PENGUINS WEEKLY – 1/6/26

Penguins head to North Carolina for pair of pivotal games

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (22-9-1-2) will take on Charlotte twice at The Biscuit

Weekly Rewind

Tuesday, Dec. 30 – PENGUINS 2 vs. Charlotte 6
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s last game of 2025 and last of eight December home games ended in a lopsided loss to Charlotte. The Checkers scored twice in quick succession midway through the opening frame, then did the same to take a 4-0 lead in the second period. Aaron Huglen put the Penguins on the board, scoring in his return from injury, but Charlotte scored with 16 seconds left in the second period and 51 seconds into the third. Joona Koppanen notched the Penguins’ other goal to round out the night’s scoring.

Saturday, Jan. 3 – PENGUINS 0 at Syracuse 6
To start the New Year, the Penguins were shut-out for the first time this season. The Crunch blitzed the Penguins with five goals in the first period. Boko Imama and Max Graham both dropped the gloves for spirited fights during the middle frame, and Nolan Renwick had his first AHL fight in the third period. Both Graham and Brayden Edwards made their AHL debuts.

The Week Ahead

Friday, Jan. 9 – PENGUINS at Charlotte
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Charlotte go head-to-head in back-to-back games in the Queen City. The Checkers have the edge in the season series, three wins to two. However, the visiting team has won each of the five previous meetings between these two clubs.

Saturday, Jan. 10 – PENGUINS at Charlotte
The second of the Penguins’ two tilts at Bojangles’ Coliseum kicks off one hour sooner at 6:00 p.m. Under head coach Kirk MacDonald, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton is 23-7-3-2 (.729) in the second game of back-to-backs. Meanwhile, the Checkers have lost two in a row after stringing together an impressive four-game win streak. Charlotte forward Nolan Foote is on a six-game point streak, with eight points (3G-5A) in that time.

Ice Chips

– Today is Rafaël Harvey-Pinard’s 27^th birthday.

– Wilkes-Barre/Scranton is now 13-11-1-1 (.538) in the first game of a New Year.

– The Penguins have used 41 different players this season, tied for the second-most in the entire AHL.

– Joona Koppanen has nine points (4G-5A) in his last nine games.

– Saturday’s visit to Syracuse marked the first time the Penguins allowed 5+ goals in a single period since Mar. 24, 2021 vs. Syracuse.

DIVISION STANDINGS

TEAM LEADERS

UPCOMING GAME SCHEDULE

DATE                  OPPONENT         LOCATION                                    TIME        

Fri, Jan. 9           Charlotte             Bojangles’ Coliseum                 7:00 p.m.

Sat, Jan. 10        Charlotte             Bojangles’ Coliseum                 6:00 p.m.

RECENT TRANSACTIONS

DATE                   PLAYER                                        TRANSACTION

Tue, Dec. 30       (LW) Max Graham                   Recalled from WHL

Wed, Dec. 31      (D) Brent Johnson                    Reassigned to WHL

Wed, Dec. 31      (D) Tommy Budnick                 Reassigned to WHL

Wed, Dec. 31      (RW) William Dufour               Released from PTO

Wed, Dec. 31      (D) Ryan Graves                      Reassigned from PIT

Wed, Dec. 31      (RW) Phil Tomasino              Traded by PIT to PHI

Wed, Dec. 31      (D) Egor Zamula     Traded to PIT; Assigned by PIT

Thu, Jan. 1         (C) Brayden Edwards                 Recalled from WHL

Thu, Jan. 1         (LW) Zach Urdahl                       Recalled from WHL