Penguins Shake Up Goaltending with New Surprise Signing

The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins signed goaltender Christian Stoever to an amateur tryout agreement, the team revealed today.

Marking his 25th birthday, Stoever unexpectedly joins the Penguins following a four-year collegiate stint at Bowling Green State University.

In 91 appearances with the Falcons, the Northville, Michigan, native achieved a 35-44-6 record, a respectable 2.69 goals-against average, and a .912 save percentage. His regularity around the pipes became apparent early on in his collegiate career.

In his freshman season of 2021-22, Stoever led all Falcons netminders in both games played (26) and playing time (1,542:25).

This past season, Stoever dazzled with a hot start, posting an unbeaten streak in his first nine games (7-0-2). He continued that hot start through the end of February before finally picking up his first regulation loss on Feb. 28.

In addition to his contributions on the ice, Stoever demonstrated himself to be dedicated in school as well, earning All-CCHA All-Academic Team recognition for three consecutive seasons: 2021-22, 2022-23, and 2023-24.

The Penguins return to the ice tonight, Wednesday, April 16, for an extremely important game against the Providence Bruins. Playoff points are at stake, and the puck drops at 7:05 p.m. at Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza.

The Penguins with three games remaining in their AHL season before they begin the Calder Cup playoffs.

Stoever is the third Falcon to be signed to an affiliate league contract this season, with Ryan O'Hara and Seth Fyten signing with the Eastern Collegiate Hockey League (ECHL).