AHL Schedule: A Look at WBS in 2011-12

The WBS Penguins can begin lighting the lamp at home on October 8th.

 The AHL released their schedule for the 2011-12 season yesterday. They open the season at home against the Hershey Bears on Saturday, October 8th, at 7:05 p.m. EST.

Some initial reaction to the Penguins' 76 game schedule after the jump.

What to Look For: 2011-12 AHL Schedule

 The AHL announced today that, pending a review from the Board of Governors, the 2011-12 AHL schedule will be released at 4 p.m. EST time tomorrow.

I will post a quick update on the blog with reactions and insights as well as initial thoughts on the blog's Twitter feed, but here's a few things you should be on the lookout for when the schedule is released tomorrow afternoon.

Monday's Lunch Links

 Not much happened over the weekend. But here's a few things to read about on a slow work day at the office:

On Friday, the Hershey Bears announced their preseason schedule, which is one of the two road preseason opponents the WBS Penguins will play. We announced this on the blog's Twitter feed and the date for that road game is Saturday, October 1st at 7:05 p.m. That leaves one more road game left to be released and we'll have that for you as soon as it is.

Penguins Announce Pre-Season Schedule

 The Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins have released the dates and opponents for their pre-season home schedule in preparation for their 13th AHL season. The team released the schedule this afternoon. So without further ado here it is:

Friday, September 30th vs. Hershey Bears at 7:05 p.m.

Sunday October 2nd vs. Adirondack Phantoms at 5:05 pm.

The Penguins will also play two road preseason games, with dates, opponents, and start times to be finalized in the near future.The full schedule for the American Hockey League’s 2011-12 season is expected to be released within the next several days.

Tuesday's Lunch Links

Robert Bortuzzo will play a bigger role in another strong defensive core in 2011-12.

I know it has been awhile since the last update but there hasn't been anything to update on. August seems to be dragging and hockey fans are anxious for September and the Black & Gold game on the 19th. Here's a list of some Penguins related happenings of the past couple of days you may be interested in.

Getting Ready for the 2011-12 Season

As we turn the calendars to August and get closer to the 13th season of Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins hockey in October, the updates and happenings become slim. Most of the notable NHL and AHL free agents have already found new homes and the depth charts are starting to take form heading into training camps in September.

The Penguins organization currently has 49 NHL contracts, one short of the 50-max limit. Two of those contracts, entry level deals to defenseman Scott Harrington and forward Tom Kuhnhackl, won't count against the limit since both players will be returning to junior hockey. That puts the Penguins at 47 NHL deals heading into the season and as stated earlier, GM Ray Shero likes to have some wiggle room in case mid-season deals are needed. I don't see the Penguins adding any more NHL contracts to the organization this offseason. They could fit one more and still have some flexibility but I would say it's unlikely at this point.

Coming later this week, we'll take a look at the entire organizational depth at each position.

Here's some information on what the WBS Penguins team has in store so far for the rest of the summer and offseason:

Pensfest, featuring Ryan Schnell and Joey Mormina, will take place at the WBS Penguins practice facility, the Coal Street Rink, from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. on August 19th. More details regarding the event here.

The second annual Black & Gold game on September 19th at 7:05 p.m. will again take place at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza. Last year's game was a success and featured Sidney Crosby vs. Evgeni Malkin. It's a great way to see current and future NHL Penguins players in an exhibition setting. Tickets went on sale today at noon according to the team's website.