EDMONTON, Alberta — Thursday was a bit of a travel day for Oskar Sundqvist.
He got word in the afternoon that he was getting called up from the American Hockey League’s Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins to the big-league club.
The only problem? The Penguins were in Edmonton, getting ready to play the Oilers. Believe it or not, there aren’t direct flights from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to Edmonton.
So Sundqvist went from Wilkes-Barre to New York, New York to Toronto and Toronto to Edmonton, arriving at the team hotel late Thursday.
“It took a while,” he said after the Penguins’ morning skate Friday. “A lot of running through airports.”
The call-up itself has also been a bit of a long time coming for Sundqvist, who played in 18 regular season games and two playoff contests for the Penguins last year. This season, though, he has spent the whole year in Wilkes-Barre, scoring 16 goals and notching 23 assists in 53 games.
“You need a little bit of luck,” Sundqvist said. “When I went on a hot streak down there, everyone was healthy up here, then I went down a little bit. You need a little bit of luck for when it comes. I haven’t been thinking about it too much. Just been trying to find my game and play my game down there.”
After Sundqvist’s stint in the NHL last year, during which he recorded one goal and three assists, he and Penguins brass both agreed his offensive game needed some refining before he could claim a regular spot on the big-league roster.
That’s precisely what he has tried to focus on in Wilkes-Barre this season. It didn’t take long for Sundqvist to start producing results, either, with 30 points in his first 28 AHL games this season.
“I played in a lot of offensive situations down in Wilkes,” Sundqvist said. “It gave me a lot of confidence, especially in the offensive zone.”
His offensive production has cooled a bit recently, partially due to some injuries, but Wilkes-Barre/Scranton coach Clark Donatelli said he can see the progress Sundqvist has made this season.
At 6-foot-3, the rangy Sundqvist’s defensive length will likely always been his greatest asset, but if he wants to fill the third-line center role the Penguins envision for him, he has to be able to contribute on the offensive end, as well.
“We wanted him to play well defensively, but also when he gets a chance, to take advantage of the offensive abilities he has,” Donatelli said. “To challenge defensemen offensively, challenge them in the [offensive] zone. He’s done that. He’s answered the bell.”
Given his size, one of the best ways Sundqvist can contribute offensively is by getting to the front of the net and wreaking havoc for opposing goalies, and Donatelli said he even could be a net-front man on the power play if called upon.
It’s unlikely the Penguins will use him in that capacity, at least right away, but coach Mike Sullivan agreed with Donatelli’s assessment of Sundqvist. His natural defensive ability is still there, but the improved offensive game is what has the Penguins bullish on Sundqvist’s prospects for this season and beyond.
“We knew that [defense was] the strength of his game,” Sullivan said. “We can use him in a checking capacity, he’s a good penalty killer, he’s got good awareness away from the puck.
“But really, the evolution in his game this year has been on the offensive side. He’s turned into a good playmaker. He’s going to the net, he’s scoring goals. That’s great for us. It’s great for him, and it’s great for us, to see his complete game develop down there.”
Dave Molinari contributed. Sam Werner: swerner@post-gazette.com and Twitter @SWernerPG
First Published: March 10, 2017, 4:24 p.m.
Updated: March 10, 2017, 11:38 p.m.
