Penguins A to Z: David Warsofsky steps up as Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's captain

While the NHL is on hold due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the Tribune-Review will offer Penguins A to Z, a player-by-player look at all 53 individuals under NHL contract with the organization, from mid-level prospect Niclas Almari to high-profile trade acquisition Jason Zucker.

Player: David Warsofsky

Position: Defenseman

Shoots: Left

Age: 30

Height: 5-foot-9

Weight: 170 pounds

2019-20 AHL statistics: 51 games, 33 points (10 goals, 23 assists)

Contract: First year of a two-year, two-way contract with a salary cap hit of $700,000. Pending unrestricted free agent in 2021

Acquired: Unrestricted free-agent signing, July 1, 2019

This season: There really wasn’t a better option to quarterback the Penguins’ power-play than David Warsofsky.

No, not the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

The Pittsburgh Penguins.

In December 2015.

Just as Mike Sullivan began his time as Penguins coach, he was dealing with a pretty battered lineup, including the absence of All-Star defenseman Kris Letang.

With the Penguins in a tailspin after the dismissal of former coach Mike Johnston, Sullivan was running something of a research and development laboratory. Lots of players were being used in places they weren’t accustomed to.

Patric Hornqvist was flipped from right wing to left wing. An undrafted free agent right winger named Conor Sheary was granted time on a line with Sidney Crosby.

And Warsofsky was given the keys to a power play.

He only played 12 games in 2015-16 with the Penguins and collected a single goal — on the power play — but Warsofsky looked like a good fit based on his skills as a hiccup-quick puck mover and how Sullivan wanted the team to play.

But whatever traction Warsofsky gained in establishing himself as an NHLer came to an abrupt halt Jan. 16, 2016 when referee Tim Peel slipped and fell into Warsofsky, causing him to suffer a concussion.

By the time he recovered, the Penguins tried to sneak Warsofsky back to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s roster but lost him to the New Jersey Devils on waivers.

Warsofsky re-signed with the Penguins in the 2016 offseason but failed to recapture the same momentum he had in 2015-16, spending most of the 2016-17 campaign in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, where he was selected as an AHL All-Star.

Signing a two-year, two-way contract with the Colorado Avalanche in the 2017 offseason, Warsofsky spent most of 2017-18 and all of 2018-19 in the AHL.

When Warsofsky hit free agency in summer 2019, he returned to Penguins, signing a two-year contract. Named the 18th captain in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s history, Warsofsky was having a solid season through the first two and a half months with 17 points (three goals, 14 assists) in 25 games.

A groin ailment in mid-December sidelined him for nearly a month and denied him a potential recall when injuries ravaged the NHL roster.

Once healthy, Warsofsky scored seven goals (and recorded nine assists) in 26 games before the AHL halted play in mid-March.

Finishing third on the team in scoring, Warsofsky led the club with 18 power-play points (seven goals, 11 assists).

(Video courtesy AHL)

The future: Given his NHL experience, albeit limited, Warsofsky figures to be a candidate for a potential recall should the NHL allow expanded rosters for its proposed postseason tournament this summer. He’s that highly respected within the organization.

Fastidious to the details of being a professional and a positive influence on the organization’s prospects, Warsofsky figures to still serve as Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s captain in the 2020-21 season, whenever that may be.

There really isn’t a better option for that role.

Follow the Penguins all season long.