Cote in Wilkes-Barre on a tryout

According to Jonathan Bombulie of the Wilkes-Barre Citizen’s Voice, defenseman Jean-Philippe Cote has arrived at training camp with the Penguins.  Cote, 26, attended NHL training camp with the Colorado Avalanche and after being cut, decided to come to Wilkes-Barre to strike up a two-way contract.  He’s a welcome addition to a lineup that will miss Alex Goligoski, who will remain in Pittsburgh after injuries to Pittsburgh’s top two defensemen.

Cote put up 54 points in 334 career AHL games.  He also racked up 477 penalty minutes in that time, taking on all comers.  He’ll bolster the defensive corps, which also includes Joey Mormina, Danny Richmond, Deryk Engelland, Ben Lovejoy, T.J. Kemp, and one of either Jon D’Aversa or Reid Cashman.

All players clear waivers; Woods to Cincinnati

Ryan Stone, and 11 others, have cleared waivers.

The 11 players assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton last week have all cleared waivers and will be with the team this weekend for their preseason games against the Hershey Bears.  Forwards Ryan Stone, Chris Minard, Jonathan Filewich, Kris Beech, Dave Gove, Adam Henrich, Connor James, defensemen Joey Mormina, Danny Richmond, T.J. Kemp, and Deryk Engelland have all cleared.

In addition, Mitch Woods, previously mentioned as sticking with the team, has been released outright to the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL.

Penguins make first cuts to ECHL

Today’s cuts to the ECHL come courtesy of Jonathan Bombulie, beat writer for the Pens at the Citizen’s Voice:

Players packing up and heading for Wheeling are: Aaron Clarke, Andrew Lord, Rob Sirianni, Jeremy Scherlinck, Jonathan Ornelas, Matt Grennier, Doug Krantz, and Cliff Loya.  Shipping off to the Reading Royals will be Mike Salekin and Kevin Harvey, while Nino Musitelli and Nathan Schwartzbauer will be playing for the Dayton Bombers.  Finally, Brad Farynuk will head to the South Carolina Stingrays.

These moves leave Wilkes-Barre/Scranton with the following players:  Forwards Aaron Boogaard, Tim Wallace, Luca Caputi, Jean-Michel Daoust, Bryan Ewing, Tommy Goebel, Joey Haddad, Nick Johnson, Mark Letestu, Jordan Morrison, Mitch Woods, defensemen Ben Lovejoy, Reid Cashman, Jon D’Aversa, Elgin Reid, Brock Sheahan, and goaltenders Adam Berkhoel, David Brown, and Curtis Darling.

In addition to those players listed above, the following need to clear waivers by Monday at 12:01pm EST:  Forwards Ryan Stone, Chris Minard, Jonathan Filewich, Kris Beech, Dave Gove, Adam Henrich, Connor James, defensemen Joey Mormina, Danny Richmond, T.J. Kemp, and Deryk Engelland.

Penguins send two to Wilkes-Barre

The Pittsburgh Penguins have sent forward Connor James and defenseman Danny Richmond to the AHL.  They’ll still have to cut one more player before the start of the season, leaving Bill Thomas and Janne Pesonen battling for what is believed to be the final forward spot.

Paul Bissonnette has locked up a roster spot for at least the duration of the trip to Finland and possibly longer.  Stay tuned to the blog for further info.

Penguins extend Kennedy for two years

The Pittsburgh Penguins have extended the contract of forward Tyler Kennedy for two years, through the 2011-2012 season per WPXI.

Kennedy, 22, played 55 games for the Pens last season, registering 19 points (10 goals, nine assists) along with 35 penalty minutes.

He finished the season tied for third on the team with four game-winning goals.During the playoffs, Kennedy played in 20 games, recording four assists and 13 penalty minutes.