Penguins Waste No Time as they Sign New Defenseman

The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have some solid young talent on the team as the Penguins continue looking to build for the future, and on Sunday, they confirmed a very intriguing signing.

According to a social media post, the WBS Penguins have inked talented young defenseman Thomas Budnick to a one-year deal for the 2025/26 campaign.

The 21-year old has spent the last four seasons in the Ontario Hockey League, playing with the Kingston Frontenacs, Guelph Storm and the Brantford Bulldogs during that stretch.

This past season, he posted a career high between Brantford and Guelph, posting 7 goals and 27 points in that time, and with solid size at 6-foot-1 and 210 pounds, it's safe to say that he could thrive at the AHL level.

As mentioned by the Bulldogs, who also announced the signing on social media, Budnick is also a great leader, as he was key to any success the organization managed to have in 2024/25.

While he was never the most productive player in points for the three teams he played with during his stretch in the OHL, Budnick does all the small things right, and it was believed that he could be very solid in the AHL if he was ever given the opportunity.

It's unclear exactly what his role will be in the AHL moving forward, as he has the talent to make the adjustment to the professional level, but for now, we'll have to wait and see what he can bring to the Penguins organization.