Recalls from minors continue as injuries mount, testing Penguins' depth

Shortly after the Pittsburgh Penguins recalled forward Joona Koppanen from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League last weekend, coach Mike Sullivan was asked what his observations of Koppanen had been so far this season.

“I can’t say that I’ve seen him play in a lot of games,” Sullivan said. “Obviously, we’re pretty enthralled, or we’re in our own little world here, trying to get the Pittsburgh Penguins ready to go, so we spend a lot of our time watching our own team and our opponents.”

That said, Sullivan is undoubtedly familiar with the players at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, an increasing number of whom have joined the ranks of the NHL club already this season.

The day-to-day monitoring of them ultimately falls on general manager Kyle Dubas, assistant general manager Jason Spezza and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton coach J.D. Forrest, among others.

“… In the conversations that I’ve had with J.D. and his staff and Kyle and (Spezza) and the guys that see these guys all the time — that’s where we get most of our information about these (players),” Sullivan said.

Koppanen, 25, made his debut for Pittsburgh on Saturday in a shootout loss to Philadelphia. He skated as the fourth-line center in place of the usual occupant of that role, Noel Acciari, who is sidelined with an undisclosed injury along with winger Matt Nieto.

Nieto was placed on injured reserve Sunday, joining blue-liners Chad Ruhwedel and P.O Joseph. Fellow winger Rickard Rakell remains on long-term injured reserve.

Dubas’ offseason acquisitions of defenseman Erik Karlsson and forward Reilly Smith were the biggest moves he made to immediately impact the Penguins this season.

But Dubas also restocked Wilkes-Barre/Scranton with players the Penguins could turn to in the event of injuries or ineffectiveness plaguing the NHL roster.

Koppanen, Vinnie Hinostroza and Radim Zohorna are forwards Dubas brought aboard.

Primarily because of injuries, all three have gotten a chance with the Penguins this season, in addition to Alex Nylander and Jansen Harkins, an October waiver acquisition from the Winnipeg Jets.

“I’m very happy with the depth that we have, especially up front,” Dubas said in October. “… I think that gives us a lot of options as the year goes on. Certainly, we’re expecting our guys who have already gone down to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to continue to push and keep the pressure on.”

In Wednesday’s loss at Tampa Bay, the Penguins played much of the game without Bryan Rust, who exited in the second period and is being evaluated for an unspecified injury.

If Rust, who recently missed three games because of injury, winds up being sidelined again, Rem Pitlick, Jonathan Gruden and Valtteri Puustinen all are additional forwards at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton who the Penguins could call up.

Pitlick is tied for the club lead with 15 points (six goals, nine assists) in 21 games, while Puustinen and Gruden each have five goals and five assists through 21 games.

“Wilkes-Barre is a very competitive team,” Sullivan said. “There are players down there that have NHL experience, that have played a fair amount of time in the NHL. Colin White, for example, or Vinnie Hinostroza when he was down there — players like that.”

On the back end, Ryan Shea and John Ludvig, currently comprising Pittsburgh’s third defensive pairing, were other offseason additions.

Shea signed a one-year deal over the summer, and Ludvig was scooped off waivers a day before the regular season began.

Shea, through 21 games, has looked more comfortable of late, while Ludvig adds a physical edge. This is the first taste of the NHL for both players.

Of the forwards who have shuttled between Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Pittsburgh this season, Zohorna leads the bunch with three goals and three assists in 21 games.

Hinostroza has scored a goal with two assists in nine games, and Harkens and Nylander are pointless through 10 and five games, respectively.

The presence of Hinostroza, Shea or any of the aforementioned players has not been enough to generate much momentum for the Penguins (11-11-3), who sit in seventh place in the Metropolitan Division and currently are out of a playoff spot.

But as injuries mount, they provide Sullivan more wiggle room to tinker with the lineup.

“To have that depth to call on in the event that we run into injuries, or even if it’s performance-based, I think that’s the environment that we’re trying to create,” Sullivan said. “I think it also provides just a healthy competition amongst the players that are in both Pittsburgh and Wilkes-Barre. It’s a win-win.”