After a flurry of call-ups decimated their forward ranks, the Baby Pens played last weekend without their top seven scorers. One of the players who helped fill that void was winger Andrew Orpik, younger brother of Penguins defenseman Brooks Orpik.

A second-year pro out of Boston College, Orpik was called up from the ECHL's Wheeling Nailers last Saturday and recorded two assists the next day, as the Baby Pens beat rival Hershey, 7-1.

It was an emotional weekend for Orpik, who was a frequent visitor to Wilkes-Barre to watch his brother play from 2001-04.

"I was never the best player growing up or even in college. I never really expected my pro career to be as successful as it has been," Orpik said. "By no means am I an all-star or anything like that, but to play AHL games, that's something I'm proud of, and to be back here is really special to me."

The younger Orpik doesn't have the high-end talent of his older brother, so making the NHL is a long shot, but he's a hard-nosed, responsible winger who doesn't look out of place on AHL ice.

"He understands the game and he's a good team guy," Baby Pens coach John Hynes said.

Thiessen's star turn

The biggest reason the Baby Pens didn't unravel as their roster was being depleted last week was the play of goalie Brad Thiessen. Playing five games in seven days, he went 4-1 with a 0.60 goals-against average, .971 save percentage and two shutouts, and he was named AHL player of the week.

"We've been playing pretty impressive defense," Thiessen said. "I'm the beneficiary of that right now."

Injury report

Defenseman Alex Grant, who broke his wrist in a boarding incident during a rookie tournament in Ontario last September, has been cleared for contact and was assigned to Wheeling last week to continue his comeback.

A fourth-round pick in the 2007 draft, Grant has offensive talent and grit, but his game still needs to be refined in the defensive zone.

Heating up

Winger Tom Kuhnhackl, a fourth-round pick in the 2010 draft, is on a tear for Windsor of the Ontario Hockey League, posting 11 goals and 18 points in his plast 10 games. Kuhnhacki's 31 goals in 51 games coming into this weekend, have him near the top 10 in the league in goals.

ONE TO WATCH

Keven Veilleux

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL) — Right wing

6-foot-5, 219 pounds

Ready or not, if the Penguins had one more injury or suspension, Veilleux probably would have made his NHL debut last week. A second-round pick in the 2007 draft, Veilleux is an intriguing prospect because there is nothing subtle about his game. It's filled with big pluses and big minuses. On the plus side, he has amazing hands for a man his size and he's not afraid to mix it up, fighting eight times this season. On the minus side, he's injury prone, struggles to play within a team concept and doesn't have NHL-caliber lower-body strength.

---

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)

---