WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – Vasily Ponomarev came to the Penguins with a lot to live up to last season.
He was a key piece acquired in return for one of the franchise’s greatest scorers, Jake Guentzel. In the days after that trade, Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas hyped up Ponomarev’s potential, and even expressed a belief that he could be playing games for the NHL club late in the regular season.
The expectations were set high, but just as he was finding his groove with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, a high-ankle sprain threw him off rhythm.
The injury suffered in his fourth game in Black and Gold ended his season prematurely, robbing him of an opportunity to play in the Calder Cup Playoffs. Or snag a spot in Pittsburgh, for that matter.
Ponomarev spent his spring, summer and early fall rehabbing and training for this season. The recent 2024 Prospects Challenge in Buffalo, New York was his first game action since the ankle injury.
Though the games were merely an exhibition, Ponomarev wanted to show that his recovery was real.
“Nothing is bothering me now,” Ponomarev said about his ankle after the Penguins’ first game. “It’s in a perfect condition right now.”
Not only is that good to hear, it was good to see in action, too. The Russian 22-year-old was one of seven players at the Prospects Challenge with NHL experience, and the only player on the Penguins roster to log games in the show. He put up one goal and one assist during Pittsburgh’s three games, but his ability to be quick on pucks and hard in the trenches made him a dominant force in areas that don’t necessarily show up on the scoresheet.
“He’s a pro,” said new Wilkes-Barre/Scranton head coach Kirk MacDonald. “He wins every puck. He gets to a 50/50 puck, it’s not really a 50/50 battle. He’s coming out with that puck.”
Those gritty traits are invaluable for any team, but they also fit exactly into how MacDonald wants to play. During MacDonald’s first media availability back in July, he said that the hallmarks of his teams include “work ethic, commitment, being relentless in how we play”. That has a healthy Ponomarev written all over it.
While it seems like a sure fit, there’s still plenty for MacDonald and Ponomarev to learn about one another, especially since they’ve only spent a handful of days on the ice together. But Ponomarev already has a familiarity with many behind-the-scenes Penguins staffers like Zander Kosmala, who was the assistant athletic trainer…
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