Struggling Penguins prospect gets sent down, hitting new low
Photo credit: NHL.com
Struggling Penguins prospect Mathieu De St. Phalle has been demoted from the AHL Penguins down to the ECHL's Wheeling Nailers amid his lack of production.
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have reassigned forward Mathieu De St. Phalle to their ECHL affiliate, the Wheeling Nailers, after a difficult start to this season in the AHL.
What led to Mathieu De St. Phalle's demotion
De St. Phalle has struggled to find his footing with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, recording just two goals in 11 games and no assists in 25 career AHL contests.
His lack of production was a key factor in the decision to send the 25-year-old to the Nailers, where he'll have a chance to regain confidence and rediscover the scoring touch that made him a standout in his rookie ECHL season.
Last season with Wheeling, De St. Phalle paced the club with 35 assists and 55 points, which ranked second amongst all ECHL rookies in both categories, while adding 20 goals, second on the team.
Why the Penguins organization still believes in Mathieu De St. Phalle
His collegiate career at the University of Wisconsin was also solid, concluding with 87 points (36G-51A) in 141 games while leading the team in goals for several seasons.
Despite the early-season struggles, the Penguins' organization believes that returning De St. Phalle to Wheeling will give him more ice time and opportunities to develop the offensive skills that earned him a professional contract.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton will try to bounce back on Friday, Dec. 5, against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms at Mohegan Arena.
Until then, all eyes will be on De St. Phalle in the ECHL as he tries to get back to the player that made him one of the top prospects in the Nailers organization and a name to keep an eye on in the Penguins' system.
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