When preseason camp begins for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins this fall, management will be keeping an eye on a bruising defenseman hoping to earn a role with the club.
Maleek McGowan, a 21-year-old undrafted blue-liner, signed an AHL deal with the Penguins in mid-April, turning professional following parts of four seasons with the Kingston Frontenacs of the Ontario Hockey League.
A 6-foot, left-handed shot, McGowan’s physicality caught the eye of Penguins assistant general manager/director of minor league operations Amanda Kessel.
“Maleek is somebody that we’ve kind of identified the last couple of years and that we’ve been keeping an eye on,” Kessel said.
“As far as the player, he’s somebody that has all the physical tools. He’s somebody that’s mean. He wants to hurt guys and we like that about him.”
McGowan initially arrived in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in mid-April on an amateur tryout agreement (ATO), allowing him to get a glimpse of the “grown-ups and men,” as Kessel put it, that’ll comprise his new competition pool.
When things get underway and he’s fighting for a roster spot, McGowan knows he’ll have to battle for every opportunity.
“No matter where you go, you’ve got to earn your stripes,” McGowan said. “That’s essentially what I’ve got to do here. I just want to go (and) prove myself.”
Statistically, McGowan enjoyed his finest OHL campaign in 2025-26.
Over 62 games with the Frontenacs, he doubled his goal scoring from the season prior, finishing with 14, while also logging a career-high 22 assists and 36 points.
“I’d say it was probably my best year in the OHL,” McGowan said of his most recent campaign. “Just gaining trust over the years in my coaches, my teammates, even the fans — the fans cheering us on, coaches having faith in me, everyone just believing in me, that’s what led me to become the player I am today.”
All told, in 208 career OHL games, McGowan registered 86 points (24 goals, 62 assists).
Unsurprisingly, having started in the OHL as a teenager before spending years in the league and departing as an adult, McGowan felt like he underwent significant changes while with the Frontenacs.
“I developed not only on the ice, but I feel like off the ice,” McGowan said. “I went from being 17 to 21 so not only did I improve on the ice and become a better player, but I felt I became a man in a way.”
McGowan had an interesting journey path to becoming a hockey player.
His parents, originally from Jamaica, immigrated to Canada, and after bonding with the son of one of his mother’s work friends in Toronto, McGowan first put on hockey pads.
Internationally, McGowan has honored his roots by playing for Team Jamaica at the Challenger Series, a tournament created in 2024 for nations “physically located in, or with a strong heritage population in, the Americas.
Along with Jamaica, Puerto Rico and Lebanon were the inaugural participants, which returned in 2025 with the expansion of a fourth men’s team, Greece.
Now, all his hockey experiences, including four-plus years in the OHL, have led him to his first professional opportunity.
“Just be my best, on and off the ice,” McGowan said. “Off the ice, I’ve got to be a pro, whether that’s how I eat, how I sleep, how I present myself, how I dress — everything like that. And then on the ice, just give my all.”