The Pittsburgh Penguins acquired forward Spencer Machacek from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for Paul Thompson.
Machacek, 25, has played in 34 games this season with the Springfield Falcons of the AHL, collecting nine goals and 19 points. His nine goals placed third on the team.
A 6-foot-1, 195-pound forward, Machacek has skated in 25 NHL games with the Winnipeg Jets and Atlanta Thrashers, collecting nine points (two goals, seven assists). Machacek most recently skated in 13 games with the Jets in 2011-12, when he collected all nine of his NHL points.
The Lethbridge, Alta., native was originally drafted by the Thrashers in the third round (67th overall) of the 2007 NHL Draft. Machacek has played six AHL seasons with the Chicago Wolves, St. John’s IceCaps and Springfield, tallying 107 goals and 151 assists for 258 points in 393 regular-season contests and seven goals and 12 assists for 19 points in 30 playoff games.
Machacek was an AHL All-Star in 2010-11 when he established AHL career highs in goals (21), assists (32) and points (53) in 67 games with Chicago.
Thompson, 25, spent parts of four seasons with the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, posting 35 goals and 29 assists for 64 points in 170 games.
In 39 games this season, the Derry, N.H., native has amassed seven points (four goals, three assists), 50 penalty minutes and a minus-8 rating.
