Sam Lafferty says he didn't have any expectations entering this season, his first full professional season.
17 games in, Lafferty is surely defying the expectations of others.
Lafferty, the Penguins' 2014 fourth-round pick, is leading the pack in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton with four goals and 10 assists.
"I just wanted to come in here and play as hard as I could and earn my ice time, and I think so far I've done that," Lafferty told me of his start the season. "I just want to keep moving forward, and keep building on the things that have helped me have success so far."
It isn't uncommon for college products to get off to a slow start when they make the jump to the AHL. The game is faster, the opponents are bigger. While college teams may only play two games in one weekend, AHL games are much more frequent.
Lafferty says the "three-in-three" weeks of back-to-back-to-back games were definitely an adjustment at first. But as far as the style of play goes? He's comfortable.
"Overall I think it's been a smooth transition," he said. "I haven't had to change my game, I just want to play hard and keep getting better."
One of Lafferty's biggest strengths is his speed, which has definitely helped his transition. At 6-feet-1 and 195 pounds, his size puts him in a good position as well, and he uses it with his physical play. With his goals this season, he's also just shown off his pure skill:
Lafferty did get an early sample of the pro game at the end of last season. Following the conclusion of his senior year at Brown, he joined Wilkes-Barre for a 9-game tryout in the spring, during which he recorded one goal and two assists.
"That was really big," Lafferty said of last season. "Just coming in at the end of last year was a great experience, and helped me kind of know what to expect coming into this year. I think it definitely helped me hit the ground running."
Lafferty got a head start on some chemistry last season, too. He centered a line of Adam Johnson (arguably the fastest prospect in the system) and Ryan Haggerty. Wilkes-Barre's lines have shuffled throughout the season, but Lafferty's latest regular linemates are again Johnson and Haggerty. Their line has definitely pushed the tempo this week, and also contributed on the scoresheet.
"I just like playing with those guys," Lafferty said. "They're both really fast skaters, and I think all three of us want to play really similar games. I thought we had some good chemistry last year, and I think we have some good chemistry now. It's good."
Whether it be due to call-ups or injuries, or Clark Donatelli just looking to shake up the offense, Wilkes-Barre has used many different line combinations this far into the season. Everyone has different strengths, and it's been good for Lafferty's development to play with so many different players.
Another successful combination has been Lafferty centering Anthony Angello and Zach Aston-Reese, a line which certainly brought a lot of physicality to the lineup. Aston-Reese, of course, is another college product, and someone who moved through the Penguins' system quickly. Lafferty made sure to soak up as much as he could during his time with Aston-Reese.
"I definitely learned a lot just watching how hard he plays the game, how he pressures pucks, and just isn't afraid of anyone out there," Lafferty said of Aston-Reese. "He just plays a really hard game. He was a really fun guy to play with, and a great player. No surprise to see him having success in Pittsburgh right now."
Like any player in Wilkes-Barre, Lafferty pays close attention to what's happening in Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh is obviously in a slump, and is trying different things to provide a spark to the offense -- whether it be calling up Aston-Reese or Garrett Wilson, or acquiring Tanner Pearson.
As the team's leading-scorer, Lafferty's name has been thrown around by some fans as an option. It's not something Lafferty is too focused on, though.
"You stay on top of things (in Pittsburgh), but it's not something you invest too much into or worry about," he said. "You just control what you can and try to be the best pro you can each day you come to the rink."
For now, Lafferty will just take it day-by-day.
"It's obviously the goal, I want to play in the NHL. The mindset is more just play as hard as you can every night, and each day just try to get better and better. I think that puts you in the best position for success in the long run."
MORE FROM WILKES-BARRE
• Nov. 14: at Springfield, 5-1 win
• Nov. 16: vs. Charlotte, 2-1 loss
• Nov. 17: vs. Charlotte, 6-5 overtime loss
• Sam Miletic and Zach Trotman are week-to-week with undisclosed injuries. Joey Cramarossa returned to the lineup on Friday for the first time this season.
• Wilson was reassigned to Wilkes-Barre from Pittsburgh on Saturday, but did not make it to Wilkes-Barre in time to be in Saturday's lineup.
• Player development coach Tom Kostopoulos returned to Wilkes-Barre this week and was an assistant coach in this weekend's games. Lafferty definitely enjoyed having 'TK' back in town.
"I like having him on the bench, he's always really supportive, kind of like how he was as a captain last year," Lafferty said. "Even though he was a great player, he was also like a second coach on the ice. It's no surprise to see him doing that now."
• The star of Wednesday morning's game? Tristan Jarry, for a number of reasons. Jarrett Burton, Linus Olund, and Angello had put Wilkes-Barre up 3-0 when the Springfield Thunderbirds pulled their goaltender with under two minutes remaining. Springfield broke Jarry's shutout bid with the extra attacker, but Wilkes-Barre answered back less than a minute later when Jarry became the first goaltender in Wilkes-Barre history and the 14th in AHL history to score a goal. Springfield put their goaltender back in net after Jarry's goal, and Jimmy Hayes capped off the 5-1 win with a breakaway goal. Jarry made 30 saves on 31 shots. Wilkes-Barre went 0-for-2 on the power play.
• Wilkes-Barre hosted the league-leading Charlotte Checkers on Friday, and it was a tight match. Thomas Di Pauli opened the scoring in the second period, and Charlotte tied the game minutes later. Charlotte took the 2-1 lead with under four minutes remaining in the game. Shots were tied 28-28 at the end of the game, and Jarry took the 26-save loss. Wilkes-Barre went 0-for-5 on the power play.
• Wilkes-Barre and Charlotte met again for a rematch on Saturday. Charlotte scored the game's first goal 5:35 into the game, but Wilkes-Barre responded with goals from Johnson, Stefan Elliott, and Di Pauli in the first period. Johnson extended the lead to 4-1 only three minutes into in the second period ... and then they blew it. Charlotte scored two goals in the latter half of the second period, and then took the lead with two more goals in the latter half of the third. Angello tied the game with four minutes remaining, and sent the game to overtime. Charlotte won the game 1:26 into overtime.
Taking one point against the league's top team would typically be seen as a positive, but not when you blow a 4-1 lead in the second game. Wilkes-Barre managed to score a power play goal on Johnson's first tally, which is a small plus. Anthony Peters made 27 saves on 33 shots in the loss.
• Angello leads the team in goals, with seven in 15 games.
• Lafferty leads the team in assists (10) and points (14) through 17 games.
• Lines and defense pairings from Saturday:
Thomas Di Pauli – Linus Olund – Anthony Angello
Adam Johnson – Sam Lafferty – Ryan Haggerty
Joseph Cramarossa– Teddy Blueger – Jimmy Hayes
Tobias Lindberg – Jarrett Burton – Pat McGrath
Kevin Czuczman – Stefan Elliott
Chris Summers – Will O’Neill
Jeff Taylor – Ethan Prow
• After this week, the Penguins have a record of 8-6-2-1. They remain fifth in the Atlantic Division. The power play fell to 15.1 percent, and the penalty kill fell to 75.9 percent.
• The Penguins will have a three-in-three this week. They'll visit the Springfield Thunderbirds (9-4-0-2) on Friday, and host the Hershey Bears (8-9-0-1) and Providence Bruins (6-8-2) on Saturday and Sunday. Hershey and Providence are the two worst teams in the Atlantic Division.
GOALS OF THE WEEK
The best goal of the week is without a doubt Jarry's, which you can watch and read all about here.
Just great work all around from Olund on this goal:
Angello picks the corner:
Di Pauli and Lindberg teamed up for this goal on Friday. Di Pauli's double celly is probably my favorite of the year:
Johnson scored twice on Saturday, with Lafferty assisting on both:
Di Pauli extended his point streak to five games with this goal:
Angello plucked the puck from the air and tapped it in:
SAVES OF THE WEEK
Straight robbery from Jarry:
WILKES-BARRE FUN THING
Jimmy Hayes' dog has her own Instagram:
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ball so hard I broke a nail (well it was a little more serious) #ouch #cantstopwontstop ???