The Wilkes-Barre Penguins remain first in the Atlantic Division after a 1-1-1 week. Nick Hart recaps the game here:
Saturday, December 27 – PENGUINS 5 vs. Hershey 2
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton came out strong after the break, scoring five goals in the first period of their first game back. The game started early, with Nolan Renwick scoring his first goal of the season two minutes later. Raivis Ansons lit the lights 92 seconds later, followed by two goals from Gabe Klassen and a late power-play goal from Phil Tomasino.Sunday, December 28 – PENGUINS 3 at Lehigh Valley 4 (SO)
Rafaël Harvey-Pinard had a great day, but the Penguins ultimately lost a shootout to their turnpike rivals. Three minutes into the game, Xavi Pinard received a clever pass from Valtteri Puustinen and then went on a coast-to-coast snipe early in the second period. The Phantoms took the lead in the third period when David Breazeale quickly scored his first AHL goal, with Harvey-Pinard picking up an assist. However, Lehigh Valley scored on both shootouts and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton was shut down.
Harvey Pinard was named the AHL Player of the Week with 4 points (2G+2A) in these two games. RHP has been a forgotten player in the NHL mix because of the depth and volume the organization has, but he’s having a decent season and has been in very good shape as of late.
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What’s missing is last night’s 6-2 loss to Charlotte. Sergei Murashov scored five goals on 24 shots and was pulled off on a rare layoff, while Aaron Huglen and Joona Koppanen scored for WBS. The Checkers have given WBS trouble this season, winning three of their five games so far. Those games account for a large portion of the Penguins’ 11 total losses this season. WBS is ranked No. 1 despite playing six more games than Providence, who are just four points behind and maintain the advantage in scoring percentage.
With only 72 games in the AHL regular season, the Pens are close to midfield and firmly in control of easily qualifying for the playoffs (the top six teams in the division will advance to the postseason). Beyond that, as with the AHL format, finishing in the top two of the division will be the main focus this season to earn a bye in the first round, a series that’s only three games long and has put the WBS in trouble the past two seasons. This should be a battle, and it looks like Wilkes-Barre, Providence and Charlotte will be vying for the two top spots. The Pens are in a good position to go into this battle so far, despite their lackluster results against Charlotte so far.
The Pens return to action on Saturday to face Syracuse (second in the North Division, 36 points in 30 games) in what could be a strong road test for the WBS.
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To add another talking point to the Little League roundup, the 2026 World Junior Championship is well underway and, as is tradition for the tournament, there will be several big games on New Year’s Eve. Undefeated Canada will take on Finland early in the tournament in what should be their toughest early game, and likewise, undefeated Team USA will take on fellow medal favorites (and undefeated) Sweden today.
Overall, it was a pretty quiet start for the two Penguins rookies. Will Horcoff, a 2025 first-round pick, has a goal and an assist in three games with Team USA. Harrison Brunicke, who has one assist in three games with Team Canada, is a second-pair player but has also seen significant action on special teams as an alternate captain with the “A” on his jersey.
Horcoff’s goal against Germany is a highlight we’ve seen regularly this season, and his ability to finish the ball and find the back of the net has put him at the top of this year’s NCAA stat sheet.
For these players and teams, the real test is yet to come. Today is the last day of the round-robin tournament, with single-elimination play starting on Friday, followed by the semifinals on Sunday and the championship game on Monday. Today’s games in USA/Sweden and Canada/Finland will decide where all these clubs end up in the bracket. Many people have long predicted that the possibility of a collision between the United States and Canada in the finals is high, and both teams must win today to ensure that the game stays on track. But that’s no guarantee – especially against a strong Swedish team, who should provide an excellent challenge to Team USA today. Many eyes will be on Horcoff to see what he gets in crunch time over the next few days, which will have the Penguins excited to see how their rookie performs.