Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins

Last updated
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins logo.svg
City Wilkes-Barre Township, Pennsylvania, U.S.
League American Hockey League
ConferenceEastern
DivisionAtlantic
Founded 1981
Home arena Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza
ColorsBlack, gold, white, red
    
MascotTux
Owner(s) Ronald Burkle
Mario Lemieux
General manager Jason Spezza
Head coach Kirk MacDonald
CaptainVacant
Media Wilkes-Barre Times Leader
Scranton Times-Tribune
AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh
WILK Newsradio
AHL.TV (Internet)
Affiliates Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL)
Wheeling Nailers (ECHL)
Franchise history
1981–1988 Fredericton Express
1988–1993 Halifax Citadels
1993–1996 Cornwall Aces
1999–presentWilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
Championships
Regular season titles2: (2010–11, 2016–17)
Division titles4: (2005–06, 2007–08, 2010–11, 2016–17)
Conference titles3: (2001, 2004, 2008)
Calder Cups0
Hockey current event.svg Current season

The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (sometimes known as the WBS Penguins) are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League, and are the AHL affiliate of the National Hockey League's Pittsburgh Penguins. They play at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes-Barre Township, Pennsylvania, just outside the city of Wilkes-Barre. They have won the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy twice for having the best record in the regular season.

Contents

History

The Pittsburgh Penguins' top minor league affiliate throughout the 1990s was the Cleveland Lumberjacks of the IHL. However, in the mid-1990s, the IHL began moving away from being a developmental league and more towards being an independent minor league. For this reason, the Penguins wanted their top minor league affiliate in the AHL. The Penguins purchased the dormant Cornwall Aces AHL franchise from the Colorado Avalanche in 1996, [1] [2] but left the team inactive until the 1999–2000 season due to construction delays at their intended home–a new arena in Wilkes-Barre Township. The team is affectionately referred to as the "Baby Penguins" by fans. Their mascot is Tux the penguin, who wears number No. 99 in reference to the team's first season, in 1999.

The Penguins have gone to the Calder Cup final three times but have never won the championship. The team went all the way to the finals in their second season, losing to the Saint John Flames in six games. The Penguins returned to the finals in their fifth season, but were swept by the Milwaukee Admirals. They most recently made it to the finals in 2008 by way of beating the Portland Pirates in a seven-game series in the Eastern Conference finals. They went on to play the Chicago Wolves in the final, but lost the series in six games.

The WBS Penguins won the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy for the best finish in the regular season, in 2011, with 117 points. Goaltender Brad Thiessen was named the recipient of the Aldege "Baz" Bastien Memorial Award, an award given to the AHL's most outstanding goaltender for each season. He posted a record of 35–8–1 in 46 appearances, along with a 1.94 goals-against-average and a .922 save percentage. Head coach John Hynes won the Louis A. R. Pieri Memorial Award, awarded to the most outstanding AHL coach of the season. Despite the best regular season finish in team history, the Penguins were eliminated in the second round of the 2011 playoffs by the Charlotte Checkers in six games.

The Penguins have made the playoffs in all but four seasons of their existence. The Penguins held a playoff streak of 16 seasons from the 2002–03 season to the 2017–18 season.

Prior to the 2009–10 season, they held the inaugural Penguins Black and Gold Game, an intra-squad game which featured members of the Pittsburgh and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and was the first ever head-to-head meeting between Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. The game was a complete sellout and tickets never reached the general public. The Penguins organization held its second Black and Gold Game prior to the 2010–11 season on September 19, 2010.

In 2009, they also spawned an affiliated youth level organization, the Wilkes-Barre Junior Pens. The team is based out of the Ice Rink at Coal Street Park, which also serves as a practice facility for the Penguins. [3]

The Penguins' biggest rivals had been the Philadelphia Phantoms, the AHL affiliate of Pennsylvania's other NHL team, the Philadelphia Flyers. After that team moved to Glens Falls, New York, (as the Adirondack Phantoms) the Hershey Bears, also located in Pennsylvania, became the major rivals of the Penguins (they are currently the AHL affiliate of another rival of the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Washington Capitals). In 2014, the Adirondack Phantoms relocated back to eastern Pennsylvania as the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

Season-by-season results

Regular seasonPlayoffs
SeasonGamesWonLostTiedOTLSOLPointsPCTGoals
for		Goals
against		StandingYearPrelims1st
round		2nd
round		3rd
round		Finals
1999–00 80234395—60.3752363065th, Empire State Div. 2000 —Did not qualify
2000–01 80363392—83.5192522482nd, Mid-Atlantic Div. 2001 —W, 3–2, SYR W, 4–2, PHI W, 4–0, HER L, 2–4, SJF
2001–02 802044133—56.3502012744th, South Div. 2002 Did not qualify
2002–03 80363275—84.5252452483rd, South Div. 2003 W, 2–0, UTA L, 1–3, GR ———
2003–04 803428108—86.5381971973rd, East Div. 2004 BYEW, 4–3, BRP W, 4–2, PHI W, 4–3, HFD L, 0–4, MIL
2004–05 803927—7792.5752272194th, East Div. 2005 —W, 4–2, BNG L, 1–4, PHI ——
2005–06 805118—56113.7062491781st, East Div. 2006 —W, 4–3, BRP L, 0–4, HER ——
2006–07 805123—24108.6752762212nd, East Div. 2007 —W, 4–2, NOR L, 1–4, HER ——
2007–08 804726—34101.6312231871st, East Div. 2008 —W, 4–1, HER W, 4–1, PHI W, 4–3 POR L, 2–4, CHI
2008–09 804925—33104.6502742123rd, East Div. 2009 —W, 4–1, BRP L,3–4 HER ——
2009–10 804134—2387.5442392293rd, East Div. 2010 —L, 0–4, ALB ———
2010–11 805821—01117.7312611831st, East Div. 2011 —W, 4–2, NOR L, 2–4, CHA ——
2011–12 764425—2595.6252352152nd, East Div. 2012 —W, 3–2, HER L, 3–4, STJ ——
2012–13 764230—2288.5791851783rd, East Div. 2013 —W, 3–0, BNG W, 4–3, PRO L, 1–4, SYR —
2013–14 764226—3592.6052061856th, Eastern Conf. 2014 —W, 3–1, BNG W, 4–3, PRO L, 2–4, STJ —
2014–15 764524—3497.6382121634th, Eastern Conf. 2015 —W, 3–0, SYR L, 1–4, MCH ——
2015–16 764327—4292.6052302033rd, Atlantic Div. 2016 —W, 3–0, PRO L, 3–4, HER ——
2016–17 765120—32107.7042471701st, Atlantic Div. 2017 —L, 2–3, PRO ———
2017–18 764522—6399.6512522232nd, Atlantic Div. 2018 —L, 0–3, CHA ———
2018–19 763630—7382.5392322286th, Atlantic Div. 2019 —Did not qualify
2019–20 632926—3566.5241641935th, Atlantic Div.2020—Season cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2020–21 321313—4232.500921075th, North Div.2021—No playoffs were held
2021–22 763533—4478.5132092254th, Atlantic Div. 2022 W, 2–1, HER L, 0–3, SPR ———
2022–23 722632—8666.4581912248th, Atlantic Div. 2023 Did not qualify
2023–24 723924—8187.6042111943rd, Atlantic Div. 2024 L, 0–2, LV ————

 Won Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy for the best record in the regular season
 Round not held

Players

Current roster

Updated December 18, 2024. [4]

Team roster
No. Nat Player Pos S/G AgeAcquiredBirthplaceContract
25 Flag of Sweden.svg Sebastian Aho   Injury icon 2.svg D L28 2024 Umeå, Sweden Pittsburgh
12 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Corey Andonovski RW R25 2022 Uxbridge, Ontario Pittsburgh
80 Flag of Latvia.svg Raivis Ansons   Injury icon 2.svg LW/C L22 2022 Riga, Latvia Pittsburgh
78 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Isaac Belliveau D L22 2023 Fleurimont, Quebec Pittsburgh
52 Flag of Sweden.svg Emil Bemstrom LW R25 2024 Nyköping, Sweden Pittsburgh
30 Flag of Finland.svg Joel Blomqvist G L22 2023 Nykarleby, Finland Pittsburgh
63 Flag of the United States.svg Scooter Brickey   Injury icon 2.svg D R25 2024 Mt. Clemens, Michigan W-B/Scranton
26 Flag of the United States.svg Tristan Broz C L22 2024 Bloomington, Minnesota Pittsburgh
44 Flag of the United States.svg Jonathan Gruden  ( A ) C/LW L24 2021 Rochester, Michigan Pittsburgh
85 Flag of the United States.svg Avery Hayes   Injury icon 2.svg RW R22 2023 Westland, Michigan W-B/Scranton
81 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Mac Hollowell  ( A ) D R26 2024 Niagara Falls, Ontario Pittsburgh
16 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Jimmy Huntington  ( A )  Injury icon 2.svg C L26 2024 Laval, Quebec Pittsburgh
14 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Bokondji Imama LW L28 2024 Montreal, Quebec Pittsburgh
9 Flag of the United States.svg Marc Johnstone RW R28 2023 Cranford, New Jersey Pittsburgh
61 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Boris Katchouk LW/C L26 2024 Vancouver, British Columbia W-B/Scranton
42 Flag of Russia.svg Nikolai Knyzhov   Injury icon 2.svg D L26 2024 Kemerovo, Russia W-B/Scranton
41 Flag of Finland.svg Ville Koivunen RW L21 2024 Oulu, Finland Pittsburgh
15 Flag of Finland.svg Joona Koppanen C L26 2023 Tampere, Finland Pittsburgh
82 Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Filip Kral D L25 2024 Blansko, Czech Republic Pittsburgh
31 Flag of Sweden.svg Filip Larsson G L26 2024 Stockholm, Sweden Pittsburgh
32 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Justin Lee D L24 2023 Waskada, Manitoba W-B/Scranton
73 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Mats Lindgren D L20 2024 North Vancouver, British Columbia W-B/Scranton
2 Flag of the United States.svg Rutger McGroarty LW L20 2024 Lincoln, Nebraska Pittsburgh
11 Flag of Russia.svg Vasily Ponomarev C L22 2024 Moscow, Russia Pittsburgh
22 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Sam Poulin C/RW L23 2021 Laval, Quebec Pittsburgh
48 Flag of Finland.svg Valtteri Puustinen RW R25 2021 Kuopio, Finland Pittsburgh
6 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Dan Renouf  ( A ) D L30 2024 Pickering, Ontario W-B/Scranton
3 Flag of the United States.svg Jack St. Ivany   Injury icon 2.svg D R25 2022 Manhattan Beach, California Pittsburgh

Team captains

Notable alumni

Players listed have played at least 100 games with the Penguins and 100 games in the NHL.

Team records

Single season
Goals: Chris Minard, 34 (2008–09)
Assists: Jeff Taffe and Janne Pesonen, 50 (2008–09)
Points: Janne Pesonen, 82 (2008–09)
Penalty minutes: Dennis Bonvie, 431 (2005–06)
Goaltending wins: Brad Thiessen, 35 (2010–11)
GAA: Jeff Zatkoff 1.93 (2012–13)
SV%: Rich Parent (2000–01), Dany Sabourin (2005–06) and Brad Thiessen (2010–11), .922
Career
Career goals: Tom Kostopoulos, 181
Career assists: Tom Kostopoulos, 269
Career points: Tom Kostopoulos, 450
Career penalty minutes: Dennis Bonvie, 1081
Career goaltending wins: John Curry, 103
Career shutouts: Brad Thiessen, 17
Career games: Tom Kostopoulos, 627

AHL records

As of the 2009–10 AHL Season. Data from the AHL Hall of Fame Website. [5]

Team

Most road wins, 80-game season: 28 (2010–2011) (tied)
Longest road winning streak (one season): 13 games (October 9 – December 3, 2005) (tied)
Longest road winning streak (overall): 15 games (April 10 – December 3, 2005)

Player

Most points by a defenseman, career: John Slaney, 486 (Baltimore, Portland, Cornwall, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Philadelphia)
Most goals by a defenseman, career: John Slaney, 157
Most goals by a defenseman, season: John Slaney, 30 (1999–2000)
Most PIM, career: Dennis Bonvie, 4,104 (Cape Breton, Hamilton, Portland, Philadelphia, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Providence, Binghamton, Hershey)
Most PIM, game: Steve Parsons, 64 (March 17, 2002 vs. Syracuse)

AHL awards and trophies

Per the AHL Hall of Fame: [6]

See also

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References

  1. ↑ Marrapese, Nancy L. (May 19, 1996). "Mighty Casey a pinch hit". The Boston Globe . p. 52. The [Pittsburgh] Penguins will move and rename the AHL's Cornwall Aces after buying the franchise from the Avalanche.
  2. ↑ Mayer, Sean (July 2, 1996). "Pirates plundered". Press & Sun-Bulletin . Binghamton, NY. p. 3D. [Godfrey] Wood will be responsible for finding a home for the [Pittsburgh] Penguins' incoming AHL team, the defunct Cornwall Aces franchise Pittsburgh bought from the Colorado Avalanche.
  3. ↑ "Wilkes-Barre Jr. Penguins Youth Ice Hockey Club". Wilkes-Barre Junior Pens. Archived from the original on March 29, 2016. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  4. ↑ "Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Roster". Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. December 18, 2024. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
  5. ↑ "AHL Record Book". AHL Hall of Fame . Archived from the original on June 6, 2017. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
  6. ↑ "AHL Hall of Fame Trophy List". AHL Hall of Fame . Archived from the original on October 31, 2007. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
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