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Penguins Recall Rutger McGroarty, Bokondji Imama

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The Penguins have recalled top prospect Rutger McGroarty, along with winger Bokondji Imama, from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, according to a team announcement. The team cleared two roster spots Sunday when they reassigned Tristan Broz and Danton Heinen to WBS, so no other corresponding transactions are needed.

McGroarty, universally lauded as Pittsburgh’s No. 1 prospect entering the season, will now meaningfully get his campaign underway nearly two months into the calendar. The 2022 No. 14 overall pick by the Jets, who was sent to the Pens in a swap for fellow first-rounder Brayden Yager, was widely expected to get a shot in Pittsburgh’s top six alongside either Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin to start the season.

Those plans were ground to a halt on the first day of training camp when general manager Kyle Dubas said McGroarty had failed his physical and was out indefinitely with an upper-body injury. He was held out of the lineup until mid-November, when he was activated from season-opening injured reserve and reassigned to the Baby Pens. Last week, Josh Yohe of The Athletic reported that the 21-year-old’s demotion was intended as a conditioning stint with a recall expected shortly.

Even if the Penguins planned on recalling McGroarty after a couple of weeks regardless of how he played, he’s more than earned another look high up in the Penguins’ lineup. He opened the season with a four-game goal streak for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and recorded at least one point in all five of his appearances. After a tough start and red-hot finish to the season in the minors last year, he’s picked up where he left off with a 4-3–7 scoring line and a +3 rating.

McGroarty’s NHL debut came late last season. He was summoned from the AHL in late March and immediately got a look in top-line minutes with Crosby and Bryan Rust, although he did get some bottom-six deployment for a couple of games. In eight contests, he recorded a goal and two assists while averaging 14:37 of ice time per game. The 6’1″, 212-lb forward – who’s a natural center but can slot in on either wing – controlled 58.1% of shot attempts at 5-on-5 and held opponents even at a score of 3-3.

With a pair of top-six wingers in Justin Brazeau and Rickard Rakell on injured reserve, the opportunity is ripe for McGroarty to return to the top-line left wing role with Crosby that he got a taste of last season. Head coach Dan Muse would no doubt appreciate the opportunity to get a more dynamic talent like McGroarty in that spot. Since Rakell underwent surgery on his left hand in late October, it’s been Connor Dewar and Kevin Hayes – veterans best suited for bottom-six roles – getting minutes with Crosby.

Imama nets his first recall of the season after seeing his most extended stint on an NHL roster last year with the Pens. The 29-year-old enforcer has been a career AHL threat and only brought 15 games of NHL experience to Pittsburgh when he signed a two-way deal with them in free agency in 2024. He began the year in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton but, after getting recalled in late January, spent the rest of the year either on the NHL roster or on injured reserve. He more than doubled his previous NHL experience and made 16 appearances for the Pens, notching a goal, 30 penalty minutes, and 45 hits while averaging 5:40 of ice time per game. Biceps surgery ended his season prematurely in March.

The Pens signed Imama to a two-way extension in June to keep him in the organization, but with their other free agent additions and multiple prospect graduations expected, he wasn’t penciled onto their roster. He cleared waivers without incident near the end of training camp and returned to the AHL, where the 2015 sixth-round pick of the Lightning has now played parts of nine seasons with more than 350 appearances. In 19 games for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this season, he’s managed three goals and an assist.

Imama is likely ticketed for a 13th forward job during his call-up, but if he gets into game action, it’ll mark his fifth consecutive season with an NHL appearance. After going unsigned by the Bolts, he spent time in the Kings, Coyotes, and Senators organizations before arriving in Pittsburgh 16 months ago.

Image courtesy of Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images.

Penguins Assign Tristan Broz And Danton Heinen To AHL

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The Penguins have freed up a pair of spots on their active roster in advance of Monday’s game against Philadelphia.  The team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve assigned forwards Tristan Broz and Danton Heinen to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Broz was recalled back on Monday to get his first taste of NHL action.  He made one appearance, recording two shots on goal in 11:30 of playing time on Wednesday against Buffalo.  The 23-year-old has been productive in the minors, however, collecting eight goals and five assists in 18 games, putting him a little ahead of his offensive pace from last season when he notched 19 goals and 18 helpers in 59 outings with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

As for Heinen, he’s in his second season with the team after being acquired from Vancouver back in February.  He cleared waivers back in training camp and did quite well in the minors, picking up 10 goals and five assists in 14 games.  That earned him a recall four weeks ago.  Heinen played in nine games but was limited to just one assist.  Had he played in one more game or been up for three more days, he’d have needed to pass through waivers unclaimed again to return to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.  Accordingly, it’s not too surprising they’ve decided to send him down to ensure he’ll remain available for recall later in the season.

As a result of these moves, Pittsburgh only has 11 healthy forwards on their active roster.  That suggests that there is a recall or two coming on Monday – perhaps winger Rutger McGroarty – or one or more forwards are ready to come off injured reserve.   At the moment, four forwards are on IR for the Penguins – Noel Acciari, Justin Brazeau, Filip Hallander, and Rickard Rakell.  The first two have been skating and could be candidates to be activated.

Afternoon Notes: Formenton, Merkulov, Penguins

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The Ottawa Senators have until Monday to re-sign or trade former winger Alex Formenton. If they wait beyond then, Formenton will become an unrestricted free agent. A few days out, it appears that will be exactly what happens, per Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen. Formenton was one of five players accused in the high-profile sexual assault trial that reached a verdict earlier this year. Formenton briefly retired from professional hockey to work in construction full-time during 2024 and 2025, while awaiting his trial date.

He returned to hockey this season, re-signing with Ambri-Piotta of Switzerland’s National League, where he spent the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons. Formenton has nine points and a minus-10 in 20 games this season. That mark is far below the 29 points he posted in 46 games in his prior two seasons in Switzerland.

Ottawa will lose Formenton’s rights in the coming days with this update. He will continue to find his footing in Switzerland’s top league, and seems far away from any hope of returning to an NHL contract.

Other notes from around the league:

  • The Boston Bruins have reassigned Georgii Merkulov to the AHL’s Providence Bruins per Ty Anderson of Boston’s 98.5 The Sports Hub. He did not appear in the NHL lineup on his latest call-up, which only lasted a few days. Merkulov did play one NHL game earlier this season and posted no scoring and a minus-one. He has been a far larger presence in the minor leagues, where he’s scored 14 points in 17 games. The AHL Bruins are in the midst of a three-game win-streak, during which they’ve outscored opponents 17-8. Now, they’ll get a major piece of their offense back from the NHL club ahead of three games this week.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins could soon be forced to lean on their young rookies per Josh Yohe of The Athletic. Yohe points out the struggles of Pittsburgh’s bottom-six forwards, including Joona Koppanen, who has just one assist in 10 games this season. Pittsburgh could be much better off relying on prospects Rutger McGroarty and Tristan Broz, who have looked sharp for the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. McGroarty leads the team in points-per-game with seven points in five games. Broz has 13 points in 18 games of his own, good for third on the team in total scoring. Now, they could be asked to bring their high-skill offense to a Penguins squad that’s struggled to score with their superstars off of the ice. McGroarty recorded three points in his first eight NHL games last season, while Broz went scoreless in his NHL debut last week.

Tristan Jarry Reportedly Generating Trade Interest

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What a difference a year can make. According to ESPN’s Kevin Weekes, Pittsburgh Penguins’ netminder Tristan Jarry is drawing trade interest from around the league. Unsurprisingly, Weekes lists the Edmonton Oilers as the primary suitor.

Last season, few would have believed that Jarry would become anything other than a likely salary dump. In the second year of his five-year, $26.88MM contract, Jarry managed a 16-12-6 record in 36 games with a .892 SV% and 3.12 GAA. Additionally, according to MoneyPuck, Jarry was ranked 35th (among goalies that played in 30 or more games) in Goals Saved Above Expected (GSAE) with a -4.7 mark.

Due to a combination of conditioning loans and waiver placements, all signs indicated that Pittsburgh’s relationship with Jarry was coming to an end. However, due to his poor performance, Jarry had little to no value on the trade market.

However, much like the Penguins as a whole, the 10-year veteran goaltender has appeared to turn a corner, albeit in a small sample size. Before missing the team’s last seven games due to an injury, Jarry had earned a 5-2-0 record in seven starts with a .911 SV% and 2.60 GAA. In terms of his GSAE, he has already overcome last year’s performance, producing a 4.8 according to MoneyPuck.

Unfortunately, as much as the Oilers may be interested in adding Jarry, there may be too many obstacles to overcome. For starters, Jarry’s $5.375MM cap hit is $1.775MM more than Edmonton is paying Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard combined. The Oilers will assuredly need to match salary, given that they’re currently $159K under the upper limit of the salary cap.

The one obstacle that could be easily overcome is Jarry’s 12-team no-trade clause. Although they haven’t gotten off to a positive start to the 2025-26 campaign, Edmonton has won back-to-back Western Conference Finals and is objectively far closer to contention than the Penguins. Additionally, although he’s a native of British Columbia, Jarry spent his Major Junior days with the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings.

Regardless, given how he has performed up to this point of the season, it would be foolish for Pittsburgh to isolate Jarry’s market to just the Oilers. Teams such as the Montreal Canadiens, Utah Mammoth, and Carolina Hurricanes could all enhance their goaltending depth and have a far better financial outlook than the Oilers.

Penguins Activate Tristan Jarry, Ville Koivunen; Reassign Sergei Murashov

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have activated starting goaltender Tristan Jarry and winger Ville Koivunen off of injured reserve. Both are expected to step back into the lineup for Wednesday’s game against the Buffalo Sabres. To make room for Jarry, Pittsburgh has reassigned rookie goalie Sergey Murashov to the AHL. The Penguins also plan to healthy scratch rookie Benjamin Kindel, for development purposes, and to make room for Koivunen’s return and Tristan Broz’s NHL debut.

Murashov played in the first four games, and made the first three starts, of his NHL career on his latest recall. He was sharp throughout, posting a 1-1-1 record, one shutout, a .913 save percentage, and a 1.90 goals-against-average. Murashov will return to the AHL as the league’s reigning ’Goalie of the Month’, after he began the season with a 5-1-0 record, .935 Sv%, and 1.68 GAA in seven games. He should step right back into Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s starting role, bringing a big boost to a club that’s 5-1-0 in their last six games.

Pittsburgh won’t lose much steam swapping back to Jarry. The 10-year-veteran was in the midst of a big resurgence to start the season, after posting the first sub-.900 Sv% of his career last season. He started this yaer with a 5-2-0 record, .911 Sv%, and 2.60 GAA – firmly locking in his spot as Pittsburgh’s starter less than one year after being placed on waivers. He will look to stay hot in his return to the lineup, after missing seven games due to injury. Jarry should resume starting duties, with Arturs Silovs serving as backup.

The Penguins make a similar swap in their forward group. Kindel has been among the most exciting rookies to start the year, but appears to finally be slowing down. He has recorded one point, 11 shots on goal, and five blocks in his last six games – a quiet spell after he scored six points in seven games as October turned over to November. The Penguins have already committed to holding Kindel past his nine-game trial, helping to remove the pressure to rush the 18-year-old into a starring role. He will get a chance to take a brief break, and recollect, but should get a chance to return to the lineup soon.

Koivunen could prove a barrier to that, if he can return from injury with a hot hand. He only scored two points in 11 games before going down, a disappointing result compared to the 11 points he has scored in six AHL games. He was a star scorer for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton last season as well, netting 56 points in 63 games, and recording seven assists in the first eight NHL games of his career. Koivunen seems to have an NHL breakout incoming, and will get a chance to continue fighting for it following these roster moves.

Latest On Rutger McGroarty, Finn Harding

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The Pittsburgh Penguins acquired forward prospect Rutger McGroarty from the Winnipeg Jets in the summer of 2024 with the hope that he’d quickly translate his success at the NCAA to the pro ranks, and become an NHL player in short order. While that hasn’t happened just yet, The Athletic’s Josh Yohe reported today that “many in the Penguins organization have been blown away by how dominant McGroarty looked” in his two AHL games this season, noted that “it won’t be much longer until” McGroarty is elevated to Pittsburgh’s NHL roster.

It’s been a bit of a bumpy road for McGroarty at the pro level, as he not only struggled with some injuries, but also found his sub-par skating to be a larger barrier to his ability to impact a game than most likely expected. Yohe wrote that McGroarty “looked like a fish out of water at the NHL level” early last season, but also noted that “he looked like a decidedly different player in his second NHL stint” later in the season. McGroarty finished with 14 goals and 39 points in 60 AHL games last year, and has two goals through two AHL games this year. Whether the Penguins’ belief that McGroarty is a transformed and far more effective player actually materializes in tangible on-ice production remains to be seen, but it’s clear he’ll be a player to watch whenever his expected recall is made official.

  • Besides McGroarty, one player that Yohe reported is also impressing Penguins brass is 2024 seventh-rounder Finn Harding. The Penguins were able to add Harding with the third-to-last pick of that year’s draft, and per Yohe, “the Penguins believe he has a future as an NHL player,” with team sources comparing him to former Penguins defenseman Ben Lovejoy. Harding began his pro career last season with an eight-game cameo at the ECHL level. So far this season, Harding has five points through 14 AHL games. If Harding, who is a 6’2″ right-shot blueliner, can end up anything like Lovejoy, who had a 544-game NHL career and won a Stanley Cup in 2016, the Penguins are likely to be quite pleased with their seventh-round investment.

Penguins Reassign Samuel Poulin, Likely To Activate Tristan Jarry

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The Penguins returned winger Samuel Poulin to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton after suiting up in their last two games, per the team. His roster spot will likely go to goaltender Tristan Jarry, whom head coach Dan Muse implied should be ready to come off injured reserve before tomorrow’s contest with the Sabres, per Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

Poulin, 24, continues to be a fine call-up option but has seemingly plateaued far short of what the Pens hoped for him when they selected him No. 21 overall in the 2019 draft. His two-game call-up in place of winger Ville Koivunen, who Rorabaugh also said could be an option to come off IR tomorrow, raised his career total of NHL appearances to 15. He’s still looking for his first goal but has two assists with a -5 rating in 10:06 of average ice time. He got a bit of a longer leash on this call-up, averaging 13:49 per game, but posted a -2 rating and only managed one shot on goal. The Pens did out-attempt opponents 29-24 with Poulin on the ice at 5-on-5, though.

However, in the minors, the 6’2″ Quebec native is having his best season yet. After establishing himself as a top AHL contributor in the past two years, he’s now flirting with a point-per-game pace. In 16 appearances, he has seven goals and eight assists for 15 points to lead the team in scoring. Since the beginning of the 2023-24 season, Poulin now has a 42-47–89 scoring line in 114 games.

His demotion comes as Bryan Rust is expected not to miss any time with the illness that kept him out of yesterday’s practice, per Rorabaugh. That’s spectacular news for a Pens team that already has five forwards on IR, including top-six pieces Justin Brazeau and Rickard Rakell.

As for how they’ll use Poulin’s roster spot, there’s a bit of a question mark. If only Jarry is coming off IR tomorrow, that means the Pens will carry three netminders for the time being. Top prospect Sergey Murashov has looked the part through his first four NHL appearances in Jarry’s weeks-long absence, posting a 1-1-1 record with a .913 SV%, 1.90 GAA, and his first career shutout through four appearances. With only 0.1 goals saved above expected, though, he clearly grades out as the Pens’ third-best netminder behind Jarry and Arturs Silovs, at least based on the latter two’s early-season samples (per MoneyPuck). It does little for the 21-year-old’s development to keep him on the active roster if he’s not going to be used in an equal three-goalie rotation.

In all likelihood, they haven’t returned the waiver-exempt Murashov to WBS because they’re still waiting for absolute certainty on Jarry’s status for tomorrow. If he and Koivunen are both available, Murashov would presumably be reassigned in a corresponding transaction to keep them at the 23-player roster limit.

Penguins Sign Peyton Kettles To Entry-Level Contract

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The Penguins announced they’ve signed defense prospect Peyton Kettles to a three-year, entry-level deal. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Kettles is making good use of his spare time after undergoing shoulder surgery last week, which has him out indefinitely. The 6’6″ righty was an early second-rounder in this year’s draft, going to Pittsburgh with the No. 39 overall pick. Drafted with the hope of him peaking as a cornerstone shutdown piece in the Pens’ top four, he had already been the subject of a blockbuster trade that saw the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets surrender a package that included five draft picks to acquire him from the Swift Current Broncos.

Unfortunately, his shoulder injury – plus an ailment that inhibited him during Pittsburgh’s training camp – means he’s only made five appearances this season. He’s shown up and shown out with a goal and two assists with 15 PIMs and a +2 rating, but the missed time is a tough blow, particularly for a player archetype that usually requires a longer developmental path. He was ranked as the Pens’ No. 10 prospect in the preseason by Elite Prospects, third among defenders behind Harrison Brunicke and Owen Pickering.

Nonetheless, the Pens like what they’ve seen from Kettles enough to secure his signing rights until he becomes UFA-eligible at age 27 or after seven accrued seasons, whichever comes first. Kettles will receive the signing bonuses he’s awarded in his ELC, if any, but since he’s not expected to play in the NHL this year, the other aspects of the contract will slide to the 2026-27 season. He’ll be eligible for a second slide if he plays under 10 NHL games next year, meaning his contract could go into effect as late as 2027-28 and expire as late as 2030.

Since Kettles’ deal is slide-eligible, he does not count against Pittsburgh’s 50-contract limit if he’s not on the active roster.

Breaking Down The Early Free-Agent Victories

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At the quarter mark of the NHL regular season, there are some early wins for teams that took a chance on the free agency market. While some of the higher-priced free agent signings, like Mitch Marner of the Golden Knights and Mikael Granlund of the Ducks, might be obvious choices for this piece, we will focus on some of the more under-the-radar signings that have delivered fantastic results so far.

Avalanche forward Victor Olofsson was a late addition to the team’s roster, signing a one-year deal on Aug. 20 for $1.575MM. For most of his career, Olofsson was a fairly one-dimensional perimeter scorer who primarily shot the puck well. That all changed last season, when he made a solid defensive impact with the Golden Knights and contributed decent depth scoring with 15 goals and 14 assists in 56 games. He still dealt with injuries, which have been an issue in his career, but his performance was enough for AFP Analytics to project that the 30-year-old would sign for three years at a cap hit of $3.41MM.

However, Olofsson’s injury history and inconsistent play likely kept his market soft. This was great news for Colorado, which signed him up. He’s been excellent to start the year with six goals and nine assists in 22 games. As good as Olofsson has been at five-on-five, he has done a lot of damage with the man advantage, registering six points thus far, which is quite a number given that he had just eight points on the power play last year.

Olofsson was effectively signed to replace a departing Jonathan Drouin, whose salary could no longer fit within the Avalanche’s cap structure, as Drouin was able to secure a two-year, $8MM contract with the Islanders. Colorado had Drouin on a discount for the previous two seasons, and the Ste-Agathe, Quebec native impressed for the Avalanche, recording 30 goals and 63 assists in 122 games over those two seasons. Drouin kept his game simple with Colorado and used his skill set to be as effective as possible.

His free-agent market was limited because fit was an essential part of the equation, but he seems to have found a good fit with the Islanders, recording 14 points in 22 games. What makes Drouin’s start really promising is that he hasn’t scored much on the power play, with just three assists in 80 minutes of time on the man advantage. Last season, he had 12 points in 132 power-play minutes for the whole season, and if he can get back to that level of production at five-on-four, his numbers will look great at the end of the year.

It’s now been six years since the Ducks bought out Corey Perry, and many wondered what his career prospects were as he approached his mid-30s. Perry reinvented himself, shifting from a scoring power forward to more of a net-front presence and pest. Since the buyout, Perry has played for six different teams and reached the Stanley Cup Finals—and lost—five times. The 40-year-old signed this summer with the Kings, agreeing to a one-year deal for $2MM plus an additional $2MM in potential performance bonuses. To start the season, Perry has been on a hot streak, scoring seven goals and adding five assists in 14 games while playing nearly 15 minutes a night. His ice time is the highest it’s been since 2018-19, though it’s likely unsustainable for the entire season, as is his current production. However, even if he slows down in the later stages of the year, he should still net at least 30 points, which is excellent value for the contract he signed. Ultimately, the Kings signed Perry for his playoff impact; however, his start to the regular season has been a bonus so far.

Jack Roslovic has faced challenges navigating unrestricted free agency, settling for one-year deals below market value in consecutive summers. This year, he waited until Oct. 8 to secure a new contract, agreeing to a one-year deal worth $1.5MM with the Edmonton Oilers. Roslovic has responded by starting the season strongly, with seven goals and eight assists in his first 21 games. His fit in Edmonton seems natural so far, which makes sense given his speed and skill. Roslovic was an unusual fit with Carolina last season but made the most of it, recording 22 goals and 17 assists in 81 games. Suppose he can maintain his current pace until season’s end. In that case, it’s unlikely he’ll need to sign another one-year deal, especially since he has worked on and improved other parts of his game, notably his faceoff ability, which was questionable early in his career. Roslovic is making the league sit up and take notice of him, and he’s likely hopeful they will consider him in free agency next summer.

Shifting back to the Metropolitan Division, the Penguins made a couple of under-the-radar signings on July 1 that have paid off big time early in this season. Justin Brazeau signed a two-year, $3MM deal in free agency this past summer. Very little attention was paid to the move, which isn’t surprising given that Brazeau didn’t break into the NHL until he was 25 and had just 95 career NHL games across two seasons. However, the New Liskeard, Ontario native showed enough in his short career for the Penguins to take a chance on him, and so far, the returns have been excellent—he has six goals and six assists in 12 games. Now, an unfortunate upper-body injury has slowed Brazeau’s season, just as he was gaining traction on a line with Evgeni Malkin and Anthony Mantha. Brazeau will likely miss a couple more weeks, but if he continues to trend in the right direction, the Penguins will have a bargain forward on their hands for another season and a half.

Parker Wotherspoon was another shrewd signing on July 1 by Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas. The 28-year-old played well last season in a bottom-pairing role and signed with Pittsburgh, likely sensing that there was an opportunity for a bigger role on the left side of the team’s defense. The Penguins entered the summer with arguably the worst left side in the NHL and made some depth moves to create competition and improve the position. So far, it has worked, as Wotherspoon has secured a spot alongside Erik Karlsson and has become the team’s top pairing. Wotherspoon is signed for another season after this one as part of his two-year $2MM deal, and like Brazeau, could provide Pittsburgh with a major contributor at a bargain basement price for one more season. He’s approaching a career high in points and has been part of rejuvenating Karlsson’s game, providing him with a reliable defensive partner for the first time since his days in Ottawa.

There is always an inherent risk when signing players in free agency. Olofsson, Drouin, and Perry have all proven to be reliable veterans earlier in their careers and weren’t considered high-risk signings. Still, it’s not surprising to see them contributing as they are, given their past performance and their strong showings last season with their previous teams. For Brazeau and Wotherspoon, signing them was essentially a no-risk decision for Pittsburgh, and they have worked out exceptionally well. Dubas did well to sign them for an additional season, a low-risk gamble that could pay off significantly if the rest of the season unfolds well. Neither man has contributed at this level before, and it will be interesting to see if they can maintain this pace throughout the entire season.

Pittsburgh Penguins Make Several Roster Moves

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The Pittsburgh Penguins announced they’ve recalled forward Tristan Broz from the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and reassigned forward Philip Tomasino in a corresponding roster move. Additionally, the Penguins have assigned defensemen Harrison Brunicke and Jack St. Ivany to the AHL on conditioning loans.

Broz, 23, will have the opportunity to make his NHL debut. Pittsburgh selected the Bloomington, MN native with the 58th overall pick of the 2021 NHL Draft, and he’s been playing with the AHL Penguins for the last two years.

He was relatively successful in his first full year with WBS, scoring 19 goals and 37 points in 59 games with a -7 rating. It wasn’t enough to land Broz on the AHL’s All-Rookie Team last year, but he finished eighth on the team in scoring.

This season, Broz is off to a terrific start, scoring eight goals and 13 points in 18 games with a +5 rating. Being that he was third on the team, the top four scorers for the AHL Penguins this season are now all rostered in the NHL.

Meanwhile, Tomasino is guaranteed to play in his first AHL contest since the 2023-24 campaign, assuming he reports. The former first-round pick of the Nashville Predators has struggled this season, registering one assist in nine games, averaging 12:10 of ice time per game. He cleared waivers five days ago, but had remained on the NHL roster until today.

Lastly, Brunicke and St. Ivany will head to the AHL for a short time. Brunicke has been on the roster for the entire 2025-26 campaign up to this point, though he hasn’t appeared in a contest since early November. In the games he has played, he’s scored one goal while averaging 15:43 of ice time. On his conditioning loan, he’ll have access to far more ice time.

St. Ivany, on the other hand, hasn’t appeared in a contest for the Penguins this season. The two-year veteran began the year on Pittsburgh’s season-opening injured reserve due to a lower-body injury. Today’s news confirms that St. Ivany has been activated from that list, nearly two weeks after his projected return date.

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