Penguins Recall Three Forwards, Rule Five Forwards Out For Remainder Of Season
Nov 19, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Vasily Ponomarev (11) skates with the puck against Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Darren Raddysh (43) during the third period at PPG Paints Arena. (Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images)With just three games remaining on the Pittsburgh Penguins' regular season schedule, it appears the injury situation on the NHL roster is beginning to deplete the AHL team.
Forwards Vasily Ponomarev, Emil Bemstrom, and Valtteri Puustinen were recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) - Pittsburgh's AHL affiliate - on an emergency basis after head coach Mike Sullivan announced that forwards Noel Acciari, Blake Lizotte, Rutger McGroarty, Matt Nieto, and Tommy Novak will miss the remainder of the regular season.
Emergency recalls do not count toward the post-deadline limit of four AHL call-ups, so each recalled forward is eligible to play without issue.
All three recalled forwards have seen some semblance of NHL ice this season, and they have been major players in WBS's quest for a Calder Cup. Ponomarev has 15 goals and 40 points in 54 AHL games, and Puustinen has 16 goals and 35 points in 47 games.
Bemstrom leads WBS in points-per-game (1.02) with 21 goals and 46 points in 45 games, and he was named an AHL All-Star this season.
Acciari, 33, had five goals and 12 points - as well as a team-leading 100 blocked shots and 180 hits - in 79 games this season. Lizotte, 27, had two separate injured reserve stints earlier this season and registered 11 goals - tying a career high - and 20 points. Both players are under contract for one more season with the Penguins.
Mar 21, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Noel Acciari (55) reacts after scoring a goal with left wing Joona Koppanen (15) and center Blake Lizotte (46) against the Columbus Blue Jackets during the first period at PPG Paints Arena. (Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images)Novak was traded from the Nashville Predators to the Penguins prior to deadline day in a package that sent forward Michael Bunting the other way. The 27-year-old center had played in just two games for the Penguins before going down with an injury that has kept him out since Mar. 9, and he has two years remaining on a contract worth $3.5 million annually.
Nieto had been waived by the Penguins on Feb. 24 and has recorded just one goal and three points in 32 games. He is set to hit unrestricted free agency this summer.
Meanwhile, the 21-year-old McGroarty was impressing in his latest stint at the NHL level, putting up a goal and three points in five games and displaying some natural chemistry on the top line with Sidney Crosby and Bryan Rust. McGroarty was expected to join WBS for their Calder Cup playoff run after the conclusion of the NHL regular season.
If WBS makes a deeper run, there is a chance McGroarty could make a return sometime later in the playoffs.
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