Pittsburgh Penguins made sure they locked up undrafted free agent left wing Conor Sheary(43) for at least a couple seasons signing through 2017 on an entry level deal.
Already under the watchful eye, he has put up impressive numbers ever since he landed on an ato for the 2014 Calder Cup Playoffs with farm team, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
He would end that short first run with 6 goals and 5 assists in 15 AHL games with a +4 rating through 3 postseason rounds.
For 2014/2015 he would return with a minor league contract in hand and a dream to be had.
In 58 games his 20 goals and 25 assists for 45 points were good enough to lead the Baby Pens in scoring as a first year guy.
Once again playing the extended part of the regular season, he lead the team with 5 goals and 7 assists but they were eliminated in the second round.
A late cut from the parent club’s 2015 training camp, he reported and started to rock and roll right away getting 6 goals, a league 2nd best 19 assists with a +8.
The second year pro gets his first recall a couple of months into 2015/2016 and makes his debut.
In his 2nd appearance he nets his first NHL goal to start the game and adds an assist in what turned out to be a 6-2 drubbing at the hands of Boston Bruins.
He’s gone on to skate roughly 16 minutes with lots of power play time in 4 games but is a suspicious -4 rating.
It will be interesting to see if the 23-year old sticks. Regardless, good story right here.
Conor Sheary(43) WBS Penguins
Undrafted left wing Conor Sheary(43) signed an ato with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins after finishing up his fourth-year at UMass-Amherst.
He put up some decent numbers at college but wasn’t really on anyone’s radar at the next level.
The small 5’8″ forward put on some significant weight bumping him up to 175 lbs. as he joined the AHL for the remainder of the regular season but didn’t connect.
Inserted into the lineup for the third game of the Calder Cup Playoffs first round, he notched an overtime game-winning assist to help solidify his spot in the lineup and tallied his first marker in game 2 of the semi-finals and then started dotting the score sheet to the tune of 6 goals and 4 assists in 13 postseason contests.
His consistent contributions have caught the attention of the parent club, Pittsburgh Penguins, who are now likely to sign him to an entry level contract.
The soon-to-be 22-year old had an agreement for a one-year deal to join WBS Pens for his rookie season as outlined in Elite Prospects and may start here but a player that has always stepped up his compete level may get his shot at the ultimate hockey prize, the NHL.