Vasily Ponomarev might not be the world’s most interesting man.
But he makes a pretty strong case for being Wilkes-Barre’s most interesting man.
The Pittsburgh Penguins forward prospect has plenty of varied interests — ranging from history to kart racing — that make him a fascinating fellow for reasons well beyond his vocation as a professional hockey player.
At the moment, the Russian is tackling a heavy read — 832 pages in hardcover form — with “Brat’ya Karamazovy” (“The Brothers Karamazov” in English). Written by legendary novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky in the late 1800s, the book deals with questions of God, free will and morality (per Wikipedia).
It is “one of the most Russian classics” according to Ponomarev, a native of Moscow.
“Trying to read 30 pages a day,” Ponomarev boasted. “Trying to be more disciplined with myself.”
The allegory of Ponomarev’s first calendar year with the Penguins is something of a page-turner. As part of the bundle of future assets the Penguins acquired in March of 2024 via the blockbuster trade that sent All-Star forward Jake Guentzel to the Carolina Hurricanes, Ponomarev has had plenty of tales to tell in his first full season with the organization.
A shoulder injury he suffered during a preseason contest with the NHL club kept him sidelined until early November with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. But by mid-November, he was summoned to the NHL roster for three games before returning to Northeast Pennsylvania.
And aside from a single NHL contest in early February, he has primarily spent the bulk of the season with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, emerging as one of that team’s steadiest performers in a two-way fashion.
The left-handed Ponomarev is Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s sixth-leading scorer with 39 points (14 goals, 25 assists) in 52 American Hockey League contests through Thursday.
Pono rips it from the circle!
Harrison Brunicke also registers his first pro point with the primary assist! pic.twitter.com/meDHp386w0
— x - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) March 29, 2025
He isn’t shy in pointing out that most of his success has come at the center position.
“I earned a spot in the middle (as center),” he said. “I started on the wing. It’s not my game, I think. I’m comfortable at center, no doubt. I can play on the wing, but I’m going to help more, the team, if I’m going to play center.”
Perhaps the biggest adjustment for Ponomarev has been the defensive style of play preferred by the Penguins. With the Hurricanes organization, all players are expected to play a full-press man-on-man style of defense that is almost exclusive to that franchise. The Penguins, like most hockey squads, operate more from a team-wide focus defensively.
“He’s grown a ton,” Wilkes-Barre/Scranton assistant general manager Amanda Kessel said. “At the beginning of the year, coming from a different organization — and playing lots of man-on-man — the (defensive) zone, at times, a bit challenging. But he’s responded super well and come up with huge goals for us.
“His two-way game is really developing. He’s somebody that gives everything that he has every single night.”
He’s also one of the only players on Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s roster who has won the AHL’s championship, the Calder Cup. Ponomarev was a member of the champion Chicago Wolves in 2022.
Having not reached even the second round of postseason play since 2016, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins are keen on making a legitimate run at the title, not just for the prestige of a championship but also for the benefits in developing prospects for the NHL club.
Viewed as a singificant part of the NHL club’s future, Ponomarev has a good read for what it takes to reach those heights.
“Right now, I’m personally focused on the playoffs in the AHL,” said Ponomarev, who turned 23 on March 13. “I’m not thinking about the NHL right now. It’s going to be more important to my career (development) to win a second Calder Cup (title). At 23, that’s going to be pretty good.”