The Penguins have assigned defensive prospect Niclas Almari to Lukko of Finland’s Liiga.
A native of Finland, Almari has been limited to 17 games this season between the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League (AHL) and the Wheeling Nailers of the ECHL.
In 11 AHL games, he has two points (one goal, one assist). He has not played in any games for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton since Dec. 14.
In January, during an assignment to the Nailers, he appeared in six ECHL games and recorded four assists.
A left-handed shot, Almari, 23, has had trouble establishing himself on the depth chart of an organization with a surplus of southpaw defensemen. He also missed a handful of games in December due to concerns related to covid-19.
Selected in the fifth-round of the 2015 draft (No. 151 overall), Almari is in the final year of his entry-level contract and is scheduled to become a restricted free agent this upcoming offseason.
