This holiday season, the Pittsburgh Penguins have a big reason to be thankful. There have been two constants this for the Penguins. One has been a seemingly never-ending stream of illnesses and injuries that have conspired to keep the team from fielding a full lineup. Currently, the Penguins have ten players on injured reserve and another three quarantined for fear of the mumps.
The other constant has been the quality of players called up from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League. The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins were founded in 1999 and have been Pittsburgh’s primary affiliate ever since.
Since that time, the AHL Penguins have gone on to establish themselves as one of the most successful franchises in the league. They have helped developed former top draft picks such as Brooks Orpik, Ryan Whitney and Marc-Andre Fleury. They’ve also polished some diamonds in the rough, developing role players such as Rob Scuderi, Max Talbot, and Joe Vitale.
No matter what the need, the Penguins have been able to feel confident that head coach John Hynes and his staff will have a player ready for Pittsburgh when they call.
Six Penguins forwards have made their NHL debuts this season, Scott Wilson, Bobby Farnham, Bryan Rust, Scott Harrington, and Dominik Uher. Another six players, Jayson Megna, Beau Bennett, Brian Dumoulin, Andrew Ebbett, Jeff Zatkoff, and Taylor Chorney have spent time with both Pittsburgh and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this season.
It may seem hard to believe, but Bobby Farnham’s first NHL game was just 11 days ago: December 13 against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Farnham is one of those unheralded players that the Penguins system has developed into a quality NHL player. He got started with ECHL Wheeling after going undrafted out of Brown University. Since his recall to Pittsburgh, he has 17 penalty minutes in six games and has provided a spark to the bottom six of the Penguins lineup.
“He came out on the ice, got in on the forecheck and stirred things up,” said Pittsburgh head coach Mike Johnston. “He can do that. And as you guys know, there are a lot of games. The schedule is fairly heavy. Having a guy like that in your lineup that just picks up your team, picks up the crowd, picks up the energy in the building … he just plays the same way every night.”
Uher followed a similar path. Although he was drafted, a fifth round pick from Spokane of the Western Hockey League, Uher also worked his way from Wheeling to Pittsburgh over three years. The Czech forward has developed from a goal-scorer in juniors into a strong two-way player who can forecheck and help shut down and opposition’s top line.
Scott Harrington took a slightly different path a prized defensive prospect and a former second-round pick, Harrington spent only a little over a year in Wilkes-Barre before he played his first NHL game December 18 against the Colorado Avalanche.
“It was great,” Harrington said of his first NHL shift. “It was exciting; a lot of emotions I guess a little bit of nerves to start the game, but I felt more comfortable every shift as the game went on.”
“He’s good defensively,” said Johnston of Harrington. “He moves the puck quick. He’s a very good passer. Those are all skills that are going to make him a good defenseman at this level,”
Three players from that league have not only had their first start this season or ever in the NHL, but as well have scored their first NHL goals.
Brian Dumoulin and Bryan Rust both scored their first NHL goal in the Penguins game against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
“Were actually joking around before the game,” said Rust. “[Dumoulin] said ‘Hey Rusty, I hope you get your first one.’ I said, ‘Yeah, you too,’ and it just kind of happened that way.”
Top-ten draft pick Derrick Pouliot suited up for his first NHL game after just 23 games in Wilkes-Barre, and he scored his first NHL on his first NHL shot against the Florida Panthers on December 20. After the game, Penguins owner Mario Lemieux came to shake Pouliot’s hand and to congratulate him.
“It’s incredible,” Pouliot said. “You dream about that moment happening So it was very exciting. Good to get the win and to get the first goal too.”
Regardless of the path each player took to get to the NHL, whether it was a top-ten pick or an undrafted free agent, college or junior, American, Canadian, Czech or Finn, the common denominator has been that the staff in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton has molded those young men into the players they are today.
