Prospects Of The Week
Penguins Prospect Report: Rutger McGroarty Scores For Wilkes-Barre/Scranton In Season Debut
Rutger McGroarty returned to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins lineup after missing the first quarter of the season recovering from injury and scored a goal in a 3-1 win over the Springfield Falcons on Saturday. The 2022 first round pick acquired from the Winnipeg Jets before the start of last season in exchange for 2023 first round pick Brayden Yager, took some time to adjust to professional level after recording 91 points in 75 games across two NCAA season with the Michigan Wolverines, but finished the season with 39 points in 60 games at the AHL level and three points in eight games at the NHL level.
McGroarty figures to eventually join the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2025-26 season. Scoring a goal in the first game of the 2025-26 season after going nine games before lighting the lamp for the first time last season bodes well for the promising power forward.
Penguins Prospect Report: Gabriel D’Aigle Stops 63 Of 66 Shots In Pair Of Victoriaville Tigres Wins
Gabriel D’Aigle struggled early in the 2025-26 season on a rebuilding Victoriaville Tigres team but found some consistency since the start of November and stopped 63 of 66 shots in two wins last week. Despite the team being outshot 40-19, D’Aigle earned first star honors after making 38 saves in a 6-2 win over the Shawinigan Cataractes on Friday. The 2025 third round pick continued the strong play on Sunday, making 21 saves on 22 shots in a 4-1 win over the Gatineau Olympiques. D’Aigle carries a .886 save percentage in the 2025-26 season, but a .918 save percentage through five games in November.
D’Aigle finished with a .883 save percentage in 55 appearances last season while the Tigres finished in last place in the QMJHL. The Tigres rank last in the Western Conference and second to last in the league in the 2025-26 season.
Penguins Prospect Report: Max Graham Scores Twice For Wheeling Nailers Last Week, Finding Stride At Professional Level
In the Pittsburgh Penguins prospect pipeline but signed with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for the 2025-26 season, Max Graham scored two goals in a pair of wins for the Wheeling Nailers last week. The 2024 fifth round pick acquired from the New Jersey Devils as part of the Cody Glass trade last season recorded 35 points in 34 games with the Kelowna Rockets in the WHL before missing the rest of the season with a knee injury. The five goals tie the 6’3, 209 lbs. forward for the team lead. Graham scored three goals in three consecutive games near the start of the season before going without a point for three games.
Graham hopes to find the scoresheet with more consistency in Wheeling and ultimately earn a contract with Pittsburgh by the end of the season.
Down On The Farm
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Win Three Last Week, Take Top Spot In AHL Standings
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins won a back-and-forth game against the Bridgeport Islanders, 5-4 in a shootout on Wednesday morning. Sam Poulin scored twice. Aaron Huglen scored and added a helper, and Alex Alexeyev scored the other Wilkes-Barre/Scranton goal. Valtteri Puustinen recorded a pair of assists, and Sebastian Aho and Nolan Renwick added helpers. Maxim Pavlenko stopped 24 shots in regulation. Poulin, Huglen, Puustinen, and Raphael Harvey-Pinard scored in the shootout, and Pavlenko turned away two of five shooters to give Wilkes-Barre/Scranton the win.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton saved the scoring for the third period in a 5-3 win over Bridgeport on Friday night. Down 2-0 headed into the final frame, Phil Kemp scored twice–including the eventual game winner–and added a helper. Tristan Broz, Aho, and Aidan McDonough all scored and recorded assists. Atley Calvery recorded a pair of assists, and Poulin, Huglen, and Renwick finished with helpers. Pavlenko made 23 saves in the win.
Rutger McGroarty and Joel Blomqvist returned to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton lineup and helped the Penguins beat the Springfield Falcons 3-1 on Saturday night. Raivis Ansons, Boko Imama, and McGroarty scored. Scooter Brickey, Poulin, Zach Gallant, Alexeyev, McDonough, and Kemp all recorded assists. Blomqvist stopped 23 of 24 shots in the win.
Wheeling Nailers Beat Maine Twice, Lose To Reading In Three-Game Homestand
The Wheeling Nailers opened a three-game homestand with a 5-1 win over the Maine Mariners on Friday night. Mike Posma scored twice and added a helper. Max Graham, Jack Works, and Matthew Quercia scored the other Wheeling goals. Jordan Kaplan and Brent Johnson recorded a pair of helpers, and Zach Urdahl, Logan Pietila, and Tanner Andrew finished with assists. Jake Smith stopped 26 of 27 shots in the win.
Wheeling beat the Mariners again the next night, 4-1. Posma scored twice again, and Graham and Urdahl added goals. Johnson recorded a pair of helpers, and Quercia, David Breazeale, Tommy Budnick, Craig Armstrong, and Works all recorded assists. Smith stopped 22 of 23 shots in the win.
The Nailers lost 3-2 in overtime to the Reading Royals on Sunday afternoon. Brayden Edwards scored and added a helper, and Works scored the other Wheeling goal. Johnson recorded two assists again and Quercia added a helper. Pavlenko, reassigned to the Nailers with Blomqvist being activated, surrendered three goals on 21 shots.