WILKES-BARRE TWP. - It's not altogether uncommon, in this economy, for a worker to show up at the office one day and discover his job is gone because the company went bust.

It is unusual, however, for it to happen in professional hockey.

Yet that's exactly what Joey Mormina has been going through the last few weeks.

Mormina, a rangy, 6-foot-6 defenseman, was a key performer for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins two years ago, finishing second in the league with a plus-37 rating. Only his defense partner, Ben Lovejoy, was ahead of him at plus-42.

After a fairly successful season with the Adirondack Phantoms in the AHL last year, the 28-year-old Mormina decided to play in Europe and signed with the Kassel Huskies.

He went to Germany, went through all the regular preseason activities, and then, on Aug. 27, the team went bankrupt and Mormina was out of a job.

"It's tough," Mormina said. "I've got a wife and kid right now. I've got a house back in Montreal. It's not how I envisioned my first experience in Europe going. If I was a single guy, it wouldn't be all that bad, but the fact that I'm married with a kid, it makes it tough. You really have to look at yourself in the mirror and figure out the best way to provide for your family."

Mormina decided to return to the AHL, and with the Penguins looking for left-handed depth on the blue line, he found a pretty decent fit.

"His track record in the American League is very good," coach John Hynes said. "Last year, he played very well against us. He's a good player. We're trying to get the right mix of guys and make sure we have depth on defense and guys that can play in case of injuries or call-ups."

For now, Mormina has turned his German lemons into lemonade.

"I definitely had some success here before," he said. "Good organization. Great place to live. Great place to play. Could be a lot worse."

There are no guarantees, however.

Mormina is signed to a 25-game professional tryout contract, and with veterans Andrew Hutchinson, Corey Potter and Steve Wagner and youngsters Brian Strait, Robert Bortuzzo and Carl Sneep already slotted into the depth chart, playing time won't necessarily be easy to come by.

"I'm here on a tryout, just like the guys in this room," Mormina said, sitting in the auxiliary locker room at the Mohegan Sun Arena after practice Monday. "I have to earn my spot. They have guys who have been here all training camp and have already played in games and played well. I have to bide my time, work hard, practice hard, be a good team guy, all the things I've done in the past, and hope I can stick around for a little bit. If I do get into a game, I have to play my game and prove myself all over again."