Valtteri Puustinen, Jack St. Ivany, Radim Zohorna rejoin Wilkes-Barre/Scranton ahead of Calder Cup playoffs | TribLIVE.com
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Valtteri Puustinen, Jack St. Ivany, Radim Zohorna rejoin Wilkes-Barre/Scranton ahead of Calder Cup playoffs

Justin Guerriero
| Thursday, April 18, 2024 3:09 p.m.
KDP Studio
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins forward Radim Zohorna.

Three Pittsburgh Penguins will get to partake in the playoffs after all, albeit in the American Hockey League.

A day after the Penguins’ season came to an end, with no postseason hockey forthcoming for the second straight year, the club reassigned three players to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL to compete in the upcoming Calder Cup playoffs: forwards Radim Zohorna and Valtteri Puustinen plus blueliner Jack St. Ivany.

The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins qualified for the playoffs early in April.

With two more regular-season games remaining, they currently occupy third place in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference.

Were the season to end today, the No. 3-seeded Penguins (38-23-8) would face No. 6 Lehigh Valley in a three-game first-round series.

From there, division semifinal and division final rounds move to a best-of-five series, with the conference finals and Calder Cup Finals being best-of-seven.

The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have never captured the Calder Cup.

“They’ve got an opportunity to play in a high-stakes environment,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “I think that’s an invaluable growth opportunity for young players. We’re watching to see how they do.”

The 27-year-old Zohorna played 33 games for the Penguins this year, the vast majority during the first half of the year, scoring four goals with three assists.

He was an end-of-year call-up from the AHL but wound up being a healthy scratch when Jansen Harkins was activated from long-term injured reserve.

St. Ivany, 24, impressed in his first taste of NHL action.

Making his NHL debut March 22, St. Ivany earned the trust of the Penguins’ coaching staff and had a steady third-pairing role, where he was dependable.

In 14 games, he contributed an assist and committed a lone minor penalty while averaging 13 minutes, 42 seconds of ice time.

St. Ivany was also used regularly on the penalty kill late in the year.

Puustinen managed five goals and 15 assists in 52 games, a performance that is sure to intrigue Penguins management as to how the 24-year-old Finn can continue to develop, particularly when it comes to demonstrating more consistent offensive production.


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