The Pittsburgh Penguins have re-signed forward Corey Andonovski to a one-year, $775,000 contract. The 25-year-old undrafted prospect recorded 30 points in 63 games last season during his second full campaign in the AHL, where he led all Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) forwards with 23 assists in 62 games.
Andonovski is still awaiting his NHL debut. He was called up by the Penguins in October but did not play, serving as a healthy scratch in his only appearance on the NHL roster.
Early last season, Andonovski struggled to find his place, scoring just one empty-net goal in his first 29 games. However, he solidified his role later in the season as a bottom-six power forward and penalty killer. He finished the season with seven goals and a team-high 99 penalty minutes.
“When he plays to his strengths, he’s really aggressive,” WBS Penguins head coach JD Forrest said in March, according to Tony Androckitis of The Citizen’s Voice. “He’s been contributing a lot to our penalty kill, as well, just with his reads and winning some wall battles and loose puck battles… I think that’s given us a lot of faith in him to put him in tough situations when we know we need to make a harder play.”
Seth Rorabaugh of the Tribune Review described Andonovski as a favorite of the previous Hextall regime, who also impressed the current Dubas administration by becoming a WBS roster regular during the second half of the 2023-24 season. The one-year RFA extension seems to confirm his value to the organization.
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Andonovski appears to have secured a roster spot in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, though a true NHL call-up remains uncertain for the upcoming season. Fringe roster players like Sam Poulin seem closer to earning NHL spots. However, Andonovski’s physicality and developing penalty-killing skills could make him a potential call-up choice if injuries impact the Penguins’ roster this fall.
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