The Penguins have been active in college free agency in the past with players like Zach Aston-Reese, Thomas DiPauli, and Adam Johnson all signing in recent years. It appears that they have their eyes set on the NCAA market once again as Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette noted in a reader chat that they have interest in Providence center Josh Wilkins.
The 21-year-old is in his junior season with the Friars and has been a consistent producer in each of his three years. He recorded 31 points in each of his first two years and improved on that this season as he surpassed the point-per-game mark with 36 points (14-22-36) in just 34 contests. Pittsburgh has certainly had plenty of opportunities to view Wilkins as he’s a teammate of 2016 second round selection Kasper Bjorkqvist.
Providence is set to kick off the Hockey East playoffs as the number two seed next week and a win in their first round matchup against Boston College would go a long way towards getting them a berth in the regionals with an eye on qualifying for the Frozen Four tournament. The regionals don’t get underway until the end of the month so while Pittsburgh has interest in Wilkins, they may have to wait a little while yet before getting a chance to sign him.