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Legislators expect ignition interlocks to significantly reduce DUI offenses

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Settlement reached in Avoca mother’s lawsuit against Geisinger

<p>Casey DeSmith was optimistic the Pittsburgh organization would want him back for the 2016-17 season.</p><p>After spending most of his rookie season buried on the depth chart in Wheeling, DeSmith salvaged the year by becoming a playoff hero for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, winning five of his eight starts and beating Providence three times in overtime.</p><p>And that came after DeSmith notched an impressive finish to the regular season by allowing two goals or less in four of five starts.</p><p>So after all that, it&#8217;s easy to understand why Pittsburgh wanted to bring DeSmith back when they signed him to an AHL deal on Wednesday.</p><p>&#8220;I felt like this was definitely a possibility,&#8221; DeSmith said. &#8220;After the playoffs, I was hopeful this would happen.&#8221;</p><p>At the start of the season, however, DeSmith, 24, wasn&#8217;t sure what was going to happen. After missing his senior season at the college level and then joining the Wheeling Nailers as a pro, DeSmith didn&#8217;t start his first game until Dec. 6 and made just eight starts until joining Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in mid-April.</p><p>Now, with the adversity behind him and a contract under his belt, DeSmith is looking forward to entering a season with some security in place.</p><p>&#8220;Just being able to start the year on the right foot, on solid ground, is nice,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Even after going through some tough times, I feel I played well enough when I got the chance to get my foot in the door with this organization.&#8221;</p><p>DeSmith hopes to begin the season with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and stay there. He knows how quickly an opportunity can arise and that&#8217;s why he&#8217;s not discouraged by the amount of goaltending depth in the Pittsburgh organization.</p><p>He cites Matt Murray as an example of how a season can change in a hurry.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s rough being a goalie and injuries can happen at any time. You have to take advantage of any chance you get,&#8221; DeSmith said. &#8220;You see guys all the time take an opportunity and run with it. The goaltending position is like that.&#8221;</p><p>Now that DeSmith knows where he&#8217;ll be this season and he&#8217;s an aware that an opportunity can arise at any time, he&#8217;s spending the summer getting ready. The New Hampshire native lives near Penguins goaltending coach Mike Buckley, and DeSmith said he will be spending the next few weeks working with him on the ice.</p><p>DeSmith has also been tracking all of the moves made by the Pittsburgh organization, and it all has him even more motivated to make the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton squad.</p><p>He said he is thrilled that Tom Kostopoulos is coming back for another season and head coach Clark Donatelli will return as well. But what has the young goaltender particularly excited is the group of defensemen Pittsburgh signed to two-way contracts.</p><p>&#8220;As a goalie, if I play in Wilkes-Barre I will probably have one of the best defensive corps in the AHL, which is a dream come true,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I loved every second I spent at Wilkes-Barre last season. I feel comfortable there and going back is my main goal.&#8221;</p><p><strong>NOTES</strong></p><p>&#8226; The Pittsburgh Penguins signed forward Garrett Wilson to a one-year contract on Thursday. The deal is a two-way contract that contains an average annual value of $575,000 at the NHL level.</p><p>Wilson, 25, split the 2015-16 season between the Florida Panthers and their minor-league affiliate, the Portland Pirates. It was Wilson&#8217;s first extended NHL action, as he appeared in 29 contests with the Panthers.</p><p>During the 2016 Stanley Cup playoffs, the 6-foot-2, 199-pound Wilson suited up for all six of Florida&#8217;s opening-round matchups against the New York Islanders, picking up his first NHL point with an assist on Alex Petrovic&#8217;s game-winning goal in Game 4.</p><p>The Barrie, Ontario native played in 37 American Hockey League games with Portland, tallying 20 points (7G-13A). Wilson was an alternate captain for the second-straight year at the AHL level.</p><p>&#8226; Wilkes-Barre/Scranton signed forward Sahir Gill to an American Hockey League contract for the 2016-17 season on Thursday.</p><p>In his third professional season, Gill recorded AHL career highs with 21 games played, five goals, nine assists, and 14 points. He finished the regular season with nine points (2G-7A) in his last eight games with the Penguins.</p><p>The 24-year-old also posted 18 points (3G-15A) in 24 games with the Wheeling Nailers (ECHL) during the 2015-16 campaign. At the time of his recall to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Dec. 15, 2015, Gill&#8217;s 15 assists led all Nailers players.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">DeSmith </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_DeSmith.jpg</photo0><caption0>DeSmith </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Tom Venesky</p><p>tvenesky@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Tom Venesky at 570-991-6395 or on Twitter @TLTomVenesky</p></shirttailMeta></div>

DeSmith’s playoff success pays off with new contract