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Kyle Dubas Makes an Unexpected Roster Move Ahead of 3-Game Road Trip
It appears that Kyle Dubas and the Pittsburgh Penguins are going to be promoting another one of their AHL players, as the team continues to shake up their lines.
After the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins clinched a Calder Cup playoff berth in the AHL, Rutger McGroarty and Ville Koivunen received some wonderful news: they were off to Pittsburgh last week.
Both of the rookies got a chance to dress up for the Penguins against the Ottawa Senators on Sunday, a major achievement in their development.
McGroarty, who played three NHL games last October, gained some more experience at the highest level, while Koivunen made his first NHL appearance.
McGroarty turned 21 on Sunday, which was "a good birthday present," he joked, while Koivunen will turn 22 in June.
In his return in their first game, McGroarty skated on the top line with Bryan Rust and Sidney Crosby, and Koivunen skated as a left winger on the second line with Rickard Rakell at center and Connor Dewar on the right.
Jason Spezza believes McGroarty's early struggles led to his hot streak
After his brief October stint with Pittsburgh, McGroarty struggled early to find his offense in rhythm again after he was sent down to the AHL. But as assistant GM Jason Spezza notes, maybe that early struggle was what he required.
"Because he's probably our first penalty killer over the boards, he's on late in games and he does so many things that allow us to win hockey games that don't show up on the scoresheet," Spezza said. "Unless you're watching the games every night, it's hard to notice. Even during the times when he wasn't scoring, we were happy with how things were going."
Since then, the University of Michigan product, drafted by Winnipeg and traded to Pittsburgh in the offseason, has been a human torch, with 18 points since Feb. 15, and pacing the AHL club. He has 14 goals and 39 total points in 60 AHL games.
The Penguins once again called up a player from the AHL
Meanwhile, as if these last two call-ups weren't enough, the Penguins did some additional roster shuffling today by recalling another player from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Joona Koppanen has been called up, as Pittsburgh attempts to have a good look at the young and coming players that can guide the team to glory in the future.
| POLL | ||
AVRIL 2 | 86 ANSWERS Kyle Dubas Makes an Unexpected Roster Move Ahead of 3-Game Road Trip Are you happy with this call-up? | ||
| Yes | 71 | 82.6 % |
| No | 15 | 17.4 % |
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