stretch in franchise history. When the announcement was made in the locker room, head coach Kirk MacDonald marveled at the “standing ovation” Kemp received from his teammates. And this was a player who had only been with the organization for several weeks at this point, a testament to how swiftly his personality and leadership style endeared himself to the group.

Kemp also garnered a reputation for his vociferous delivery of motivational slogans, many of which are fit for a bumper sticker or t-shirts. “COMPLACENCY IS DEATH.” “PAPER CUTS.” “DEFEND THE MOHEGAN.”

Sometimes his one-liners were played for laughs. Other times, they were dead serious. But Kemp always found the right witticism for the proper situation.

Throughout the season, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s roster was constantly in flux. Without re-hashing the exact details and context behind those many changes, the result was the Penguins utilizing a league-high 49 skaters and 54 players during the regular season. Team success rarely wavered throughout the turnover, and the coaching staff received their well-deserved kudos for expertly navigating those choppy tides. But Kemp deserves some credit in that department, too. The first-year captain was a crucial part of maintaining culture continuity throughout the year, keeping the room a welcome space for all comers.

“If you’re new, you’re wearing the jersey, you’re one of us,” Kemp said. “It doesn’t matter if you played one game or you played 400. When you’re on our team, you’re one of us. And we like it that way.”

The team would often unite for movie nights at the theatre. Players would find new restaurants spanning from Wilkes-Barre to Scranton. Kemp was leading the charge for many such plans. That said, reservations came with no pressure. He knew to let young guys have their space, but also let them know that there was an open door if they needed guidance or just wanted a cool hang with an Ivy League-educated history buff.

Though he wasn’t yet a “veteran” per AHL roster eligibility rules, Kemp was still a daily mentor to the team’s younger defensemen. He was paired with Pickering for a majority of the club’s regular-season games. He also spent a lot of time with rookie rearguard Pietila, who credits Kemp for being a shining example of what it takes to be a pro.

“Being able to just keep things simple and just playing hard no matter what the circumstances are,” Pietila said. “Whether you’re winning, you’re losing, you’re going to stay even keel and be strong. He’s taught me much more than that, but just kind of to remain even keel, and enjoy the process.

Kemp will often cite the virtues of remaining steady – being a “rudder in a storm” as he called it once – but even he knows his scythe-like phrases don’t cut it compared to setting the standard with his behavior.

“I believe in visible leadership,” Kemp said. “So I try to be the guy that I want to follow, and I try to do that through actions.”

His actions this season made it a seamless transition to team captain in his first season as a Penguin. The offseason allows Kemp to rehab his ailments and come back fresh for 2026-27, his second year with the “C”.

Though the summer inevitably wreaks more change and roster turnover, Kemp will be ready to lead the new Penguins just as he did in year one. And the players who do return to the Black and Gold are already thrilled at the prospect of being back at his side.

“He’s someone that you want to go to war with,” Pietila said, “because you know he’d do the same for you.”