WBS Penguins Season Preview
by TonyAndrock on Oct 8, 2010 3:30 PM EDT
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The Wilkes Barre Scranton Penguins will begin their 12th season in the AHL tomorrow at home against the Hershey Bears. The team has announced their roster for the season opener and it includes 27 players: 16 forwards, 8 defensemen and 3 goalies.
The rules regarding roster size are much different than the NHL, as AHL teams are allowed to carry as many players on their opening roster as they'd like. Since their ECHL affiliate Wheeling doesn't begin their season until Wednesday, the Baby Pens aren't in a hurry to send more players packing just yet.
A look at the roster and my look at the team this season after the jump.
The Pens have 14 returning players from last season on a squad that finished 41-34-2-3 and earned the #3 seed in the Eastern Conference's East Division. They had a disappointing showing in the playoffs, being swept in the first round by the Albany River Rats. But this season the team looks deep in every position with both John Curry and Brad Thiessen returning in goal, a host of veterans on defense and Dustin Jeffrey, Brett Sterling and Nick Johnson appearing to be their top forward line. A look at the team's roster...
Forwards (16) : Zach Sill, Brett Sterling, Chris Collins, Geoff Walker, Jesse Boulerice, Bryan Lerg, Dustin Jeffrey, Ryan Craig, Chris Conner, Tim Wallace, Joe Vitale, Nick Johnson, Ryan Schnell, Nick Petersen, Joey Haddad and Keven Veilleux
I really like the depth at the forward position. There has been a lot of competition for spots in the lineup throughout camp, which is always a good thing. The coaching staff, led by John Hynes and assistant coach Alain Nasreddine (might ring a bell), will have many tough decisions coming up regarding who will be in the lineup. Although the lines aren't set yet for opening night, if I had to guess what they will look like it would goes as follows:
Sterling - Jeffery - Johnson
Veilleux - Craig - Conner
Wallace - Vitale - Walker
Schnell - Sill - Boulerice
Scratches: Collins, Lerg, Petersen and Haddad
Defensemen (8) : Corey Potter, Carl Sneep, Brian Strait, Andrew Hutchinson, Drew Fata, Robert Bortuzzo, Steve Wagner and Jason DeSantis
The defense is also much improved from last season. They have added Potter and Hutchinson to the lineup, two guys with some NHL experience along with good AHL experience. The Pens also have a couple young guys who I think will develop nicely this season and have a shot at making the NHL next season. From what I heard, Bortuzzo and Strait had good camps and will be much improved this season. My projected defensive pairings for opening night:
Wagner - Hutchinson
Bortuzzo - Strait
Potter - Sneep
Goalies (3) : Mattias Modig, John Curry and Brad Thiessen
Curry and Thiessen both played in a decent amount of games last season, Curry (46 and 3 in postseason) and Thiessen (30 and 1 in postseason). Curry started off the season as the starter last season before Theissen,a rookie last year, started to get more starts towards the end of the season. I think that Curry will be the starter again at the beginning this season but Thiessen will also get playing time and the Pens will probably ride the hot goaltender. With that being said, I believe that Modig will be sent to Wheeling sometime soon. He just wasn't as good as the previous two guys and will be better off in the ECHL with recently famous Patrick Killeen.
Predictions
It is even harder to predict a season for an AHL team because of the simple fact that not only are there injuries throughout the season but you also have to take into account that some of these guys could get called up to the NHL, due to injury, trade or just for Pittsburgh to get a good look at someone playing well.
With that said I think this could be a great year for the Baby Pens. They have two decent goaltenders, one of which has taken the Penguins to the AHL finals before. They have added more veteran defensemen and now have Potter, Hutchinson and Wagner. And their younger defenseman, especially Strait and Bortuzzo, will be much improved now that they have gone through a season of professional hockey. The forward lines look deep and the Pens should be confident in rolling their top 3 lines, with the 4th line getting some time too.
Record: The Penguins and Bears will be fighting for the division lead this season and I think with the recent departure of Alexandre Giroux, the Bears will fall just short of the Pens for the division. Come playoff time who knows what will happen or what the rosters will look like. I predict the Pens going 49-25-2-4 for 104 points. We will have to see how close (hopefully not far) I was at the end of the season.
What to look for:
The Penguins have some skilled forwards who have put up big AHL numbers in the past. The whole top 6 forwards are capable of putting the puck in the net. One guy I think everyone should pay close attention to is Keven Veilleux. A highy touted prospect who missed almost the entire season last year as a rookie, Veilleux is a big kid at 6-5, 219 and I think he will have a big year, maybe around 25 goals 30 assists. I really liked what I saw from him in the preseason and hopefully he will continue that during the regular season.
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If the Pens need to call up a forward for a game or two or more, who do you think gets the call?
On a similar note, which player on defense has his number on Ray Shero’s speed dial?
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For the forward position:
It depends on what type of guy goes down. If they need a defensive minded forward I would say Ryan Craig or Dustin Jeffrey. Don’t forget that Craig was injured during preseason and was competing for a roster spot in Pittsburgh. He was the last forward cut by the Pens. . Also, Jeffrey had a decent showing in camp and will be playing alot of minutes in Wilkes-Barre this season, so he should also be considered. If they need an offensive forward I would say Nick Johnson or Chris Conner. Johnson really played well in camp, had a few goals including a nice top-shelf goal in Columbus. Conner is like Brett Sterling. A smaller guy with speed. But as of what I have seen so far Conner has been tougher and also has more experience.
For the defense: I’d have to say Andrew Hutchinson for defense. He’s a veteran and has played in the NHL for 4 different teams in his career. If I were the Penguins I would give Robert Bortuzzo a good look in the NHL before the All Star break. I loved what I’ve seen so far in both Pittsburgh and Wilkes Barre.
Go PENS!!! Can't forget about them J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS!!!! And how about... WE ARE!!! PENN STATE!!!
Thanks for the post. I look forward to reading more of your thoughts throughout the season. I really only know about the WBS squad based on what I see and hear when guys are in Pittsburgh. It will be nice to have a slightly more in depth and consistent perspective.
Leafs fan living large in the Pitt and pretending like the drought is over.
Lets not also forget that the WBS Pens may be getting a big addition in Tanger 2 when Staal and Asham return. Of the Pens forwards he is the only one that can get send down without fear of losing him.
Asham plays more of the 3rd/4th line winger role so when Staal comes back I see Tanger 2 going to WBS unless he is takes off playing with Comrie and Malkin.
Life is about one simple choice, get busy living or get busy dying
If/when Tangradi comes to Wilkes-Barre, he will turn this team into 3 lines of great NHL caliber and each line would be able to score goals. And we would also have a great checking line. It will be interesting to see what happens particularly in the forward department when both:
WBS sends more down to Wheeling for their opener on Wednesday. And who gets sent down when Staal and Asham return from injuries. Fortunately this is a good situation to be in because you know you will be improving Pittsburgh and Wilkes Barre when they those two back from injury.
Go PENS!!! Can't forget about them J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS!!!! And how about... WE ARE!!! PENN STATE!!!
I don’t buy it…
Not that I don’t want to see Staal & Asham come back, but I don’t think it’s that easily cut & dried that Tangradi’s gonna be sent down. If anything, this entire pre-season & yesterday’s opener, Gradi looks like he belongs in the main squad.
It’s a little premature but if he finds some lightning in a bottle w/ Geno, we’d be silly to throw him back to the WBS. He adds a dimension to the Pens offense that we’ve not seen in a while…
Unless it’s because of waiver wires, in that case ignore my 2 paragraphs
Oh Hockey Season... How I've missed you...
Just so I never have to answer this again. I'm from Singapore so whenever you see me online, I'm either sleep deprived or just waking up.
Yea anything is possible. When Staal comes back Blysma said on FSN that Staal will be centering the second line. I would assume that Comrie and Malkin will be his wingers. Doesn’t mean Tangradi cant still play on a different line but when two players come back from injury two players will probably have to be put on waivers/sent to Wilkes Barre barring any injuries/trades/etc.
Go PENS!!! Can't forget about them J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS!!!! And how about... WE ARE!!! PENN STATE!!!
I’m actually very happy with this team… You can’t find any obvious weak links to drop out. To me it could have been any of the rookies (LeTestTube or Gradi), TK or Godard.
But the rookies were impressive & TK showed signs of waking up for his contract year with that huge first goal.
If anything, I see Staalkingrad staying together w/ Comrie playing next to Sid & Kuni. Kinda makes me confused about what to do w/ Duppers. The 3rd line seems pretty set with Cookie & Ash. Looks like the only place for Duppers is on the 4th line bcause he’s still too good to drop.
It’s a good headache to have =D
Oh Hockey Season... How I've missed you...
Just so I never have to answer this again. I'm from Singapore so whenever you see me online, I'm either sleep deprived or just waking up.
With a roster limit of 23 players and Gradi being the only one who’s not waiver elligible, I don’t see how he doesn’t get sent down. Unless, he absolutely (and I mean absolutely flourishes) with the big club, he’s the guy that goes down.
Let me put it another way, would you want to see TK or Talbot lost because they waived him in order to keep Tangradi. I’d rather have Tangradi in WBS ready to come up at a moment’s notice than lose a guy to waivers in order to keep him with the Burgh.
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It's finally here.
Nash says Malkin's fist has "big taste."
Thanksgiving long weekend!!
Nice writeup!
"It reminded me a lot of when I was in Pittsburgh and we were growing together as a group. The Leafs are going through the same thing" - Colby Armstrong
Anyone hear about the Eberle fiasco?
(I know the secret, but if anyone didn’t hear it I don’t want to give it away)
"It reminded me a lot of when I was in Pittsburgh and we were growing together as a group. The Leafs are going through the same thing" - Colby Armstrong
No I haven’t. He did play well last night though. What happened?
Go PENS!!! Can't forget about them J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS!!!! And how about... WE ARE!!! PENN STATE!!!
http://watch.tsn.ca/#clip358537
:(
"It reminded me a lot of when I was in Pittsburgh and we were growing together as a group. The Leafs are going through the same thing" - Colby Armstrong
Just...wow.
Eberle and Hall both seem like serious brats (while Eberle was the focus of the video, I was very struck by the insolence of Hall’s comments about it being his debut and no one else’s). As for Horcoff, the “what about me?” comments are absolutely ridiculous from a guy who’s supposed to be the leader of the team.
Consider, too, that this is the team that Sheldon Souray basically got himself kicked off of at the end of last year, as well. To me, this looks like it has to be the worst locker room in the NHL. In some ways, it’s really kinda sad.
…Mostly, though, it’s hilarious.
Hey, an out is an out - unless you're Mario, in which case it's probably two outs. -UtesFan89
Hard work always beats talent if talent doesn't work hard.
I was in disbelief when I saw that souray was sent to Hershey. I’m excited to see him play and think he is a great addition. Go Bears!!
OT: I hope Ondrej Pavalec is ok.
by stoopidtom on Oct 8, 2010 8:53 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I am not sure if Hershey will be as deep as they have been in years past. Losing Alzner and Carlson on defense is never good. Also up front they have lost Alexandre Giroux, Chris Borque and Kyle Wilson – all key players for them the last few seasons. Hershey will still be in the hunt but I’m not sure if they’ll be representing the division come playoff time. We will have to see. It will be very interesting and I’m looking forward to covering the WBS Pens all season
Go PENS!!! Can't forget about them J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS!!!! And how about... WE ARE!!! PENN STATE!!!
lol it was all a joke.
When I first saw it I got really pissed off and I was super disappointed in Whitney (of all people!) and then the guys on PPP found out it was a joke.
I was about to boycott all mentions of Taylor Hall :P
"It reminded me a lot of when I was in Pittsburgh and we were growing together as a group. The Leafs are going through the same thing" - Colby Armstrong
Joke...whaa?
Hey, an out is an out - unless you're Mario, in which case it's probably two outs. -UtesFan89
Hard work always beats talent if talent doesn't work hard.
Check out that Vandermeer guy; at the end his mouth is twitching and he’s about to crack up.
And Eberle totally starts laughing at the end.
My faith in Hall has been restored
"It reminded me a lot of when I was in Pittsburgh and we were growing together as a group. The Leafs are going through the same thing" - Colby Armstrong
Errr...okay.
But why did they do it?
Hey, an out is an out - unless you're Mario, in which case it's probably two outs. -UtesFan89
Hard work always beats talent if talent doesn't work hard.
I guess so..
At least we know they have a sense of humour
"It reminded me a lot of when I was in Pittsburgh and we were growing together as a group. The Leafs are going through the same thing" - Colby Armstrong
Bah.
Whatever.
I hate that team now, for tricking me.
Hey, an out is an out - unless you're Mario, in which case it's probably two outs. -UtesFan89
Hard work always beats talent if talent doesn't work hard.
but.. Eberle!!
PS. I tricked you too :P
"It reminded me a lot of when I was in Pittsburgh and we were growing together as a group. The Leafs are going through the same thing" - Colby Armstrong
You did.
I’m mad at you too.
Hey, an out is an out - unless you're Mario, in which case it's probably two outs. -UtesFan89
Hard work always beats talent if talent doesn't work hard.
Aw, I’m sorry
"It reminded me a lot of when I was in Pittsburgh and we were growing together as a group. The Leafs are going through the same thing" - Colby Armstrong
It's cool.
I’ll find an even more clever way to trick you back.
Just you wait…
Hey, an out is an out - unless you're Mario, in which case it's probably two outs. -UtesFan89
Hard work always beats talent if talent doesn't work hard.
I’ll be waiting ;)
Did you think of a logo?
"It reminded me a lot of when I was in Pittsburgh and we were growing together as a group. The Leafs are going through the same thing" - Colby Armstrong
I'm working on it.
Paint’s not exactly the best tool…
Hey, an out is an out - unless you're Mario, in which case it's probably two outs. -UtesFan89
Hard work always beats talent if talent doesn't work hard.
you’ll have all night to perfect it, I’m dead tired.
Good night
"It reminded me a lot of when I was in Pittsburgh and we were growing together as a group. The Leafs are going through the same thing" - Colby Armstrong
Sounds good, it'll probably take me that long.
Night!
Hey, an out is an out - unless you're Mario, in which case it's probably two outs. -UtesFan89
Hard work always beats talent if talent doesn't work hard.
All righty, it’s up in the draft thread for your viewing pleasure (and critiquing).
Hey, an out is an out - unless you're Mario, in which case it's probably two outs. -UtesFan89
Hard work always beats talent if talent doesn't work hard.
And only now does this bit in the original comment make sense to me:
(I know the secret, but if anyone didn’t hear it I don’t want to give it away)
Bah.
Hey, an out is an out - unless you're Mario, in which case it's probably two outs. -UtesFan89
Hard work always beats talent if talent doesn't work hard.
It had to be a joke. No way all those guys are that cocky about it. I mean, kudos to them for keeping a straight face, but I kind of got the impression it was all one big gimmick.
Follow the Penguins on SBN @ Pensburgh.com, twitter and now on the official Pensburgh Facebook page
on another note...
Pierro-Zabotel and Grant weren’t mentioned anywhere above and they’ll be sent to WBS after they recover from their injuries and that’ll make the competition for roster spots even harder. Currently CPZ hasn’t impressed so he may be on his way to Wheeling again, but Grant should be able to push for a regular spot on the 3rd D pairing alongside Potter.
And thanks for the write-up, as I’ve said already – great to have a WBS specialist around:)
You have to see it for yourself...
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