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Pens feel at home in ‘tight-knit hockey town’

By Tom Venesky tvenesky@timesleader.com
Sports Reporter

In his hometown of Toronto, Jon D’Aversa can walk the crowded city streets in anonymity.

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Penguins Connor James, left, and Mark Letestu.

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Penguins Connor James, left, and Mark Letestu.

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But in Wilkes-Barre, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins defenseman is a recognizable face in the smaller town, an aspect that D’Aversa still enjoys as he enters his second season with the team.

“People always stop you and want to talk hockey,” he said. “This is a really tight-knit hockey town.”

It’s a place where the Penguins feel at home off the ice and embrace the small town atmosphere that is sometimes lost with a hectic hockey schedule laden with bus trips to a variety of places.

“It’s quieter here,” said center Mark Letestu, who is sharing a place in Dallas with teammates Jonathan Filewich, Deryk Engelland and Dustin Jeffrey.

During the off-season, Letestu calls Edmonton, Alberta home. Considering Edmonton has a population of more than a million, Wilkes-Barre is small potatoes for Letestu.

But he likes it that way.

“The traffic isn’t bad and it’s easy to get around here,” he said. “It’s a nice-size area that fits my lifestyle better.”

On the opposite end of the spectrum is Filewich, who hails from a small town outside of Kelowna, British Columbia with a population of 1,200.

“Wilkes-Barre is bigger to me, but it’s also the perfect size,” he said. “I’m more familiar with the area now and people treat me great. That helps to make it a comfortable place to live.”

Last year Ben Lovejoy lived in a basement in Kingston. This season he is moving up to an apartment in Wilkes-Barre he is sharing with Connor James. The change means Lovejoy won’t have to listen to people walking above him at all hours of the night, and it also puts Lovejoy closer to the conveniences he enjoys.

Places like Wegmans and the office for Service Electric, the area’s cable television provider.

Why is being close to Service Electric important to Lovejoy?

“I watch a lot of television,” he said. “I just got hooked up a few days ago and I didn’t realize you needed a separate box for DVR and HD, and I had to deal with having basic cable for a bit. It didn’t take me long to go to Service Electric and get it upgraded.”

James added that it’s important for the players to live close to the rink, so staying in the Wyoming Valley makes sense. He has been with the team for three years, and in that time James has seen many changes in the area.

“It seems like there’s a lot of stuff coming in, like the casino and restaurants,” James said. “I played in Manchester (New Hampshire) before and this area reminds me a lot of it. A smaller town with lots to do. The guys enjoy it.”

Even those who are new to the area.

Danny Richmond came to Wilkes-Barre late last month. The Chicago native is used to the big city lifestyle, but he said the Wilkes-Barre area is starting to grow on him.

“I’ve been driving around and I really love the scenery up here, especially the wooded hills,” he said. “There’s not much traffic, which is nice compared to Chicago, but right now I’m like any normal 24-year-old trying to find a place to hang out.”

Although Richmond is new, he has been to Wilkes-Barre as a visiting player and said what he has heard about the area is one thing that he hopes to see firsthand.

“The reputation here is the town embraces the team, and I’m looking forward to that,” he said.

Tom Venesky, a Times Leader staff writer, can be contacted at 970-7230.