Penguins Recall Defenseman Brent Johnson, Tommy Budnick
AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins

Penguins Recall Defenseman Brent Johnson, Tommy Budnick

Published on December 28, 2025 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins News Release


WILKES-BARRE, Pa. - The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins announced today that they have recalled defensemen Brent Johnson and Tommy Budnick from their ECHL affiliate, the Wheeling Nailers.

Johnson leads the Nailers with 15 assists on the season. His 18 points also rank third on the club and tops among Wheeling defensemen. In 30 career ECHL games with Wheeling, the 22-year-old rearguard has four goals and 16 helpers for 20 points.

Johnson, a third-round draft pick (80th overall) by the Washington Capitals in 2021, made his AHL debut for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton late last season. On Apr. 18, 2025, Johnson suited up at forward against the Hershey Bears for his first and only AHL contest so far.

Prior to turning pro, Johnson played four seasons of college hockey. He spent his first two years skating for the University of North Dakota, then the latter two seasons with Ohio State University. In 2023-24, Johnson was a teammate of current Penguins defenseman Scooter Brickey as members of the Buckeyes.

In 111 collegiate games, Johnson accrued 35 points (13G-22A).

Budnick is also in his first season of professional hockey, and he has skated in 27 contests for Wheeling. In that time, the 21-year-old rearguard has one goal and seven assists for eight points.

Budnick was signed by Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this past offseason after wrapping up a five-year junior career in the Ontario Hockey League. The Petoskey, Michigan native posted 84 points (15G-69A) and 277 penalty minutes in 233 career games with the Kingston Frontenacs, Guelph Storm and Brantford Bulldogs.

This past year, Budnick was also the recipient of the Roger Neilson Memorial Award as the OHL's Top Academic Post-Secondary Student.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's next game is today, Sunday, Dec. 28, as the team travels down the PA Turnpike to take on the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Game time for the Penguins and Phantoms is listed as 3:05 p.m. from PPL Center.

The Penguins' next home game is their last contest before the New Year, Tuesday, Dec. 30. The Penguins host the Charlotte Checkers for a New Year's Eve Eve Bash with a 7:05 p.m. puck drop at Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza.

Season-ticket packages for the Penguins' 2025-26 season, including Full-Season, 22-game, 12-game, Flexbook and Premium Seating plans, as well as Corporate Partnership opportunities are available by reaching out to the Penguins directly at (570) 208-7367. Individual-game tickets are also available by visiting

Ticketmaster.com, the Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza Box Office or calling the Penguins' front office at (570) 208-7367.

Every minute of Penguins hockey can be watched online with the league's streaming service, AHLTV on FloHockey. AHLTV on FloHockey provides its subscribers access to not just every regular-season and Calder Cup Playoff game for all 32 AHL teams, but also more than 21,000 hockey contests from other professional and junior leagues on FloHockey, as well as access to all other live event streams and replays across FloSports.

Check out the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Statistics

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American Hockey League Stories from December 28, 2025


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