Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's top line has been dominant so far this season.
The trio of Sam Miletic on the left wing, Stefan Noesen on the right wing, and Andrew Agozzino at center has been together for most of the season now, and they've been so instrumental in the Penguins' success as they sit No. 2 in the Atlantic Division standings.
Miletic, 22, currently ranks No. 4 in team scoring with two goals and eight assists in 17 games. Noesen, 26, has just been on fire and leads the team in scoring with 11 goals and six assists in 17 games. Just trailing Noesen is 28-year-old Agozzino, who ranks No. 2 with six goals and nine assists.
"We work for each other," Agozzino told me of his line's success this week. "We don't try to play a fancy game. I think a lot of our success just comes from playing the right way, and then once we do that our skill kind of takes over. We enjoy playing with each other, and we've developed chemistry."
Agozzino saw personal success this week with his first multi-goal game of the season in a 4-1 win over the Springfield Thunderbirds on Friday. He knocked in a loose puck for his first goal of the game, less than a minute in:
Later in the period, he had the finish on a beautiful pass from Noesen:
"It feels good," Agozzino said of his week. "It gives you a lot of confidence moving forward."
Agozzino is new to the organization this year, having spent last season in the Avalanche organization. He spent most of the season in the AHL with the Colorado Eagles, where he led the team in scoring with 26 goals and 34 assists in 56 games. He played 11 NHL games with the Avalanche, scoring one goal and one assist.
Agozzino signed with the Penguins on the first day of free agency along with his Avalanche/Eagles teammate David Warsofsky, a defenseman in his third stint in the organization.
"It was kind of funny how that all worked out," Agozzino said. "As free agency got closer and closer we talked since we're good friends about places we might go. Pittsburgh kind of mentioned by both of us, we joked 'Oh, wouldn't that be funny? Wouldn't that be cool?' We kind of both went our separate ways for another week or so. Then the day before free agency, we both independently came to the decision that Pittsburgh was best for both of our careers and where we're at. It was a huge added bonus that we signed together."
Having Warsofsky around, who played for the Penguins from 2015-17, has been great as Agozzino adjusts to his new home.
"It's one thing to have a close friend to come in with," he said. "But it's another thing when he's been here before. He knows where everything was in training camp, he's familiar with everything and everybody. It's a good thing to have, when you're meeting new people and have new surroundings. He was a big help for me."
Before Colorado, Agozzino's career included stops in San Antonio and Chicago in the AHL, two big markets, a lot different from the Wilkes-Barre area. He's been enjoying his time in the smaller town, though.
"You get the sense that it's a hockey community," he said. "They have a good tradition of winning here in the past, they've always have competitive teams. People around the league know that the fans in Wilkes-Barre are really great and support the team, and the history that is behind me with the Penguins here."
That 20-year history in Wilkes-Barre includes 17 postseason appearances, including a 16-year run of playoff appearances that was snapped when the Penguins failed to qualify last season. Returning to the postseason is the focus.
"I was lucky enough to play last year in the playoffs, it's a lot of fun," he said. "It's the best time of the year. Not being here last year, I heard how disappointed everybody was that they didn't make the playoffs for the first time in awhile. We got a lot of new players, a new coach, and I think we're off to a great start. That's the goal in everybody's mind, to get back to the playoffs and have a great season."
Agozzino's other goal, obviously, is to get back to the NHL. He played one brief, brief stint this season on an emergency recall in October against the Ducks. His line got scored on after just 1:44 of ice time, and that was the end of their night. They didn't play another shift.
"Anytime you play you want to play a lot and contribute," Agozzino said. "But that's how it goes sometimes, it's nothing that you can control. ... As a player, you can only control how you're playing. The only way you can get another opportunity is by playing well, so you can't really be focused on what is going on around you. You really have to focus on your game and how you're going to play."
If Agozzino keeps playing the way he is now, another opportunity shouldn't be far off.
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THE ROSTER MOVES
• Joseph Blandisi was recalled by Pittsburgh on Nov. 16.
THE INJURIES
• Forward Ben Sexton has been dealing with an upper-body injury since camp.
• Forward Jamie Devane is out with a lower-body injury. As of Oct. 11, he was expected to be out four to six weeks. He has not yet played this season.
• Forward Kasper Bjorkqvist is out for the next six months after undergoing knee surgery, effectively ending his season. He last played on Oct. 19.
• Defenseman Pierre-Olivier Joseph hasn’t played since Oct. 19 and is out for an extended period with mononucleosis.
THE NEWS
• The Penguins have a new reward for the MVP of the game, much like the firefighter hat passed around after each game in Pittsburgh. The Penguins pass around a helmet given to them by Dale McClellan, a combat veteran and Former Navy SEAL Machine Gunner, Point Man, Sniper and Scout Sniper Instructor. The arrangement was set up by Zach Trotman, who is also donating money to an organization that provides support and assistance to the families of fallen Naval Special Warfare Operators (SEALS), Special Boat Operators, and support personnel. You can read more about that here.
THE GAMES
• Nov. 13: vs. Hershey, 1-0 shootout win
Both Casey DeSmith and the Bears' Pheonix Copley recorded shutouts through 65 minutes, with each making 28 saves.
Adam Johnson led all Penguins with six shots on goal.
DeSmith stopped all three Bears shooters in the shootout. Noesen scored for the Penguins, and Warsofsky and Jake Lucchini were stopped.
DeSmith's shutout was his second in as many games.
The Penguins went 0-for-3 on the power play and 2-for-2 on the penalty kill.
• Nov. 15: vs. Springfield, 4-1 win
Agozzino opened the scoring 49 seconds into the game, and former Penguins prospect Blaine Byron tied the game for the Thunderbirds at 3:04. Agozzino regained the lead for the Penguins at 16:14.
Kevin Czuczman extended the lead with the lone goal of the second period, and Ryan Haggerty scored an empty net goal in the third period to seal the win.
DeSmith made 41 saves on 42 shots in the win, his third straight.
The Penguins went 0-for-5 on the power play and 7-for-7 on the penalty kill.
• Nov. 16: vs. Lehigh Valley, 2-1 win
Miletic scored the first goal of the game with 1:05 remaining in the first period. The power play goal was his second goal of the year.
The Phantoms' Mikhail Vorobyev tied the game less than a minute into the second period.
Warsofsky scored 1:29 into the third period to take the lead, a goal that would stand as the game-winner. It was his second goal of the season.
Trotman led the team with six shots.
Dustin Tokarski earned his second win of the season in his third start with 31 saves on 32 shots.
The Penguins went 1-for-3 on the power play and 3-for-3 on the penalty kill.
THE LEADERS
• Goals: Noesen, 11 in 17 games
• Assists: Warsofsky, 10 in 17 games
• Points: Noesen, 17 in 17 games
THE COMBINATIONS
Sam Miletic — Andrew Agozzino — Stefan Noesen
Adam Johnson — Chase Berger — Anthony Angello
Justin Almeida — Oula Palve — Ryan Haggerty
Thomas Di Pauli — Jordy Bellerive — Jake Lucchini
David Warsofsky — Macoy Erkamps
Jon Lizotte — Zach Trotman
Matt Abt — Kevin Czuczman
THE STANDINGS
• After this week, the Penguins’ record is 10-5-1-1. They jumped four spots to second place in the eight-team Atlantic Division, and trail the first-place (in both the division and the league) Hartford Wolf Pack (11-1-0-5) by five points.
• The power play sits at 19.7 percent, ninth in the 31-team league. The penalty kill is operating at 79.5 percent overall, 22nd in the league.
THE SCHEDULE
• The Penguins will have just two games this week. They'll visit the Springfield Thunderbirds (11-7) on Friday and host the Charlotte Checkers (6-6-2) on Saturday, Vellucci's first meeting with his former team.
GOALS OF THE WEEK
Czuczman picked his spot:
Miletic picked up Johnson's rebound:
Warsofsky dropped to one knee for this one:
SAVE OF THE WEEK
DeSmith had a big week:
THE PODCAST
• Lucchini is the third podcast of the season. If you haven’t listened to these yet this season, they’re great. They come out every other week:
WILKES-BARRE FUN THING
Bellerive and Angello did some reading at the library:
