The ECHL is currently on a strike where they are having to postpone or cancel games altogether because the players and the league cannot agree on a new collective bargaining agreement. And knowing that the league is currently on strike, it effects the Penguins organization.
The Penguins ECHL affiliate, the Wheeling Nailers, recently had their game against the Indy Fuel tonight postponed and their game tomorrow against the Cincinatti Cyclones postponed. And with the games being postponed and not being played, players for the Nailers that have AHL deals with the WIlkes-Barre Scranton Penguins were called up.
The players on AHL deals that were called up, are able to get practice time in for the time being until the strike inevitably ends. The players that were called up to Wilkes-Barre include forwards Matty De St Phalle, Brayden Edwards, Max Graham, Connor Lockhart, Zach Urdahl.
The players also include defensemen David Breazeale, Tommy Budnick, Brent Johnson, Emil Pieniniemi and goaltenders Taylor Gauthier and Maxim Pavlenko. These players likely will not get into actual games for the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins, but having them with the team lets them still skate and stay on schedule for when their games get back underway.
It is unfortunate that the ECHL is striking and that the league and their players cannot currently come to an agreement so games have to be postponed or canceled for the time being. But the fact that some players can go up to Wilkes-Barre and keep their routines going and stay in shape during the shutdown is a good thing.
They likely will not get into many games if at all, but if injuries happen and the shutdown or strike lasts longer than it needs to, some of these guys could get playing time. But it also allows them to sit and learn from their teammates that are at the higher AHL level than the ECHL.
Overall, the ECHL needs to be able to figure things out and end their strike and make playing conditions and money problems easier for their players. They both need to come to a happy medium and figure all of this out or it will continue to be ugly.