Brickey Brings Size, Offensive Instincts To AHL Penguins Blueline

Following a standout season at the Ohio State University, which saw him tally 13 goals as a fifth year senior (2nd most in the NCAA last year), defenseman Scooter Brickey joined the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins to get a jumpstart on his transition to the pro game.

While his offensive numbers at Ohio State were gaudy, Brickey entered the lineup and was that of a stabilizing defensive force on the Penguins' blue line.

"I think he's done a really nice job," now former Penguins head coach JD Forrest said of Brickey's arrival and first few games as a pro. "He's been really reliable playing kind of a straightforward game for us, and being hard to play against. So he's stepped in and played well for us."

In fact, the rangy, right-handed shooting defender seemed to fit right in at the AHL level last spring - using his frame to clear out the net-front and win puck battles behind his own net.

"Obviously I'm a defenseman, so [defense] first then I can join [the rush] when I can," Brickey explained. "But the coaching staff and teammates have been helping out so much with that transition, and, you know, kind of when to pass off guys and when not to so, you know, just trying to get better every game."

With just one assist in eight regular season games, the offensive prowess from his final NCAA season wasn't on display but according to Brickey adapting his game to the pro level in his own zone was his primary focus in his mini-stint to end the 2023-24 season.

"Yeah, definitely getting more comfortable," Brickey told InsideAHLHockey.com last spring. "It was a weird transition, just systems-wise. [The] speed, I was pretty familiar with it playing in the Big Ten. But, you know, overall, it's just kind of a weird transition with the systems. I'm starting to get acclimated with it, getting seven, eight games in and feeling really comfortable."

That comfort level was starting to show in his on-ice decision making as the games wore on, including a beautiful stretch pass Brickey made in an April 13 game that led directly to the opening goal of that game in the first period to give the Penguins an early lead.

Typically, end of season arrivals on amateur tryout contracts in the AHL don't see action in the postseason but that wasn't the case for Brickey - who appeared in the Penguins' final playoff game of their shortened Calder Cup Playoffs run, perhaps a sign of things to come for Brickey as he will be on an AHL contract with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this fall and looking to start his rookie season by making the team out of training camp.