Prospects Of The Week
Mikhail Ilyin Breaks Scoring Slump With Two-Goal Week For Severstal Cherepovets
Mikhail Ilyin broke out of a small slump with two goals, including the overtime winner in a 5-4 win over HC Sochi on Wednesday, and three points in two games last week. Ilyin helped Cherepovets kick off a comeback attempt with a primary assist to make the score 3-1 in a 5-4 shootout loss to Dynamo Moscow on Monday and scored the opening goal and the overtime winner on Wednesday.
The 2023 fifth-round pick ranks second on the team with 31 points in 48 games, already eclipsing 30 points in 64 games last season. Severstal ranks first in the Western Conference.
Atley Calvert Continues Steady Scoring Pace With Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
Atley Calvert continued to quietly climb the top scorers list for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and currently ranks second on the team with 24 points in 42 games, after recording three points in four games last week and 10 points in 13 games since Christmas. The undrafted forward recorded two secondary assists in a 3-2 win over Springfield on Monday and scored in a 3-2 overtime loss to Belleville on Wednesday.
Calvert recorded 14 points in 26 AHL games as a rookie last season after a dominant first half of the year with the Wheeling Nailers, recording 36 points in 38 games and being named to the ECHL All-Star Game. Calvert scored 105 goals in 237 WHL games, including 87 in 135 games over two seasons before joining the Penguins organization. Look for Calvert to be in consideration for an NHL contract by the end of the season.
Chase Pietila Scores First Pro Goal in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Win
Chase Pietila scored for the first time at the professional level to give the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins a 2-1 lead in a 3-2 win over the Springfield Thunderbirds on Monday afternoon. The 2024 fourth-round pick ranked second among blueliners on the team with 10 assists in 37 games before scoring a regular-season goal halfway through the 2025-26 season, and now ranks second among blueliners on the team with 11 points and third on the team with 47 penalty minutes.
Pietila led blueliners and ranked fifth on the Michigan Tech Huskies last season with 22 points in 36 games as a sophomore in the NCAA, but projects as a shutdown defenseman—named the CCHA Defensive Defenseman of the Year and to the CCHA First All-Star Team. Pietila led the team with 52 penalty minutes.
Down On The Farm
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Splits Busy Week Against Division Rivals
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins beat the Springfield Thunderbirds 3-2 in a Monday matinee. Valtteri Puustinen scored and added a helper. Chase Pietila scored for the first time at the professional level. Gabe Klassen scored the other Wilkes-Barre/Scranton goal. Atley Calvert finished with a pair of assists. Aidan McDonough, Rutger McGroarty, and Finn Harding all recorded helpers. Sergei Murashov turned away 25 of 27 shots in the win.
The Penguins lost a back-and-forth game 3-2 in overtime to the Belleville Senators on Wednesday. Rafael Harvey-Pinard and Calvert scored. Avery Hayes, David Breazeale, and Joona Koppaen recorded assists. After outshooting the Senators 26-9 through the first two frames and taking a 2-1 lead early in the third, Belleville battled back to force overtime and scored 1:34 into the extra frame. Joel Blomqvist stopped 16 shots in the overtime loss.
The Penguins battled back to beat the Hershey Bears 4-3 in a shootout on Friday night. Koivunen scored in regulation, picked up a helper, and scored the only goal for either side in the shootout. Owen Pickering and Hayes scored the other Wilkes-Barre/Scranton goals in regulation. McGroarty recorded assists on all three goals. Phil Kemp finished with a helper. Murashov stopped 27 shots in regulation and overtime and all three shootout attempts in the win.
Despite scoring the first goal of the game, the Penguins fell 5-2 to the Charlotte Checkers on Saturday night. Klassen and McDonough scored. Koivunen, McGroarty, Hayes, and Harding all recorded assists. Blomqvist stopped 35 of 39 shots in the loss.
Wheeling Nailers Earn Weekend Split Against Reading
The Wheeling Nailers beat the Reading Royals 3-1 on Friday night. Connor Lockhart and Logan Pietila both scored and recorded assists. Mathieu De St. Phalle scored the other Wheeling goal. Ryan Mashie finished with a helper. Taylor Gauthier stopped 31 of 32 shots in the win.
Despite outshooting the Royals 39-24 on Saturday night, the Nailers lost 5-2. Brayden Edwards and Matthew Quercia scored the Wheeling goals. Mashie, Brent Johnson, Craig Armstrong, and Emil Pieniniemi all recorded assists. Maxim Pavlenko surrendered two goals on six shots and left the game after the first period. Gauthier stopped 15 of 17 in relief.