PITTSBURGH ASSIGNS CHAPUT, RIIKOLA TO WBS

The Pittsburgh Penguins have assigned forward Michael Chaput and defenseman Juuso Riikola to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins’ training camp, it was announced today by general manager Ron Hextall.

Pittsburgh’s training camp roster has been reduced to 27 players.

Chaput, 29, signed a one-year, two-way contract with Pittsburgh on July 29. The former third-round pick played in one preseason game on Oct. 1. against Buffalo, scoring the game-winning-goal along with an assist.

The Ile Bizard, Quebec native spent the 2020-21 season in the Arizona Coyotes organization, spending the majority on the team’s taxi squad. He’s played in 182 career NHL games spanning eight seasons with Arizona, Montreal, Vancouver and Columbus.

The 6-foot-2 forward has played parts of nine AHL seasons, split between Springfield, Lake Erie, Utica, Laval and Tuscan totaling 388 games with 259 points (109G-150A). Chaput helped guide Lake Erie to a Calder Cup in 2016 serving as their alternate captain.

Riikola, 27, signed a two-year contract with the Penguins on Sept. 5, 2020. He appeared in four preseason games with the Penguins.

The 6-foot, 189-pound blueliner played in two games for the Penguins during the 2020-21 campaign and practiced with the team’s taxi squad for the majority of the year.

The Joensuu, Finland native tallied five points (2G-3A) in 37 games during his North American debut season with Pittsburgh in 2018-19. Riikola also played in five games that year with Wilkes-Barre posting two assists. During his rookie season, the Penguins went 22-10-5 with Riikola in the lineup.

In his NHL career, Riikola has dressed for 75 games, scoring three goals, nine assists and 12 points with a plus-6. Prior to making the jump over the Atlantic, the defenseman played in 283 games with KapPa of Liiga, Finland’s top hockey league, scoring 26 goals, 63 assists and 89 points.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton will open its 2021-22 regular-season schedule at home against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Oct. 16. Puck drop for the season opener is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza.

The McDonald’s FAN-Tastic Move is back for opening night as well, featuring a ticket to the game, a Penguins hat and a voucher for a McDonald’s Meal, starting at just $16.  Order yours here.

Season tickets for the upcoming 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.