Well, that’s a wrap on the 2025-26 regular season in the American Hockey League (AHL) for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. After amassing a record of 46-17-7-2, the Penguins picked up 101 points, surpassing the 100-point mark for the first time since 2016-17.
With their campaign, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton also clinched a first-round bye in the opening stages of the Calder Cup Playoffs.
The season began all the way back in October, with a tight 2-1 win on opening night against the Hartford Wolf Pack. They eventually went on a 7-0-0-0 run, making it one of the best starts in franchise history.
The Penguins went 7-5 in November, followed by a 7-5 stretch of games in December as well.
Throughout the season, one of the main stories from Mohegan Arena has been the goaltending. Sergei Murashov and Joel Blomqvist have formed one of the best, if not the best tandem in the AHL this season.
Both Murashov and Blomqvist had impressive ends to the season, allowing a combined one goal while joining forces for
Onto the defense, which may have been one of the more fluid parts of the team. The Penguins started the season with an NHL-level presence on the blueline, with Ryan Graves starting the year in Wilkes-Barre.
He’s been up and down between here and Pittsburgh, but stuck in the Steel City for the playoffs. Young talent like Owen Pickering, Chase Pietila and Finn Harding have proven to be solid throughout the season.
Captain Phil Kemp, alongside Alex Alexeyev and Sebastian Aho have also proven to be difference makers, shoring up the defense in an impressive way.
As for the forwards, the Penguins have had depth throughout the season, and have had a rotation of the lines during the campaign.
All of Tristan Broz, Avery Hayes, Rutger McGroarty and Ville Koivunen each spent time in Pittsburgh this season, and are proving themselves to be quite formidable prospects for the big club.
However, their play was on display almost every night they played together, adding a great deal of offensive firepower, smooth skating and much more to the lineup.
Each of those four forwards had at least 34 points during the season, combining for a total of 63 goals.
Mainstays from last year, Boko Imama, Joona Koppanen and a few other forwards added veteran presence to what is quite a young squad.
The Penguins had Atley Calvert and Gabe Klassen take great leaps and became players in the lineup almost every night.
Aidan McDonough, who signed with the Pens on an AHL-level deal prior to the season quickly became a fan favorite, amassing a team-high 44 points in 65 games played.
Another newcomer, Rafael Harvey-Pinard brought skill and speed as well. He tallied 21 goals during the season, good enough for third on the team.
Looking ahead to the playoffs, the Penguins don’t know who they’re playing yet. With the first-round bye in their pocket, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton gets a week-long break ahead of their big dance.
The Penguins will take on one of the Bridgeport Islanders, Hershey Bears, Charlotte Checkers or Springfield Thunderbirds.
The Penguins had quite the successful slate of games against Bridgeport in the regular season, their last in the AHL.
Ahead of the Isles’ relocation to Hamilton, Ontario for the 2026-27 season, they faced off against the Penguins seven times, most recently on April 17. During the course of their contests, the Penguins went 6-0-1-0, earning points in each of those games.
As for the Bears the Penguins earned a great record over their most-bitter rival from Chocolatetown. WBS went 7-3-0-0 against Hershey this season, with their most recent matchup coming on April 15–a 5-1 win for the Bears, which propelled them into the playoffs.
As for Springfield, the Penguins went 3-1-0-0 against the T-Birds, out-scoring them 17-10 during the four contests. And for Charlotte, the Penguins were dead even with the team from Queen City. The Penguins went 4-4-0-0 against the Checkers, continuing a trend of the two teams being evenly matched.
Just over a week remains between the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and their dance for the Calder Cup. With the stakes higher than they have been in recent years, the Penguins look to bring home the Calder for the first time in franchise history.
