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Five from WVC will compete in D2 tennis semifinals

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Columbus Day collection schedule for Wilkes-Barre

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; With the professional hockey season about to start, Steve Oleksy went from being at home to playing in a place where he can feel at home.</p><p>The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins were in the middle of the AHL exhibition season when they signed Olesky to a professional tryout agreement.</p><p>Oleksy returns to a team where he played during the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons and served as alternate captain.</p><p>After passing on other options, Oleksy decided &#8220;to come back to the organization that did a lot for me, invested a lot in me and did a lot for my career,&#8221; he said during an interview following a practice at Toyota SportsPlex last week. &#8220;To come back and get back to an organization like that was very attractive to me.&#8221;</p><p>When he joined the team, the 33-year-old Oleksy became the oldest player on a young roster. He realizes that comes with a responsibility.</p><p>Oleksy hopes to have learned from watching how Tom Kostopoulos handled helping young players while serving as the team&#8217;s captain and most experienced player.</p><p>&#8220;Guys who came through like Bryan Rust and Jake Guentzel, a large part of that success has to do with a guy like Tom Kostopoulos,&#8221; said Oleksy, who also played 11 games with the parent Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016-17. &#8220;I got to learn from him a little bit earlier in my career and see the role he played in development. Back then, I was learning. Now, I&#8217;m trying to translate what I learned into real life and teach the younger guys what I watched him teach.&#8221;</p><p>Closer to the end of his career than the beginning, Oleksy said his role &#8220;has changed a lot,&#8221; accordingly.</p><p>Oleksy has three goals and 17 assists in 73 career NHL games. He has 22 goals and 92 assists while going plus-52 with 784 penalty minutes in 411 AHL games.</p><p>Whether he would have a chance to add to those totals was put in doubt with an off-ice health issue.</p><p>&#8220;I was enjoying my summer, taking care of myself with skating and workouts,&#8221; Oleksy said. &#8220;A little over a month and a half ago, I had my appendix removed, so I was laid up.&#8221;</p><p>Oleksy had gotten back on the ice, skating and &#8220;getting ready to go&#8221; when he heard from the Penguins.</p><p>One way or another, he was going to be involved in the sport.</p><p>Preparing from life after his playing days, Oleksy has been helping train younger players and running a summer league that includes several of his current teammates.</p><p>&#8220;One of my big things throughout my playing career, whether it was my first year or my ninth or 10th year, was getting ready for life after hockey,&#8221; he said.</p><p>That can wait.</p><p>Oleksy joined the Penguins for the end of the exhibition season. He did not dress in the regular-season opener, but is available as the Penguins schedule heats up with three games in three nights beginning Friday at Lehigh Valley.</p><p>The Penguins play their home opener Saturday at 7:05 p.m. against the Utica Comets.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Defenseman Steve Oleksy is back for his second stint with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton after playing for the Penguins in 2015-16 and 2016-17. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/web1_Oleksy.jpg</photo0><caption0>Defenseman Steve Oleksy is back for his second stint with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton after playing for the Penguins in 2015-16 and 2016-17. </caption0><photoCredit0>Fred Adams file photo | For Times Leader </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Tom Robinson</p><p>For Times Leader</p></bylineMeta></div>

Veteran defenseman Oleksy eager to give back to WBS Penguins