One of the more fun things that happens in hockey is when a goal hits the goaltender's water bottle that sits on top of the net.
I don't know how Penguins right-handed defense Ryan McCleary feels about Gatorade. But based on this goal he scored for the Portland Winterhawks in the WHL on Monday, I'm inclined to think that he might be more of a BioSteel or Powerade kind of guy, because he launched that Gatorade bottle into orbit with this wicked wrist shot he took:
McCleary wasn't done yet. He scored his second goal of the game in the second period, and permitted the opponent's goaltender to keep his water this time:
McCleary, the Penguins' seventh-round pick in 2021, is now up to 10 goals and 14 assists in 40 games this season. His 10 goals surpassed his previous career high of six, set last season in 63 games. Two reasons for McCleary's increased production are an increased role and an effort to shoot the puck more. He's primarily skating on Portland's top defense pairing this year, and he was primarily on the third pairing last season. He's averaged 1.55 shots per game this season, up from last season's rate of 1.1 per game.
McCleary, 19, must be signed this summer by the Penguins or they relinquish their signing rights to him. If he is signed, he could take one of two paths next season. Since he has a September birthday, he'll turn 20 years old in time to be eligible for the AHL/ECHL next season if that's the path he and the Penguins decide is best for him. He would also be eligible to return to the WHL for one more year, and his entry-level deal would kick in the following year.
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Here's how the Penguins' other NHL-contracted players in the minors or draft picks elsewhere did this week:
FORWARDS
Corey Andonovski
Position: Right wing
Size: 6-1/194
Shoots: Right
Drafted: Free agent signing
Age: 23
Team: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL)
Season totals: 33 games, 6 goals, 5 assists, 50 PIM
Andonovski was scoreless in two games. He got into a fight and got an additional 10-minute misconduct for continuing the altercation in Wilkes-Barre's game against Lehigh Valley. He's on the right wing of Wilkes-Barre's second line.
Raivis Ansons
Position: Center/wing
Size: 6-1/190
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2020, fifth round
Age: 20
Team: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL)
Season totals: 26 games, 1 goal, 2 assists, 14 PIM
Ansons was scoreless in two games this week centering the third line.
Tristan Broz
Position: Center/wing
Size: 6-0/178
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2021, second round
Age: 20
Team: Denver (NCAA)
Season totals: 26 games, 9 goals, 11 assists, 12 PIM
Broz was scoreless in two games this week, both of Denver's losses to St. Cloud State.
Drake Caggiula
Position: Center/wing
Size: 5-10/176
Shoots: Left
Drafted: Free agent signing
Age: 28
Team: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL)
Season totals: 33 games, 9 goals, 18 assists, 18 PIM
Caggiula had one goal and one assist in two games this week, both in the Penguins' 3-2 win in Bridgeport. He's on the left side of the top line:
Judd Caulfield
Position: Right wing
Size: 6-4/212
Shoots: Right
Drafted: 2019, fifth round
Age: 21
Team: North Dakota (NCAA)
Season totals: 25 games, 7 goals, 5 assists, 10 PIM
Caulfield recorded one assist in two games this week as North Dakota's third-line right wing.
Luke Devlin
Position: Center
Size: 6-2/185
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2022, sixth round
Age: 18
Team: West Kelowna Warriors (BCHL)
Season totals: 31 games, 7 goals, 17 assists, 11 PIM
The Warriors didn't play this week.
Jordan Frasca
Position: Center/left wing
Size: 6-2/183
Shoots: Left
Drafted: Free agent signing
Age: 21
Team: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL), Wheeling Nailers (ECHL)
Season totals: 3 games, 14 PIM (AHL), 12 games, 2 assists (ECHL)
Frasca was scoreless this week for Wheeling. After spending much of the early part of his season after his ankle injury at center, he's been shifted to wing as of late.
Ty Glover
Position: Center/ left wing
Size: 6-3/201
Shoots: Left
Drafted: Free agent signing
Age: 22
Team: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL)
Season totals: 22 games, 1 goal, 2 assists, 7 PIM
Glover was scoreless in two games this week on the left side of the fourth line. His three shots on goal on Friday were a season-high.
Filip Hallander
Position: Center/left wing
Size: 6-3/201
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2018, second round
Age: 22
Team: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL), Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL)
Season totals: 26 games, 8 goals, 17 assists, 8 PIM (AHL), 2 games (NHL)
Hallander resumed practicing with the team this week in a non-contact jersey. He had been skating on his own for a few days, as I had reported in last week's Wilkes-Barre feature.
Nathan Legare
Position: Right wing
Size: 6-0/205
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2019, third round
Age: 22
Team: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL)
Season totals: 37 games, 5 goals, 4 assists, 21 PIM
Legare had a goal and an assist in two games this week as the third-line right wing:
Alex Nylander
Position: Wing
Size: 6-1/192
Shoots: Right
Drafted: Acquired via trade
Age: 24
Team: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL)
Season totals: 37 games, 16 goals, 16 assists, 8 PIM
Nylander had a goal and an assist in two games this week, playing on the right side of the top line:
He was an alternate captain while captain Taylor Fedun was up in Pittsburgh.
Zam Plante
Position: Center
Size: 5-9/161
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2022, fifth round
Age: 18
Team: Chicago Steel (USHL)
Season totals: 21 games, 3 goals, 11 assists, 2 PIM
Plante had two assists in two games this week centering Chicago's third line. More importantly, he's the fastest guy around at eating a Fruit Roll Up with no hands:
Sam Poulin
Position: Center/wing
Size: 6-2/214
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2019, first round
Age: 21
Team: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL), Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL)
Season totals: 13 games, 4 goals, 6 PIM (AHL), 3 games, 1 assist, 2 PIM (NHL)
Poulin remains away from the team on personal leave after leaving on Dec. 7.
Valtteri Puustinen
Position: Wing
Size: 5-9/183
Shoots: Right
Drafted: 2019, seventh round
Age: 23
Team: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL)
Season totals: 38 games, 14 goals, 16 assists, 16 PIM
Puustinen was scoreless in two games this week. He's been playing left wing as of late after playing exclusively right wing last season and the start of this season.
Lukas Svejkovsky
Position: Wing
Size: 5-9/170
Shoots: Right
Drafted: 2020, fourth round
Age: 21
Team: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL)
Season totals: 26 games, 2 goals, 6 assists, 6 PIM
Svejkovsky was the subject of last week's Wilkes-Barre feature. He had a goal and an assist in two games this week:
Kirill Tankov
Position: Center
Size: 6-1/185
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2021, seventh round
Age: 20
Team: SKA-Neva (VHL)
Season totals: 1 game
Tankov suffered a season-ending neck injury in the opening game of the season and required surgery to repair a fractured vertebrae. He is expected to be able to play next season and is no longer wearing a neck brace.
Chase Yoder
Position: Center
Size: 5-10/176
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2020, sixth round
Age: 20
Team: Providence (NCAA)
Season totals: 25 games, 5 goals, 6 assists, 10 PIM
Yoder was scoreless in his one game this week centering Providence's third line.
DEFENSEMEN
Santeri Airola
Size: 5-11, 163
Shoots: Right
Drafted: 2019, seventh round
Age: 22
Team: Ilves (Liiga), KOOVEE (Mestis)
Season totals: 5 games, 2 PIM (Liiga), 25 games, 7 goals, 8 assists, 20 PIM (Mestis)
Airola played two games in the second Finnish league and scored two goals and an assist:
Isaac Belliveau
Size: 6-2/185
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2021, fifth round
Age: 19
Team: Gatineau Olympiques (QMJHL)
Season totals: 33 games, 6 goals, 27 assists, 18 PIM
Belliveau recorded four assists in three games this week on Gatineau's top defense pairing.
Nolan Collins
Size: 6-3/194
Shoots: Right
Drafted: 2022, sixth round
Age: 18
Team: Sudbury Wolves (OHL)
Season totals: 36 games, 4 goals, 7 assists, 35 PIM
Collins was scoreless in three games this week on Sudbury's top defene pairing.
Taylor Fedun
Size: 6-1/201
Shoots: Right
Drafted: Free agent signing
Age: 34
Team: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL)
Season totals: 31 games, 2 assists, 12 PIM
Fedun played one game on the left side (his off side) of the second pairing after being sent back down to Wilkes-Barre this week. He was scoreless.
Daniel Laatsch
Size: 6-5/183
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2021, seventh round
Age: 20
Team: Wisconsin (NCAA)
Season totals: 24 games, 3 assists, 4 PIM
Laatsch was scoreless in two games on Wisconsin's third pairing.
Josh Maniscalco
Size: 6-2/205
Shoots: Right
Drafted: Free agent signing
Age: 23
Team: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL), Wheeling Nailers (ECHL)
Season totals: 6 games, 5 PIM (AHL), 31 games, 8 goals, 20 assists, 42 PIM (ECHL)
Maniscalco participated in the ECHL All-Star Game, then was recalled to Wilkes-Barre where he was scoreless in three games. He had to dress as a forward in Wilkes-Barre's last game due to injuries/illnesses.
Ryan McCleary
Size: 6-2/180
Shoots: Right
Drafted: 2021, seventh round
Age: 19
Team: Portland Winterhawks (WHL)
Season totals: 40 games, 10 goals, 14 assists, 29 PIM
McCleary had two goals and two assists in three games on Portland's top pairing.
Xavier Ouellet
Size: 6-0/196
Shoots: Left
Drafted: Free agent signing
Age: 29
Team: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL)
Season totals: 29 games, 2 goals, 15 assists, 21 PIM
Ouellet is week-to-week with a lower-body injury.
Owen Pickering
Size: 6-4/180
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2022, first round
Age: 18
Team: Swift Current Broncos (WHL)
Season totals: 35 games, 6 goals, 20 assists, 12 PIM
Pickering scored a goal and an assist in three games on Swift Current's top pairing.
Jack St. Ivany
Size: 6-3/201
Shoots: Right
Drafted: Free agent signing
Age: 23
Team: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL)
Season totals: 29 games, 4 assists, 14 PIM
St. Ivany was scoreless this week, skating on the right side of the top defense pairing.
Colin Swoyer
Size: 6-0/185
Shoots: Right
Drafted: Free agent signing
Age: 24
Team: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL), Wheeling Nailers (ECHL)
Season totals: 14 games, 4 assists, 4 PIM (AHL), 6 games, 1 assist, 4 PIM (ECHL)
Swoyer was scoreless on the right side of the second defense pairing.
GOALTENDERS
Joel Blomqvist
Size: 6-2/183
Catches: Left
Drafted: 2020, second round
Age: 21
Team: Karpat (Liiga)
Season totals: 21 games, 2.29 GAA, .907 SV%
Blomqvist has been injured since Dec. 16 after an in-game collision that included contact to the head. His team hasn't disclosed what the injury is, but if it is a concussion, it's his second one of the season after he previously had one in October from another collision in a game.
Taylor Gauthier
Size: 6-2/207
Catches: Right
Drafted: Free agent signing
Age: 21
Team: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL), Wheeling Nailers (ECHL)
Season totals: 6 games, 2.65 GAA, .905 SV% (AHL), 16 games, 3.09 GAA, .896 SV%, 1 shutout (ECHL)
Gauthier is sidelined with an upper-body injury. He was injured Jan. 14 in a start for Wilkes-Barre.
Filip Lindberg
Size: 6-1/194
Catches: Left
Drafted: Free agent signing
Age: 23
Team: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL)
Season totals: 15 games, 2.71 GAA, .907 SV%
Lindberg made 28 saves on 33 shots in a 5-2 loss to Lehigh Valley.
Sergei Murashov
Size: 6-0/167
Catches: Right
Drafted: 2022, fourth round
Age: 18
Team: Loko Yaroslavl (MHL), Lokomotiv (KHL)
Season totals: 35 games, 1.18 GAA, .958 SV%, 11 shutouts (MHL), 1 game, 1.00 GAA, .947 SV% (KHL)
Murashov dressed as backup in the KHL this week.
Dustin Tokarski
Size: 6-0/198
Catches: Left
Drafted: Free agent signing
Age: 33
Team: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL), Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL)
Season totals: 19 games, 2.21 GAA, .926 SV%, 1 shutout (AHL), 2 games, 2.67 GAA, .915 SV% (NHL)
Tokarski made one start after being sent down from Pittsburgh this week and stopped 22 of 24 shots in a 2-1 win in Bridgeport.
