Penguins Head to North Carolina for Pair of Pivotal Games
AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins

Penguins Head to North Carolina for Pair of Pivotal Games

Published on January 6, 2026 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins News Release


Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (22-9-1-2) will take on Charlotte twice at The Biscuit

Weekly Rewind

Tuesday, Dec. 30 - PENGUINS 2 vs. Charlotte 6

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's last game of 2025 and last of eight December home games ended in a lopsided loss to Charlotte. The Checkers scored twice in quick succession midway through the opening frame, then did the same to take a 4-0 lead in the second period. Aaron Huglen put the Penguins on the board, scoring in his return from injury, but Charlotte scored with 16 seconds left in the second period and 51 seconds into the third. Joona Koppanen notched the Penguins' other goal to round out the night's scoring.

Saturday, Jan. 3 - PENGUINS 0 at Syracuse 6

To start the New Year, the Penguins were shut-out for the first time this season. The Crunch blitzed the Penguins with five goals in the first period. Boko Imama and Max Graham both dropped the gloves for spirited fights during the middle frame, and Nolan Renwick had his first AHL fight in the third period. Both Graham and Brayden Edwards made their AHL debuts.

The Week Ahead

Friday, Jan. 9 - PENGUINS at Charlotte

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Charlotte go head-to-head in back-to-back games in the Queen City. The Checkers have the edge in the season series, three wins to two. However, the visiting team has won each of the five previous meetings between these two clubs.

Saturday, Jan. 10 - PENGUINS at Charlotte

The second of the Penguins' two tilts at Bojangles' Coliseum kicks off one hour sooner at 6:00 p.m. Under head coach Kirk MacDonald, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton is 23-7-3-2 (.729) in the second game of back-to-backs. Meanwhile, the Checkers have lost two in a row after stringing together an impressive four-game win streak. Charlotte forward Nolan Foote is on a six-game point streak, with eight points (3G-5A) in that time.

Ice Chips

- Today is Rafaël Harvey-Pinard's 27th birthday.

- Wilkes-Barre/Scranton is now 13-11-1-1 (.538) in the first game of a New Year.

- The Penguins have used 41 different players this season, tied for the second-most in the entire AHL.

- Joona Koppanen has nine points (4G-5A) in his last nine games.

- Saturday's visit to Syracuse marked the first time the Penguins allowed 5+ goals in a single period since Mar. 24, 2021 vs. Syracuse.

ATLANTIC DIVISION STANDINGS

TEAM GP W L OTL SOL PTS Pts%

1. PENGUINS 34 22 9 1 2 47 .691

2. Providence 30 23 6 1 0 47 .783

3. Lehigh Valley 33 18 11 2 2 40 .606

4. Charlotte 31 18 11 2 0 38 .613

5. Hershey 31 16 14 1 0 33 .532

6. Springfield 31 12 13 4 2 30 .484

7. Hartford 31 11 15 4 1 27 .435

8. Bridgeport 31 12 16 2 1 27 .435

TEAM LEADERS

SKATERS GP G A PTS

Tristan Broz 31 10 10 20

Sam PoulinX 22 9 11 20

Valtteri Puustinen 29 5 13 18

Avery Hayes 24 9 8 17

Danton HeinenX 12 6 11 17

Aidan McDonough 31 6 11 17

GOALIES GP W-L-OT GAA SV% Shutouts

Joel Blomqvist 9 5-2-2 1.93 .933 1

Sergei Murashov* 16 11-4-0 2.18 .921 2

Filip Larsson 9 3-2-1 3.51 .876 0

* = rookie

^ = recalled to Pittsburgh

X = no longer in organization

UPCOMING GAME SCHEDULE

DATE OPPONENT LOCATION TIME

Fri, Jan. 9 Charlotte Bojangles' Coliseum 7:00 p.m.

Sat, Jan. 10 Charlotte Bojangles' Coliseum 6:00 p.m.

RECENT TRANSACTIONS

DATE PLAYER TRANSACTION

Tue, Dec. 30 (LW) Max Graham Recalled from WHL

Wed, Dec. 31 (D) Brent Johnson Reassigned to WHL

Wed, Dec. 31 (D) Tommy Budnick Reassigned to WHL

Wed, Dec. 31 (RW) William Dufour Released from PTO

Wed, Dec. 31 (D) Ryan Graves Reassigned from PIT

Wed, Dec. 31 (RW) Phil Tomasino Traded by PIT to PHI

Wed, Dec. 31 (D) Egor Zamula Traded to PIT; Assigned by PIT

Thu, Jan. 1 (C) Brayden Edwards Recalled from WHL

Thu, Jan. 1 (LW) Zach Urdahl Recalled from WHL

Check out the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Statistics

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American Hockey League Stories from January 6, 2026


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