Penguins A to Z: Niclas Almari is facing a lost season
While the NHL is on hold because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the Tribune-Review will offer Penguins A to Z, a player-by-player look at all 48 individuals under NHL contract with the organization, from mid-level prospect Niclas Almari to high-profile trade acquisition Jason Zucker.
Niclas Almari
Position: Defenseman
Shoots: Left
Age: 22
Height: 6-foot-1
Weight: 180 pounds
2019-20 AHL statistics: 51 games, seven points (one goal, six assists)
2020-21 Liiga statistics: Three games, zero points (zero goals, zero assists)
Contract: Second year of a three-year entry-level contract with a salary cap hit of $809,167. Pending restricted free agent in 2022.
Acquired: Fifth-round draft pick (No. 151 overall), June 25, 2016
Last season: After playing for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in two regular season games toward the end of the 2017-18 campaign on an amateur tryout basis, Almari, a native of Espoo, Finland, enjoyed his first true season in North America in 2019-20.
While he was a healthy scratch at times, Almari appeared in 53 of a possible 63 games for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton last season — seventh-most on the team — and was forced to take on fairly heavy minutes anytime injuries impacted the blue lines of the NHL or AHL Penguins’ rosters.
His only goal came on a power-play in a 5-1 road loss to the Hershey Bears on Oct. 13, 2019.
By the time the AHL’s season was suspended in mid-March, Almari was working the left side of the Wilkes-Barres/Scranton Penguins’ third defensive pairing with veteran Kevin Czuczman.
This season: Like a lot of NHL teams, the Penguins have been eager to get as many of their prospects much-needed ice time by loaning them to teams in Europe as leagues on that continent forged ahead with their 2020-21 seasons while most leagues in North America have remained idle throughout the fall.
Almari, whose last game in North America came March 11, was loaned to Pelicans of Finland’s Liiga on Sept. 16 but any hopes he would further his development have stalled as he suffered an undisclosed injury and has not played since Oct. 6. He is expected to remain sidelined for another three weeks as he recuperates.
The future: If the AHL has a 2020-21 season, Almari likely will return to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and be a regular entity in the lineup.
Where exactly he fits into the lineup is a matter of speculation, however.
With defenseman Pierre-Olivier Joseph, one of the organization’s top prospects, entrenched on the left side of the top pairing, the port side of the second pairing appears to be open after the departures of veteran left-handers John Nyberg and David Warsofsky over the summer.
That said, the addition of undrafted NCAA free agent Cam Lee, a fellow southpaw, represents competition for that spot. And while Almari did play some on the right side last season, he’s far more suited for the left side.
Regardless of what continent he is on, Almari needs to find a way to get back on the ice in order to advance his progression. While he took a positive first step in 2019-20, he’s still a long way from reaching the NHL.
If he ever reaches that level, it will be as a bottom-four defensive entity that isn’t afraid to mix it up physically. Offense will not be the reason Almari becomes an NHLer.
Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.
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