Seth Rorabaugh stories, Page 160
Coronavirus has forced Penguins to adjust scouting for this week’s draft
Patrik Allvin has an interesting way of describing the NHL’s entry draft. “It the same for the players, and it the same for the scouts,” said the Pittsburgh Penguins’ director of amateur scouting. “This is the graduation. This is the thing you really work hard for. This is excitement. Every...
Penguins’ options will be limited with free agents
When the NHL’s free agent signing period opens up on Friday, it’s a safe assumption the Penguins won’t be going after any All-Stars scheduled to be available. “It’s not going to be any of the big free agents,” general manager Jim Rutherford said in a telephone interview with the Tribune-Review...
Penguins re-sign Tristan Jarry to 3-year contract
The Pittsburgh Penguins have re-signed their long-time goaltender of the future. Now, they just have to figure out the future of their goaltender with two Stanley Cup rings. On Saturday, the team re-signed Tristan Jarry, a pending restricted free agent, to a three-year contract that carries a salary cap hit...
Joey Porter Jr. ready to ‘rock and roll’ for Penn State
Even if he didn’t know when his next game was going to be, Penn State cornerback Joey Porter Jr. remained prepared throughout August and September while the Big Ten’s 2020 season was still canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. “It’s definitely hard,” Porter Jr. said via video conference Thursday. “Because...
Penn State is comfortable with options to replace Micah Parsons
In a shortened season bound to be filled with uncertainty, one thing will be concrete for Penn State. There will be no Micah Parsons. On Aug. 6, the star linebacker decided to opt out of the 2020 campaign because of the coronavirus pandemic as well as his prospects as a...
Penguins prospect Antti Palojarvi loaned to Finnish team
Penguins defensive prospect Antti Palojarvi has been loaned to Hermes of Finland’s second-tier Mestis league. A native of Finland, Palojarvi was loaned by KooKoo of that country’s top league, the Liiga. Palojarvi, 21, was the Penguins’ sixth-round pick in 2017 (No. 186 overall) and has yet to sign an NHL...
James Franklin, Penn State ready to embrace the ‘new normal’
It rained Tuesday in State College. James Franklin didn’t mind. In fact, Penn State’s football coach enjoyed it. “I would actually say it was even positive (Tuesday),” Franklin said via video conference Wednesday. “We had bad weather. We had rain, and we were able to get wet-ball work, which I...
USHL’s Youngstown Phantoms scheduled to open season Nov. 6
The United States Hockey League (USHL), the top junior league in the United States, announced it is hoping to open its 2020-21 season Nov. 5. The league has a regionally-based schedule of 54 games for each team with the goal of concluding the regular season by April 24. The Youngstown...
Penguins will have long wait to pick as NHL draft order is finalized
The NHL finalized the order of its upcoming draft, which be Oct. 6-7. The entire order can be viewed here. Barring any further transactions, the Penguins’ first selection will be No. 77 overall in the third round. They also will have the 108th (fourth round), 139th (fifth round) and 170th...
Penguins re-sign defenseman Juuso RiikolaVideo
The Pittsburgh Penguins re-signed defenseman Juuso Riikola to a two-year contract extension with a salary cap hit of $1.15 million. Riikola, 26, was scheduled to become a restricted free agent this upcoming offseason. A native of Joensuu, Finland, the undrafted Riikola has spent the past two seasons with Penguins, primarily...
‘Burgh’s Best to Never Wear It: John Woodruff’s roots remain strong in Connellsville
The Tribune-Review is following its Best to Ever Wear It series, a daily countdown of the greatest college and pro athletes to wear every jersey number from 99 to 0/00, by honoring the Best to Never Wear It. The six athletes spotlighted didn’t wear a numbered uniform but brought pride...
Penguins name Todd Reirden, Mike Vellucci as assistant coaches
Todd Reirden interviewed for a job with Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford before. Back in spring 2014, after Dan Bylsma was fired as head coach, the Penguins were ready to name Willie Desjardins as his successor with Reirden retaining his position as an assistant coach. Things fell through with Desjardins...
Penguins captain Sidney Crosby undergoes wrist surgery
Penguins captain Sidney Crosby underwent arthroscopic wrist surgery on Monday. The procedure was described as arthroscopic wrist debridement surgery according to a release the team issued on Tuesday. Recovery time will be three to four weeks. NHL training camps for the 2020-21 season are aiming to open in mid-November. Which...
Ex-Penguins assistant coach Jacques Martin hired by Rangers
Former Penguins assistant coach Jacques Martin did not take long to find a new job. Less than three weeks after the Penguins opted not to renew his contract, Martin was hired by the New York Rangers on Monday in the same capacity. Martin, 67, spent the previous seven seasons with...
Evgeni Malkin named Penguins’ MVP
The Penguins named forward Evgeni Malkin their MVP for the 2019-20 season. In 55 games during the regular season, Malkin led the team with with 74 points (25 points, 49 assists). Although he missed 14 games because of various ailments, Malkin finished 14th in the NHL in scoring. Some of...
Penguins sign defenseman Chad Ruhwedel to contract extensionVideo
The Penguins signed defenseman Chad Ruhwedel to a one-year contract extension Friday. This deal will cover the 2021-22 season and carries a salary cap hit of $750,000. Ruhwedel, 30, is entering the final year of a two-year contract with a salary cap hit of $700,000. A member of the Penguins...
What will the Penguins do with Tristan Jarry or Matt Murray?
When it comes to forecasting the Penguins’ goaltending situation for the 2020-21 season, one thing is certain. Casey DeSmith will probably be the backup. As to who he’ll be a reinforcement to, that’s still being sorted out. The Penguins have already had trade discussions with other teams with regards to...
Plenty of work remains for Penguins GM Jim Rutherford
Jim Rutherford filled one hole in his lineup Tuesday when he reacquired forward Kasperi Kapanen from the Maple Leafs. If things go as planned — a dicey idiom in 2020 — Kapanen will line up next to either Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin in a top-six role whenever the 2020-21...
‘Burgh’s Best to Wear It, No. 5: Beloved in Pittsburgh, Ulf Samuelsson was a villain everywhere elseVideo
The Tribune-Review sports staff is conducting a daily countdown of the best players in Pittsburgh pro and college sports history to wear each jersey number. No. 5: Ulf Samuelsson To understand Ulf Samuelsson’s appeal in Pittsburgh, all you have to consider is who liked him. Jack Lambert. The toughest and...
Penguins brought back Kasperi Kapanen to be a top-6 forward
The Pittsburgh Penguins are barely two weeks into an offseason that began way too early for their liking. They have plenty of issues to sort out with their roster and relatively little salary cap space with which to work. Yet, general manager Jim Rutherford didn’t waste much time in taking...
Penguins reacquire 2014 first-round pick Kasperi Kapanen from Maple LeafsVideo
The Penguins are barely two weeks into an offseason which began way too early for their liking. They have plenty of issues to sort out with their roster and relatively little salary cap space to work within. Yet, general manager Jim Rutherford didn’t waste much time in taking his first...
Penguins prospect Kasper Bjorkqvist loaned to KooKoo in Finland
Penguins forward prospect Kasper Bjorkqvist has been loaned for the 2020-21 season to KooKoo of Finland’s Liiga. According to a release from KooKoo (translated from Finnish), the agreement will be a “year-long loan.” #KooKoo #Liiga #yksijoukkue #montatarinaa #Kouvola pic.twitter.com/VJ25Y5TI9B— Kouvolan KooKoo (@KouvolanKooKoo) August 24, 2020 A second-round pick (No. 61...
‘Burgh’s Best to Wear It, No. 10: Often overshadowed, Ron Francis was vital to the Penguins’ successVideo
The Tribune-Review sports staff is conducting a daily countdown of the best players in Pittsburgh pro and college sports history to wear each jersey number. No. 10: Ron Francis It’s not the greatest goal in Penguins history. Heck, it’s probably not even the most famous goal of their Stanley Cup...
Penguins sign undrafted free agent defenseman Josh Maniscalco
Situated roughly halfway between Philadelphia and Allentown, Perkiomenville is easy to overlook on the map. Just ask one of its residents. “A whole lot of trees and wildlife,” said Josh Maniscalco, a defensive prospect who signed with the Penguins on Friday. “It’s a pretty small town. I don’t even know...
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins sign forwards Luke Stevens, Felix Robert
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have signed forwards Luke Stevens and Felix Robert to one-year American Hockey League (AHL) contracts for the 2020-21 season. Stevens is the son of Kevin Stevens, a former All-Star forward for the NHL Penguins who now serves as a scout for the organization. Selected in the fifth...
