It’s official, Pesonen Under Contract
Janne Pesonen
Janne Pesonen is officially under contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The Finnish winger signed a one-year contract today. Ray Shero had this to say about Pesonen (Penguins.com):
“Pesonen is a quick, skilled player that has had much success in the Finnish Elite League,” said Shero. “We look forward to watching him perform at his first NHL training camp.”
The contract is a two-way contract, allowing him to be sent between Pittsburgh and its AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre, PA.
Since the initial announcement of him becoming a Penguin, I have had more time to research him. What I’ve read noted his exceptional speed and hands. Given that plus his size, 5-11 and 180 pounds, Pesonen reminds me alot of former Penguin Martin Straka.
If Pesonen gets the chance at some point next year to skate with Evgeni Malkin or Sidney Crosby his point total could surprise many around the NHL. However, I’m not sure if he’ll get that chance. As (Insider on Pittsburgh Sports) noted, contract talks seem to be getting more serious between the Penguins and Jordan Staal. Also, there is talk of Staal moving back to the left-wing.
The Penguins have also had internal discussions about using Jordan Staal as a winger on the top 2 lines when the season begins.
Staal scored 29 goals from the left wing in his rookie season. If he moves back to that position, Pesonen’s chances at playing with either Malkin or Crosby are little to none. Nevertheless, his stats indicate that he is playing the best hockey of his career and this is his time for a shot in the NHL.
Furthermore, I’d love to see Staal back on the left wing. If his numbers show a significant improvement in the first month or so of the season next year, then it was worth it. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
PENS SIGN BEN LOVEJOY
Ben Lovejoy
Shero also inked defensman Ben Lovejoy to a one-year entry-level contract (Penguins.com). Lovejoy (6-2, 210 pounds) led Wilkes-Barre in plus/minus with a plus-16. He appeared in 72 games during the regular season and recorded 20 points (2 G, 18 A).
Lovejoy also appeared in all 23 of the Baby Pens’ Calder Cup Playoff games. He totaled 10 points (2 G, 8 A).
The year before joining the Baby Pens, Lovejoy played for the Norfolk Admirals. He saw time in five games and went pointless while recording six penalty minutes.
Lovejoy attended and played college hockey for three years at Dartmouth and one final year at Boston College (WBS). He recorded 54 points in in 96 games (11 G, 43 A). In one year at BC, Lovejoy played in 22 games and recorded six assists.
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Chris Gates
Chris Gates
My name is Christopher Gates and I will be a senior at Kent State University in Ohio this fall. I am studying to be a sports writer, majoring in newspaper journalism. I currently write for the student run newspaper at Kent State, The Daily Kent Stater. I also work at the student run radio station Black Squirrel Radio. At the Stater I am on the sports staff. I have written for soccer, football, basketball, wrestling and field hockey. At Black Squirrel Radio I am on the news team. There I do news updates that are aired once a week at quarter to, and quarter past each hour. Also, I am a live on-air play-by-play analyst for Kent State men’s basketball. In other sports coverage, I have recorded halftime shows for all of the football games that we broadcast. Lastly at the radio station, I am a DJ and have a sports talk radio show every Sunday night from 10 p.m. to midnight (subject to change this fall).
I am originally from Pittsburgh, PA, and hope to one day be able to write on Pittsburgh sports. I have a passion unlike any other for sports, and have dedicated my life to becoming an expert in as many areas as possible. I hope to one day be able to write about Pittsburgh sports, as well as do on-air sports talk radio. I’m currently a Promotions Assistant at 1250 ESPN in Pittsburgh.
I created this blog in order to spur conversation about the Pittsburgh Penguins and the National Hockey League. My family has had season tickets for quite some time, so I’d like to think I have a pretty good knowledge of the team and the NHL. Please, when reading, feel free to comment about any articles you read. I would love to get conversation going about anything and everything dealing with my pieces. In order to leave a comment, either click on the title of the entry and scroll to the bottom of the page, or click on comments at the bottom of each post. Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you enjoy it!
You can contact me at Christopher.G.Gates@gmail.com
