Chirps from Center Ice

Well, maybe it is.

Here’s a catch-you-up from the week that was….

— Steven Stamkos was hurt Monday playing in Boston. As a result, JT Brown and Dmitry Korobov were called up from Syracuse to help fill the void. Brown has always killed Wilkes-Barre in one way or another, so we will see what his absence does for the Crunch heading into the weekend and beyond.

— Ex-Penguin Keven Veilleux was loaned to the Elmira Jackals by the Portland Pirates. The Pirates’ ECHL affiliate is the Gwinnett Gladiators. This is an interesting move. The Jackals are in Wheeling tonight.

— Ex-Penguin goalie John Curry was named ECHL Goaltender of the Week. Curry plays for the Orlando Solar Bears.

— Certified Penguin Killer Tomas Kundratek was sidelined Sunday in Hershey with an ACL tear. He will need surgery and is obviously out. The Bears come to Wilkes-Barre Saturday night.

— Coupla moves on Coal Street today. First, they got Jayson Megna back from Pittsburgh and sent Harrison Ruopp to Wheeling. Megna’s return means Paul Thompson most likely is back to eating popcorn in the stands.

Finally, I will not be able to tweet the Syracuse game tomorrow. But the blog will still be covered. I’m putting together a list of those who will tweet the game and will run it here Friday night. I will be able to listen to and most likely watch the game on AHL Live on my iPhone and most likely will have a recap here afterwards as always.

Let’s Go Pens!

I never thought I would see the day.

After being the only player in Chirps from Center Ice history to get an “F” in the Quarterly Grades blog feature, Jayson Megna has proved me wrong.

Big time.

Megna scored his first NHL goal Monday night, along with his first NHL assist and was named first star of the game when the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 3-1.

What a night and day turnaround from last year for the undrafted Megna. I have polished off my plate of crow in record time.

Elsewhere…

— Jonathan’s Tuesday update. Tom Kostopoulous is back and Eric Hartzell is poised to start his pro career.

— What do you mean Tux isn’t a real person? Our own flightless fowl was part of a series called “Behind the Mask” which you can watch on Hulu.com

— Wheeling beat writer Shawn Rine’s piece for The Intelligencer on Wilkes-Barre native Patrick McGrath.

— The AHL has this new weekly feature called, “The A-List” worth taking a look at.

Also, if you haven’t yet, take a look at the Week 4 AHL Power Rankings.