LANNON RETURNS; BRENT, FILEWICH, MINARD RECALLED

WILKES-BARRE, PA – The Pittsburgh Penguins have returned defenseman Ryan Lannon to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, and have recalled forwards Tim Brent, Jonathan Filewich and Chris Minard from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, it was announced on Sunday.

Lannon, 25, was recalled by Pittsburgh on January 7, but did not see any game action.  He has appeared in 35 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this season, recording nine points (2+7) and 21 penalty minutes with a plus-6 rating.

Lannon was selected in the eighth round (239th overall) of the 2002 NHL Draft out of Harvard, and has recorded 38 points (4+34) in 177 games with the AHL Penguins in two-plus seasons.

Brent, 23, leads Wilkes-Barre/Scranton with 35 points and 28 assists in 39 games this season.  He split last season between the Portland Pirates (6+14=30 in 48 games) and the Anaheim Ducks (1+0=1 in 15 games).  The 6-0, 195 pound center was originally selected by the Ducks in the third round (75th overall) of the 2004 NHL Draft and was acquired by Pittsburgh from Anaheim for Stephen Dixon on June, 23, 2007.

Filewich, 23, has 17 points (7+10) in 37 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this season.  The third-year pro led the club with 30 goals last season, and has combined for 109 points (59+50) in 190 games with the AHL club.  He was selected by Pittsburgh in the third round (70th overall) of the 2003 NHL Draft.

Minard, 26, is tied for 12th in the AHL and leads the Penguins with 17 goals this season.  He has recorded 31 points (17+14) in 39 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this season, including a pair of hat tricks (October 3 vs. Hershey and January 2 vs. Syracuse).  He ranked 12th in the AHL with 32 goals last season while playing for the Lowell Devils.  Minard was signed as a free agent by Pittsburgh on July 12, 2007.
                                                                                                                        
The Penguins take to the road for three games this week, facing off with the Lowell Devils (Wednesday, January 23), the Portland Pirates (Friday, January 25) and the Manchester Monarchs (Saturday, January 26). All Penguins games can be seen live via the B2 networks, and can be heard on 92.1 QFM, and via the Penguins website at www.wbspenguins.com.

The team returns home on Friday, February 1 to face the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.  Individual tickets for all Penguins home games can be purchased online at www.ticketmaster.com, at all local TicketMaster locations, by phone at 570-693-4100 or at the Wachovia Arena Box Office