Penguins A to Z: Raivis Ansons needs to find a way to stay in the lineup
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With the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 2022-23 season coming to an end without any postseason action, the Tribune-Review will offer Penguins A to Z, a player-by-player look at all 49 individuals signed to an NHL contract – including those whose deals do not begin until next season — with the organization, from mid-level prospect Corey Andonovski to top-six winger Jason Zucker.
This series will publish every weekday leading into the NHL Draft on June 28-29.
(Note: All contract information courtesy of Cap Friendly.)
Raivis Ansons
Position: Left winger
Shoots: Left
Age: 21
Height: 6-foot-1
Weight: 186 pounds
2022-23 AHL statistics: 44 games, six points (two goals, four assists)
Contract: In the first year of a three-year entry-level contract with a salary cap hit of $844,167. Pending restricted free agent in the 2025 offseason. Ansons is exempt from waivers for any transactions between the NHL and AHL rosters.
Acquired: Fifth-round draft pick (No. 149 overall), Oct. 7, 2020
Last season: After helping the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League’s Saint John Sea Dogs claim the Memorial Cup in 2022, Raivis Ansons (pronounced RAY-vihs AN-suhnz) got his first taste of professional hockey in 2022-23.
The results left something to be desired as Ansons only appeared in 44 of a possible 72 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
His infrequent presence in the lineup was almost immediate. After playing in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s first two games of the season as a fourth-liner, Ansons was scratched for the next seven.
With that pattern continuing through to the new year, Ansons did not score his first AHL goal until Jan. 11 when he tallied a short-handed score in a 4-3 overtime road win against the rival Hershey Bears.
A defensive forward by trade, Ansons appeared to gain some traction in late February when he appeared in eight consecutive and produced three points, including another short-handed goal in a 3-2 overtime road loss to the Cleveland Monsters outside at FirstEnergy Stadium in Northeast Ohio.
But any momentum Ansons gained with that modest stretch came to a halt as he suffered an undisclosed injury on March 17 and missed the final 13 games of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s season.
The future: Things can seemingly only improve for Ansons after a challenging first AHL campaign, even if just from the standpoint of finding a way to stay in the lineup.
Ansons is highly regarded by Penguins management, particularly director of player development Tom Kostopoulos who labeled Ansons as “special” last offseason.
“He does things on the ice that don’t always get noticed but are essential to winning,” Kostopoulos said. “He makes little plays with the puck. He makes wall plays. He’s defensive. You don’t see many kids at his age block pucks the way that he does. He just does all these little things well. He kills penalties. He plays on the power play. I’m really excited about Raivis.”
The base elements to be a shutdown defensive forward are there. At the junior level, Ansons was routinely placed on the ice late in games to protect leads. And given that both of his goals last season came in short-handed situations, he has clearly carved out a role on the penalty kill with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
The Latvian-born Ansons, who just turned 21 on Jan. 29, endured some growing pains in his first AHL season and needs to take a significant step forward in 2022-23. Just staying in the lineup would help him get there.