Lafferty debuts with his hometown team

When Mario Lemieux made the decision to come out of retirement almost two decades ago, there were myriad factors that went into it. But near the top of the list was Lemieux’s desire to give his son, Austin, the memory of his dad in a Penguins uniform.

But as the No. 66 banner was lowered from the rafters and Lemieux led the Penguins to the playoffs during that 2000-01 season, there was another kid watching.

Sam Lafferty grew up in Hollidaysburg, less than two hours from where PPG Paints Arena now sits.

During that special season that ended a few games short of the Stanley Cup, a fortunate confluence of events occurred. Lemieux came back. The Penguins made a run to the Eastern Conference final. And, in Hollidaysburg, they were building an ice rink called Galactic Ice.

Inspired, Lafferty gave the sport a shot.

“I went to a few public skates,” Lafferty said. “It just took off from there.”

On Tuesday night, a dream that began two decades ago became a reality.

Lafferty, 24, grew up a Penguins fan. He was drafted by the hometown team in the fourth round of the 2014 draft. So it’s only fitting that he’ll make his NHL debut with the Penguins.

“Really, it’s a dream come true,” Lafferty said.

After playing four years at Brown, Lafferty competed in his first training camp with the Penguins last season before he was sent to the team’s AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. He recorded 49 points (13 goals, 36 assists) in 70 games.

This year, Lafferty had another strong camp. By the end of it, the Penguins coaching staff and front office agreed that he was on the cusp of earning a shot in the NHL.

“He plays with tremendous speed. Has good skill level. Really competes. We like his overall game,” assistant GM Jason Karmanos said during training camp. “He’ll certainly be trying to earn a spot on the Penguins and we feel like he’s close. If he doesn’t make it, I’d be shocked if he isn’t among the first names for call-ups.”

Sure enough, just one game into the AHL season, he was.

The Penguins lost two centers Saturday when Evgeni Malkin and Nick Bjugstad both suffered lower body injuries.

Coach Mike Sullivan anticipates both will be “longer term” injuries. With Bryan Rust already on the long-term injured reserve, that left the Penguins without three of their better forwards, including at least two who regularly play in the top six.

On Monday afternoon, Lafferty had just finished practice when he got a call from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton coach Mike Vellucci. He had good news. The Penguins were calling Lafferty up.

His reaction?

“Just kind of like, ‘Wow,’ ” Lafferty said before the game. “I can’t believe it. But at the same time, just really excited to get in the game and play tonight.”

On Tuesday morning, Lafferty found his locker in the dressing room just one seat down from captain Sidney Crosby, who entered the league when Lafferty was still in elementary school and quickly became his favorite player.

Now, Lafferty is the new kid and Crosby is his teammate.

The special moment was not lost on Sullivan.

“For Sam to have the opportunity to not only play in the NHL but play for his hometown team is a thrill for him and his family,” Sullivan said. “I think it’s also a testament to the Penguins and the impact they’ve had in the community and in hockey in particular.

“A lot of these kids have grown up Mario Lemieux fans or Kevin Stevens fans or Jaromir Jagr fans. You can go down the list. I think the next generation is being impacted by the Crosbys and the Malkins and the Letangs.”

Or, who knows, maybe even the Laffertys.

Signing pays off

When the Penguins signed 28-year-old forward Anthony Agozzino, the thinking was simple.

“We felt like he’s the type of guy who could potentially challenge for a position in Pittsburgh,” Sullivan said. “And if he didn’t win the job out of training camp, he would be a real solid player for us in Wilkes-Barre and also provide the depth that we would need in the event of injuries.”

Just one game into his tenure with the Penguins, he’s become just that.

Agozzino, who signed a two-year contract with the Penguins as a free agent July 1, joined Lafferty as another call-up who will help plug holes while Malkin and Bjugstad are injured. He will have to wait at least a couple more days before making his NHL debut, though.

Agozzino was a healthy scratch Tuesday.

The 5-foot-10, 187-pound forward spent the previous two seasons with the Colorado Avalanche organization, primarily playing with their AHL affiliate. As an alternate captain in 2018-19 with the Colorado Eagles, the forward skated in 56 games and recorded team highs in goals (26), assists (34) and points (60).

In his one game with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Agozzino served as an alternate captain.

Marino debuts

Agozzino was not in the lineup because Sullivan decided to dress seven defensemen against the Jets. One was John Marino, who made his NHL debut, too.