Chirps from Center Ice

News is slow. I have been absent on Twitter enjoying my summer lately. However, I have been monitoring my feed every now and then for news and notes. Found this tidbit retweeted by Texas Stars blogger extraordinaire @100degreehockey:

Chupp’s numbers with Texas last year were 5-9-14, -9 in 58 games last year. It looks like an ECHL deal. Here’s his hockeydb page. He’s never played in the ECHL, so this is a bit peculiar to me that he would sign an ECHL deal on tryout with Wilkes-Barre. He may never see the Wyoming Valley. Potentially a depth signing, and by that I mean a deep depth signing for the Penguins.

I asked Hundred Degree Hockey about Chupp and here is what he tweeted me:

So we will see what happens. Hey, it’s something on a hot, humid, sticky Wilkes-Barre mid-afternoon.

* – I always look for innovative headline posts. I was actually going to go with “Chupp Yours” but decided against it because I like to keep things headline-wise, rated G.

Wilkes-Barre announced this afternoon that they have signed Brandon DeFazio and Andrew Hotham to AHL deals.

Hotham is a defenseman who saw American League action with Rochester last year for six games. In 109 games at St. Mary’s University in Canada playing in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport, he scored 34-114-148. He was also named Atlantic University Sport’s most valuable player.

DeFazio, you recall, played here in WBS for two games when half the forwards were up in Pittsburgh when the Penguins had all those injuries.

In July, it looks like both of these guys are destined to continue developing in Wheeling this fall and add depth to Wilkes-Barre should they need to be called upon.

Keep chirpin’. Go Penguins!

According to The Intelligencer / Wheeling News-Register beat writer Shawn Rine, prospect Brandon DeFazio is on his way to Wilkes-Barre.

This could mean that Brett Sterling is too dinged up to play tonight / this weekend due to the upper body injury sustained Wednesday in Norfolk.

Or, according to Rine, it could be contractually based:

http://twitter.com/WheelHouse87/statuses/53849515005976576

Here’s the numbers on him this year out of Clarkson University in the ECAC: 36 GP 14-12-26 56 PIMs and even. He has played 10 games for The Nail, and 4-5-9 7 PIMs and a +5.

Rine describes DeFazio as a kid with a great work ethic, great shot, drives the net and not afraid to fight. Sounds like someone we are all familiar with.

Bombulie was in meetings this morning and thus not at morning skate, so there will be no word on the status of Sterling from me until warmups. I don’t listen to the radio broadcast of home games so if you want to know something before me, listen to the pregame show on 102.3 The Mountain.

Gameday will be up at it’s usual for tonight’s tilt with Charlotte. Let’s Go Pens!

ECHL All-Star goaltender Patrick Killeen is on his way up from the Wheelhouse per today’s ECHL transactions page.

I expected this, as John Curry was pulled in the first intermission with a minor injury last night vs. Manitoba. Winnipeg media said that his injury was minor, so Wilkes-Barre takes the preventative route and calls up Killer for the weekend. Brad Thiessen will in all likelihood start this weekends games vs. Worcester and Charlotte.

Pens will practice early tomorrow then have Friday night off. Pens beat writer Jonathan Bombulie will have an update on his blog tomorrow on this and also on the Vitale injury. Don’t expect to see Vitale this weekend, in my guesstimation.

Go Penguins.