The Pittsburgh Penguins have assigned defenseman Alex Goligoski to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League (AHL), it was announced today by Executive Vice President and General Manager Ray Shero.
Goligoski, 23, began the season with Pittsburgh, registering 20 points (six goals, 14 assists) along with a plus-five rating in 44 games. He notched his first NHL goal Oct. 5 versus Ottawa. Goligoski leads all rookie defensemen with six goals, 14 assists and 20 points, while tying for fifth among all rookies with eight power-play points (four goals, four assists).
The 6-foot, 178-pound defenseman made his NHL debut scoring two points (two assists) in three games with Pittsburgh in the 2007-08 season. Goligoski has played 47 career games in the NHL registering 22 points (six goals, 16 assists) along with 18 penalty minutes.
He collected 38 points (10 goals, 28 assists) along with 53 penalty minutes in 70 games in the AHL with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins last season. He also contributed 28 points (four goals, 24 assists) in 23 postseason appearances through the Calder Cup Finals with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, setting an AHL record for points by a defenseman and tying the mark for points by a rookie in one playoff year.
The native of Grand Rapids, Minnesota played three seasons of NCAA hockey with the Minnesota Gophers appearing in 117 games and posting 98 points (25 goals, 73 assists) before joining the club in 2007. Goligoski was selected by Pittsburgh in the second round (61st overall) of the 2004 Entry Draft.
