I speak with a lot of prospects.
Whether they're someone who is looking to make the jump to the AHL from the ECHL, or to the NHL from the AHL, most everyone has a similar answer if I ask about what they need to do in order to take that next step.
They need to be consistent in their play.
When I spoke to Ethan Prow at the beginning of the season, I asked him about the message from coaches when they speak with him about what he needs to do to earn a call to Pittsburgh.
"They just want to see that overall game progressing forward," he told me. "They want to see that consistency. If you ever want to make that jump up, it's the consistency aspect day in and day out. No matter if its a three-in-three or what, just having your game every night."
At the time, he had already tied his career-high in goals with four through 14 games, and was on pace to break his career high in assists. Since then, he's been consistently increasing his role offensively.
Now, 26-year-old Prow leads the team in scoring with 17 goals and 26 assists in 59 games and doesn't even look like the player he was last season. He's still the same smooth-skating, puck-moving defenseman he was before, but he's just taken on such a larger role, whether it be quarterbacking the power play, or leading the team in shots on a given night.
Being able to take on such a big role within the team has been great for Prow's confidence, and Prow's confidence is a big part of why he's been playing so well this season.
"I think it kind of grows through the year," he told me of his confidence this week. "From the start of the year, being able to get off to a good start played a big part in it. Then just like anybody, if you can keep it going that confidence grows a little bit and you try to find that consistency."
As Prow told me before, he made a conscious effort this season to just shoot the puck more, and he's been consistent in his efforts to do so. He averaged 2.5 shots per game consistently throughout the season. But recently, he's picked up the pace. In the past five games alone, he's recorded 22 shots, and recorded two goals and one assist:
Even when those shots aren't going in the net, he's still creating pressure and potentially creating rebound chances, which is what the team wants to see from him.
"I think that's one aspect that the coaches have a lot of confidence in me, is shooting the puck," said Prow. "They want me to shoot. It just creates so much chaos in front of the net, whether it's from the point or anything. It just kind of makes everything good, and the forwards are doing a good job of banging in rebounds or getting in front of the goalie's eyes. Anytime you can put the puck on net, you don't know what's going to happen. So it's always a good thing."
It is a good thing. He's doing a lot of good things, a lot of things that the coaches want to see from him. And yet ... he still hasn't gotten that call to the NHL. The only time the Penguins have needed to recall a defenseman this season was when Brian Dumoulin and Kris Letang both went down in the Stadium Series game.
Prow didn't get the call. Looking for someone with some NHL experience (and with the games coming up on the schedule, some physicality, something the 6-feet, 185-pound Prow doesn't always bring), the Penguins recalled Zach Trotman. Trotman, more of a big, shutdown defenseman, had quietly been having a strong season as one of the veterans on the Wilkes-Barre blue line.
"Trotman's a great player down here, he was playing really well when he got back from injury, and he plays a great game and plays it just how he should," said Prow. "He's up there doing a great job. It's one of those things that you've got to be ready for when they call your number, if they do. You've just got to be ready for it."
When I spoke to Prow earlier in the year, he didn't seem pressed or anxious about waiting for a call. He spoke about how he's aware that defensemen typically need more seasoning in the AHL, and how you just have to "trust the process." In all the times I've spoken to Prow, he's seemed like a pretty optimistic, level-headed guy. As the season goes on and he continues to wait longer than he'd surely like to take that next step, his attitude hasn't changed.
"I think you just have to let the dice fall where they are," he said. "It's one of those things where if you worry about it too much, I think that sometimes it can affect your game a little, because you end up overthinking it. If it's meant to be, it'll be. That's the way I try to look at it, you don't want to read too much into it."
Unless something changes soon, it's looking like Prow will remain in Wilkes-Barre as the team makes a push for the playoffs. Wilkes-Barre has lost some of its best players to recalls, a trade, and injuries throughout the season, and they face an uphill battle as they sit six points out of a playoff spot with 16 games remaining in the season.
If Wilkes-Barre is to make the playoffs and keep its league-best 16-year active playoff streak alive, the leading scorer is going to have to be a big part of that.
"I think we just have to be consistent with our play," Prow said of the playoff push. "If we can show up every day and play a good 60 minutes, I think we're in a good spot. When we get in trouble is if we take maybe those 10 minutes off, five minutes off. You can't do that with a playoff push that we're looking to have. If we can put together a full 60, day in and day out, I think we'll be sitting pretty good."
Consistency. There it is again.
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THE ROSTER MOVES
• Pittsburgh recalled forward Joseph Blandisi from Wilkes-Barre.
• Wilkes-Barre recalled forward Trevor Yates from Wheeling. Yates, like Blandisi, is comfortable at both wing and center and has no preference as to where he plays. That aspect of his game, plus his 14 goals in 14 games in Wheeling, made him an ideal candidate.
• Pittsburgh signed forward Jake Lucchini to an entry-level deal for next season. He'll report to Wilkes-Barre on an amateur deal for this season.
THE INJURIES
• Forward Thomas Di Pauli hasn’t played since Dec. 16 with a lower-body injury.
• Forward Ryan Scarfo hasn't played since March 6.
• Forward Ben Sexton hasn't played since March 2 with an upper-body injury.
• Forward Pat McGrath hasn't played since March 9 with an upper-body injury.
• Defenseman Chris Wideman hasn't played since March 6.
THE NEWS
• The AHL trade deadline came and passed, and the Penguins made no moves.
THE GAMES
• March 6: vs. Lehigh Valley, 3-1 loss
The Phantoms' Connor Bunnaman scored the lone goal of the first period.
Adam Johnson scored the equalizer 1:55 into the middle frame, his 17th goal of the season, but the Phantoms' Pascal Laberge scored his first goal of the year two minutes later to regain the lead. Byron Froese extended the Phantoms' lead in the third period, and the Penguins fell 3-1.
Tristan Jarry took the loss with 31 saves on 34 shots.
The Penguins went 0-for-3 on the power play, and 1-for-2 on the penalty kill.
• March 8: vs. Hartford, 3-2 shootout loss
Joseph Cramarossa scored the lone goal of the first period on Friday, his third goal of the year.
The Wolf Pack's Drew Melanson scored his first goal in the second period to tie it, then Ryan Gropp scored on the power play to take the lead.
Prow's power play goal in the third period sent the game to overtime. After a scoreless overtime period, the game went to a shootout.
Johnson, Prow, and Cramarossa all failed to score. This was Cramarossa's fourth shootout attempt of the season. He had scored on the previous three, and all three were game-winners.
The Wolf Pack went 1-for-2 in the shootout to earn the win.
Jarry again took the loss with 27 saves on 29 shots.
Wilkes-Barre recorded an impressive 41 shots. Prow had the most with eight, and Anthony Angello was next with five.
The Penguins went 1-for-5 on the power play, and 4-for-5 on the penalty kill.
• March 9: vs. Syracuse, 4-3 overtime win
The Crunch scored twice in the first period. Given that they outshot the Penguins 17-5 in the first 20 minutes, the Penguins were lucky that the hole wasn't any deeper.
Linus Olund scored the only goal of the second period to cut the Crunch's lead to one. It was Olund's sixth goal of the season, and first since Jan. 11.
Blandisi scored his 15th of the season, a power play tally, to open the third period scoring and tie the game. The Crunch's Ross Colton scored his second of the game to regain the lead. Jimmy Hayes scored his 11th of the season, another power play goal, to send the game to overtime. It was the second time this month that a Hayes power play goal in the third period had sent a game to overtime.
Sam Miletic scored 1:34 into overtime to secure a massive extra point for the Penguins. The Penguins had outshot the Crunch 3-0 in overtime.
Jarry took the win in his second of back-to-back starts with 34 saves on 37 shots.
The Penguins went 2-for-6 on the power play and 7-for-8 on the penalty kill.
THE LEADERS
• Goals: Teddy Blueger, 21 in 45 games.
• Assists: Prow, 26 in 59 games
• Points: Prow, 43 in 59 games
THE COMBINATIONS
Sam Miletic – Jarrett Burton – Ryan Haggerty
Adam Johnson – Sam Lafferty – Anthony Angello
Joseph Cramarossa – Joseph Blandisi – Jimmy Hayes
Linus Olund – Cam Brown – Pat McGrath
Chris Summers – Kevin Czuczman
Mat Abt – Ethan Prow
Jeff Taylor – Tim Erixon
THE STANDINGS
• After this week, the Penguins record is 28-23-6-3. They fell to sixth place in the eight-team Atlantic Division. The top four teams in the division make the playoffs. The Penguins are currently six points out of a playoff spot.
• The power play sits at 17.5 percent, 19th in the 31-team league. The penalty kill is operating at 80.1 percent overall, 23rd in the league.
• The magic number to clinch a playoff spot is 35.
THE SCHEDULE
• The Penguins have two massive games this week against the two teams immediately ahead of them in the Atlantic Division playoff race. They'll visit the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (30-25-3-3) on Wednesday, and host the Providence Bruins (31-22-7-2) on Saturday. They'll host the Toronto Marlies (32-22-6-4) on Sunday. The Marlies aren't in the same division, but every game right now is massive.
GOALS OF THE WEEK
Johnson backhanded Matt Abt's rebound into the net:
Cramarossa is slick:
Blandisi scored this goal before getting the call to Pittsburgh:
Hayes took his time getting this shot off, and it paid off:
Every point counts this time of year. Miletic's overtime winner was much-needed:
SAVE OF THE WEEK
Jarry made these two breakaway stops against the Wolf Pack:
... and then this one against the Crunch:
WILKES-BARRE FUN THING
Jarry = good dude.
What does @tjarry35 do after a big win? Goes and makes a new friend! Here he is with Abby (and her dog Rosie) from @BBBSA following last night’s victory over the @SyracuseCrunch pic.twitter.com/4jH18wRLtt
— WBS Penguins (@WBSPenguins) March 10, 2019
