Penguins Bolster AHL Depth With Four Forwards

Fan-favorite Bobby Farnham is back!

The Pittsburgh Penguins began adding depth forwards to the organization in an attempt to replace most of last year's Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins roster.

Two names should ring a bell: Bobby Farnham and Chris Conner. The other two - Andrew Ebbett and Nick Drazenovic - will be part of the WBS core come October. All but Ebbett are signed for one year. Ebbett's deal is for two years. All four contracts are two-way deals.

Here's the Penguins official press releases for all four players:

Bobby Farnham
Andrew Ebbett
Chris Conner
Nick Drazenovic

A quick bio on each of the signings below.

Bobby Farnham gets his first NHL contract, a one-year two-way deal for next season. This past season, Farnham grabbed the attention of fans for his style of play. He's known as an agitator that isn't afraid to drop the gloves or do anything he can to provide his team with a spark. Farnham isn't there to score goals, but to play physical and get under the skin of his opponents.

Chris Conner last played in the Penguins organization in the 2010-11 season and after a year with the Detroit Red Wings organization and the past two years with the Phoenix organization, Conner makes a return to Wilkes-Barre. With the AHL's Portland Pirates last year, Conner tallied 40 points (13G-27A) in 60 games. He also appeared in 12 NHL games with Phoenix, adding a goal and an assist in his NHL action. Conner is a small forward with speed much like the Penguins own Brian Gibbons.

Nick Drazenovic, 26, is a point-per-game offensive weapon at the AHL level. Two years ago with Springfield he posted 41 points in (13G-28A) 41 games. This past year, he followed up with a career high 53 points (17G-36A) in 62 games, good for 2nd on the Falcons in scoring.

The real coupe for the AHL Penguins is forward Andrew Ebbett, who signed a two-year, two-way deal. Ebbett, 30, is exactly what the doctor ordered for the AHL Pens if he doesn't make the NHL roster. He brings 191 games of NHL experience to a team seriously lacking a veteran presence. Last season, Ebbett split time between the AHL and NHL much like he has the last few years. In 37 games with the Chicago Wolves, Ebbett tallied 11 goals and 21 assists in 37 games. In 28 NHL games with Vancouver, Ebbett added six points (1G-5A).


A quick look at the forward depth in the organization should make WBS Penguins fans a little less worried than they were earlier this afternoon.

Sidney Crosby
Evgeni Malkin
James Neal
Pascal Dupuis
Chris Kunitz
Beau Bennett
Brandon Sutter
Jussi Jokinen
Dustin Jeffrey (RFA)
Joe Vitale
Tanner Glass
Craig Adams
Harry Zolnierczyk (RFA)
Andrew Ebbett
Zach Sill (RFA) 
_______________________
Chris Conner
Nick Drazenovic
Brian Gibbons (RFA)
Paul Thompson (RFA)
Tom Kuhnhackl
Jayson Megna
Adam Payerl
Dominik Uher
Anton Zlobin
Bobby Farnham
Steve MacIntyre