Where Does Tommy Nappier Fit Into The Penguins Goaltending Puzzle?

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. - After leading the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins down the stretch last season and winning an opening round best-of-three playoff series, Tommy Nappier showed he is capable of playing in high-pressure situations in the American Hockey League.

"I think [that] was really good for me, proving that I can play here," Nappier said of his performance stepping up in net late last season, after Saturday's opening camp practice.

Now, after a summer of training and several more goalies added into the Penguins organization's goalie pool, Nappier will have to once again prove himself just keep his place in the AHL with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in 2022-23.

"He did a great job for us stepping in and playing a large role," Penguins' head coach J.D. Forrest said of Nappier's end to the season. "And now, the competition is just a little bit tighter."

Dustin Tokarski was signed over the summer in free agency to be the organization's number three goaltender, effectively replacing Louis Domingue who moved on in free agency to the New York Rangers organization (AHL Hartford).

Incoming 21-year-old rookie Taylor Gauthier signed his entry-level contract in March as an undrafted free agent coming off a magnificent year last year, particularly his time with the WHL's Portland Winterhawks where he went 24-4-0 to finish out the regular season with a 2.16 goals-against average and a .931 save percentage to go along with four shutouts.

And let's not forget Filip Lindberg, who Pittsburgh assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Sunday before recalling him to back up Casey DeSmith Monday night in Detroit. Lindberg began his rookie season last year 4-0-0 with a 1.71 goals-against average and .942 save percentage on his way to being named the AHL's Goalie of the Month for October.

Unfortunately for Lindberg, an ankle injury ended his season in mid-November, which is the other half of what opened the door for Nappier to be the #1 goalie for the AHL Penguins down the stretch and into the 2022 Calder Cup Playoffs last spring.

But for Nappier, it's continuing to build off of last year and focusing on his own body of work that will give him the best chance to succeed.

"Just go out there every day and work as hard as you can, and just control what you can control," Nappier said, who added bluntly that his job is to stop the puck. "It's great to be back on the ice here and just looking forward to the season after a hard summer of training."