The Toronto Maple Leafs announced Tuesday evening that the team has completed a three-player trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins, acquiring forward Luca Caputi and defenseman Martin Skoula from the Penguins in exchange for forward Alexei Ponikarovsky.
Caputi, 21, was a fourth-round draft choice, 111th overall, in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. The Toronto native has played in four games this season with the Penguins and has one goal and one assist. Overall, he has appeared in nine career NHL games with Pittsburgh and has three points (2g, 1a).
In the AHL this season, the 6-foot-3, 200-pound left wing leads Wilkes-Barre/Scranton with 23 goals and ranks second on the team with 47 points in 54 games. As a rookie in 2008-09, Caputi recorded 18-27-45 in 66 games while adding 3-5-8 in 12 playoff matches.
He made his pro debut with Wilkes-Barre during the 2008 postseason, tallying four goals and four assists in 19 games as the Penguins reached the Calder Cup Finals.
Caputi was an Ontario Hockey League Second Team All-Star in 2008 when he collected 111 points (51g, 60a) for the Niagara IceDogs.
Skoula was a first-round draft choice by Colorado in 1998. Since making his pro debut with Hershey during the 1999 Calder Cup Playoffs, Skoula has played 757 NHL games with Pittsburgh, Minnesota, Dallas, Anaheim and Colorado, winning a Stanley Cup with the Avalanche in 2001.
Ponikarovsky played three seasons in the AHL with the St. John’s Maple Leafs (2000-03) after being drafted by Toronto in 1998. He has played 477 NHL games with the Leafs, totaling 114 goals and 143 assists.
