The Pittsburgh Penguins, parent club of the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, signed four players to NHL-AHL two-way deals on Friday.
Forwards Bobby Farnham (one-year deal), Chris Conner (one-year deal), Nick Drazenovic (one-year deal) and Andrew Ebbett (two-year deal) were all inked to contracts.
Farnham, 24, split the 2012-13 season –- his first full season as a professional –- between Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and the Wheeling Nailers of the ECHL.
The 5-foot-10, 187-pound Farnham played a majority of the campaign with Wilkes-Barre, totaling three goals, eight assists, 11 points and 274 penalty minutes in 65 regular-season contests. His penalty-minute total ranked third in the AHL and first among rookies. Farnham also appeared in four postseason contests for WBS.
Before joining the Penguins full-time in November, Farnham appeared in nine games with Wheeling, tallying three goals, four points and 46 penalty minutes.
A native of North Andover, Mass., Farnham made his professional debut at the end of the 2011-12 campaign, suiting up for a total of six games with the Providence Bruins and Worcester Sharks of the AHL.
Conner, 29, re-joins the Pittsburgh organization, having first played with the team during the 2009-10 and 10-11 seasons. Conner played in 68 NHL games with the Penguins during his first stint, registering nine goals, 10 assists and 19 points. He also had one goal in eight postseason contests.
A native of Westland, Mich., Conner split the 2012-13 season between the Phoenix Coyotes and their top affiliate, the Portland Pirates. Conner tallied two points (1g, 1a) and a plus-3 rating in 12 regular-season games with Phoenix, and added 40 points (13g, 27a) in 60 regular-season games with Portland, plus one assist in one postseason game.
Conner has played 159 career NHL games with Dallas, Pittsburgh, Detroit and Phoenix, registering 18 goals, 27 assists and 45 points. Conner has one goal in nine career NHL playoff games. He has 267 career regular-season points (101g, 166a) in 335 AHL games, and 14 points (5g, 9a) in 24 postseason contests.
Drazenovic, 26, split the 2012-13 season between the Columbus Blue Jackets and their top affiliate, the Springfield Falcons. Drazenovic competed in eight NHL games with Columbus.
The 6-foot-1, 205-pound Drazenovic spent the majority of the 2012-13 season with Springfield, establishing career highs in assists (36) and points (53) in 62 regular-season games. His 53 points ranked second on the team and 17th in the AHL. He added four points (2g, 2a) in eight postseason games.
A native of Prince George, B.C., Drazenovic was originally drafted by St. Louis in 2005. Drazenovic has played a total of 11 career NHL regular-season games with St. Louis and Columbus, and has totaled 254 points (100g, 154a) in 381 career regular-season AHL games with Peoria and Springfield.
Ebbett, 30, played in 28 regular-season games with Vancouver during the 2012-13 campaign, notching six points (1g, 5a). Ebbett also appeared in two postseason games. The 5-foot-10, 172-pound Ebbett also played in 37 regular-season AHL games with the Chicago Wolves in ’12-13, totaling 11 goals, 21 assists and 32 points.
Ebbett, who hails from Vernon, B.C., has played parts of six NHL seasons with Anaheim, Chicago, Minnesota, Phoenix and Vancouver. Ebbett has played in 191 career NHL regular-season games, posting 25 goals, 39 assists and 64 points, and has added three points (1g, 2a) in 19 career playoff games.
Ebbett has spent time in the AHL with Binghamton, Portland, Iowa, San Antonio and Chicago, producing at nearly a point-per-game average at that level with 236 points (76g, 160a) in 247 career regular-season games. He has 17 points (6g, 11a) in 18 playoff games.
