Penguins assign 6 to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
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The Pittsburgh Penguins assigned forwards Avery Hayes, Rem Pitlick, Sam Poulin and Valtteri Puustinen as well as defensemen Xavier Ouellet and Ty Smith to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League on Thursday.
The 22-year-old Poulin was the Penguins’ first-round pick (No. 21 overall) in the 2019 NHL Draft and missed much of the 2022-23 season while on a leave of absence to attend to his mental health. This preseason, the left-handed Poulin has appeared in three games and has two goals with eight shots.
Poulin is entering the final year of a three-year entry-level contract with a salary cap hit of $863,333.
Puustinen, 24, played in three games this preseason and is tied for the team lead in scoring with three points (one goal, two assists) while also recording eight shots.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s leading scorer in each of the past two seasons, Puustinen, a right-handed shot, is signed to a one-year, two-way contract with a salary cap hit of $775,000.
Pitlick, 26, was acquired from the Montreal Canadiens this past offseason in a blockbuster trade that also brought defenseman Erik Karlsson to the Penguins. He entering the second year of a two-year contract that carries a salary cap hit of $1.1 million.
In three games this preseason, Pitlick, a left-hander has one assist and three shots.
The 20-year-old Hayes is entering the first year of a two-year AHL contract. A right-handed shot, Hayes has played in three contests this preseason with no points and seven shots.
The left-handed Smith, 23, has appeared in three preseason games and has no points with two shots. He is signed to a one-year contract with a salary cap hit of $775,000.
Ouellet, 30, is entering the second year of a two-year contract with a salary cap hit of $775,000. A native of France, the left-hander has skated in two games this preseason and has one goal with three shots.
Ouellet, Pitlick and Smith all cleared waivers Friday and were assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton that day before being recalled on Tuesday. Poulin, Puustinen and Hayes do not require waivers to be assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Earlier in the day, the Penguins waived forwards Andreas Johnsson, Joonas Koppanen and Alex Nylander.
Following these transactions, the Penguins now have 31 players remaining on their training camp roster (excluding four injured players).
The NHL’s deadline to submit a season-opening roster is 5 p.m. Monday.