It’s a two-fer with two weeks since our last check in on the AHL affiliate out in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Nick Hart’s recap of the early games from WBSPenguins.com and most recent. WBS posted a 4-2-1 record over the past two weeks worth of games.

Wednesday, Jan. 14 – PENGUINS 4 at Providence 1
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton usurped first place from Providence with a clinical performance and an AHL career-high 36 saves from Sergei Murashov. Tristan Broz scored twice, and other tallies came courtesy of Joona Koppanen and Rafaël Harvey-Pinard.

Friday, Jan. 16 – PENGUINS 3 vs. Hartford 4
Time ran out on a fiery comeback attempt, as the Penguins fell in their first of back-to-back games against the Wolf Pack. Gabe Klassen scored twice, but a three-goal second period by Hartford spelled doom for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Saturday, Jan. 17 – PENGUINS 4 vs. Hartford 1
The Penguins bounced back in a big way, scoring thrice in the first period and never looking back. Harvey-Pinard notched three points (1G-2A) in that explosive opening frame. As insurance, Finn Harding scored his first AHL goal in the second period.

Monday, Jan. 19 – PENGUINS 3 at Springfield 2
Rutger McGroarty returned from the NHL and Avery Hayes returned from injury as offense from Valtteri Puustinen, Chase Pietila and Klassen led the Pens to their second-straight victory.

Wednesday, Jan. 21 – PENGUINS 2 vs. Belleville 3 (OT)
A goalie duel between two old friends took place, as Joel Blomqvist and Leevi Meriläinen went save-for-save in a starry display. However, Meriläinen’s 25 saves in the first two periods kept his team in it, leading to an OT win for the B-Sens. Rafaël Harvey-Pinard and Atley Calvert both scored for WBS.

Friday, Jan. 23 – PENGUINS 4 at Hershey 3 (SO)
A back-and-forth thriller at Giant Center ended with the Penguins surviving in a shootout. Owen Pickering and Ville Koivunen lit the lamp in the first period, and Avery Hayes forced OT with his late, tying goal. Rutger McGroarty posted an assist on all three goals. Koivunen scored again in the shootout, while Sergei Murashov thwarted all three of Hershey’s attempts.

Saturday, Jan. 24 – PENGUINS 2 vs. Charlotte 5
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton wrapped its eight-game season series with Charlotte with a loss. Gabe Klassen and Aidan McDonough found twine for the Penguins, but Blomqvist’s season-high 35 saves weren’t enough. Charlotte won each of its for visits to Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza this season.

It’s been a test lately for WBS, seeing prior stalwarts like Sam Poulin and Valtteri Puustinen leave the organization via trade, and some bonus AHL participants in Danton Heinen and Philip Tomasino moving on to their next teams as well. That’s opened the doors for players on AHL contracts like Gabe Klassen, Aaron Huglen, Aidan McDonough and Atley Calvert to step into bigger roles. Those aren’t the sexiest names when it comes to surefire NHL prospects or big picture items for the organization at a whole but will be critical to the WBS season.

Klassen is especially standing out with his 10 points (8G+2A) in the last 11 games. The 22-year old is in his second season with the Pens organization, having spent most of 2024-25 in Wheeling. Klassen is a guy who has popped a little in events like the September prospect challenge, it’s been nice to see him go from a bit player at the AHL level and turn into a key contributor for WBS over the last month, often playing these days centering a line with the NHL top prospects.

AHL games are lower scoring, the Pens benefit from having a strong defense corps and two of the finest goalies currently in the league these days. That can go a long way, and has been so far.

Another boost has been the return from the AHL for Rutger McGroarty and Ville Koivunen. McGroarty has compiled five assists in the four games he has been back. That’s very encouraging considering he’s returning from a concussion suffered in a NHL practice a few weeks ago. Koivunen has recorded six points (1G+5A) in the nine games since his re-assignment to the AHL in early January.

Missing from the above lines, one might note, is WBS’s leading scorer Tristan Broz. It looks like Broz will be out for at least a few weeks with an undisclosed injury. Joona Koppanen has also missed time after blocking a shot.

Overall, Wilkes remains in a strong second place spot in the Atlantic Division, having completed almost 60% of their 72-game regular season schedule.

WBS is back in action with a pair of games this weekend, hosting Syracuse on Friday night before heading over to Lehigh Valley on Saturday.