Wilkes-Barre/Scranton shuffles goaltenders, adds Quinn Beauchesne on amateur tryout

Sergei Murashov’s return to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton told the real story: this was not a routine paper move, it was the Penguins tightening the screws on their playoff depth chart. Pittsburgh reassigned the 21-year-old goaltender back to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on April 9, and that brought one of the organization’s most watched young netminders back to the AHL club just as the regular season turned into roster-management time.

Murashov had already made the argument for why he matters now. He had played 35 AHL games for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and gone 23-8-3 with a 2.13 goals-against average, a .922 save percentage and three shutouts. He also had five NHL appearances for Pittsburgh in 2025-26, which is the kind of paper trail that tells you the organization sees him as more than a one-week placeholder. When a goalie with that line and that NHL exposure gets pushed back into the AHL mix, it usually says the Penguins want the best available starter aligned with the club that is actually headed to the Calder Cup playoffs.

That same shuffle sent Maxim Pavlenko back toward work in Wheeling. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton recalled the 2025-26 AHL contract signing from its ECHL affiliate on April 9, then moved him back to the Wheeling Nailers the same day. That is the cleanest sign of the pecking order in the system: Murashov sits at the top of the AHL ladder, and Pavlenko stays active where he can keep playing instead of sitting behind a crowded crease. It also fit the broader spring pattern already running through Pittsburgh, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Wheeling, with Taylor Gauthier moving through the same pipeline earlier in the month.

The other notable move was on the blue line. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton signed Quinn Beauchesne to an amateur tryout agreement on April 8, giving the 18-year-old defenseman a live look at pro hockey after his OHL season with the Guelph Storm ended. Born March 1, 2007, in Ottawa, Ontario, Beauchesne was selected 148th overall by Pittsburgh in the 2025 NHL Draft, and the ATO lets the Penguins evaluate him immediately rather than waiting until summer.

The timing matters because Wilkes-Barre/Scranton had already clinched a berth in the 2026 Calder Cup Playoffs on March 20, its 21st trip to the postseason in 25 seasons since joining the AHL in 1999. With the bracket secured, every move from here is about sharpening the playoff roster, keeping the goalie hierarchy clear and making sure the organization’s next layer is ready when the pressure rises.