Prospects Of The Week
Harrison Brunicke Scores First AHL Goal, Continues To Impress With Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
Harrison Brunicke scored for the first time in the AHL regular season to give the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins a 4-2 lead in a 6-5 overtime loss to Bridgeport Islanders on Thursday. Brunicke joined Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in early April after being eliminated with the Kamloops Blazers from the WHL playoffs. The 2024 second round pick recorded a helper and finished with a +3 rating in a return to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton after about four months in the WHL. Brunicke carries eight points in six AHL games in 2025-26.
Gabriel D’Aigle Shines With 38-Save Performance, Earns First Pro Win With Wheeling
Gabriel D’Aigle stole the Nailers a point with 38 saves in a 2-1 overtime win over the Reading Royals on Sunday afternoon, bouncing back after a bit of a rocky debut at the professional level with three goals against on 19 shots in a 4-2 loss to the Cincinnati Cyclones on Tuesday. The 2025 third round pick surrendered a goal in the first period, but shut the door the rest of the way as the Nailers tied the game with one minute remaining in regulation and won in overtime.
D’Aigle signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins at the conclusion of the QMJHL season and joined Wheeling in the ECHL on a Professional Tryout Contract last week. D’Aigle finished the QMJHL regular season with a .908 save percentage in 39 appearances and led the entire league with 37 shots against per game average.
Carter Sanderson Scores Game-Tying Goal, Muskegon Advances In USHL Playoffs
Carter Sanderson scored late in the second period to tie the game 2-2 for the Muskegon Lumberjacks in a 3-2 win over the Cedar Rapids Rough Riders in Game 1 of the opening round of the USHL playoffs. The Lumberjacks won the next game 5-2 and the best-of-three series 2-0 to advance to the quarterfinals and face the Dubuque Fighting Saints next week. The teams tied the regular season series 3-3 but Dubuque handed Muskegon 5-1 and 7-3 losses in the final weekend of the regular season. The 2025 sixth round pick finished fifth on Muskegon during the regular season with 34 points in 54 games.
Down On The Farm
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Drop Overtime Game, Bounce Back With Win Over Cleveland
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins let a 5-2 lead slip away in the third period in a 6-5 overtime loss to the Bridgeport Islanders on Thursday. Gabe Klassen scored and added a helper. Finn Harding, Tanner Howe, Harrison Brunicke, and Atley Calvert scored the other Wilkes-Barre/Scranton goals. Owen Pickering, Daniel Russell, Joona Koppanen, Ville Koivunen, Rutger McGroarty, Rafael Harvey-Pinard, Aidan McDonough, and Mikhail Ilyin all recorded assists. Sergei Murashov surrendered six goals on 28 shots.
The Penguins beat the Cleveland Monsters on Saturday night, 4-1. Aidan McDonough scored twice. Atley Calvert scored and added a helper. Tanner Howe scored the other Wilkes-Barre/Scranton goal. Alex Alexeyev recorded a pair of assists. Russell, Ilyin, and Harvey-Pinard all finished with helpers. Joel Blomqvist stopped 25 shots in the win.
Wheeling Nailers Split Weekend, D’Aigle Earns First Professional Win
The Wheeling Nailers fell 4-2 to the Cincinnati Cyclones on Tuesday night. Max Graham and Emil Pieniniemi scored. Aidan Sutter, Connor Lockhart, and Nolan Renwick all recorded assists. Gabriel D’Aigle debuted at the professional level and surrendered three goals on 19 shots.
The Nailers fell 3-2 to the Reading Royals on Friday night. Mathieu De St. Phalle and Matthew Quercia scored. Brent Johnson recorded two assists. Brayden Edwards and Renwick finished with helpers. Taylor Gauthier stopped 30 shots in the loss.
The Nailers jumped out to a 3-0 lead and never looked back in a 6-2 win over Reading on Saturday night. Ryan McAllister scored twice. Johnson and Tiernan Shoudy both scored and added helpers. De St. Phalle and Alexander Kuqali scored the other Wheeling goals. David Breazeale recorded two assists. Mike Posma, Lockhart, Brayden Edwards, and Zach Urdahl all finished with helpers. Gauthier stopped 16 shots in the win.
The Nailers beat Reading 2-1 in overtime on Sunday afternoon. McAllister tied the game with exactly one minute remaining in regulation off assists from Bennet and Lockhart, and Bennett scored in overtime off assist from McAllister and Johnson. Gabriel D’Aigle stopped 38 shots in the win.