With Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby's injury status questionable in the coming days - and Evgeni Malkin still out - who should get the call from the AHL to fill in some center depth on the NHL roster?

After enjoying a promising start to his professional hockey career, Pittsburgh Penguins top prospect Tristan Broz hit an unexpected road block in the middle of the season.

The 22-year-old forward contracted mononucleosis near the end of December, which caused him to miss well over a month of hockey.

And he finally took the ice with his teammates again Friday.

Playing in his first AHL game since Dec. 28, Broz registered a goal in his return to game action, as the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins defeated the Bridgeport Islanders, 3-0.

Broz was a plus-two with four shots on goal in the contest.

The Penguins' promising forward prospect returned to practice a few weeks ago, but because he had mono for a month, he needed to get back in game shape. The team was patient in his recovery process and wanted to make sure he was good to go before getting back into action.

Pittsburgh's second-round pick in 2022 (58th overall), Broz has recorded 13 goals and 20 points in 28 games during his first season in professional hockey at the AHL level. He has been one of their most productive players and is fourth on the team in goals, behind only Boris Katchouk, Ville Koivunen, and Emil Bemstrom - who was recalled to the NHL roster on Friday.

After Long Absence, Penguins Top Prospect Tallies Goal In Return To Action