Prospect News
Avery Hayes Signs NHL Contract With Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins signed undrafted forward Avery Hayes to a two-year entry level contract last week after a strong sophomore season on a minor league deal with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Hayes ranks fourth on the team with 18 goals and fifth with 36 points in 46 games after injury limited the 5’10”, 174 lbs. forward to only 29 games and eight points as a rookie last season. Prior to signing with the organization, Hayes won two OHL championships and recorded 203 points in 237 games over four seasons in the with the Hamilton Bulldogs and the Peterborough Petes.
Daniel Laatsch Signs Entry-Level Contract
The Pittsburgh Penguins organization signed another blue liner taken in a late round in Daniel Laatsch last week. The 2021 seventh round pick recorded 26 points in 126 games over four seasons with the Wisconsin Badgers, including 11 points in 40 games and +17 plus/minus rating last season. Production dipped as the team lost several key players in 2024-25 to only five points in 22 games before a knee injury ended the season for the 6’5”, 183 lbs. defenseman. Expect Laatsch to see some bottom pairing minutes in the AHL season next season with the potential of a few appearances with Wheeling depending on the organizational depth chart.
Prospects Of The Week
Emil Pieniniemi Records Four-Point Game, Six Points On The Weekend
After going four games without a point, Emil Pieniniemi kicked off the week with a four-point game in a 7-1 win over the Ottawa 67s on Tuesday and finished the week with six points in three games. The 2023 third round pick scored the opening goal and the final goal and added two assists–all on the power play–on Tuesday, and added two helpers in a convincing 8-2 win over the Peterborough Petes on Friday. Pieniniemi ranks fourth overall on the Frontenacs–and sixth among blueliners in the OHL–with 60 points in 58 games.
Mathias Laferriere Finding Stride With Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
Mathias Laferriere joined the Penguins via a trade with the Springfield Thunderbirds a month ago and went seven games without a point before recording five points in the last five Wilkes-Barre/Scranton games, including a goal and a primary assist in three games last week. The 2018 sixth round pick of the St. Louis Blues gave Wilkes-Barre/Scranton a 3-2 lead in the second period of a 5-4 shootout win over the Hershey Bears on Wednesday and set up a Tristan Broz power play tally to open the scoring in a 5-3 win over the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Sunday. Laferriere now boasts five points through 12 games with the Penguins after recording 10 in 33 with Springfield in the first half of the season.
Taylor Gauthier Lights Out In March Despite 2-2-2 Record
Taylor Gauthier continued a monstrous March, going 2-1-0 last week while only surrendering three goals. Gauthier stopped 22 of 23 shots in a 2-0 loss to the Trois-Rivières Lions on Wednesday, stopped 33 of 34 shots in a 3-1 win over the Fort Wayne Komets on Friday, and stopped 25 of 26 shots in a 3-1 win over the Cincinnati Cyclones on Sunday. Through six games in March despite a 2-2-2 record, Gauthier carries a 0.98 save percentage and a .966 save percentage.
Down On The Farm
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Goes 2-1-0 Last Week In Bid For First-Round Bye
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton survived multiple pushback attempts by the Hershey Bears in a 5-4 shootout win on Wednesday night. Ville Koivunen and Rutger McGroarty scored and recorded assists. Mathias Laferriere and Avery Hayes scored the other regulation goals. Jack St. Ivany and Valtteri Puustinen recorded two assists, and Marc Johnstone and Chase Stillman finished with helpers. Sergei Murashov stopped 31 shots in regulation and overtime and turned away five Hershey shooters in the shootout while Samuel Poulin scored the only goal for either side to earn the extra point in the standings.
The Penguins never really gained any momentum in a 3-1 loss to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Friday night. The Phantoms scored 1:10 into the game. McGroarty scored shorthanded halfway through the second to even the score off a Poulin assist, but Lehigh Valley retook the lead five minutes later and sealed the game with a late empty net goal. Filip Larsson stopped 24 shots in the loss.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton rebounded on Sunday afternoon with a 5-3 win over the Phantoms. Joona Koppanen scored twice, and Tristan Broz, Hayes, and Puustinen scored the other goals. Laferriere, Poulin, St. Ivany, Owen Pickering, and Boris Katchouk recorded assists, and Murashov improved to 9-0-0 in the AHL with 23 saves.
Wheeling Nailers Go 2-1-0 Over The Weekend
Scoring troubles persisted for the Wheeling Nailers in a 2-0 loss on Wednesday afternoon to the Trois-Rivières Lions. The Lions scored early in the first period while the Nailers failed to score for a second consecutive game and in three of the last four games. Taylor Gauthier made 22 saves on 23 shots against.
The Nailers offense finally showed some life in a 3-1 win over the Fort Wayne Komets on Friday. Mathieu De St. Phalle, David Jankowski, and Kyle Jackson scored, and Matthew Quercia, Gabe Klassen, David Drake, Cole Cameron, Isaac Belliveau, and Jordan Martel all recorded assists. Gauthier turned away 33 of 34 shots in the win.
A third period collapse led to a 5-3 loss for the Nailers against the Komets on Saturday night. Martel and Quercia scored in the first period. Fort Wayne answered with a goal in the second period, but Logan Pietila goal re-established a two-goal lead for Wheeling headed into the third. The Komets scored four goals in the final frame to get the win. Jackson, Zach Gallant, De St. Phalle, Jack Works, and Jankowski recorded assists, and Jaxon Castor made 28 saves on 32 shots.
Zach Gallant scored and recorded two assists in a 3-1 win over the Cincinnati Cyclones on Sunday afternoon. Jackson and Belliveau added goals. Martel recorded two assists, and Phillip Waugh and Pietila finished with helpers. Gauthier made 25 saves on 26 shots in the win.