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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; Zach Aston-Reese knew he was likely to be sent to the AHL as the Pittsburgh Penguins needed to trim a player from its roster.</p><p>After all, Aston-Reese was the only player who didn&#8217;t need to clear waivers, so the risk was minimal.</p><p>Still, Aston-Reese isn&#8217;t using that as an excuse. Instead, part of the reason for the demotion stems from how Aston-Reese feels he performed at Pittsburgh&#8217;s training camp.</p><p>&#8220;I think I could&#8217;ve played a little bit harder. Pushed a little harder. I have to get that mindset back, and this is a good opportunity for me to do that,&#8221; he said after Wednesday&#8217;s practice at the Toyota SportsPlex.</p><p>Aston-Reese&#8217;s time in Wilkes-Barre could be short. Before he was sent down, Pittsburgh head coach Mike Sullivan told the media that he wants Aston-Reese to play critical minutes to get his confidence back.</p><p>As a rookie last season, Aston-Reese battled with his confidence at the beginning of the year. He endured a 27-game stretch with only three goals, and went 12 straight games without finding the back of the net.</p><p>Aston-Reese turned things around and earned a promotion to Pittsburgh where he was impressive, but his time with the big club was cut short after he suffered a concussion and broken jaw in Game 3 of the second round playoff series against the Washington Capitals in May.</p><p>The injury was difficult, but it&#8217;s in the past, Aston-Reese said.</p><p>&#8220;I felt good throughout camp. I think about where I was last year, and I feel 100 times better. Stronger and faster,&#8221; he said.</p><p>Head coach Clark Donatelli used Aston-Reese on a line with Sam Lafferty and Anthony Angello on Tuesday and he indicated the line will stay intact for the season opener.</p><p>Or until Aston-Reese heads back to Pittsburgh.</p><p>&#8220;As long as he&#8217;s here, he&#8217;s going to be an asset for us,&#8221; Donatelli said.</p><p>And while Aston-Reese is in the AHL, he won&#8217;t sulk about not being up with Pittsburgh.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s a little disappointing, but it&#8217;s definitely motivation,&#8221; Aston-Reese said. &#8220;The important thing is staying positive. It&#8217;s a great group of guys here and a good place to be. It&#8217;s just finding the extra gear and pushing that much harder down here.&#8221;</p><p><strong>NOTEBOOK</strong></p><p>&#8226; While Aston-Reese was with Pittsburgh, he challenged a Columbus Blue Jacket player to drop the gloves during last Friday&#8217;s preseason game. The player declined the offer, but Aston-Reese said he wanted to show that he&#8217;s willing to fight if need be.</p><p>&#8220;That&#8217;s something that has to be a lot more consistent in my game,&#8221; he said. &#8220;If I can find that edge consistently, I think it&#8217;s going to pay dividends.&#8221;</p><p>&#8226; Donatelli said the captain for the upcoming season will be named on Thursday.</p><p>&#8226; With Tristan Jarry injured and remaining in Pittsburgh, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton will open the season with Anthony Peters and John Muse as the goaltenders. Donatelli said it hasn&#8217;t been decided who will start opening night, or the bulk of the games for that matter.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Penguins winger Zach Aston-Reese is hoping a strong start with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton will get him back up to Pittsburgh. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/web1_pens_dv3_faa.jpg</photo0><caption0>Penguins winger Zach Aston-Reese is hoping a strong start with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton will get him back up to Pittsburgh. </caption0><photoCredit0>Fred Adams file photo | For Times Leader </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Winger returns to WBS Pens after being cut from Pittsburgh&#8217;s camp</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Tom Venesky</p><p>tvenesky@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div>

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton winger Zach Aston-Reese motivated to get back to NHL