Penguins A to Z: Justin Almeida needs to show progress in his second professional season
While the NHL is on hold because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the Tribune-Review will offer Penguins A to Z, a player-by-player look at all 48 individuals under NHL contract with the organization, from mid-level prospect Niclas Almari to high-profile trade acquisition Jason Zucker.
Justin Almeida
Position: Left winger
Shoots: Left
Age: 21
Height: 5-foot-11
Weight: 165 pounds
2019-20 AHL statistics: Nine games, one point (one goal)
2019-20 ECHL statistics: 37 games, 16 points (five goals, 11 assists)
Contract: Second year of a three-year entry-level contract with a salary cap hit of $809,166. Pending restricted free agent in 2022
Acquired: Fifth-round draft pick (No. 129 overall), June 23, 2018
Last season: Almeida’s first professional season was not ideal, to be kind.
Especially since he spent the bulk of it in the ECHL.
Coming off surgery during the 2019 offseason to his left shoulder, Almeida labored through a 2019-20 campaign in which he played only 46 games between the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and Wheeling Nailers.
Almeida opened the season with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton but only dressed for seven games and produced a single goal in the first month and a half of the season.
In his debut Oct. 11, Almeida opened on Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s first line. By mid-November, he had slowly slid down to the fourth line.
Oftentimes, Almeida was a healthy scratch during his first two months of professional hockey for an AHL team that was usually missing a few regulars up front because of recalls by the NHL club as it dealt with rampant injuries to the forward ranks.
On Nov. 25, 2019, he was assigned to Wheeling to get some much-needed playing time and produced, but hardly at a rate commiserate of a NHL draftee playing in the ECHL.
By March 7, Almeida was recalled to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and appeared in two games, failing to record a point while working the left wing of the bottom line.
Somewhat fittingly, he was scratched for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s final game March 11. The next day, the AHL’s season was complete as play was halted March 12 because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The future: If anyone could benefit from a lengthy break, it’s Almeida. Shoulder injuries can be a long haul to truly recover from, and it certainly didn’t appear Almeida was at his best during a poor 2019-20 season.
After all, Almeida was a prolific scorer in the junior ranks. As an overage player, he finished third in the Western Hockey League’s scoring race during the 2018-19 campaign with 111 points (33 goals, 78 assists) in 64 games with the Moose Jaw Warriors. A creative playmaker blessed with speed and a strong shot, he has the acumen to produce more than 16 points in 37 games against ECHL competition.
If the AHL resumes play in February as scheduled, Almeida needs to carve out a regular role in the lineup. Perhaps with a change of coaches in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton — J.D. Forrest has replaced Mike Vellucci — a new set of eyes will evaluate Almeida differently.
And while the Penguins jettisoned veterans such as Adam Johnson and Graham Knott this offseason, the competition for playing time on the left wing would appear to be fierce with the acquisition of Jonathan Gruden, Drew O’Connor and Radim Zohorna.
Regardless, Almeida needs to take a big step forward in his second professional season.
Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.
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