Penguins forward prospect Jordan Frasca didn't have an ideal start to the season.
Frasca, a free agent signing by the Penguins last March out of the OHL, had a pretty good showing in the NHL camp, and scored a goal in his preseason debut. He suffered a high-ankle sprain in practice two days later, an injury that would have him sidelined for the first three months of the season.
When Frasca, 21, was finally healthy, he was sent down to the ECHL for a two-game stint with the Nailers to get some much-needed playing time. He got recalled to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and played three games. He was scoreless in that stint, but turned heads in his debut for his effort in standing up to one of the AHL's premier heavyweights, not letting himself get pushed around.
Frasca was then sent back to Wheeling, where he was finally able to settle in with a team for an extended stretch. He started out as the team's second-line center (a role he had all throughout his last season of junior hockey with the Kingston Frontenacs), but was shifted over to left wing after the points just weren't coming. Through his first 16 games of the season, he had just two assists and no goals.
Frasca didn't have any trouble scoring in junior. He had 42 goals and 45 assists in 61 games last season, production that has to be taken with a big grain of salt due to it being his overage 20-year-old season and sharing a power play with eventual No. 4 pick Shane Wright. In his season before that, though (2019-20, since the OHL didn't play in 2020-21), he scored 15 goals and 28 assists in 58 games.
Things finally started to click this week at the pro level for Frasca, who scored his first pro goal in a game against the Toledo Walleye:
He doubled his goal total the following game against the Norfolk Admirals:
What changed for Frasca? One thing is just that he's been shooting the puck. In his first 10 games of the season he averaged just 1.1 shot on goal per game. In his last nine games he's averaging 3.4 shots per game. This week alone, he averaged 4.6 shots on goal through the Nailers' three games.
Some players just need a little longer to get acclimated to the pro game. With Frasca in the first of a three-year entry-level deal, he has ample time.
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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: 41 games, 8 goals, 8 assists, 54 PIM
Andonovski recorded an assist in two games this week.
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: 32 games, 1 goal, 2 assists, 23 PIM
Ansons was a healthy scratch this week.
Tristan Broz
Position: Center/wing
Size: 6-0/178
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2021, second round
Age: 20
Team: Denver (NCAA)
Season totals: 30 games, 10 goals, 13 assists, 27 PIM
Broz scored a goal and an assist in two games this week.
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: 41 games, 9 goals, 23 assists, 31 PIM
Caggiula was scoreless in two games this week.
Judd Caulfield
Position: Right wing
Size: 6-4/212
Shoots: Right
Drafted: 2019, fifth round
Age: 21
Team: North Dakota (NCAA)
Season totals: 29 games, 9 goals, 7 assists, 10 PIM
Caulfield had one goal in two games this week. The goal was a power play goal against Denver, a power play made possible by fellow Penguins prospect Broz getting a major penalty for a hit for a hit from behind.
Luke Devlin
Position: Center
Size: 6-2/185
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2022, sixth round
Age: 18
Team: West Kelowna Warriors (BCHL)
Season totals: 38 games, 7 goals, 17 assists, 11 PIM
Devlin was scoreless in two games centering the Warriors' top line.
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), 19 games, 2 goals 2 assists (ECHL)
After going the first 15 games of his professional career without a goal, Frasca recorded his first two pro goals in three games this week in Wheeling.
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: 29 games, 2 goals, 2 assists, 7 PIM
Glover played one game this week and was scoreless. He was a healthy scratch for Wilkes-Barre's other game.
Jonathan Gruden
Position: Center/left wing
Size: 6-0/172
Shoots: Left
Drafted: Acquired via trade
Age: 22
Team: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL), Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL)
Season totals: 37 games, 12 goals, 5 assists, 34 PIM (AHL), 3 games (NHL)
Gruden was scoreless in two games this week.
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: 30 games, 8 goals, 19 assists, 12 PIM (AHL), 2 games (NHL)
Hallander picked up two assists in two games this week.
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: 45 games, 5 goals, 7 assists, 27 PIM
Legare recorded one assist in two games.
Alex Nylander
Position: Wing
Size: 6-1/192
Shoots: Right
Drafted: Acquired via trade
Age: 24
Team: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL)
Season totals: 45 games, 19 goals, 20 assists, 8 PIM
Nylander had one assist in two games.
Zam Plante
Position: Center
Size: 5-9/161
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2022, fifth round
Age: 18
Team: Chicago Steel (USHL)
Season totals: 28 games, 5 goals, 14 assists, 2 PIM
Plante had a goal and one assist in two games. The goal was an empty netter.
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.
He wrote this message on Instagram two weeks ago: "Not being OK is more than OK. Opening yourself up about what's going on might be one of the hardest things to do, but ultimately, one of the best things you can do for yourself. Let’s normalize this stigma & spread more love to the people around us, because there's more people than we think who struggle mentally every single day. If you are struggling, know you are not alone."
Valtteri Puustinen
Position: Wing
Size: 5-9/183
Shoots: Right
Drafted: 2019, seventh round
Age: 23
Team: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL)
Season totals: 46 games, 18 goals, 18 assists, 20 PIM
Puustinen had two goals in two games. Both came on the power play:
Puustinen now has 10 goals on the power play 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: 30 games, 2 goals, 7 assists, 6 PIM
Svejkovsky was scoreless in two games.
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.
Tankov resumed skating this week. I have video in this story from earlier this week.
Chase Yoder
Position: Center
Size: 5-10/176
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2020, sixth round
Age: 20
Team: Providence (NCAA)
Season totals: 30 games, 6 goals, 6 assists, 12 PIM
Yoder had one goal in his only game this week Providence's third line. His six goals and 12 points are both new career highs, beating his totals of 5 goals and 11 points from last season:
(Very funny celebration from him there, by the way.)
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), 29 games, 8 goals, 14 assists, 22 PIM (Mestis)
Airola recorded two assists in two games this week in the Finnish second league.
Isaac Belliveau
Size: 6-2/185
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2021, fifth round
Age: 19
Team: Gatineau Olympiques (QMJHL)
Season totals: 39 games, 7 goals, 29 assists, 26 PIM
Belliveau had one goal and two assists in three games this week on the second defense pairing. It was a pretty sick shot:
Nolan Collins
Size: 6-3/194
Shoots: Right
Drafted: 2022, sixth round
Age: 18
Team: Sudbury Wolves (OHL)
Season totals: 45 games, 6 goals, 14 assists, 44 PIM
Collins had one goal and five assists in three games this week on Sudbury's top defense pairing. He had two points in each game. This was the goal:
One of the assists came when a teammate deflected his shot from the blue line:
He got in a fight in another game, too. It was his sixth career OHL fight and third of the season:
It was a nice view @howland615 @GeneralsUpdates pic.twitter.com/dzqZxuHp8a
— Carroll Thorpe (@CarrollThorpe) February 13, 2023
Taylor Fedun
Size: 6-1/201
Shoots: Right
Drafted: Free agent signing
Age: 34
Team: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL)
Season totals: 39 games, 1 goal, 3 assists, 14 PIM
Fedun was scoreless in two games.
Daniel Laatsch
Size: 6-5/183
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2021, seventh round
Age: 20
Team: Wisconsin (NCAA)
Season totals: 30 games, 1 goal, 5 assists, 4 PIM
Laatsch played in two games on Wisconsin's second pairing and scored his first goal of the season:
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: 9 games, 1 assist, 7 PIM (AHL), 31 games, 8 goals, 20 assists, 42 PIM (ECHL)
Maniscalco played one game in Wilkes-Barre this week and was a healthy scratch for the other game.
Ryan McCleary
Size: 6-2/180
Shoots: Right
Drafted: 2021, seventh round
Age: 19
Team: Portland Winterhawks (WHL)
Season totals: 49 games, 11 goals, 15 assists, 29 PIM
McCleary had one assist 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 suffered an ankle injury on Dec. 31. He underwent successful surgery this week and is done for the rest of the year. He's still signed to a two-way NHL contract through next season.
Owen Pickering
Size: 6-4/180
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2022, first round
Age: 19
Team: Swift Current Broncos (WHL)
Season totals: 42 games, 7 goals, 24 assists, 12 PIM
Pickering had one goal in two games on Swift Current's top pairing. The goal actually gets shown in the replay here, I promise:
Ty Smith
Size: 5-11/179
Shoots: Left
Drafted: Acquired via trade
Age: 22
Team: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL), Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL)
Season totals: 29 games, 4 goals, 10 assists, 10 PIM (AHL), 9 games, 1 goal, 3 assists, 4 PIM (NHL)
Smith remains day-to-day with this upper-body injury he sustained last week:
Jack St. Ivany
Size: 6-3/201
Shoots: Right
Drafted: Free agent signing
Age: 23
Team: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL)
Season totals: 38 games, 5 assists, 20 PIM
St. Ivany was scoreless two games this week.
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: 20 games, 1 goal, 5 assists, 5 PIM (AHL), 6 games, 1 assist, 4 PIM (ECHL)
Swoyer recorded one assist in two games this week with Wikes-Barre.
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: 11 games, 2.47 GAA, .914 SV% (AHL), 16 games, 3.09 GAA, .896 SV%, 1 shutout (ECHL)
Gauthier appeared in one game for Wilkes-Barre this week, stopping 30 of 33 shots in an overtime loss.
Filip Lindberg
Size: 6-1/194
Catches: Left
Drafted: Free agent signing
Age: 23
Team: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL)
Season totals: 19 games, 3.13 GAA, .896 SV%
Lindberg started one game this week and stopped 33 of 35 shots in a loss. Nice bounce back from him after he was pulled in his previous two outings.
Sergei Murashov
Size: 6-0/167
Catches: Right
Drafted: 2022, fourth round
Age: 18
Team: Loko Yaroslavl (MHL), Lokomotiv (KHL)
Season totals: 40 games, 1.45 GAA, .951 SV%, 11 shutouts (MHL), 1 game, 1.00 GAA, .947 SV% (KHL)
Murashov started in two games in the MHL this week on back-to-back nights. He stopped 23 of 26 shots in a loss, then 24 of 26 in a win the following night.
