Yesterday we took a look at the forward prospects of the Pittsburgh Penguins and how they're fairing in far flung placs and leagues from colleges to junior teams to lower level professional leagues.  Today it's time to turn our attention to the goalie and defensemen and how the early part of their season is going in their quest to make it to the NHL.

Goaltenders

John Curry [undrafted] - Curry is now in his third season with the Baby Pens and so far he's putting up personal highs in save percentage and goals against.  While it must have been disappointing to see Pittsburgh go out and sign a veteran in Brent Johnson, Curry's been nothing but solid and reliable whenever he's been called on.  Johnson only has a contract for this season, so perhaps this season will be Curry's last at the AHL level.

Patrick Killeen [6th round pick, 2008] - Killeen has been the workhorse for Brampton (playing in 15 of the 16 games so far).  The team is in last place in their division, but that's probably because they are last in the entire OHL in goals scored.  Killeen's not getting much support, but it seems he's doing a decent job keeping them in games.

The rest of the prospects after the jump..

Continue reading this post »

A couple weeks into the season, now's as good a time as any to check up on how the Penguins of tomorrow are doing.  This is a feature I like to do from time to time, so let's see how the young bucks are doing.  Today we'll look at the forwards, and tomorrow will be time for the defensemen and the goalies.

 
Andy Bathgate [5th round pick, 2009] - the famous namesake of his grandfather is in his second full year in the OHL, playing on a bottom dwelling Belleville team.  So far it's been rough.

Luca Caputi [4th round pick, 2007]- Caputi, a big time prospect for almost three seasons now, continues to grow in Wilkes-Barre.  He's second on the team in goals, and third in penalty minutes.  That's what you want out of a power forward, isn't it?

The rest of the young forwards after the jump..

Continue reading this post »

This one broke during the game last night but I figured it could wait till the morning:

The Penguins have signed first-round draft pick Simon Depres to a three-year, entry-level contract. An 18-year-old defenseman, Depres will continue to play with the Saint John Sea Dogs of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The Penguins were pleased with his performance during training camp, but Depres is considered around three years away from joining the Penguins.

Tribune-Review

If you had a chance to catch preseason play than you likely saw Despres in action.  I think signing him to an entry-level deal is a no-brainer.  The kid showed some poise out there for a rookie.  He threw his body down to block a shot or two and showed some decent chemistry with Kris Letang as his defensive partner.  There's no question that the Pens are hoping this guy can step in as a big blue liner for the Pens in the future.  Right after he got drafted up in Montreal  I asked him what he most needed to work on and improve if he wanted to make the NHL.  He said he had to start shooting more and gaining more confidence in his shot.  No complaints here.

Not that he could've really done much to help the Penguins' scoring issues against the Coyotes last night.  No one can get it going when it feels the PK is getting more ice time than your top line.

But enough of that.  Flyers tonight.  More to come later today.

It's pretty common practice in hockey locker rooms - hell, any sport's locker room - to endlessly make fun of the new guy.  I remember back when Jagr first signed on with the Pens the team put vaseline on his windshield.  Upon entering the car, Jagr tossed on the wipers and ultimately went through hell trying to get it cleaned off.  Fun stuff.  Even after Sid was technically done being the new guy, Jarkko Ruutu put baby powder in Crosby's locker after all those crybaby allegations came flying his way.  Guys crack jokes and try to keep it loose in the locker room.  That's the way it goes.

A little hazing never hurt anyone, and in a way we have a prime candidate in Eric Tangradi.  Young guy.  New team.  Nerves are probably firing off in all directions as he takes in this new city and his new teammates.

So when I heard an interview with ET on 1250 last week I kinda laughed at his obvious nervousness as it was displayed over the airwaves.  And now, thanks to the wonders of the Internet, you can take it all in as well.

Continue reading this post »

Winning the Stanley Cup has gone a long way towards emerging stars and cementing reputations.  Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby the Penguins are seen the best two centers in the game, Jordan Staal got an invite to Team Canada's summer camp for his two-way play, Marc-Andre Fleury is starting to get respect as a top notch goalie and Sergei Gonchar has long been regarded as one of the league's most lethal players on the power-play. 

But who's the next breakout Penguin going to be?  Obviously there's no one else on the roster that's going to win a major award like the scoring title or MVP, but what other player do you think will be in position to excel in 2009-10?  As in perhaps the next Max Talbot.  Seen as a clown or comic relief by jokingly calling himself a "superstar", Talbot turned the laughs into celebrations with his 2 goals in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final (as well as a solid post-season that saw him score 8 goals and 5 assists).  So who's the next breakout player, read the cases, or better yet post your own in the comments, and use your voice with the poll below (players age at the beginning of the season in parenthesis)

Tyler Kennedy (23 years old) - With Talbot's injury there's suddenly a hole for a top 6 winger.  Could Kennedy (who scored 15 goals last season getting almost zippy power-play chances) showcase himself and be able to transition from a checking role on the 3rd line to a scoring role with a player like Malkin?  TK is easily the most established player of the options I'm listing so this is the safest choice.

Luca Caputi (21) – Last season was Caputi’s first professional year, and boy did he learned a lot on and off the ice.  Caputi grew into a key role with the Baby Pens.  He's got the size and knows he needs to add muscle this summer to compete with the big dogs in the NHL (like Mike Komisarek).  Will he do it?  As mentioned above, someone's got to fill out the prize wing spot with the reigning Art Ross champion Evgeni Malkin, could the young Caputi

Alex Goligoski (24) - Goose was impressive enough to get a three year contract from the Pens to average $1.83 million per season, despite the fact he's only played 48 career NHL games.  Goligoski was real good on the power-play when Gonchar was injured, and he figures to battle Kris Letang for top-line PP minutes this season.  Goose scored 6 goals and 12 assists in about half a season, and that was his rookie campaign.  Now going on a full year in the NHL could he be a 10-15 NHL goal scorer?

Eric Tangradi (20) – It would be a huge leap to go from playing with boys in the OHL to playing with men in the most competitive league in the world in the NHL.  But Tangradi has the size (6’4, 220) to hold his own and seems to have the talent to compete.  Again to harp on the point that there’s an opportunity for someone to be Malkin’s 2^nd winger, could Tangradi pull the monster transition?

Dustin Jeffrey (21) – Jeffrey got 12 games in the NHL last season, so he knows what it takes to make it to the show and stick.  He’s in a tough place to be the next breakout star, since his role is going to be a responsible forward on the 4th, if he’s in the NHL at all this year.  But injuries happen and roles can change, especially if you get on a hot streak and start producing.

John Curry (25) – Sure Pittsburgh signed veteran Brent Johnson, but don’t think that means Curry is buried forever.  Due to injuries/ineffectiveness/trades the Penguins have given playing time to at least three different goalies in the past two seasons.  Fleury’s gotten hurt two years in a row and Johnson hasn’t been the most durable either.  It seems a solid bet to say that Curry will get a chance, at some point in Pittsburgh in 2009-10 as long as he’s playing well.  What he does from there is up to him.

Other -- tell us in the comments who you think it's gonna be and feel free to make a case for them.

Ian Altenbaugh, a writer for the website hockeysfuture.com, was at the Penguins prospect camp yesterday and offered a narrative of what he say.  Ian had good things to say about Keven Veilleux and the Pens two fifth round picks from this season (Andy Bathgate and Alex Velischek) but he saved his highest praise for Eric Tangradi:

In day one, it was Tangradi who stood out the most. Reported to get surgery in about a week to clear up some scar tissue in his hand, the 20-year-old power forward did not engage in as much physical play as many of his other peers, but his play with and without the puck stood out amongst the Penguins prospect. Tangradi appears to be the most physically mature of the Penguins prospects. He is not built like any other player in any level of the system. I am reminded more of hulking forwards like Todd Bertuzzi, Milan Lucic, and Bobby Ryan than former Penguin Kevin Stevens. Still, his blend of size, skill, and power will invoke memories to those of us old enough to remember number 25 crashing the net while flanking Mario’s left side.

Interesting stuff after just day one, we'll keep on what Ian's got.  Also for any Burgh area folks that might go out to the prospects camp, throw your thoughts in a fanpost or contact us at Pensburgh if you want to do a little reporting from the scene.

 It may be the middle of summer and just over a month since the Pittsburgh Penguins have raised the Stanley Cup -- but if you can believe it, it's almost time for them to lace ‘em up again.  Next week a host of prospects, varying in age from 17 - 25 will meet up in Pittsburgh for the annual "Prospect Conditioning Camp". 

It'll be more than just doing skating drills and getting a chance to impress the brass, off-ice activities might be the most important and beneficial part of the camp.  As the Post-Gazette had an article about the camp explaining the Pittsburgh way:

After orientation Monday night -- "For some of them it's their first introduction to the Pittsburgh organization, so we'll be telling them that we go about things with a certain pride, a certain passion, a certain work ethic," [new WB/S head coach Todd] Reirden said.

[..]

"We'll have team-building exercises, creating situations where they are starting to feel connected," Reirden said. "One of the things we've got is a scavenger hunt set up to get them out in Pittsburgh and let them get to know the area a little bit."

So whether a player was just drafted a couple weeks ago, or has been in a college program for a few years, it's a good chance to show Pittsburgh brass exactly where they stand.  Other than just the stars like Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal the Penguins have fast-tracked guys like Kris Letang and Tyler Kennedy to the NHL in recent years.  If you have the talent, skill and a good head on your shoulders you can make it.  Being in shape doesn't hurt either to turn a few heads in the heat of summer.

After the jump a look at who will be there and a short analysis of each prospect participating:

Continue reading this post »

More photos » by Ryan Remiorz - AP

4 months ago: Pittsburgh Penguins second and third round picks Philip Samuelsson, right, and Ben Hanowski pose for the cameras at the 2009 NHL hockey entry draft in Montreal Saturday, June 27, 2009. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Ryan Remiorz)

Browse more photos »

Genius doesn't borrow, it steals.  So when I see an advanced look at what the Washington Capitals lineup down the line, it makes me wonder what the Penguins might look like.

The first group is players actually under contract at the beginning of the 2012-13 season and the second group is mainly prospects (with a mix of some young current day NHL players) that ought to be in the sort for NHL jobs, barring of course trades/injury/odd developments.

As you can tell, veteran guys like Ruslan Fedotenko, Rob Scuderi and Chris Kunitz -- guys that may or may not be around in three years were omitted.  This is basically a list of the past couple drafts sprinkled in with the odd Talbot, Goligoski or Kennedy that may or may not be around.

But that's what the future looks like for Pittsburgh....As long as there's Crosby, Malkin and Fleury in the mix, things are looking good.  The development of guys like Caputi, Tangradi, Veilleux and CPZ is going to make a huge difference as to whether the future Penguins can surrond their top guns with the talent to make consistent deep playoff runs.