WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins announced today that they have added five players from their ECHL affiliate, the Wheeling Nailers.
The Pittsburgh Penguins have reassigned defenseman Josh Maniscalco to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton from Wheeling. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton has recalled forward Sam Houde from Wheeling. Lastly, the Penguins signed forwards Matt Alfaro and Patrick Watling as well as defenseman Adam Smith to professional tryout agreements.
Maniscalco leads all Nailers defensemen with six goals, 10 assists, 16 points and a plus-19 rating. The 22-year-old blueliner also ranks second overall on the team with 65 shots on goal.
A native of Perkiomenville, Pennsylvania, Maniscalco played eight games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton last season. He produced no points in those eight games during his first season as a pro.
Houde, 21, racked up four goals and nine assists for 13 points in seven games with the Nailers this season. On Dec. 15, he went off for six points (3G-3A) against the Norfolk Admirals.
A first-year pro from Blainville, Québec, Houde produced one goal and one assist for two points in eight games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
This is Alfaro’s second PTO with the Penguins this season. Alfaro, 25, made his AHL debut and his lone AHL appearance on Nov. 3, 2021 at Lehigh Valley. He ranks fourth on the Nailers this season with 17 points (4G-13A) in 15 games played.
Watling, 28, joins the Penguins having accrued the second-most points on Wheeling this season (24). He only trails current Wilkes-Barre/Scranton forward Nick Hutchison. Both Watling and Hutchison are tied for the Nailers’ team lead with nine goals, as well.
A fifth-year pro from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Watling has played two AHL games this season. While skating on a PTO for the Syracuse Crunch, he recorded two assists. In 31 career AHL games, Watling has amassed five points (2G-3A).
Smith, a third-year pro, is in his second season with Wheeling, and in 23 games, he is already two points shy of matching his career high. The 25-year-old defender has 10 points (2G-8A) with the Nailers this season.
Smith has two games of AHL experience, earned during the 2019-20 season. A seventh-round draft pick of the Nashville Predators in 2016 (198th overall), Smith played a pair of games for the Milwaukee Admirals and did not post any points.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s next game is scheduled for tomorrow, Monday, Dec. 27, at home against the Hershey Bears. Puck drop between the Penguins and Bears is slated for 7:05 p.m. at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza.
Individual game tickets and season-ticket packages for the 2021-22 season are on sale now. Full-Season, 22- game, 12-game, Flexbook and Premium Seating plans are available by reaching out to the Penguins directly at (570) 208-7367.
