SUNRISE, FL-In. the latest attempt to get a spark in their lower lines, the Pittsburgh Penguins have called up three players from their American Hockey League affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

Forwards Marc Johnstone, Valterri Puustinen, and Jonathan Gruden have been promoted to the NHL roster.

In corresponding moves, the team re-assigned forwards Alex Nylander and Joona Koppanen to the AHL, and placed forward Noel Acciari on Injured Reserve.

The Penguins have struggled mightily to get things going on offense (it must be a Pittsburgh thing), and are in desperate need of someone to help spark the bottom six.

The team has cycled through call ups as they try and figure things out with their forward group. The latest call ups, Nylander and Koppanen, had failed to make much change in the lineup, and thus, the organization turns to new guys again.

Nylander had 0 points in 5 games in the NHL this year. The 25 year old may have missed out on his last opportunity to make it in Pittsburgh. Koppanen, also 25, brought some size to the lineup in his call up, but also failed to make an offensive impact in 3 games.

Jonathan Gruden was previously called up this season, but spent mere hours with the team before being sent back to the AHL. With the WBS Pens this season, he currently has 10 points (5 goals, 5 assists) in 21 games.

Part of the return in the Matt Murray trade, Gruden has 3 NHL games under his belt, coming last season for the Penguins.

Marc Johnstone, should he play at any point during his call up, will be making his NHL debut. The journeyman forward came over from the Toronto Maple Leafs organization last season, as new Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas did.

Johnstone had 22 points in 69 games for the AHL’s Toronto Marlies last season, and this season has 5 points in 21 games for the WBS Penguins.

Valterri Puustinen was a hopeful to make the roster out of training camp this season. The former seventh round pick by Pittsburgh in 2019 had some impressive moments in training camp, but ultimately lost out.

He has 10 points (5 goals, 5 assists) in 18 games for the WBS Penguins this season, and last year put together an impressive 59 points in 72 AHL games.

At 24, Puustinen has a single NHL game in his career. That game in a game during the 2021-22 season. In that game, he tallied an assist on a Jeff Carter goal.

The Penguins face off in Florida against the Panthers tonight at 7pm.

(Featured photo of Marc Johnstone from the WBS Penguins)