The Pittsburgh Penguins activated forward prospect Vasily Ponomarev from their injured non-roster list and assigned him to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League (AHL) on Thursday.
Ponomarev had been sidelined after appearing to injure his left shoulder during a preseason game Oct. 1. In three preseason games, Ponomarev had one goal.
Acquired in a trade that sent All-Star forward Jake Guentzel to the Carolina Hurricanes on March 7, Ponomarev is in his first full season with the Penguins.
Following the transaction, Ponomarev appeared in four games for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and scored one goal last season. A high ankle sprain brought his season to a premature ending March 22.
A left-handed shot, Ponomarev (5-foot-10, 180 pounds) is in the final year of a three-year entry-level contract with a salary cap hit of $795,000.
