Grading the Pittsburgh Penguins Call-Ups for 2014-15
The Pittsburgh Penguins are no strangers to dramatic injury situations, but the 2014-15 season is looking like it could be their craziest year yet.
Just 34 games into the schedule, 31 skaters and three goaltenders have appeared in Penguins uniforms in game situations.
Last week, I graded the pro acquisitions brought in by general manager Jim Rutherford to shore up the lineup. Today, I'll look at the long list of new faces that have been called up from the AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins to help fill the holes left by Pittsburgh's many injuries and illnesses.
Defenseman Simon Despres was on track to get his NHL opportunity this season—and he has made the most of it. Virtually everyone else on this list is fighting above their weight class.
Here's how they're managing so far. Players are listed by the number of games in which they've appeared.
Stats courtesy of NHL.com and HockeyDB.com. Transaction information from TheHockeyNews.com.
Zach Sill: Center
1 of 12
Age: 26
Previous NHL Experience: Twenty games with Penguins in 2013-14. No points.
His 2014-15 season so far: Zach Sill cleared waivers out of training camp and originally assigned to the Wheeling Nailers of the ECHL, but he was recalled in time for the Penguins' season opener on October 9.
Banging bodies in a bottom-six role, Zach Sill appeared in 25 games before suffering an upper-body injury against the Calgary Flames on December 13. While healthy, he averaged six minutes and 45 seconds of ice time per game but has yet to collect his first NHL point.
Grade: C+
Simon Despres: Defense
2 of 12
Age: 23
Previous NHL Experience: Eighty-five games played with Penguins over three seasons. 3-13-16.
His 2014-15 season so far: After three trips back and forth between Pittsburgh and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in 2013-14, Despres started the 2014-15 season at the NHL level and has been one of Pittsburgh's steadiest defenders.
Simon Despres has been healthy all year—knock on wood—and is a plus-nine with nine points and 50 penalty minutes in his 33 games played. He's also second in the NHL among defensemen with 113 hits—trailing only his old teammate Brooks Orpik, who is now with the Washington Capitals.
A breakthrough season for the first-rounder from 2009.
Grade: A
Andrew Ebbett: Center
3 of 12
Age: 31
Previous NHL Experience: Two hundred games over seven seasons with the Anaheim Ducks, Chicago Blackhawks, Minnesota Wild, Phoenix Coyotes, Vancouver Canucks and Pittsburgh Penguins. 25-40-65.
His 2014-15 season so far: Signed as a free agent to start the 2013-14 season, Andrew Ebbett spent most of last year on the farm in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
After a couple of early call-ups this season where he did not dress, Ebbett has played in 11 of the Penguins' last 12 games. The undersized forward isn't especially dynamic offensively—he has two assists this season—but he has NHL experience and is putting in solid minutes for an injury-ravaged team.
Grade: B
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Jayson Megna: Center
4 of 12
Age: 24
Previous NHL Experience: Thirty-six games with the Penguins in 2013-14. 4-5-9.
His 2014-15 season so far: Cut from training camp in late September, Jayson Megna didn't dress when he was recalled by Pittsburgh in late October but saw nine games of action in late November and early December.
With just one assist to show for his efforts, he was returned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on December 13. As shorthanded as the Penguins have been, he'll spend the holiday break on the farm.
Grade: C-
Brian Dumoulin: Defense
5 of 12
Age: 23
Previous NHL Experience: Six games with the Penguins in 2013-14. 0-1-1.
His 2014-15 season so far: Another emergency call-up due to Pittsburgh's injury situation, Brian Dumoulin played 22 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this season before being recalled in early December.
He has been steady through seven games, scoring his first NHL goal and recording an even plus-minus in about 15 minutes of ice time per game. Dumoulin's looking like another valuable asset acquired from 2012's Jordan Staal trade to Carolina.
Grade: B
Bryan Rust: Right Wing
6 of 12
Age: 22
Previous NHL Experience: None
His 2014-15 season so far: A third-round draft pick in 2010, Bryan Rust spent four years at Notre Dame after being drafted. Assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to start the 2014-15 season, the hard-working right-winger has appeared in six games with the Penguins this season and scored one goal.
Brand new to the pro ranks, he's holding his own in a tough situation.
Grade: C+
Bobby Farnham: Right Wing
7 of 12
Age: 25
Previous NHL Experience: None
His 2014-15 season so far: With a hockey background that includes a stint at Ivy League Brown University, the last thing you'd expect is for Bobby Farnham to make a name for himself in the NHL as a fighter.
That's precisely what he has done. Farnham has three scraps to his credit in his first six NHL games and is proving to be an effective old-school sparkplug for the depleted Penguins.
Grade: B
Scott Harrington: Defense
8 of 12
Age: 21
Previous NHL Experience: None
His 2014-15 season so far: After a full season last year with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, injuries in Pittsburgh have put Scott Harrington on the fast track.
He was a minus-two against the explosive Tampa Bay Lightning on December 23 but played 22:38 on Pittsburgh's top pairing with Kris Letang. Harrington is currently Mike Johnston's next-best option after Letang on a decimated blue line—high praise so early in his NHL career.
Grade: B+
Derrick Pouliot: Defense
9 of 12
Age: 20
Previous NHL Experience: None
His 2014-15 season so far: Arguably the best of Pittsburgh's defensive prospects, Derrick Pouliot started the year on injured reserve after offseason shoulder surgery. He posted 20 points in 23 games when he joined Wilkes-Barre/Scanton in late October before getting called up by the Penguins on December 20.
Pouliot made an immediate impression by scoring his first goal on his first NHL shot against the Florida Panthers last Saturday. In the ensuing two games, he has logged more than 18 minutes of ice time while playing a steady defensive game that belies his inexperience.
Pouliot looks poised to live up to the high expectations that come from being drafted eighth overall.
Grade: A
Taylor Chorney: Defense
10 of 12
Age: 27
Previous NHL Experience: Sixty-one games over four seasons with the Edmonton Oilers and St. Louis Blues. 1-6-7.
His 2014-15 season so far: Three seasons removed from his last NHL appearance, Chorney was signed to a two-way contract by the Penguins as a free agent in July. It was expected that he'd provide a veteran presence in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Chorney was recalled by Pittsburgh on December 20 but has seen limited on-ice action playing as a forward. Mike Johnston has preferred to give the defensive responsibilities to his young blueliners Despres, Dumoulin, Harrington and Pouliot.
Grade: C
Dominik Uher: Center
11 of 12
Age: 21
Previous NHL Experience: None
His 2014-15 season so far: Drafted in the fifth round in 2011, Uher played his first NHL game on December 23 as an emergency call-up after an injury to Blake Comeau against the Florida Panthers the night before.
Uher was the sixth player from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to be recalled by Pittsburgh in the month of December. He played 7:17 in his NHL debut, shuffling through the lineup according to the situation.
Grade: C+
Scott Wilson: Center
12 of 12
Age: 22
Previous NHL Experience: None
His 2014-15 season so far: Perhaps no one epitomizes the Pittsburgh Penguins' season better than Scott Wilson. After a solid college career with the University of Massachusetts Lowell, Wilson was recalled from the Baby Penguins on December 2 after Chris Kunitz was injured.
Wilson played just seven shifts in his NHL debut against the New Jersey Devils before suffering a leg injury of his own. His time on injured reserve has lasted significantly longer than the 4:21 he has logged so far with the Penguins.
Grade: Incomplete
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