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Sharpen Your Skates, It’s Hockey Time!

It’s hard to believe, but hockey season is just a little over 3 weeks away!  Everything is about to shift back into high gear for the Penguins’ organization as 47 players and prospects report to training camp this Saturday, September 12th, when they will undergo physicals and fitness testing.  Practice starts on Sunday at Mellon Arena and is open to the public, free of charge.  Pre-season play kicks-off shortly thereafter with the Penguins hosting the Columbus Bluejackets on September 15th.  On September 17th, the Penguins travel to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for a “Black and Gold” intra-squad game.  Then, they return back to Mellon Arena to host the Toronto Maple Leafs on September 18th before heading out on a 4-game road trip to Montreal (Sept 21) , Toronto (Sept 22), Columbus (Sept 24), and Detroit (Sept 27).  The Penguins’ open the regular season on October 2nd by raising the 2009 Stanley Cup Championship banner to the rafters of historic Mellon Arena before dropping the puck against the New York Rangers.  It will be the last NHL home opener to be played in the long history of Mellon Arena. 

With training camp, pre-season, and regular season play nearly upon us, it is time to start looking at the challenges that face the Penguins in the coming season.  First and foremost in my mind, is the question of fatigue.  The Penguins have played a total of 208-games (164 regular season and 44 playoff games) in just the last 2 seasons.   That averages out to about one game every 3.5 days over the last 2 years.  The price to pay for a successful post-season is a short summer for mental and physical recuperation.  Fortunately for the Penguins, they are a young team and they finished the post season relatively healthy.  The mental recuperation, however, could be more challenging for both the players and the coaching staff as they need to quickly shift gears from the euphoria of being the league champions to being the team that everyone will raise their game against to beat.  Often referred to as the Stanley Cup hangover, the Penguins will have to quickly come to grip with the fact that, while they have climbed to the top of the tallest mountain, they are now back at base camp with everyone else.  It will take a lot of character (and a bit of luck) to battle their way back to the finals for a third straight year.

The next big challenge will be figuring out how to best fill the defensive roles vacated by Hal Gill and Rob Scuderi.  This will take time and evaluation by the coaching staff as training camp and pre-season play unfolds, and will probably continue to play out into the regular season.  Surely the Penguins will look to off-season acquisition Jay McKee, a veteran stay-at-home defenseman with ample shot-blocking prowess.  They will also likely depend on the services of Alex Goligoski on the blueline after the successful call-up role he played during Sergei Gonchar’s time on the injured reserve last season.  But a McKee/Goligoski pairing may not be the right combination, so look for some mixing and matching in the defensive pairings in the early going until the right mix of “shutdown” and “offensive” styles are found.  This challenge will primarily be one for the coaching staff to solve, but will require the defensemen to adapt to new roles and potentially new linemates.   

The third challenge will be figuring out how best address the loss of Petr Sykora and (to a lesser extent) how to bridge the anticipated 2-month gap until Max Talbot returns from off-season surgery.  The most pressing issue to sort out in training camp and pre-season is who to put on wing with Evgeni Malkin in place of Petr Sykora.  While Tyler Kennedy certainly could be an interesting mix with Malkin, I don’t expect the coaching staff to disrupt the exceptional 3rd line chemistry of Kennedy-Staal-Cooke.  Odds are that Pascal Dupuis will be called upon to step into Sykora’s spot, but don’t be surprised to see some different looks coming from the coaching staff through training camp and the pre-season.  I wouldn’t even be surprised to see rookie prospect Eric Tangradi getting a practice or pre-season look with Malkin, but I really don’t expect it to pan out….at least not yet.  A likely candidate to fill out the lower lines would be Luca Caputi, the 6′2″ winger that made the Penguins’ roster for 5-games last season.  The good news is that the Penguins have significant depth to draw upon to fill in the few vacancies at forward, and training camp will be where those fill-ins get sorted out. 

So, as hockey season bears down on us once again, it is time to get out your jersey and get ready for another great season from one of the NHL’s best and brightest young teams.  Be sure to check back with us as the season approaches and gets underway as we will continue blogging about the team we love to watch and cheer for, the Pittsburgh Penguins!

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Joey Haddad Signed to Entry Contract

Right Wing Penguins’ prospect Joey Haddad signed a 3-year entry-level contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday.  Haddad’s contract followed his participation in the Penguins’ rookie tournament in Kitchener, Ontario, and subsequent invitation to the Penguins training camp for a tryout.  He was sent down to the Penguins’ AHL Affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on September 17th.  He is now on his way back to the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL).   

Joey Haddad - Assigned to QMJHL's Cape Breton Screaming Eagles After Signing 3-Year Entry Level Contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins

The QMJHL-leading Cape Breton Screaming Eagles received word that Haddad will return to the team today for one more season.  Haddad scored 62-points (31G, 31A) for the Screaming Eagles last season and is expected to easily eclipse those totals this year. 

The addition of Haddad meant that the Screaming Eagles had four players for three overage positions.  The other overagers were captain Chris Culligan, assistant captain Robert Slaney, and Murdock MacLellan.   Screaming Eagles head coach and general manager Mario Durocher made the decision to drop Murdock MacLellan in favor of Joey Haddad.  The decision gave the Eagles what many believe to be the best combination of 20-year-olds in the league.  Culligan and Slaney are already in the top five in league scoring.

Joey Haddad joined the team for his season debut on Friday night against the Acadie-Bathurst Titan at the K.C. Irving Centre in Bathurst, New Brunswick.  He recorded 3-shots, but no points, as the Eagles beat the Titan 2-1.  The win improved the Screaming Eagles record to 10-1-0-0.  The Screaming Eagles will be back in action on Saturday afternoon at 5:00 Atlantic Time as they take on the Rimouski Oceanic in Rimouski, Quebec.  There is no doubt that Haddad will gain some valuable experience and ice team while in Cape Breton, and will be a valuable asset as he matures in the system for the Pittsburgh Penguins organization.

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Penguins Send 13 Players to AHL, Trim Roster to 29

As anticipated, Pittsburgh Penguins’ General Manager Ray Shero announced the next round of training camp cuts today, sending 13 players to the AHL affiliate Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.  The 13 players sent to Wilkes-Barre includes forwards Kris Beech, Ryan Stone, Adam Henrich, Aaron Boogaard, Tim Wallace, Jonathan Filewich, David Gove and Christopher Minard.  It also includes defensemen Deryk Engelland, T.J. Kemp, Ben Lovejoy and Joey Mormina, as well as goaltender David Brown.  The cuts trimmed the Penguins’ training camp roster to 29 players

Of the 29 remaining players, the Penguins have retained 16 forwards, 10 defensemen and 3 goaltenders.  That list includes propsects Janne Pesonen, Connor James, Paul Bissonnette, Bill Thomas, Alex Goligoski, Danny Richmond, and John Curry.  With surgery/injuries affecting the normal Penguins’ defensive lineup, Defensemen Alex Goligoski and/or Danny Richmond could find themselves on the roster as the season starts.  There is potential for one or two positions on wing being open for competition, as well, as training camp and pre-season hockey winds down. 

The current roster includes the following players (by natural position,  not necessarily the position they are being played)

• Left Wing
  • Ruslan Fedotenko
  • Jeff Taffe
  • Matt Cooke
  • Janne Pesonen
  • Paul Bissonnette (Converted from D)
  • Connor James
  • David Gove
• Center
  • Sidney Crosby
  • Evgeni Malkin
  • Jordan Staal
  • Tyler Kennedy
  • Max Talbot
• Right Wing
  • Miroslav Satan
  • Petr Sykora
  • Pascal Dupuis
  • Eric Godard
  • William Thomas
• Defense
  • Sergei Gonchar
  • Ryan Whitney
  • Mark Eaton
  • Hal Gill
  • Kris Letang
  • Brooks Orpik
  • Darryl Sydor
  • Rob Scuderi 
  • Alex Goligoski
  • Danny Richmond
• Goal
  • Marc-Andre Fleury
  • Dany Sabourin
  • John Curry

The Penguins’ prospects will have two more opportunities to impress the hockey staff before the team leaves for Sweden on Saturday night.  It is uncertain whether the Penguins will make the final roster cuts before they leave.  While I wouldn’t be surprised by a few cuts, I don’t expect they will cut to the final roster since they will still have several more days of practice in Sweden and a final pre-season game in Finland on October 2nd before the season starts in Stockholm on October 4th.  I expect that the Penguins coaching staff will keep their options open and guard against any late injuries while on the road overseas.  Therefore, I expect at least 1 or 2 extra forwards and defensemen to make the trip to Sweden.

The Penguins return to Mellon Arena on Wednesday night to host the Toronto Maple Leafs.  The roster for the game has not yet been released.  The game will be aired nationally on TSN.

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Pittsburgh Penguins 2008 Training Camp Preview

After a short summer break, the Pittsburgh Penguins are ready to hit the ice again as they get back to training camp this week.  Over the summer, the team saw some significant complexion changes with the exodus of some key role players.  Yet, despite the loss of Marian Hossa, Ryan Malone, Gary Roberts, Ty Conklin, Jarkko Ruutu, Georges Laraque and Adam Hall, the Penguins have kept their young core of stars intact and have back-filled the losses with some quality, proven role players.  Among the new player acquisitions are Miroslov Satan (RW), Ruslan Fedetenko (LW), Matt Cooke (LW) and Eric Godard (RW).   The Penguins also have depth in their organizational talent pool and added to it by bringing in some new prospects to include Janne Pesonen, last season’s leading scorer in the Finnish Elite League.  So as the Penguins head into training camp, what should you look for in terms of new talent on the team?

Goaltending

There is no doubt who holds the top spot for the Penguins in net, as Marc-Andre Fleury silenced the critics last season with an outstanding run after returning from his extended high ankle injury.  The question will be how soon he finds his form this season, as he has historically had slow starts.  The big surprise last season was the play of Ty Conklin, claiming the #2 spot away from Dany Sabourin after Fleury went on the injured reserve for a couple of months.  To his credit, Dany Sabourin didn’t play all that bad, but Conklin was flat out spectacular and stole the stage from Sabourin.  One could even argue that Conklin’s play was partially responsible for Fleury ratcheting up his game to re-establish his top spot upon his return.  With Ty Conklin now off the roster, Dany Sabourin has the opportunity to re-establish himself as the backup netminder.  But the Penguins will likely be evaluating their options during camp with some netminding depth in the system.  In my opinion, the only potential challenger for Sabourin would be John Curry.  Curry stepped into the void left by Ty Conklin in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, and put together an impressive 24-12 run in the regular season.  He went on to backstop the baby Penguins’ 14-9 run into the Calder Cup Finals.  I expect Sabourin will prevail out of camp, but don’t be surpised if Curry finds his way into an NHL game later in the season.

Defense 

The Penguins defensive corps is the one area that remains largely unchanged from last season.  The Penguins have been handed a significant challenge, however, with Ryan Whitney leaving the lineup for a minimum of 3-months (possibly up to 5 months) as he recovers from off-season foot surgery.  Whitney’s role as an offensive defensemen will be missed, and will likely be an area that the Penguins look to address in training camp.  The Penguins will be getting Mark Eaton back into the lineup after missing most of last season with a torn ACL, but Eaton’s forte is in defense and not in offensive production.  There may also be some lingering questions about his durability after 2 back-to-back injury shortened seasons.  Perhaps Kris Letang will find this as an opportunity to increase his offensive game, but he still needs to focus on perfecting his defensive game.  Perhaps Darryl Sydor, rumored to be seeking a trade out of Pittsburgh, will be able to find the niche he was looking for by stepping up his offensive game.  However, I still expect the veteran to leave Pittsburgh at some point this season.  The most likely scenario in my mind will be for Alex Goligoski to find his way into the lineup coming out of training camp.  Goligoski had an impressive year with Wilkes-Barre last season posting 38-points (10G, 28A) in 70 games with a +15 rating.  He also netted 28-points (4G, 24A) in 23 playoff games with a +5 rating.  He also made his NHL debut last season, getting 2-assists in his 3 outings.   Other defensemen to watch at camp would be Alex Grant, TJ Kemp, Deryk Engelland, and Ben Lovejoy.

Offense

The Penguins offense remains strong despite the loss of wingers Marian Hossa and Ryan Malone.  In particular, they are rock solid down the center with Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jordan Staal and Maxime Talbot.  With Hossa and Malone out of the lineup, along with Roberts, Hall, Laraque, and Ruutu, the Penguins will use training camp to assess and shore up the wings.  They will look to off-season acqusitions Miroslav Satan and Ruslan Fedetenko to fill the void in the top lines.  It remains to be seen how well they will mesh with the talented Penguins’ centermen or how long it will take for the chemistry to develop, but it seems likely that they will flourish alongside Crosby and/or Malkin.  Elsewhere on wing, the Penguins have retained Petr Sykora, Jeff Taffe, Pascal Dupuis, and Tyler Kennedy, and have added newcomers Eric Godard and Matt Cooke.  The latter two were acquired to backfill the loss of Georges Laraque and Jarkko Ruutu.  Look for the Penguins management to really test out the combinations in camp, and to evaluate the talent they have within the system to find a set of wingers that work.  Perhaps the biggest and most anticipated wild card is Janne Pesonen, the Left Wing top scorer from the Finnish Elite League.  He will likely be the center of much attention and speculation as to a potential bid in the lineup.  The Penguins also have several NHL-tested prospects as a result of last season’s extensive injuries that will have a viable opportunity to break into the lineup.  This includes Connor James, Jonathan Filewich, Chris Minard, and Ryan Stone.  I would expect as many as 2-3 lower line wing positions in play going into training camp, with the burden being on the prospects to prove their case for being in the lineup. 

After last season’s challenges and ultimate success, I anxiously look forward to the start of the season.  The changes in the complexion of this team add to the excitement and uncertainty of what the new season will bring.  Training Camp will be the first, short glimpse before the season starts in just 3-quick weeks.  This coming season is sure to be exciting and will answer all of our current questions.  WIll Sidney Crosby be 100% recovered from the high ankle injury of last season?  Will Evgeni Malkin power back to the top of the points race after recharging his batteries in the off-season?  Will Jordan Staal ditch the sophomore slump and have a breakout year?  Will Marc-Andre Fleury shake off any early season jitters and will he be able to build on last year’s spectacular playoff run?  How will Miroslav Satan and Rusty Fedotenko fit in and produce?  Who will step up offensively on defense?  Will someone break into the lineup and be an enexpected force this season?  Who will be the enforcer?  Will the Penguins start slow and finish strong?  So many questions that will only be answerd in time!  Hockey is upon us!  Let’s Go Penguins!

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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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Draft Pick Spotlight – Patrick Killeen & Nathan Moon

Now that the 2008 NHL Entry Draft is behind us and the initial Free Agency activity has occurred, it is time to step back and take a closer look at the Pittsburgh Penguins 2008 draft picks.  While much of the reporting focused in on Patrick Killeen and Nathan Moon, the Penguins actually acquired a total of four players through the late June draft.  This included two goaltenders, a defenseman and a center, all of whom the Penguins will likely allow to develop over the next two seasons in Juniors/College.  As a result of previous trades involving Marian Hossa, Hal Gil and Georges Laraque, the Penguins didn’t have a first, second, or third round pick to exercise.  Despite an attempt to get an earlier draft pick through a pre-draft trade of Ryan Malone, the Penguins came up empty. 

The first pick-up came in the 4th round of the draft, as the Penguins announced the selection of Nathan Moon.  The 5-foot-11, 179-pound, right-handed center from Belleville, Ontario, had 35 goals and 77 points in 68 games with the OHL’s Kingston Frontenacs last season.  He posted those impressive numbers while playing on a team that only won 25-games.  The 120th pick overall, he was rated the 134th best prospect available by International Scouting Services.  Moon, who was born 1 April 1990, is a talented puck-handler and is great in the face-off circle.  He also has good vision for a young hockey player and takes advantage of that vision by being able to find lanes and connect on good passes to his teammates.  In an interview with Penguins’ Joe Sager, Moon expressed his excitement at being selected and his desire to improve his performance as he heads into Juniors.  It is expected that Moon will play 1-2 more seasons in the OHL before moving up into ther NHL.  

Image details: 2008 NHL Entry Draft Portraits served by picapp.com

In the 5th round, the Penguins picked up goaltender Alexander Pechurski as the 150th overall pick.  The 6-foot, 187-pounder is a native of Magnitogorsk, Russia.  Ranked 10th among international goaltenders by the NHL’s Central Scouting, he posted a 2.07 GAA in 26 games in 2007-08 for Magnitogorsk.  He went on to help team Russia to a silver medal in the U-18 tournament by going 4-1 and posting a 3.06 GAA and 0.885 save percentage.  Born 4 June 1990, Pechurski catches left.  While his future in North America remains uncertain due to the lack of a transfer agreement, the Penguins hope Pechurski will help them regain some organizational depth in goal within their system. 

On to the 6th round, where the Penguins took goalie Patrick Killeen from Brampton (OHL), the 180th overall pick.  A native of Almonte, Ontario, the 6-foot-4, 194-pound goaltender catches left.  Killeen went 20-9-2 with a 2.76 GAA in 34 games with Brampton last season.  Born 15 April 1990, Killeen is large goaltender that covers the bottom half of the net very well.  Like Pechurski, Killeen was brought into the organization to add depth in net.  Key to his development over the next couple of years in the OHL will be improvements in shot recovery, rebound control, and glove control. 

Image details: 2008 NHL Entry Draft Portraits served by picapp.com
Finally, in the 7th round, the Penguins added defenseman Nicholas D’Agostino from St. Michael’s Buzzers (OPJHL), selected 210th overall.  The 6-foot-1, 177-pound defenseman is a native of Bolton, Ontario, was born on 24 June 1990 and shoots left.  D’Agostino is slated to play for Cornell beginning in 2009.  Playing for St. Michaels, he scored 5-goals and 18-points in 46 games.  Unranked by most scouting services, D’Agostino has been effective in man-up, man-down and even strength play.  He has a hard slap shot and is defensively effective by keeping his feet and stick active at all times.  In an interview with Penguins’ Joe Sager at the Penguins Rookie Conditioning Camp, D’Agostino described himself as a two-way player who likes to jump into the play, albeit not a big offensive scorer.  He will continue to develop physically and as a player as he heads off to Cornell in the fall.

It is good to see that the Penguins made the best of their later round draft picks and picked up some good prospects for the future of the club.  Be sure to check back soon as I will be posting more in-depth player spotlights on each of the Penguins’ pick-ups in free agency. 

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Taffe Called Up, Brent Sent Down

General Manager Ray Shero announced this afternoon that the Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled 26-year old Left Wing Jeff Taffe from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, and in-turn assigned 23-year old Center Tim Brent to the AHL affiliate.  Taffe, who was picked up as a free agent by the Penguins on July 13, 2007, had just recently been moved from Penguins training camp to the AHL affiliate on September 22, 2007.   

Jeff Taffe was a St Louis Blues first round draft pick in 2000, being selected 30th overall that year.  He attended the University of Minnesota where he helped lead Minnesota to the 2002 NCAA Championship, scoring the game-winning goal in the semifinal win against Michigan and the game-winning goal in the West Regional quarterfinal against Colorado College.  He finished that season ranked second in the NCAA in goals (34) and fifth overall in points (58). 

While playing for Minnesota, Taffe’s rights were traded by the Blues to the Phoenix Coyotes.  He spent his first season in the NHL playing with the Phoenix Coyotes in 2002/03, and has spent time going back and forth between the AHL and NHL ever since.  Almost all of his NHL career has been with the Coyotes.  He did have a short stint (3 months, 2 games) with the New York Rangers after a trade involving Jamie Lundmark, but was traded back to Phoenix in a deal for Martin Sonnenberg.  Taffe has played in 100 NHL games and netted 28 Points (15G, 13A).

Tim Brent was an Anaheim Ducks third round draft pick in 2004, being selected 75th overall that year.  Brent played 15-games for the Ducks last season, his first in the NHL, scoring 1 goal.  The Penguins acquired him from Anaheim in a trade for Stephen Dixon on June 23, 2007. 

The Penguins continue training camp with 27 players, 4 more than they will have once the regular season starts next week.  They currently have 16 forwards, 9 defensemen, and 2 goaltenders for a total of 27 players in training camp. 

The Pittsburgh Penguins will play their final two pre-season games this weekend against the Buffalo Sabres, starting at home on Friday night and finishing in Buffalo on Saturday.