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Valley with a Heart

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<p>Wilkes-Barre/Scranton opened training camp on Tuesday. But three projected regulars may not be with the team when the season opens next weekend.</p><p>Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan told reporters in Cranberry Township that forward Adam Johnson and defensemen John Marino and Zach Trotman are all dealing with injuries as the NHL and AHL squads get ready for the 2019-20 season.</p><p>The veteran Trotman is certain to not be available when Wilkes-Barre/Scranton plays its opener on Oct. 5 at Hershey. Sullivan said Trotman, a 29-year-old who split last season between Pittsburgh and Wilkes-Barre, has undergone hernia surgery and is out long term.</p><p>Johnson, one of the AHL team&#8217;s top scorers a year ago, has a lower body injury and no timetable was given for his return.</p><p>The most likely to be ready for the season is Marino, who is day-to-day with a lower body injury. Marino, acquired in a trade with the Edmonton Oilers over the summer, has had a strong start to the preseason with Pittsburgh.</p><p>Players injured during camp cannot be assigned to minor-league teams until they recover.</p><p>Elsewhere on the personnel front, the Penguins lost none of the seven veterans they placed on waivers Monday in Pittsburgh&#8217;s second round of cuts.</p><p>No other teams put in a claim for forwards Andrew Agozzino, Joseph Blandisi, Joseph Cramarossa, Thomas Di Pauli or Ryan Haggerty. Nor did they grab defensemen Kevin Czuczman or David Warsofsky.</p><p>All were eligible to be assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton upon clearing waivers at noon on Tuesday. They would join Niclas Almari, Justin Almeida, Anthony Angello, Kasper Bjorkqvist, Pierre-Olivier Joseph, Sam Lafferty, Emil Larmi, Jake Lucchini, Sam Miletic and Oula Palve, who were also sent down on Monday.</p><p>Aside from Johnson, Marino and Trotman, just one other potential Wilkes-Barre/Scranton player remains in camp with Pittsburgh.</p><p>That would be AHL starting goalie Tristan Jarry, who must be placed on waivers to be sent down this season for the first time in his career.</p><p>Pittsburgh, which is in a salary cap crunch, has a week to figure out its goaltending situation behind starter Matt Murray. The Penguins prefer Wilkes-Barre/Scranton alum Casey DeSmith &#8212; whom they signed to a contract extension earlier this year &#8212; but it&#8217;s notable that his cap hit ($1.25 million) is almost double that of Jarry&#8217;s ($675,000).</p><p>General manager Jim Rutherford didn&#8217;t rule out the possibility of trading one of them, especially if the alternative is losing one for nothing on waivers.</p><p>&#8220;That market has heated up,&#8221; <a href="https://www.dkpittsburghsports.com/2019/09/24/penguins-tristan-jarry-casey-desmith-jim-rutherford-dwm/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Rutherford told DKPittsburghSports on Tuesday</a>. &#8220;I was surprised there wasn&#8217;t more interest (in goaltenders) during the offseason, but there were a lot of free-agent goalies who filled chairs and there wasn&#8217;t as much conversation. Since training camp started, that whole goalie market has really heated up.&#8221;</p><p>Without Jarry, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton has three goalies in camp in Larmi, Alex D&#8217;Orio and veteran Dustin Tokarski.</p><p><strong>Preseason opens tonight</strong></p><p>Wilkes-Barre/Scranton is getting right into the action on Wednesday, hosting Lehigh Valley for the preseason opener at 7:05 p.m. at Mohegan Sun Arena.</p><p>After another practice session on Thursday at Toyota SportsPlex, the Penguins will play three more exhibition games in as many days, hosting Hershey at 7:05 p.m. Friday before hitting the road to face Hershey (7 p.m. Saturday) and Lehigh Valley (3:05 p.m. Sunday).</p><p>The regular season home opener is Oct. 12 against Utica.</p><p><strong>Heasley promoted to AGM</strong></p><p>Mike Vellucci officially got some help in his new duties as AHL general manager.</p><p>Pittsburgh announced Tuesday that manager of hockey operations Erik Heasley has also been promoted to assistant general manager of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.</p><p>Just 34, Heasley is nonetheless entering his 12th season with the organization, &#8220;assisting with amateur scouting duties and player development,&#8221; according to the Penguins.</p><p>&#8220;He will work closely with (Vellucci) on matters concerning the team.&#8221;</p><p>The front office shake-up began last month when Wilkes-Barre/Scranton general manager Bill Guerin left to run the Minnesota Wild. Rutherford ultimately chose Vellucci, his new AHL head coach, to also serve as the team&#8217;s GM, a dual-role Vellucci has held in the OHL and AHL in the past, including last season when he led the Charlotte Checkers to the Calder Cup.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Penguins forward Adam Johnson scored in Pittsburgh&#8217;s preseason opener against Buffalo, but the speedy winger may not be available for the start of the AHL season because of a lower-body injury. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/web1_AP19260102436519.jpg</photo0><caption0>Penguins forward Adam Johnson scored in Pittsburgh&#8217;s preseason opener against Buffalo, but the speedy winger may not be available for the start of the AHL season because of a lower-body injury. </caption0><photoCredit0>John Beale | AP file photo </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Derek Levarse</p><p>dlevarse@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div>

Pittsburgh announces trio of injuries as WBS Penguins open training camp