The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have signed goaltender Maxim Pavlenko to a one-year deal, the team announced Tuesday.
A product of Aksu, Kazakhstan, Pavlenko spent this past season playing for Ryazan-VDV, a team in Russia's second-tier pro league. Across seven appearances in 2024-25, he collected a record of 2-3-0 to go along with a 2.81 GAA and a .901 SP.
Having played in the VHL for the past two seasons, Pavlenko has put together a stat line of 9-16-1, a 2.44 GAA and a .919 SP in 32 games. Prior to that, he spent time playing junior and pro hockey in his home country.
With Pavlenko joining WBS for next season, he could have the chance to surprise some people. A smooth, fluid goaltender, Pavlenko has intriguing size and has put up good numbers when he has gotten into games. Still just 22, he still has a good developmental runway in front of him.