The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have added three more pieces for the 2026-27 season, signing forwards Rafaël Harvey-Pinard and Hugh McGing along with defenseman Ryan Mast to American Hockey League contracts.
Harvey-Pinard is heading back to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton after a strong 2025-26 season in the Black and Gold. He appeared in 66 regular-season games, finished third on the team with 21 goals, and matched his AHL career high in the process. He also tied for third on the Penguins with 39 points and got into one game with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The 27-year-old from Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean, Québec, added another four points in the postseason, scoring two goals and setting up two more in 10 games during the Penguins’ run in the 2026 Calder Cup Playoffs. Across his AHL career with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and the Laval Rocket, Harvey-Pinard has totaled 165 points on 72 goals and 93 assists in 251 games. He also has 85 NHL games between Pittsburgh and the Montréal Canadiens.
McGing arrives after spending the first six seasons of his pro career in the St. Louis Blues organization.
The 27-year-old was a fifth-round pick by St. Louis in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, going 138th overall, and built a major résumé with Springfield.
He is the Thunderbirds’ all-time leader in games played with 323, while ranking second in franchise history in assists with 112 and points with 177.
Last season, the Chicago native put up 12 goals and 19 assists for 31 points in 66 games, then added six more points in the playoffs with two goals and four assists over 11 Calder Cup Playoff games. He has also played nine NHL games for St. Louis and scored his first NHL goal last season.
Mast, 23, gives Wilkes-Barre/Scranton a right-shot defenseman with 90 games of AHL experience already on his résumé. He has skated for Providence and Rockford, and last season with the IceHogs he recorded 14 assists in 46 games.
A sixth-round pick by Boston in 2021, Mast was selected 181st overall. In the AHL, all 19 of his points have come as assists. He has also produced 16 points, including five goals and 11 assists, in 47 ECHL games with the Maine Mariners.
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Why Penguins Fans Should Be Excited About Hendrix Lapierre
Hendrix Lapierre arrives in Pittsburgh as one of those low-risk moves that can pay off if the fit is right. The Penguins added the 23-year-old forward from Washington and quickly gave him a two-year contract, signaling that they see more than a depth piece here. After a modest season with the Capitals, Lapierre still brings the kind of offensive pedigree that made him an intriguing young player in the first place, and the Penguins are banking on a change of scenery helping unlock more of it.
For a team looking to keep adding speed and skill without overcommitting, Lapierre is a worthwhile bet because he is expected to compete for a regular role right away. His earlier production showed he can contribute when given the chance, and Pittsburghs forward mix offers him a path to carve out meaningful minutes. If he settles in quickly, he could end up being more than just a reclamation project, which is exactly why his arrival is worth watching. [Read more 🡒]