The Pittsburgh Penguins have re-assigned forwards Michael Chaput and Kasper Bjorkqvist, as well as defensemen P.O Joseph and Juuso Riikola to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League, it was announced today by general manager Ron Hextall.
Chaput, 29, has appeared in 22 games for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL) this season, recording nine points (2G-7A). The Ile Bizard, Quebec native spent the 2020-21 season in the Arizona Coyotes organization, spending the majority on the team’s taxi squad.
He’s played in 182 career NHL games spanning eight seasons with Arizona, Montreal, Vancouver and Columbus. The 6-foot-2 forward has played parts of 10 AHL seasons, split between WBS, Springfield, Lake Erie, Utica, Laval and Tuscan totaling 410 games with 268 points (111G-157A).
Bjorkqvist, 24, played in six games with Pittsburgh, scoring his first career NHL goal in his NHL debut on January 2 against San Jose. He has appeared in a career-high 24 games for WBS this season, notching four goals, an assist, five points and one game-winning goal.
The native of Espoo, Finland has spent parts of three seasons with WBS, dressing in 35 games and accumulating seven points (6G-1A).
Last season, the 6-foot-1, 198-pound Bjorkqvist spent the majority of the season with KooKoo of Liiga, Finland’s top professional league, where he finished fifth on the team with 26 points (11G-15A) in 44 games.
Joseph, 22, has split this season between Pittsburgh and WBS, appearing in four games for Pittsburgh and 29 games for WBS. With WBS, Joseph is fourth on the team and ranks first among defensemen with 18 points (4G-14A) and is second on the team with a plus-9. His four goals this year are an AHL career high.
In total, the Laval, Quebec native has accumulated five points (1G-4A) in 20 NHL contests, and 48 points (8G-40A) in 104 AHL games.
Riikola, 27, has spent the 2021-22 season between Pittsburgh and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League.
With Pittsburgh, Riikola has recorded one assist and is plus-2 in five games this season. The defenseman has tallied 12 points (1G-11A) in 17 games with WBS, which ranks second among all team defensemen.
The 6-foot, 189-pound blueliner played in two games for the Penguins during the 2020-21 campaign and practiced with the team’s taxi squad for the majority of the year. The Joensuu, Finland native has dressed for 80 career NHL games, scoring three goals, 10 assists and 13 points with a plus-8. In 22 career AHL games split between the 2018-19 and ’21-22 seasons, Riikola has tallied one goal, 13 assists and 14 points.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton is home tonight to face the Springfield Thunderbirds at 7:05pm. Tickets are available by calling the Penguins at 570-208-PENS, or at the Mohegan Sun Arena Box Office.
Packages for the 2022-23 season are also available now, and everyone who signs up for next season before February 4 will have a chance to Shoot For Your Seat at an upcoming game.Make your shot and receive your season ticket package for FREE during the 2022-2023 season!
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