Penguins A to Z: Too little, too late for Justin Almeida
With the Penguins’ 2021-22 season coming to a quick ending in the first round of the playoffs, the Tribune-Review will offer Penguins A to Z, a player-by-player look at all 55 individuals signed to an NHL contract — including those whose deals do not begin until the 2022-23 season — with the organization, from mid-level prospect Niclas Almari to top-six winger Jason Zucker.
Justin Almeida
Position: Center
Shoots: Left
Age: 23
Height: 5-foot-11
Weight: 165 pounds
2021-22 AHL statistics: Seven games, one point (one goal, zero assists)
2021-22 ECHL statistics: 53 games, 63 points (28 goals, 35 assists)
Contract: Third year of a three-year entry-level contract with a salary cap hit of $809,166. Pending restricted free agent this upcoming offseason.
Acquired: Fifth-round draft pick (No. 129 overall), June 23, 2018
Last season: After struggling to find playing time with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins during his first two professional seasons, Almeida became a regular in the lineup and began to produce.
With the Wheeling Nailers.
In fairness to Almeida, his 2019-20 and 2020-21 campaigns were disrupted by various ailments. So in contrast, this 2021-22 season was a considerable step in the right direction just in the fact that he was healthy for the most part.
After appearing in one NHL preseason game, Almeida opened the season on Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s roster then was shuffled between Northeast Pennsylvania and the northern panhandle of West Virginia a handful of times:
Oct. 25 – Assigned to Wheeling
Nov. 2 – Recalled to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
Nov. 23 – Assigned to Wheeling
Dec. 1 – Recalled to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
Dec. 30 – Assigned to Wheeling
The highlight of his season — and perhaps his professional existence — came with the Nailers during a 4-2 road win against the Iowa Heartlanders on Nov. 27 when he scored a career-best four goals, becoming the 15th player in franchise history to accomplish that feat.
His only goal at the AHL level came Dec. 12 during a 6-0 home win against the Springfield Thunderbirds.
After being sent back to Wheeling the day before New Year’s Eve, he never left.
Listed as a center, Almeida primarily played on either wing and led the Nailers in scoring while helping them reach the postseason for the first time in six years.
In 11 postseason games, Almeida scored five points (two goals, three assists).
The future: Once the Nailers’ postseason came to an end, a handful of players were recalled to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on May 15 as “Black Aces” for the benefit of practice.
Almeida was not one of them despite being on an NHL contract.
That should say plenty about his future with the organization.
Almeida never seemed to enamor the Penguins’ previous management that drafted him and, certainly, the current management doesn’t seem to be terribly impressed by him.
And with several draftees and undrafted free agents slated to join the organization after signing entry-level contracts, the likelihood of Almeida receiving a qualifying offer as a pending restricted free agent seems bleak.
Finally healthy, Almeida found a way to be a consistent producer, albeit at the ECHL level. But it looks like it was too little, too late for him to have a future with the Penguins.
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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