Houde Hoping to Continue Scoring Surge During Penguins Homestand

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. - Though he made the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins roster out of training camp, forward Sam Houde found himself as a healthy scratch to start the season.

It certainly wasn't a knock on the work he put in last season, his first full year in the Pens, as Houde displayed offensive potential and showed he has the ability to score at the American Hockey League (AHL) level in putting up 12 goals and adding eight assists in 65 appearances in 2022-23.

With the team's forward depth seemingly stockpiled - there's no AHL roster limits in terms of how many players a team can have on its roster - and the team carrying quite a few extra forwards on the roster, the depth became a numbers game that Houde found himself on the wrong side of to start the year.

"Yeah, I just, I kept working hard. I was just waiting for my turn," Houde said of sitting out the team's first three games.

An upper body injury to Colin White, coupled with the call up of forwards Vinnie Hinostroza and Radim Zohorna, opened the door for Houde to make his regular season debut in the Penguins' home opener on October 21 - a game in which Houde tallied two assists in the Pens' 3-1 win.

Last Wednesday against rival Hershey, Houde tallied a pair of goals - a second period deflection at the front of the net, and a third period power play rebound goal - in the team's 5-1 win over the Bears.

"I mean, he's, he's putting up some points. It's great to see," Penguins' head coach JD Forrest said of Houde's play since being put in the lineup. "I think there's still a lot more in his game that he can that that he can keep improving on, and I still don't think he's played his best hockey which is great for us because he's not playing his best but he's putting up points. We need that."

In fact, entering Wednesday's game against the Providence Bruins, Houde has tallied at least a point in all four games he's played in - registering two goals and four assists - which currently has him as the team's active scoring leader through seven games on the still-young 2023-24 season.

With the depth on the roster, Houde knows he'll need to continue his strong play in hopes of keeping his spot in the lineup.

"I think it's good for us. There's a lot of players that can play, there's a lot of depth and it makes everyone better," Houde said. "Like I said, we just have to keep working hard and it will be good for the team."

Up Next

The Penguins have another three-game homestand this week, beginning with tonight's matchup against the Providence Bruins.

Wednesday, November 1: Providence at W-B/Scranton, 7:05 p.m. ET Friday, November 3: Hershey at W-B/Scranton, 7:05 p.m. ET Saturday, November 4: Belleville at W-B/Scranton, 6:05 p.m. ET