Penguin's GM Ron Hextall announced that the team is recalling four players from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. They included: forwards Jonathan Gruden and Valtteri Puustinen, as well as defensemen Niclas Almari and Taylor Fedun.
All four will suit up for the Penguins at the Detroit Red Wings game on 10/7/21. See the Press release below for more information.
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PRESS RELEASE
Penguins Recall Four Players from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
The Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled forwards Jonathan Gruden and Valtteri Puustinen, as well as defensemen Niclas Almari and Taylor Fedun from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League, it was announced today by general manager Ron Hextall.
All four players will suit up in tomorrow’s game against the Detroit Red Wings.
Gruden, 21, has dressed for one preseason game with the Penguins, recording one shot in 11:36 minutes. The 6-foot, 172-pound forward spent his first professional season in the AHL last year with WBS, finishing seventh on the team with 14 points (6G-8A) in 32 games. Prior to turning pro, he was a member of the U.S. National Team Development Program for two seasons from 2016-18, serving as an alternate captain of Team USA at the World Junior Championship in 2018, helping them to a silver medal.
Puustinen, 22, appeared in the Penguins’ Oct. 1 preseason game in Buffalo, where he recorded one assist and was plus-2. The Kuopio, Finland native spent the 2020-21 season with HPK of Liiga, Finland's top professional league, recording 41 points (21G-20A) in 51 games. His 21 goals led all HPK skaters and were tied for eighth in the league, while his 41 points were second-most on HPK.
Almari, 23, suited up for one preseason game with Pittsburgh on Oct. 1 in Buffalo, skating 17:57 minutes and recording two shots. The defenseman spent the 2020-21 season on a loan with the Pelicans for his fourth career season in Liiga, Finland’s top professional league, and recorded seven points (1G-6A) in 28 games. In addition to the Espoo, Finland native’s career in Liiga, where he recorded 25 points (9G-16A) in 135 games, he also skated for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in 2019-20, tallying seven points (1G-6A) in 51 games.
Fedun, 33, played in one preseason game for Pittsburgh on Oct. 1 in Buffalo, skating 19:35 minutes. In 2020-21, the defenseman appeared in two games for the Texas Stars (AHL), and spent the majority of the season on Dallas’ taxi squad. The Edmonton, AB native has recorded 35 points (8G-27A) in 127 NHL games, as well as 181 points (41G-140A) in 356 career AHL games.