WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – Not much went right Wednesday for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in an ugly 4-0 loss to St. John’s, particularly along the blue line. But even in that setting, one defenseman did manage to stand out, and it wasn’t AHL All-Star representative David Warsofsky, former NHL first-rounder Derrick Pouliot or any other obvious candidate.
“(Ethan Prow) had a good game,” Clark Donatelli would say Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena. “On the back end, we weren’t good as a group, but I thought he did pretty good. He actually stood out; his retrievals were really good.”
It was quite the statement.
Prow, a 24-year-old rookie out of St. Cloud State, began the year in Wheeling before making his season debut with the AHL Penguins Oct. 26. And in the four months since, he has turned into a solid offensive contributor while also making strides at the other end of the ice. He has five points in his past 11 games, including his first professional goal against St. John’s Feb. 3, and a plus-6 rating in that span.
“It was nice to get the first (goal) out of the way,” Prow said. “Obviously, it took a little longer than I wanted, but once it’s done it’s a great feeling to get it out of the way. It ranks right up there with some of the accomplishments through college and stuff.”
The Sauk Rapids, Minn., native was a bit of a late bloomer at St. Cloud, but he became a dominant force once everything clicked. As a senior, he erupted for 38 points in 37 games and was named a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award, collegiate hockey’s top honor. He was undrafted, but Pittsburgh couldn’t resist his offensive potential and signed him to a two-year entry level contract last spring. The hope is that he develops into a good attacking defenseman at the next level.
Prow said his first full pro season has been filled with adjustments, including to the 76-game length of the AHL schedule. However, he has benefitted greatly from the veteran leadership on the Penguins’ blue line. This past week, for example, he was paired with recent Pittsburgh callup Cameron Gaunce.
“I think you can learn a lot with the team that we have, especially on the back end,” Prow said. “If you can take some of the things (the older defensemen) do day in and day out and put it in your game, then it can only help.”
Not surprisingly, he has had some bumps. For example, he was temporarily benched during a win over Binghamton on Jan. 7 after he and the Penguins were burned for a couple of goals. But since that point, he’s been an even rating or better in all but two games.
With his offensive ability finally showing through, Prow will continue to learn the nuances of defending at the AHL level. Once he does, he could be well on his way to a long and productive career.
“His offensive abilities allow him to make that first pass coming out of the D-zone,” Donatelli said. “Defending is another step in the process for him: the speed of the game, the strength of the guys, his angles, his stick detail. But he’s improving. (Defenseman) is a tough position coming in.”
MORE FROM WILKES-BARRE
• Feb. 8: vs. St. John’s, 4-0 loss
• Feb. 10: vs. Hershey, 4-3 win (OT)
• Feb. 11: vs. Binghamton, 4-2 win
• The loss Wednesday was the fourth time the Penguins were shut out this season, but they responded with two big wins over rivals. Kevin Porter had the game-winning goal and three assists against Hershey and added another helper in the win Saturday.
• Veteran enforcer Tom Sestito was injured in the game Friday against the Bears, prompting the Penguins to recall Jarrett Burton from Wheeling. Sestito was out of the lineup Saturday, and no update was given on his condition.
• Josh Archibald’s breakthrough season might have reached its climax in the minors. He had 22 points and a plus-24 rating when called up Friday to the NHL, then scored his first two NHL goals Saturday in Glendale, Ariz.
Up next: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton hosts Lehigh Valley on Tuesday before making a three-in-three swing — with stops in Albany, Springfield and Providence — through the Northeast.
Goal of the week: Tom Kostopoulos scored his milestone 200th career AHL goal late in the third period Friday to force overtime. He continues to lead the current roster in goals and points:
BEYOND THE AHL
Forward Blaine Byron had a goal and an assist for the University of Maine in a weekend series against Notre Dame. Byron has points in eight of his past nine contests.
TOP-PICK TRACKER
• Goaltender Filip Gustavsson and Lulea HF of the Swedish Hockey League did not play last week. He is still looking to rebound from allowing 10 goals in his past two starts.
• Forward Kasper Bjorkqvist had two assists for No. 11 Providence College in the course of a home-and home sweep of Connecticut, helping the Friars stretch their win streak to nine games.
• Forward Daniel Sprong continued to dominate the QMJHL ranks with the Charlottetown Islanders, netting his first career hat trick against Drummondville on Saturday and two goals the night before in a win over Halifax.
WHEELING REPORT
The Nailers packed their bags and travelled due west, visiting the Idaho Steelheads for a three-game series and came away with one victory. Doug Carr earned his fourth career shutout, his first as a Nailer.
Up next: Wheeling returns to the comforts of home for three games in total: two against Brampton and a Saturday matchup against Kalamazoo.
Goal of the week: Garrett Meurs scored twice Friday in a 3-0 victory, including this nifty wrap-around tally that showed off his hand-eye coordination:
PROSPECT WATCH
A look at how the Penguins’ prospects and other minor-leaguers under NHL contracts have done this season:
Penguins
Wilkes-Barre Watch: Ethan Prow goes on attack
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