Penguins getting lift from new faces | TheAHL.com

Patrick Williams, TheAHL.com Features Writer

Is Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins head coach J.D. Forrest happy with where his team is as the AHL regular season begins its final week?

Not quite, even though the Penguins had just put together a seven-game winning streak.

But is he encouraged? Yes. Forrest is going with that.

New faces are helping. So are reliable standbys. Undrafted forward Beau Jelsma, just picked up from Barrie of the Ontario Hockey League, had a solid pro debut this past weekend, earning a spot in Forrest’s lineup in all three games. From the NCAA ranks, Wisconsin forward Mathieu De St. Phalle has found playing time. Defenseman Scooter Brickey, just out of Ohio State, has shown polish as a 24-year-old rookie.

The Penguins have needed those reinforcements, as injuries and an ever-changing cast of personnel easily could have sidetracked their season. Up front, Alex Nylander, Rem Pitlick and Colin White departed the organization in trades. So did defenseman Will Butcher. Forward Marc Johnstone has been out since Feb. 3. Blueliners Ty Smith and Jonathan Gruden are out. Forward Valtteri Puustinen is with Pittsburgh.

But instead of folding, the Penguins rattled off seven consecutive victories, capped by a solid 4-1 victory against the league-leading Hershey Bears on Saturday night in their regular-season home finale. A trip to Hartford this Friday night, followed by the regular-season finale Saturday at Lehigh Valley, will be the final chances to tune up and tweak before the Calder Cup Playoffs arrive.

There is a good chance that the Penguins will face either the Wolf Pack or the Phantoms in the first round.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton is right in the thick of contention. Second place in the Atlantic Division is even still in play with Providence holding a four-point lead.

So yes, there is plenty for Forrest to be encouraged about. He wants a good week of practice before the Penguins get on the bus and hit the highway for Hartford.

“I think we know what makes us successful for the most part, and our guys have a belief in it,” Forrest explained. “You know, the trick is doing it over and over and over again, and you feel like you get some traction there, and then you might have a step back, and you’ve got to learn a couple things. And a lot of times, you’ve got to learn it the hard way.

“That’s a great thing about this league and high competition – you learn fast. The consequences are right in front of your face, so you can’t…