Pens Points: Gone Camping

There is still a bit of waiting left to do before the Pittsburgh Penguins start playing hockey that matters but Thursday was a good first step towards that with training camp getting underway for the 2023/24 season at UPMC Lemieux in Cranberry. After a summer of upheaval, this was the first sign of a return to normalcy with the Penguins back on the ice. [Pensburgh]

Pens Points...

On the first day of camp, players were split into three different groups with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin taking the lead for groups A and B respectively. Jake Guentzel also had a workout session on his own. [Pensburgh]

As mentioned above, Jake Guentzel did skate on the first day of training camp but separate from his fellow teammates as he continues to recover from surgery. Guentzel is still projected to miss the start of the season. [Trib Live]

It’s fraught to draw too many conclusions from how players are broken up early in training camp, but it still was noticeable that Jeff Carter was running drills as a winger on the first day rather than at his typical center position. [The Hockey News]

There is no shortage of storylines to watch out for as the Penguins begin training camp. From some big name additions to going all in on Tristan Jarry, there is plenty to talk about as the team prepares for the new season. [Trib Live]

There are a lot of new faces in Penguins camp this season compared to when the season ended back in April, but one thing has not changed, the ultimate goal of bringing the Stanley Cup back to Pittsburgh. [Trib Live]

With a division as competitive as the Metro, it makes sense the goalie pool is deep with a pair of New York netminders leading the way, but plenty looking to join the two Russians in their elite company. [Pensburgh]

When the Penguins season begins in a few weeks, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang will begin their 18th season together as teammates, setting a new North American sporting record for consecutive seasons for a trio of teammates. [The Hockey News]

News and notes from around the NHL...

If you are a fan of hockey coverage on TNT then here’s some good news for you: the network has renewed the contracts of their entire studio crew for this upcoming season and many seasons to come. [Deadline]