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First Posted: 9/28/2014

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins head coach John Hynes described Barry Goers as the type of player that doesn’t expect anything to be handed to him.

But that doesn’t mean that Goers wasn’t thrilled when the Penguins handed him a contract offer this summer.

After a successful run with the Penguins that saw the 28-year-old defenseman play in 23 games plus 16 postseason contests, Goers not only established himself as an AHL blueliner but also convinced the Penguins he was someone that needed to be brought back.

“In the summer you feel that pressure and anxiety a little bit to know where you’re going. I was really happy with the contract because this is where I wanted to be and I was glad they wanted to have me back,” Goers said after Sunday’s practice.

Coming into a training camp with a contract is a big step for Goers considering it was only two years ago when his season was derailed by a concussion.

Despite the injury, Goers knew he could contribute at the AHL level if he was given the opportunity.

That’s exactly what he got from the Penguins last season.

“It was a big deal to me to come back and establish myself in the AHL, and I was happy the Penguins gave me the opportunity,” Goers said. “I want to build off that.”

Hynes pointed out that the opportunity was something Goers earned.

“He’s a real important player for us and a jack-of-all-trades for us. He can play the power play, penalty kill or a shutdown role,” Hynes said. “He’s a true professional and you want a player like that around your younger guys.”

Now entering his fifth pro season, Goers know he will be one of the veteran guys on the blueline and he looks forward to helping out his younger teammates.

“I’ve learned a lot and when you see younger guys coming in you want to use your experience to help them,” Goers said. “I feel that’s something I can offer to my teammates.”

NOTEBOOK

– The second day of training camp on Sunday featured another high-tempo, long practice. A lot of emphasis was placed on one-on-one battles and skating. Hynes was happy with the way his players held up after two days.

“They look good. We pushed them a little bit harder and they responded,” he said. “We went hard yesterday and came back hard today and it wasn’t a problem.”

– This year’s preseason consists of three exhibition games instead of the customary four. Hynes said that’s one reason why the training camp roster is a bit smaller this year. “You can go with a little bit less camp numbers-wise and with the shorter roaster everyone should get some game action,” he said. “Three is fine. Travel-wise it winds up better for us to with two games at home.”