The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have signed forwards Luke Stevens and Felix Robert to one-year American Hockey League (AHL) contracts for the 2020-21 season.
Stevens is the son of Kevin Stevens, a former All-Star forward for the NHL Penguins who now serves as a scout for the organization.
Selected in the fifth round (No. 126 overall) of the 2015 draft by the Carolina Hurricanes, Luke Stevens, 23, became an unrestricted free agent Saturday when the Hurricanes opted to let his signing rights expire. A native of Duxbury, Mass., Stevens (6-foot-4, 215 pounds) spent four seasons at Yale. In 101 career NCAA games, Stevens had 35 points (19 goals, 16 assists).
Stevens posted a photo of his signing on Wednesday evening via Instagram:
Robert, 21, spent the past four seasons with the Sherbrooke Phoenix of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). Undrafted, Robert centered the Phoenix’s top line during the 2019-20 campaign while playing with Sam Poulin, the Penguins’ first-round pick in 2019. Appearing in 46 games, his 92 points (36 goals, 56 assists) set a franchise record as he finished second in the QMJHL’s scoring race.
A native of Lac-Megantic, Quebec, Robert (5-foot-8, 174 pounds), is the Phoenix’s second career-leading scorer with 216 points (81 goals, 136 assists) in 219 games.
The AHL has targeted Dec. 4 to open the 2020-21 season.
The league halted the 2019-20 season on March 11 and officially canceled it two months later because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins finished with a 29-26-3-5 record, good enough for sixth place in the North Division.
