Andrey Pedan has been one of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's top defensemen since being acquired in the Derrick Pouliot trade in October.
The move offered Pedan some stability and a fresh start after parts of three up-and-down seasons in Vancouver's system, of which he said, "I didn’t really get a chance to play as much as I thought I would to show my abilities.”
It seemed as if Pedan was going to get that shot in Pittsburgh when he was recalled on Dec. 28 after injuries to Kris Letang and Chad Ruhwedel. That chance never came, and Pedan was reassigned to Wilkes-Barre three days later without getting a game in.
While he was disappointed to not get a game in with Pittsburgh this season, he's been through this before.
"I've been up so many times in Vancouver and I didn't play," Pedan said of the experience. "If I play, I will do my best, if not, it is what it is. I'm past that point where I'm going to be pissed off."
He did manage to have some positive takeaways from his short time in Pittsburgh.
"I had a great experience meeting the guys, seeing the atmosphere and the team, new people. It was fun."
When I spoke to Pedan shortly before his recall to Pittsburgh, he said that his main focus for the season was improving the little details to his game -- things like his gap control, keeping his stick down, and finishing his checks. Even though his skating was one of his biggest strengths, he said that was a focus as well.
In the month after Pedan was reassigned to Wilkes-Barre, he was playing a much cleaner game than earlier in the season, and continued to be one of the team's best defensemen. He even recorded a hat trick on Jan. 13, the first of his career.
Pedan might have been on track to earn another opportunity, but an injury set him back. He sustained a concussion on Feb. 11, and did not play again until Mar. 23.
This isn't the first concussion of Pedan's career. The frustrating part, he said, was having no timetable for his return, not knowing when he'd get to play again. Now, as Wilkes-Barre approaches the postseason, he's starting to return to form.
"I had been playing really good, I feel like my best hockey," he said. "Then I got hurt for a little while, so that got me off my stride. But now I feel good about my game."
Pedan doesn't have much AHL playoff experience at all -- only four games with Utica in 2016 -- but he's not intimidated by the road ahead of him.
"I feel like playoff hockey is just like regular season, maybe a little more intense? But I'm excited," Pedan said. "That's what you play for the whole season, it comes down to the end and to those games. I'm excited about that."
As expected, Pedan says that there is an extra factor fueling him as the postseason rolls around -- Tom Kostopoulos.
"Obviously (Kostopoulos) is a great guy, great leader. For him, going into the last season, you want to win it, you want to do good for him and give your best. That's what I'm going to do. I don't know about how the other guys feel, but I want to be a part of his last season and make it something he can remember."
TK'S LAST HOME GAME
Tom Kostopoulos played his last regular season home game with the Penguins on Saturday.
The captain's teammates all wore Kostopoulos' No. 29 during warmups:
All #WBSPenguins players wearing No. 29 during warm-ups prior to Tom Kostopoulos’ last regular season home game. The captain was unaware of the gesture until his teammates put on their sweaters. pic.twitter.com/LIRXBUSQfQ
— Nick Hart (@_NickHart) April 7, 2018
The team brought Kostopoulos' wife and two children out before the anthem as another surprise, and honored him with this video of his career highlights:
While we work on tonight's highlights package, enjoy our pregame tribute to Tom Kostopoulos. pic.twitter.com/jnRuqa0ezh
— WBS Penguins (@WBSPenguins) April 8, 2018
Kostopoulos was scoreless during the game, but was of course named the No. 1 star of the game. The Binghamton Devils players stayed on the ice after the game to shake hands with the captain.
TEAM AWARDS
The Penguins handed out their team awards on Friday. The recipients were as follows:
Defensive Player of the Year: Jarred Tinordi
Media Award: Garrett Wilson
Rookie of the Year: Daniel Sprong
Star of the Year: Daniel Sprong
Most Valuable Player: Jean-Sebastien Dea
Community Service Award: Tom Kostopoulos
Fan Favorite: Tom Kostopoulos
Sprong was also recognized for being named to the AHL All-Rookie team.
MORE FROM WILKES-BARRE
• Apr. 3: vs. Hershey, 5-3 win
• Apr. 6: vs. Bridgeport, 4-3 loss
• Apr. 7: vs. Binghamton, 7-4 win
• Apr. 8: at Bridgeport, 5-2 win
• The Penguins clinched their 16th straight berth in the Calder Cup playoffs on Friday, the longest active playoff appearance streak in the AHL.
• Daniel Sprong is heating up heading into the postseason. In four games this week, he recorded three goals and three assists.
• Other Penguins forwards had a productive week. Christian Thomas, the Penguins' Olympian, scored three goals and an assist this week. Teddy Blueger and Jean-Sebastien Dea each scored two goals and two assists. Sam Lafferty scored his first professional goal in his eighth game.
• Anthony Angello joined Wilkes-Barre on an amateur tryout agreement following the conclusion of his senior season at Cornell. His entry-level contract with Pittsburgh will kick in next season.
• Lines and defense pairings from Sunday:
Garrett Wilson - Jean-Sebastien Dea - Daniel Sprong
Adam Johnson - Gage Quinney - Ryan Haggerty
Pat McGrath - Jarrett Burton - Christian Thomas
Joseph Cramarossa - Teddy Blueger - Tom Kostopoulos
Andrey Pedan - Lukas Bengtsson
Chris Summers - Kevin Czuczman
Jarred Tinordi - Zach Trotman
• After this week, the Penguins remain in second place in the Atlantic Division, with a point percentage* of .644. The Providence Bruins, their likely first-round opponent, are third in the division with a point percentage of .623. The Lehigh Valley Phantoms have already secured first place in the division, so the Penguins' focus will be securing that second-place spot and home ice advantage in the first round.
*The AHL standings are determined by point percentage. This is because the Pacific Division plays only 68 games (due to travel) and the rest of the league plays 76 games.
• The Penguins (43-22-6-2) will close out the regular season this week with a three-in-three road trip. They'll play the Springfield Thunderbirds (32-24-5-2), Lehigh Valley Phantoms (45-19-5-5), and Hershey Bears (29-36-4-5) as they try to maintain their position in the standings.
GOALS OF THE WEEK
Just a ridiculous goal from Teddy Blueger against Hershey:
Kostopoulos' final home goal of the regular season came on Friday, getting the tip on this Sprong shot:
Sprong had his own goal in Friday's game, and he put everything he had into the shot:
Jarrett Burton hit the post after a feed from Tom Sestito, stuck with it, and put in the rebound on Saturday:
Sprong's 30th goal of the season came in Saturday's game:
SAVE OF THE WEEK
Tristan Jarry shut the door on the Bears:
BEYOND THE AHL
Jordy Bellerive and the Lethbridge Hurricanes are currently in the second round of the WHL playoffs. They currently hold a 2-0 series lead over the Brandon Wheat Kings.
Bellerive was the No. 1 star in Game 2, recording two goals and an assist in a 5-4 overtime win. The Wheat Kings held a 4-0 lead in the game until midway through the second period. Bellerive's first goal began the comeback effort, and he scored the Hurricanes' third goal of the game as well:
Bellerive later assisted on the overtime winner.
In the first round matchup with the Red Deer Rebels, Bellerive recorded six goals and five assists in five games. His eight total goals lead the Hurricanes this postseason, and ranks third in the WHL. Five of his goals have come on the power play, and he is currently the WHL's postseason leader in power play goals.
Bellerive's physical play is one element of his game that should make his eventual transition to the professional game happen smoothly. Another element that should translate well is his shot production. In the regular season, Bellerive totaled 322 shots in 71 games, which works out to be an average of about 4.5 shots per game.
TOP PICK TRACKER
• Defenseman Zachary Lauzon (second round, 2017) and the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies were eliminated from the QMJHL playoffs this week. The Sherbrooke Phoenix defeated the Huskies in seven games in the first round. Lauzon missed games six and seven after aggravating the neck injury that caused him to miss significant time during the regular season.
• Forward Kasper Bjorkqvist (second round, 2016) and Providence College’s season ended two weeks ago. He set new career highs in goals (16), assists (7), and points (23) in 40 games this year.
• Defenseman Connor Hall (third round, 2016) underwent shoulder surgery and will miss the Kitchener Rangers’ playoff run.
WHEELING WATCH
The Nailers' season is over, failing to qualify for the playoffs in back-to-back seasons. I'll post my season-ending thoughts tomorrow.
PROSPECT FUN THING
Pedan stumbled upon Joseph Cramarossa and Christian Thomas at a furniture store, apparently a real hot spot for the Penguins to visit during their free time: