Chirps from Center Ice

A fan blog about the AHL's Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins

Category Archives: Wheeling

Hooray for 159th Place!

Comments Off on Hooray for 159th Place! Posted by on August 12, 2013

The annual Street & Smith’s Sports Business Journal 2013 Minor League Markets ranking is out. The Wilkes-Barre / Scranton area is ranked…..

…wait for it…..

159th.

That would be last among East Division teams, behind Hershey (3rd), Syracuse (6th), Binghamton (23rd) and Norfolk (76th).

Only Worcester (172nd), Rockford (205th) and Manchester (214) ranked lower than Wilkes-Barre / Scranton for AHL markets.

Wheeling, a standalone minor league town with just the ECHL affiliate in the Nailers, ranked 187th.

The top minor league market? Hint: It’s the home of Maxwell Klinger.

Here’s more detailed blurbs on the Top 10.

Here’s how the rankings were figured out. To summarize, each market was weighted in three categories. Tenure rank, Attendance rank and Economic rank.

I’m not about to turn this into a Social Studies discussion making arguments for or against how Wilkes-Barre can rank higher / lower. It’s worth mentioning though since it is a list ranking all of the minor league markets in America and Wilkes-Barre is a minor league market.

Cleaning up news that is not related to the cesspool of Sidney Crosby / DMV articles:

— Wheeling keeps signing guys. Mike Ratchuk joins the Nailers and 2009 draft pick Alex Velischek returns.

–Syracuse re-signed Carl Nielsen.

Schedule should be out soon.

The AHL, WBS, Wheeling

There Will Be News….

Comments Off on There Will Be News…. Posted by on August 7, 2013

–

Cliffhangers on Coal Street was an alternative blog headline.

So how many is a “handful” ? My guess is a re-signing of a Christian Minella or someone of equal or lesser value.

The Big Board has been picked over. A couple of names still remain. Christian Hanson, Krys Kolanos, Dean Arsene to name three. Warren Peters is still unsigned. Would he sign an AHL only deal to stay in Wilkes-Barre another year?

I’m speculating too much, which is something I never like to do on the blog. The purpose of this entry was to tease the preview of coming attractions and to off some more news since the last time we did this.

— Here’s the print story from The Citizens’ Voice on the Grace to Florida news. A mention that the position for the new, “Voice of the Penguins” is open. While Mike O’Brien is a strong candidate for the job, it doesn’t look guaranteed. For what it’s worth, I would love to see Obie land the job.

— Look for the AHL schedule within the next 2-3 weeks.

— Hershey continues to add depth, inking Josh Brittain and Dustin Gazley to contracts today,

— Wheeling signed Chris Rooney today. He did time with them late last year.

— Ottawa re-signed Stephane DaCosta.

— Anaheim / Norfolk have a new ECHL affiliate. They are the Utah Grizzlies.

Check back tomorrow for the announcements on the new bodies.

The AHL, WBS, Wheeling

Grace Moving On

Comments Off on Grace Moving On Posted by on August 6, 2013

In news that shocked most, including yours truly, it was announced today that long time voice of the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins Tom Grace is moving up to the NHL to take a position with the Florida Panthers as their Manager of Team Services within the next two weeks.

Grace had his many detractors in the AHL, but for as many there were against him it seemed that there were double for him. Say what you want about him, I don’t think I have ever come across someone who loved the Penguins more than he did. I wish him the best in Sunrise, Florida.

There’s been a few other things rolling around the tumbler that is summertime hockey blogging. I’ve done my best to corral them for you and now present them for your reading enjoyment:

— Mike O’Brien had a podcast with newly minted WBS goalie Peter Mannino last week. I listened. Mannino sounds like an intriguing fellow and excited to be coming here.

— Our ECHL affiliate. the Wheeling Nailers, had a lot of news. First, they extended head coach Clark Donatelli for another year. Second, they announced their first signing. He’s Chaz Johnson. Johnson was with Elmira of the ECHL last season. He will be in Wilkes-Barre in the Fall, per his Twitter. Finally, the Nailers signed Barry Goers, a big offensive defenseman late of the Las Vegas Wranglers of the same league.

— The Nailers also announced a preseason schedule of their own on Tuesday.

— Tampa Bay signed goaltender Kristers Gudlevskis to a contract. With an overflow of bodies in the crease in Syracuse, Gudlevskis looks tabbed for Florida of the ECHL this Fall.

— The Hershey Bears add depth, signing G Riley Gill and F Tyler Ruegsegger to deals on Tuesday.

— Cody Wild has found work in a much warmer climate, inking a deal with the Orlando Solar Bears of the ECHL Monday. I have already updated the 2013 Offseason Moves List.

— Ian Altenbaugh from HockeysFuture.com has a Penguins prospects ratings page that he published recently. Have a look.

That’s all for now.

Pittsburgh, The AHL, WBS, Wheeling

What’s Up Ace?

Comments Off on What’s Up Ace? Posted by on April 6, 2013

Wilkes-Barre announced the signings of four players to its Black Ace squad this morning.

Joining the club is F Chris Barton, the Wheeling Nailers second leading scorer this year with 23-20-43 in 47 games this season. Barton has played four games for the Penguins this season.

Also coming in is D Harrison Ruopp, who was part of the trade this past offseason with the Phoenix Coyotes. Ruopp completed his junior season with the Prince Albert Raiders of the Ontario Hockey League and plays a very physical game. He was 1-15-16 in 65 games for the Raiders.

Goalies Scott Darling, who was 13-12-3 in 31 games for the Nailers with a 2.80 GAA and a .906 save percentage and Matt Murray from the Sault St. Marie Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League who posted 26-19-4 record in 53 games with a 3.67 GAA and a .894 save percentage round out the additions made today.

Barton and Darling signed professional tryout agreements (PTOs) and Ruopp and Murray signed amateur tryout agreements (ATOs)

A name not on the list is Keven Veilleux. The often injured Veilleux was sent to Wheeling when he finally got healthy then found himself in trouble when he used a racial slur in a game that got him suspended 10 games. I would assume that his playing days for the Penguins organization are over.

So that’s that. Penguins take host the Albany Devils tonight at 7 p.m. Gameday for that affair will be up here at 3 o’clock.

Let’s Go Pens!

WBS, Wheeling

Moving. Shaking. Not a Lot of Bacon.

Comments Off on Moving. Shaking. Not a Lot of Bacon. Posted by on March 28, 2013

Yeah, I have no idea how that headline correlates with this post.

Anyway, gobs of moves in Penguins land. You all by now know about some guy by the name of Iginla. So I am not going to bore you with the details on that acquisition. To start…

— Jeff Zatkoff was recalled to Pittsburgh. A well deserved call up to a player who had never dressed for an NHL game. It’s expected that he backs up Tomas Vokoun tonight.

— Marc Andre-Fleury took morning skate today and was still “questionable” to back up tonight. I feel much better seeing him take the skate this morning than say, 36 hours ago after the initial injury happened. That would lead me to believe that Zatkoff’s stay will be a brief one. He could be back as soon as this weekend, if not Friday.

— In the wake of the Zatkoff recall, Wilkes-Barre recalled Scott Darling to a PTO. Darling was on an ECHL contract with the Wheeling Nailers. He’s 13-12-1-2 with a 2.80 GAA and a 0.906 SV% in 31 appearances this season in the ECHL.

— Evgeni Malkin is off of injured reserve and will presumably play tonight, therefore Beau Bennett was returned to Wilkes-Barre. Now it is perceived that Bennett could hypothetically return to Pittsburgh after the trade deadline when there is no roster limits. But with the new arrivals of Brenden Morrow and Jarome Iginla, I don’t see it. Bennett on a fourth line would be a waste of his talents. Pittsburgh has made it clear that they are “all in” for a Stanley Cup. While Bennett is in the long term plans, the short term chance of winning a Stanley Cup is too much to pass up for the Penguins who are serious contenders.

Time, as it has in the past, always tells.

Gameday for tomorrow’s giant test vs. the Providence Bruins will be up at 3 p.m. Friday.

Let’s Go Pens!

Pittsburgh, WBS, Wheeling

Over the Hump and Out the Door

Comments Off on Over the Hump and Out the Door Posted by on February 20, 2013

It hit the ECHL wire Tuesday night that Reid McNeill was recalled to Wilkes-Barre. The Penguins made it official today.

Also in the release from the Penguins, was the announcement that D Mark Eaton was released from his PTO. Eaton was then spotted in Pittsburgh’s morning skate. He hasn’t signed yet with the Penguins.

Eaton didn’t set the world on fire when he was with Wilkes-Barre. He played six games, had one assist and was a -5. His departure eliminates the veteran overload for the Penguins.

With Eaton out of the picture, the McNeill recall makes sense if Alex Grant can’t go in this weekend’s three in three.

My final thought about Eaton is that if he does sign with Pittsburgh, the Penguins would then have eight defensemen on the roster. Only Simon Despres could come back to the Penguins without having to clear waivers. I wouldn’t rule out that actually coming to fruition.

Unless there is roster movement or I get another crazy stat breakdown idea that jumps into my head, look for the next blog update on Friday, which is the gameday setup for that night’s game in Philadelphia vs. Adirondack.

Pittsburgh, WBS, Wheeling

Call-Ups, Call-Downs, Collins

Comments Off on Call-Ups, Call-Downs, Collins Posted by on February 11, 2013

Busy Monday morning on Coal Street.

Joe Morrow’s NHL cup of coffee lasted one day. He was returned to Wilkes-Barre almost to the second since when he was recalled. He was scratched in the 4-1 loss to New Jersey last night.

Reid McNeill was recalled from Wheeling. He’s a defenseman. He may be enjoying his AHL cup of coffee today, as with him on town, WBS has 8 D on the roster (B. Dumoulin, M. Eaton, A. Grant, R. McNeill, J. Mormina, J. Morrow, P. Samuelsson, C. Wild) unless one of the d-men are still hurt, I can’t see McNeill sticking around.

Chris Collins was signed to a PTO today by Wilkes-Barre. You may remember Collins from a few years ago playing on the team in 2010-11 that collapsed in the second round of the playoffs won the AHL’s regular season title. I checked the Chirps from Center Ice archives (900+ posts strong, by the way) and found him to be more of a quiet role player who killed penalties. Collins ranked second in points for his DEL team overseas last season, and bounced around North America this season playing for the ECHL’s Las Vegas Wranglers and the AHL’s Springfield Falcons.

Jonathan will have more later most likely. Hell, Tom might even have something too.

Let’s Go Pens!

WBS, Wheeling

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