Tanner Howe is in a unique situation next season, where the Penguins have the option to send him back to junior or put him in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
The NHL-CHL transfer agreement keeps prospects ineligible for the AHL until their 20-year-old season or they have four seasons of junior experience, which for most players comes at the same time. But Howe, 19, went to junior hockey a year earlier than many other players of his draft class, giving him four full seasons.
Howe is recovering from surgery to repair his ACL, and he’s projected to be sidelined until sometime in January. Given his circumstances, it’s fair to wonder if sending him back to junior would have made sense, in order to avoid burning a year of his entry-level contract on a season in which he’s recovering from significant injury, and to avoid throwing him into his first professional games midseason.
I asked Jason Spezza about the plan on Saturday, and he confirmed that Howe will be turning pro next season and will be in Wilkes-Barre.
“He’ll miss a good chunk of the season to start,” Spezza said. “We’ll take things slow with him, the injury that he had, it’s important that he’s 100% healthy. When he’ll be back is a little up in the air based on how he’s feeling, we won’t rush him either. A young kid, you want to make sure the rehab goes smooth and put it behind him.”