General Manager Jim Rutherford announced today that the Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled two defensemen, five forwards and one goalie from their AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
The #Pens have recalled 2 defensemen, 5 forwards, and 1 goaltender from the @WBSPenguins: https://t.co/IuYmsz3Mgk pic.twitter.com/Uhm9ZayV1o
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) May 19, 2016
Steve Oleksy and Tim Erixon are the two defensemen Pittsburgh added to their NHL club with Daniel Sprong, Dominik Simon, Jean-Sebastien Dea, Josh Archibald and Kael Mouillierat rounding out the forward group. Pittsburgh also brought Tristan Jarry back who had already served as backup to Jeff Zatkoff early in round one.
The mass recall is possible due to Wilkes-Barre being eliminated from the AHL playoffs earlier this week. There is no salary cap for NHL teams in the postseason, so Pittsburgh doesn’t need to worry about financial implications.
It’s unlikely that anyone from this group will see the ice, though Patric Hornqvist’s hand injury could mean someone slotting in if he’s forced to miss time. The most notable name is rookie Daniel Sprong who played 18 games for the Penguins this season prior to being sent back to juniors. When his QMJHL team was eliminated from the playoffs, he joined Wilkes-Barre for their postseason run.
He scored two goals with the Penguins earlier this year. After joining Wilkes-Barre for the playoffs, he tallied five goals and seven points in 10 games.