The Pittsburgh Penguins have traded center Kris Beech to the Nashville Predators in exchange for a conditional draft choice.
Beech, 24, recorded 53 goals and 97 assists for 150 points in 171 AHL games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton over the last three seasons, and has appeared in 99 career NHL contests with Pittsburgh and Washington, recording 27 points (10g, 17a).
The 6-foot-3, 212-pound native of Salmon Arm, B.C., joined the Penguins organization on July 11, 2001, when he was acquired with Ross Lupaschuk, Michal Sivek and future considerations from Washington in exchange for Jaromir Jagr and Frantisek Kucera.
He appeared in 68 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in 2004-05, recording a team-best 48 assists and ranking second on the club with 62 points. Beech ranks among Wilkes-Barre’s franchise leaders with 150 points (T-4th), 97 assists (3rd), 53 goals (8th), eight game-winning goals (T-5th), 22 power-play goals (5th), two overtime goals (T-2nd) and 322 penalty minutes (11th).
Beech also had 14 goals and 13 assists in 38 postseason games with the Penguins, helping the team to an Eastern Conference championship in 2004. Wilkes-Barre lost the Calder Cup Final that year to Nashville’s AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals.
