Penguins recall once-promising forward

The Penguins recalled forward Colin White from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Saturday afternoon, per a team release.  To remain cap-compliant, the team sent defenseman Ryan Shea to WBS in a corresponding transaction.

White, 26, is in his first season with the organization after shouldering fourth-line duties for the Panthers in their run to last season’s Stanley Cup Final. Initially joining the team on a PTO during training camp, the 2015 first-round pick was one of the few tryout attendees this year to earn a permanent contract. The Penguins signed him to a one-year, two-way deal three days before the start of the season and promptly placed him on waivers.

After passing through unclaimed, White reported to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for his first full-time AHL assignment in six years. His stat line with the Baby Pens is underwhelming, to say the least. He’s posted five goals and five assists for 10 points in 21 games, although he’s heating up with eight points in his last 10 games after a horrid start to the year.

The former Ottawa Senator is now on his third team in as many years after his lone campaign in Florida in 2022-23. His production has continuously dwindled since his 14-goal, 41-point rookie season in 2018-19, which prompted former Senators GM Pierre Dorion to sign him to an ill-advised six-year, $28.5M deal that was bought out in the summer of 2022.

Injuries have played a major role in his lack of development. Most significantly, a dislocated shoulder cost him the first 50 games of the 2021-22 campaign.

Nevertheless, he gets what’s likely to be a brief shot back in the NHL ranks with Pittsburgh. With Reilly Smith sidelined with an upper-body injury, the Penguins are down to 12 healthy forwards on the active roster and only have cap room for two healthy skaters. For now, they evidently prefer to carry 13 forwards and six defenders rather than 12 and seven.

Shea, also in his first season in Pittsburgh, heads back to the AHL after a ten-day stint on the NHL roster. The 26-year-old’s only NHL experience has come in a Penguins jersey this season, posting a -2 rating and averaging 12:28 per game in 22 contests. The former Blackhawks and Stars prospect is still looking for his first NHL point.

He was one of the best shutdown blueliners in the minor leagues last season, posting 28 points and a +37 rating in 70 games with AHL Texas. That showing earned him a one-way deal from Pittsburgh and a spot on the team’s opening-night roster, and while he’s shown solid chance-prevention skills with the Penguins, his lack of any offensive production has bumped him down the depth chart over the past few months. He’s eligible for UFA status next summer.