Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins

Former AHL coach Clark Donatelli has been indicted on four counts of sexual assault for allegedly touching the breast and vagina of Erin Skalde, the wife of Donatelli's former assistant coach Jarrod Skalde, in 2018, per Katie Strang of The Athletic.

At the time, Donatelli was head coach of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, an AHL affiliate for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The indictment was issued by a Rhode Island grand jury in July, but he wasn't arraigned until Nov. 10 after he returned to the United States from Germany, where he had been coaching.

The report was filed by Erin Skalde, who has consented to be identified.

Skalde reportedly told the police that "Donatelli grabbed her breast and shoved his hand down her pants while Skalde, her husband and Donatelli went out together following a road game against the Providence Bruins," per Strang.

Skalde had also told Penguins officials of the alleged assault in June 2019, leading to Donatelli's departure from the organization. A lawsuit against the team also alleged the coach was a "serial harasser" who assaulted "numerous women."

The Penguins reached an undisclosed settlement with Erin and Jarrod Skalde last week.

"We are pleased to announce the resolution of the matter involving Erin Skalde and the Pittsburgh Penguins organization, which has come to a satisfactory conclusion for all parties involved," Erin Skalde’s attorneys, Gina A. DeBoni and Jason J. Friedl, said in a statement Tuesday. "We appreciate the collaboration the team has shown in acknowledging the concerns of our client."

Donatelli was released on a $10,000 bond and is scheduled for a pre-trial hearing in December.     

While last week was a little quieter for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, there was still some player movement to report and a few games to be played.

In this edition, find out about the Penguins’ two newest signings and how they are faring in the East Division race.

Get caught up on all the latest AHL Penguins news on this rare Friday night off for the team.

Penguins Defeat Portland at Home, Binghamton on the Road

Last Friday night, the Penguins defeated the visiting Portland Pirates by a score of 4-1.

Portland took a 1-0 lead in the first period thanks to Brett MacLean, but just under eight minutes later, Ben Street evened the score.  Joey Mormina gave the Penguins a 2-1 lead at 16:03 of the first with a power-play goal.

Eric Tangradi increased the Penguins' lead to 3-1 at 16:38 of the second, and defenseman Alex Grant picked up his second assist of the night. 

Geoff Walker finished things off with an empty-net goal with 22 seconds left in the game, and  Alexandre Picard tallied a second helper.

Goalie Brad Thiessen took the win with 19 saves on 20 shots.

On Wednesday, the Penguins traveled up Interstate 81 to take on the Binghamton Senators, where they won by a score of 1-0. 

Matt Rust scored his first professional goal; Scott Munroe picked up his second shutout of the season with 25 saves.

Penguins Stumble Against Syracuse

In between games with Portland and Binghamton, the Penguins headed to New York to take on the Syracuse Crunch, losing 5-2.

Syracuse took a 2-0 lead with goals from Brandon McMillan and Patrick Maroon. 

Walker scored at 12:18 of the second to cut the lead in half, but Kyle Palmieri scored with 21 seconds left in the middle frame to put the Crunch up 3-1. 

Troy Bodie added a goal at 2:54 of the third, making it 4-1.

Brian Gibbons scored at the 13-minute mark of the third to pull the Penguins within two, but Syracuse's Peter Holland put up a goal 1:35 later, making the final score 5-2.

Thiessen was the losing goalie with 24 saves on 29 shots.

Alexandre Picard Called Up…Again

Defenseman Alexandre Picard was once again recalled by the Pittsburgh Penguins earlier in the week after Deryk Engelland sustained a lower-body injury.

Picard has a plus-five rating in nine NHL games this year and is averaging 12:57 of ice time.  He has seven points and is plus-eight in 14 games for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

WBS Penguins Sign Dan Henningson and Chris Barton

The Baby Penguins attempted to make up for their defensive corps being deleted by signing Dan Henningson out of the ECHL's Chicago Express.

Henningson spent last season with the Wheeling Nailers, the Penguins’ ECHL affiliate, where he earned 18 points and a plus-19 in 68 games.  In 18 games with the Express this year, he has three points and a plus-four in 18 games.

Barton, a first-year forward out of Merrimack College, is leading ECHL rookies with 24 points through 18 games.  He also has a plus-10.

Current Record and Upcoming Schedule

The Penguins are currently in first place in the AHL’s East Division with a record of 13-7-5 for 31 points.  They are in third place in the Eastern Conference.

Their next five games are as follows:

Saturday, Dec. 10: vs. Hershey Bears, 7 p.m.

Tuesday, Dec. 13: vs. Binghamton Senators, 7:05 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 16: vs. Syracuse Crunch, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 17: vs. Norfolk Admirals, 7:05 p.m.

Monday, Dec. 19: vs. Albany Devils, 7:05 p.m.

Watch and Listen

All WBS Penguins games can be heard on their flagship radio station, 102.3 the Mountain.  Tom Grace will call the action with Mike O’Brien as color commentator.

The games can also be viewed on AHL Live for $6 per game.  A variety of season packages are also available.  

Tonight, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins kick off a four-game road trip, their first extended journey of the season. They will start off in Springfield for a rematch of last Friday’s game with the Falcons, then travel to Hershey and play the Bears on Saturday night.

Want to know what’s going on with the AHL affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins? Look no further than this week’s edition of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins News and Notes.

Home (Not So) Sweet Home

The Penguins are still looking for their first win at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza.

After losing to the Bears and Connecticut Whale on opening weekend, the Penguins were blown out by a 7-4 score last Friday against the Falcons. Scott Munroe allowed five goals on 21 shots before being replaced by Brad Thiessen in the third period. Thiessen failed to do better, making three saves on five shots and allowing two goals on four shots.

The Pens were able to play close with the Falcons, tying the game at 2-2 and 3-3 before Springfield got two power-play goals 1:01 apart late in the second period. Bryan Lerg had two goals and Brian Strait had two assists.

Last Saturday night, the Penguins matched up with defending Calder Cup champions Binghamton Senators. Four different players (Lerg, Geoff Walker, Brandon DeFazio and Eric Tangradi) scored for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, while Thiessen had 19 saves on 24 shots.

However, at 3:29 of overtime, Mark Parrish scored his second goal of the game to give the Senators their first win of the season.

The Penguins are not home again until Nov. 4, when Hershey returns to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Jason Williams to Make Penguins Debut

After missing the Penguins’ first five games of the season with a groin injury, veteran forward Jason Williams will make his Wilkes-Barre/Scranton debut in tonight’s game.

Williams has played over 400 NHL games with the Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Blackhawks, Atlanta Thrashers, Columbus Blue Jackets and Dallas Stars. Last season, he played in the AHL with the Whale and posted nine points. He also has AHL stints with the Grand Rapids Griffins and the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks.

Petersen Takes His Lumps

Last Saturday night, forward Nick Petersen made his season debut after missing the team's first three games with a concussion.

In the first period of the game with the Senators, a deflected puck hit Petersen in the face while he was sitting on the bench. He went down on impact, but returned later in the game despite swelling in his cheek and a black eye.

WBS Penguins Injury Update

Like their parent club, the AHL Penguins are seeing their fair share of injured players. Here are the latest updates from Jonathan Bombulie of The Citizens Voice:

Team captain Ryan Craig underwent arthroscopic knee surgery and will miss two to two and a half weeks of play.

Defenseman Robert Bortuzzo has been working out in practice with contact after sustaining a knee injury in September’s rookie tournament. He could return to the lineup next weekend.

Forward Ben Street, who has been on the shelf with a lower body injury, has been practicing with contact as well. He could be ready for this weekend, although Bombulie was not 100 percent certain.

Defenseman Brian Strait, who was called up to Pittsburgh to replace a suspended Kris Letang, was injured in Tuesday’s game with the Minnesota Wild. It is believed that he has a hyper-extended elbow, but it is too early to tell if he will need surgery or how long he’ll be out (Note: Strait injury update is from the Pittsburgh Penguins website). 

Keven Veilleux is out for six months after injuring his knee in a preseason game and needing surgery.

Newcomer Matt Rust broke his hand last weekend and is expected to miss three weeks.

Brian Day had groin surgery and is expected to miss about a month of action.

Penguins Fans Raise Money for Prostate Cancer Awareness

At last weekend’s home games, the Penguins had containers out for fans to donate money to the American Cancer Society for prostate cancer education and research. Each container was labeled with the name of a Penguins player who was willing to grow a mustache for “Mo’vember,” a prostate cancer awareness initiative. The players involved were Craig, Strait Tangradi, Colin McDonald and Zach Sill.  

After the money was counted, Sill had the most money in his jar and will grow a mustache with Penguins defenseman Joey Mormina next month. Mormina is participating in Mo’vember because his father-in-law is battling the disease.

The Penguins will continue to accept donations during November home games. For the month of October, fans contributed nearly $426.00 to the American Cancer Society.

Current Record and Upcoming Schedule

WBS currently has a record of 1-2-1-1 for four points and fifth place in the AHL's East Division.

The Penguins’ next five games are as follows:

Oct. 21, Friday: at Springfield (7 p.m.)

Oct. 22, Saturday: at Hershey (7 p.m.)

Oct. 28, Friday: at Syracuse Crunch (7:30 p.m.)

Oct. 29, Saturday: at Manchester Monarchs (7 p.m.)

Nov. 4, Friday: Hershey (7:05 p.m.)

The games can be heard on 102 the Mountain, the Penguins’ flagship radio station. Play-by-play announcer Tom Grace and color commentator Mike O’Brien will call the action and break down every play.

There is also an option to watch on AHL Live, and the cost is $6 per game. A variety of season packages are available.

This article can also be found on Bottom Line Hockey.