On October 31, 2024, the Pittsburgh Penguins announced that forward Vasily Ponomarev has been activated from Injured Non-Roster after dealing with an upper body injury. Ponomarev has been re-assigned to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, at a very much needed time for the AHL team.
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins are facing seven players on injuries this early in the season:
Bokondji Imama, Jimmy Huntington, Jagger Joshua, Filip Kral, Dan Renouf, Sebastian Aho, and Taylor Gauthier.
Ponomarev was acquired in the 2023-2024 season at the trade deadline that traded Jake Guentzel and Ty Smith for not only Ponomarev but Michael Bunting, Ville Koivunen, and Cruz Lucius from Carolina. The trade included a conditional 2024 first round and fifth round draft pick.
In the span of 120 AHL games, Ponomarev has played for the Chicago Wolves, Tucson Roadrunner, and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. He has tallied 36 goals and 50 assists in those 120 games. Ponomarev is a center that you can feel his presence throughout every play he’s on the ice for.
