WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins announced today that they have signed goaltender Garret Sparks to an American Hockey League contract for the 2023-24 season.
Sparks is entering his 11th season as a pro after splitting last year between the Springfield Thunderbirds and Orlando Solar Bears (ECHL). In three games with Springfield, Sparks had a 1-2-0 record with a 2.38 goals against average, .924 save percentage and one shutout.
During the 2017-18 season, Sparks led the AHL in wins (31), save percentage (.936) and goals against (1.79) en route to winning the Aldege ‘Baz’ Bastien Memorial Award as the league’s best goaltender. He then posted a 14-5-0 record during the Toronto Marlies’ playoff run that ended in the team winning the 2018 Calder Cup.
In 178 career AHL regular-season games, Sparks has gone 99-59-11 with a 2.34 goals against average, .921 save percentage and 18 shutouts while manning the crease for the Thunderbirds, Marlies, Chicago Wolves, Stockton Heat and Ontario Reign.
The native of Elmhurst, Illinois has also appeared in 40 NHL games for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Vegas Golden Knights and Los Angeles Kings. In that time, he earned a 15-18-2 record, 3.05 goals against average, .899 save percentage and two shutouts.
Season-ticket packages for the Penguins’ 25th season of hockey 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.
