Penguins A to Z: Persistence paid off for free-agent acquisition Josh Currie
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.
Josh Currie
Position: Right winger
Shoots: Right
Age: 28
Height: 5-foot-10
Weight: 172 pounds
2019-20 AHL statistics: 56 games, 41 points (24 goals, 17 assists)
Contract: One year, two-way contract with a salary cap hit of $700,000. Pending unrestricted free agent in 2021
Acquired: Unrestricted free agent signing, Oct. 9, 2020
Last season: It would be a generous application of the term to label Currie as an “NHLer,’ but the fact that he even has an NHL contract is nothing short of remarkable.
First, he’s from Prince Edward Island, a small chunk of land in the Gulf of St. Lawrence that is not renowned for producing NHLers. Canada’s smallest province (by population and landmass), Prince Edward Island can claim only 35 native sons who have ever played in a single NHL game in the 100-plus years the league has existed.
Second, Currie’s journey as a professional has taken him on a long, winding road that has seen him play on each coast of the continent.
A prolific player in his final overage season with the Prince Edward Island Rocket of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, Currie went undrafted and turned professional in 2013. Signing an AHL contract with the Portland (Maine) Pirates, Currie never played for that team as he was assigned for the entire 2013-14 season with the ECHL’s Gwinnett (Ga.) Gladiators.
After putting up a solid but hardly spectacular 31 points (15 goals, 16 assists) in 70 games with Gwinnett in 2013-14, Currie moved across the United States to join the Bakersfield (Calif.) Condors on an ECHL deal.
When the AHL realigned and established teams on the West Coast to benefit western NHL franchises in 2015, the Condors were moved across the continent (along with Currie) and became the Norfolk Admirals.
After opening the 2015-16 campaign in the ECHL with the Admirals, Currie was signed to an AHL professional tryout contract midway through that season by the new Bakersfield Condors team, the Edmonton Oilers’ AHL affiliate. When that deal expired, Currie was signed to another AHL deal to finish out the season.
In the 2016 offseason, the Condors signed Currie to a one-year AHL deal and he rewarded that trust with a 22-goal season. By the 2017 offseason, he re-signed with Bakersfield on a two-year contract and led the team in scoring in 2017-18 with 46 points (20 goals, 26 assists).
By this point, Currie’s output had caught the attention of Oilers management, which signed Currie to a two-year, two-way contract in the 2018 offseason.
Currie’s persistence paid off in 2017-18 when he made his NHL debut with the Oilers, appearing in 21 games and scoring five points (two goals, three assists).
During the pandemic-shortened 2019-20 campaign, Currie became the only AHL player to reach the 20-goal mark in each of the past four seasons and once again led the Condors in scoring.
The future: Currie is by no means a prospect. At 28, he’s a 4A player. That’s to say he’s good enough to be a star at the AHL level but probably not good enough to be a regular NHLer.
Regardless, the Penguins made him a priority for their AHL operation and extended him a contract with an AHL salary of $350,000, more than double what he made with Bakersfield ($160,000) in 2019-20.
If the AHL season begins on Feb. 5 as scheduled, Currie, who can play center, will likely be at the top of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s depth chart for right wingers. He also figures to be a prominent member of the AHL Penguins’ power play as he led Bakersfield last season with nine goals on the man advantage.
And in the event the NHL club has injuries or absences on the right wing or center, Currie will be among the first candidates for a potential recall.
A responsible player in all three zones who has a strong shot off the rush, Currie, an alternate captain the past two seasons, will likely be one of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins’ top players next season and a major reason they will potentially return to the postseason after a two-year absence.
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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