After a season in which he registered 37 points in 47 games and earned a well-deserved NHL contract with Pittsburgh, Ryan Haggerty seemed poised to have a career year this season.
So far, that isn't happening.
Haggerty didn't score his first goal of the season until Dec. 7. Through 32 games this season, he's only recorded six goals and 12 assists. It's quite the drop off from last season.
"It's been pretty hard," Haggerty told me of his season. "I think the work effort is there for sure. But things aren't coming as easy, and that's when I think frustration comes in, and you think twice about some things. I think there's times when you've just got to simplify it, and that's what I've done. Just really simplify it and play a little harder, play a little simpler. Just try to get a little more pucks to the net."
It's definitely not an issue with Haggerty's work ethic. The 25-year-old is still playing hard, using his physicality, and driving to the net. With 2.63 shots per game on average, he's even shooting more than he did last season.
So ... what happened? What has been the difference this season?
"I think that's a good question," Haggerty said. "I really don't have an answer. From the start of the year I thought I was playing pretty well. Goals weren't going in but I was still getting my chances. As it started to continue into November I just stuck with it and tried to simplify, and try to get back on track; try to get my game back to where I'm playing fast, playing hard and really trying to benefit from my strengths. I think once December hit it really showed that if you stick with it and simplify it, things will start to turn around. Once I got one, a few more started to come, and I just have to stay with it and be positive."
As things start to click for Haggerty again, he's playing with more confidence, and it's starting to pay off. He recorded a hat trick on Dec. 15. He's coming off a productive week individually, with an assist and these two goals in his last two games:
"I'm just trying to get back to playing the way I know I can play in this league," Haggerty said of his week.
Haggerty has had some of the worst luck on this team this season, too. He's had more than a couple of near-goals that were taken back, or credited to a teammate after the game once it was determined they got a piece of it. He's heard the 'ding' of his heavy shots hitting pipe quite a few times.
Haggerty has been a victim of an injury, as well. Three games into the season, he sustained a lower-body injury that sidelined him for three weeks. The actual nature of the injury was never disclosed, but I asked Haggerty if it was possibly related to his sports hernia that kept him out of the lineup for over a month last spring.
"It was a little relation to it," he said. "I think it was a little overuse, just kind of a fluke thing I did to myself. There's no real explanation why it happened, but it happened. The body is a weird thing."
Haggerty said that he took a little extra time returning from the injury compared to his last one, to make sure he was "100 percent, and then some." He's healthy now, and that's no longer a factor in his game.
Despite a bumpy first half of the season, the expectations haven't changed for Haggerty. Pittsburgh liked what they saw from him enough to sign him to an NHL contract this fall, and the goal is still for Haggerty to continue to impress and earn that call-up.
"I was sent down out of camp, so I'm down here for a reason," said Haggerty. "I'm just trying to work as hard as I can to put myself in the best spot to help Wilkes-Barre win, and hopefully help Pittsburgh win one day."
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THE ROSTER MOVES
• Goaltender John Muse and forward Troy Josephs were reassigned to Wheeling. Muse has a .934 save percentage and 2.00 goals against average through four games in Wilkes-Barre. Josephs has registered three assists through 11 games.
• Defenseman Kevin Spinozzi and forward Cam Brown were recalled. Spinozzi was scoreless and a minus-3 in his only game since the recall. Brown was scoreless in two games.
• Chad Ruhwedel completed his two-week conditioning stint and returned to Pittsburgh on Jan. 7. He recorded one goal, four assists, and a plus-8 rating in five games with Wilkes-Barre.
THE INJURIES
• Zach Trotman remains out of the lineup with an injury sustained on Nov. 4. ... Sam Miletic has been out with an upper-body injury since Nov. 30. ... Chris Summers remains injured from a hit on Dec. 12. ... Thomas Di Pauli remains out and hasn't played since Dec. 16 with a lower-body injury. ... Ben Sexton was injured on Jan. 5.
THE NEWS
• Ethan Prow was named the Penguins' representative for the 2019 All-Star Classic, to be held Jan. 27 and 28 in Springfield, Mass.
• Garrett Wilson was suspended for two games as a result of an illegal check to the head in the third period against Binghamton on Dec. 31. He'll be eligible to return for this Friday's game.
• Goaltending development coach Andy Chiodo was in town this week to work with Tristan Jarry and Anthony Peters.
• Headed to a game? Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza announced new security measures.
THE GAMES
• Dec. 31: at Binghamton, 5-2 win
The Penguins closed out 2018 on a high note. After the Devils took a 1-0 lead 4:13 into the game, Wilson scored his eighth of the season to even things up heading into the first intermission. Teddy Blueger scored his 14th goal of the season to take the lead, but the Devils tied the game minutes later. Sexton and Anthony Angello scored in the second period to regain the lead, and Blueger sealed the win in the third with an empty net goal.
Jarry made 23 saves on 25 shots. Wilkes-Barre's power play went 0-for-5, but the penalty kill went 6-for-7.
• Jan. 4: vs. Grand Rapids, 3-2 shootout win
Haggerty scored the Penguins' first goal of 2019, only 17 seconds into Friday's contest. The Griffins answered three minutes later to tie the game. Haggerty again scored in the second period, his sixth goal of the season. The Griffins tied the game four minutes later. After a scoreless third and overtime period, the game went to a shootout. Jarry made 28 saves on 30 shots through the first 65 minutes.
Jarry stopped all three Griffins shooters in the shootout, while Adam Johnson and Jean-Sebastien Dea were stopped on their attempts. Joseph Cramarossa scored the lone shootout goal to earn the win.
Wilkes-Barre went 0-for-4 on the power play, and 6-for-6 on the penalty kill.
• Jan. 5: vs. Milwaukee, 5-3 loss
Angello opened the scoring with the lone first period goal, a power play tally. The Admirals scored three times in the middle frame, including a shorthanded goal, to take the lead. The Admirals extended their lead to 4-1 on the power play to open the third period.
Wilkes-Barre tried to rally in the third period with 16 shots, and brought the game back within one after goals from Dea and Blueger. The Admirals extended their lead to 5-3 only 37 seconds later to seal the win.
Peters took the loss in net, with 25 saves on 30 shots. The power play went 1-for-4, while the penalty kill went 5-for-6.
THE LEADERS
• Goals: Blueger, 16 in 38 games.
• Assists: Sam Lafferty, 19 in 38 games.
• Points: Blueger, 29 in 38 games.
THE COMBINATIONS
Joseph Cramarossa – Teddy Blueger – Anthony Angello
Adam Johnson – Sam Lafferty – Ben Sexton
Jean-Sebastien Dea – Jarrett Burton – Ryan Haggerty
Jimmy Hayes – Linus Olund – Pat McGrath
Tim Erixon – Chad Ruhwedel
Kevin Czuczman – Macoy Erkamps
Matt Abt – Ethan Prow
THE STANDINGS
• After this week, the Penguins improved to 18-15-4-1. They rank fourth in the Atlantic Division. The power play fell to an abysmal 16.4 percent, 22nd in the 31-team league. The penalty kill had a strong week (17 for 19) but sits at just 79.3 percent overall, 23rd in the league.
THE SCHEDULE
• The Penguins will head to Charlotte for a two-game series against the league-leading Checkers (27-8-3) on Friday and Saturday. It'll be the Penguins first time returning to Charlotte since the first two games of their first-round sweep in last season's playoffs.
GOALS OF THE WEEK
Wilson capitalized on a Devils turnover for this goal:
Sexton fired this shot:
Cramarossa's shootout winner was a beauty:
Angello picked his spot on Saturday:
SAVE OF THE WEEK
Jarry made this breakaway save:
WILKES-BARRE FUN THING
Chiodo was put to work:
Andy Chiodo chipping in with a little ice maintenance at practice today. #WBSPens #WBS20 pic.twitter.com/8HzZYm6mVg
— WBS Penguins (@WBSPenguins) January 3, 2019
