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Breeders Crown returning to Mohegan Sun Pocono in 2018

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Luzerne County solicitors reviewing outstanding community development loans

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; Skating in his first game as a pro hockey player on Saturday, Troy Josephs admits he felt the jitters.</p><p>But then he took a hit.</p><p>And later he gave one.</p><p>All was fine.</p><p>Josephs, who was Pittsburgh&#8217;s seventh-round pick in 2013, made an immediate impression on Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins staff during Saturday&#8217;s game against Lehigh Valley.</p><p>Josephs was quick, the pace of play wasn&#8217;t a problem and he played physical.</p><p>&#8220;Coming here I wanted to make a physical presence with speed,&#8221; Josephs said after Monday&#8217;s practice. &#8220;It&#8217;s something I took into account coming into the game - make sure I get my hits and make the smart play.&#8221;</p><p>The 22-year-old forward from Whitby, Ontario, recently wrapped up his senior season at Clarkson University, scoring a career-high 20 goals, 33 points and adding 42 penalty minutes. He was also a plus-10, which is indicative of Josephs&#8217; ability to play a two-way game.</p><p>&#8220;A two-way forward that works hard, plays 200 feet of the ice, is strong defensively and pitch in offensively when I can,&#8221; is how Josephs describe his game.</p><p>Head coach Clark Donatelli said he intends to use Josephs as a bottom six forward who can create energy. He also indicated Josephs will see time on the penalty kill at some point and he&#8217;ll match up against other teams top lines.</p><p>That sounds good to Josephs, who has been to several Pittsburgh rookie camps and is familiar with the style of play in the organization.</p><p>He&#8217;s also is aware that it&#8217;s crucial to continue developing as a player, something he did in all four of his seasons at Clarkson.</p><p>&#8220;Staying healthy was a really big thing for me,&#8221; Josephs said of his senior season. &#8220;A lot of it all is about confidence, working hard at practice and bringing that to the game.</p><p>&#8220;And being a pro is probably the best way to stay in the lineup.&#8221;</p><p><strong>NOTES</strong></p><p>&#8226; Donatelli hopes the additions of Josephs and prospect Zach Aston-Reese bring fresh legs to the lineup and instills a healthy competition for ice time.</p><p>&#8220;Hopefully these guys coming in only playing 30-plus games can bring some energy for us,&#8221; Donatelli said.</p><p>&#8226; Forward Garrett Wilson practiced with the team on Monday but won&#8217;t return until possibly next weekend, Donatelli said. Defenseman Stuart Percy is still dealing with an injury and is week-to-week.</p><p><ins>For other sports stories, <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/category/sports" target="_blank">click here</a>.</ins></p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Josephs </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/web1_Troy-JosephsMUG.jpg</photo0><caption0>Josephs </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"><factboxMeta><p><strong>Up next&#8230;</strong></p><p>Hartford Wolf Pack (21-36-4-2, 48 points, 7th place in the Atlantic Division) at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (42-18-3-0, 87 points, 1st place in the Atlantic Division)</p><p>Tuesday, 7:05 p.m. at the Mohegan Sun Arena</p><p>Listen live on 103.1FM-WILK</p><p><strong>Players to watch:</strong></p><p>Hartford - Nicklas Jensen has four goals in five games against the Penguins this season.</p><p>Penguins - David Warsofsky and Dominik Simon each have nine points in six games against Hartford this season.</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Tom Venesky at 570-991-6395 or on Twitter @TomVenesky</p></shirttailMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><videoMeta><p><table style="border:none;width:98%;" class="mceItemTable"><tbody><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">VideoID:</td><td id="videoid" style="width:50em;font-size:90%;">DeAcP-uNsd4 </td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">VideoType:</td><td id="videotype" style="font-size:90%;">YOUTUBE</p><p></td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">URL:</td><td id="url" style="font-size:90%;"> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeAcP-uNsd4</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">Video Embed String:</td><td id="videoembedstring" style="font-size:90%;"> </td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">Video Caption:</td><td id="videocaption" style="font-size:90%;"> Newest WBS Penguins&#8217; addition Troy Joesphs talks about his first few days with the team.</p><p></td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">Video Credit:</td><td id="videocredit" style="font-size:90%;"> Tom Venesky | Times Leader</p><p></td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">Video Position:</td><td id="videoposition" style="font-size:90%;"> </td></tr></tbody></table></p><p style="margin-top:10px;font-size:70%;color:#555;">(use the &#8220;for files&#8230;&#8221; link above to associate attached files with this source)</p></videoMeta></div>

WBS Pens rookie Troy Josephs brings energy, two-way game