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Prospects Camp Set to Open Sept 9th

The Pittsburgh Penguins’ annual propsects camp will be conducted in Kitchener, Ontario, from Tuesday, September 9th, through Monday, September 15th.  The camp will open with 4-days of practice, followed by a 3-day series of games against prospects from the Florida Panthers, Ottawa Senators and the Toronto Maple Leafs. 

The prospects camp will be led by Wilkes-Barre/Scranton coaches Dan Bylsma and Todd Reirden.  As was the case last year, the Pittsburgh Penguins’ management, coaching and training staffs will be well represented at the camp.  Among others, Penguins’ coach Michel Therrien and GM Ray Shero will be on-hand to assess the talent in the sytem.  Two young players that they will likely be watching are defenseman Alex Goligoski and winger Luca  Caputi.

Alex Goligoski caught management’s attention during last season’s playoffs by scoring 28-points (4G, 24A) in 23-games, setting a new AHL playoff scoring record for defensemen.  He also tied the AHL record for points in a playoff season by a rookie.  Depending on how the Darryl Sydor situation works out, Goligoski could potentially be an early season backfill for Ryan Whitney who will miss the first couple of months while recovering from foot surgery. 

Luca Caputi also made a name for himself last season by scoring 51 goals in 66 games for the Niagara Ice Dogs of the Ontario Hockey League.  With the Penguins’ depth at wing remaining a question heading into the fall, he could find himself being called upon in the regular season to round out the team.

In all, the Penguins will send 24 players to prospect camp.  This includes the following 7 defensemen, 14 forwards and 3 goaltenders (click on any name for more detailed info):

Defensemen:

• Jonathan D’Aversa
• Alex Goligoski
• Alex Grant
• Jason Legault
• Ben Lovejoy
• Jake Muzzin
• Elgin Reid

Forwards:

• Aaron Boogard (RW)
• Luca Caputi (LW)
• Corey Cowick (LW)
• Jean-Michel Daoust (RW)
• Tommy Goebel (RW)
• Joey Haddad (RW)
• Dustin Jeffrey (C)
• Nick Johnson (RW)
• Cedric Lalonde-McNichol (C)
• Mark Letestu (C)
• Nathan Moon (C)
• Casey Pierro-Zabotel (LW)
• Keven Veilliux (C)
• Tim Wallace (RW)

Goaltenders:

• David Brown
• John Curry
• Patrick Killeen

For a complete and current listing of the young players that are “in the system” for the Penguins’ organization, go to NHLPens.com–>Rosters–>In the System.

On September 16th, immediately following the Prospect Camp, the Pittsburgh Penguins’ veterans will report to training camp.  More details about the Penguins’ training camp will be provided when released by the team.

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Ryan Whitney Sidelined for 3+ Months

In a surprise development, Pittsburgh Penguins’ defenseman Ryan Whitney underwent surgery on Friday to correct a left foot misalignment that he has secretly been dealing with for some time.  The procedure, an osteotomy, is a surgical operation whereby bone is cut to shorten, lengthen, or change its alignment.  It usually involves taking out a wedge of bone near a joint to correct the alignment and alleviate pain.  The typical recovery time for a procedure like this is 3-5 months, which means (at a minimum) Ryan Whitney won’t play for the Penguins until mid-November.

According to Bob Rossi of the Pittsburgh Tribune Review, Whitney “stunned” General Manager Ray Shero and Coach Michel Therrien when he revealed the problem to them during post season meetings and told them that he had pretty much played the whole season on one skate.  Rossi noted that some teammates, including Siney Crosby and Brooks Orpik, were aware that Whitney was struggling with the problem during the season.  Apparently Whitney had been dealing with the pain since the opening round of the 2007 playoffs against Ottawa.  Despite the use of orthotics and other non-surgical alternatives, Whitney was unable to find relief from the problem.  It is unclear whether the team training staff was cognizant of the full impact of Whitney’s condition on his skating ability. 

 

As one of their top defensemen, the Penguins will certainly miss Ryan Whitney at the beginning of the season.  However, the Penguins have developed significant depth at defense and will be starting training camp with 7 quality, proven d-men that include Sergei Gonchar, Mark Eaton, Brooks Orpik, Kris Letang, Hal Gil, Rob Scuderi and Darryl Sydor.  There has been a lot of speculation that Darryl Sydor has requested a trade, and that options were being looked at.  One might expect that the Whitney situation could alter any early movement of Sydor.  Sydor’s fate may rest upon how well top prospect Alex Goligoski performs in training camp.

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