Pens sign three forwards to AHL contracts

Wilkes-Barre announced the signings of three high-scoring junior forwards to AHL contracts for next season.

Gabe Klasson, a star for Portland of the WHL, finished seventh in league scoring this season.

Atley Calvert, who camped with the Penguins prior to last season, was a teammate of Brayden Yager in Moose Jaw.

Jack Beck, a 2021 Calgary fifth round draftee who became a free agent after not signing, wrapped up a successful junior career with Soo in the OHL.

From the team:

The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins announced today that they have signed forwards Gabe Klassen, Atley Calvert and Jack Beck to American Hockey League contracts.

Both Klassen and Calvert signed two-year deals that run through the 2025-26 season. Beck’s contract is a one-year pact for the 2024-25 campaign.

Klassen served as captain of the Portland Winterhawks in both of the last two seasons, and he eclipsed 30 goals in each of his last three seasons. Klassen led the Winterhawks with 109 points (35G-71A) this past year, which ranked seventh in the Western Hockey League. The 20-year-old’s 71 assists also tied for fourth in the league.

A product of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Klassen racked up 118 goals and 147 assists for 265 points in 248 career WHL games.

Calvert, 20, also proved to be an offensive catalyst in the WHL, procuring 47 goals and 95 points in 68 games for the Moose Jaw Warriors this season. That was good enough for second on the team in both categories. The Moose Jaw native added an additional 20 points (8G-12A) in 20 playoff games for the Warriors en route to winning the WHL Championship this year.

Calvert earned 105 goals and 115 assists for 220 career points in 237 games across five WHL seasons.

Beck played four seasons in the Ontario Hockey League, splitting time between the Ottawa 67’s and Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. Beck topped the Greyhounds in goals (27), assists (58A) and points (85) this past year.

The 21-year-old who hails from Richmond Hill, Ontario was drafted by the Calgary Flames in the sixth round (168^th overall) of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. In 204 OHL games, Beck had 201 points (68G-133A). He also produced over a point-per-game pace in the playoffs, collecting 10 goals and 10 assists for 20 points in 19 career postseason games.

One reason all were NHL free agents (who couldn’t merit NHL contracts) is size. Klassen is listed at 5’10, Beck at 5’11 and both have weight in sub-180 pounds. Atley is listed at 6’0” and 193, officially, but official listings don’t always make true.

All have been elite scorers at the Canadian junior level, but history is rife with players whose production doesn’t translate as the competition level ratchets up in the pros. Pittsburgh’s prospect pool isn’t deep, which makes for a no-loss situation to bring in a few talented, young players to round out the AHL or even ECHL roster next season and see if any can rise to the opportunity and merit a longer look in the organization.

The most famous recent and pertinent example of AHL contract to NHL contributor for the Pens is the case of Conor Sheary. Sheary signed an AHL contract for 2014-15, played very well as an AHL rookie (45 points in 58 games, 12 points in eight playoff games) and before you know it Sheary was up on the biggest stage of all scoring a Stanley Cup Final overtime goal in 2016 as a Sidney Crosby winger.

Needless to say, Sheary’s anecdotal evidence represents the exception and not the rule for a best case scenario for an AHL contract blossoming into something more, but adding these types of players can be seen as a numbers game. The more you bring in, the bigger a chance that something pans out. This new crop might not have a career with $20 million in earnings, a couple Stanley Cups and a long run in the NHL, but it’s something to shoot for.