Pittsburgh has some new life at the AHL level this season - and there are several players to keep tabs on as the season progresses

As the Pittsburgh Penguins look to continue their winning ways in preparation for Colorado on Tuesday, their AHL affiliate, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS), looks to do the same. 

The WBS Penguins sit second in the Atlantic division at 12-6-1, behind only the Hershey Bears (17-5-3). The team features a whole new crop of talent this season, as first-year professionals and NHL hopefuls are really making some noise on a much-improved team this season.

And some may be closer to NHL action than you think.

Forwards Vasily Ponomarev and Rutger McGroarty have already seen time in the NHL this season. Ponomarev just registered a four-point game - including a hat trick - against Hartford on Saturday, while McGroarty is rebounding from a slow start and has two goals and seven points in his last nine games.

However, there are a few other players who haven't seen NHL ice this season and are also making an impression.

Here are five other players to watch out for if you're a Pittsburgh Penguins fan:

Tristan Broz

Broz is currently tied for second among WBS skaters in scoring with 14 points in 19 games. He is also tied for the team lead in goals with Boris Katchouk at seven. 

In his first season of professional hockey following his collegiate career at the University of Denver, the Penguins' 2021 second-round pick is adjusting quite nicely. Pittsburgh will - more than likely - prioritize reps and proper development over rushing a premature call-up.

But - despite him slowing down a bit in recent games - if he continues to put up numbers, don't be surprised to see him sometime before the end of the season.

Filip Kral

The 25-year-old left defenseman was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs during the fifth round in 2018 and appeared in two NHL games during the 2022-23 season. After a season in the Finnish Hockey League, the Penguins signed him to a one-year deal in the offseason.

For the most part, Kral had a pretty impressive training camp, and he has registered three goals and 10 points in 13 games so far this season for WBS. Depending on how the left-defensive situation shakes out at the NHL level - and how Kral continues to play this season - Pittsburgh may call for his services at some point.

Ville Koivunen

Koivunen, like Ponomarev, was brought to Pittsburgh as part of the Jake Guentzel trade in March. The 21-year-old forward was a second-round pick for Carolina in 2021, and he saw some time on a line with Evgeni Malkin and Rickard Rakell in training camp this season.

He has four goals and 14 points in 19 AHL games this season and has, recently, seen regular time on WBS's top line with Katchouk and Sam Poulin. The Finnish forward is a smart, relentless player with some serious natural talent, and he, like Broz, may been seen at the NHL level sometime before the end of the season.

Mac Hollowell

Hollowell - a 26-year-old right-shot defenseman who was also drafted by Toronto in the 2018 NHL Draft, except in the fourth round - is currently fourth on the team in scoring at 14 points in 18 games. Like Kral, he also saw a bit of time at the NHL level in 2022-23, registering two points in six games that season.

This is a player to keep an eye on, especially - again - depending on how the defensive situation shakes out for the Penguins. They currently only have two right-side defensemen on their NHL roster in Kris Letang and Erik Karlsson.

Emil Bemstrom

Although Bemstrom is currently out day-to-day after getting "banged up" (along with defenseman Jack St. Ivany) against Hartford, it's hard to ignore what he's been doing at the AHL level this season. 

The 25-year-old Swede leads the WBS Penguins in scoring with six goals and 19 points in 18 games. Penguins' GM and POHO Kyle Dubas both traded for Bemstrom last season and re-signed him during the offseason, so it's clear the organization sees some value there. 

If he continues a pace like this, you can probably expect for him to be one of the first call-ups from the AHL.