The Penguins concluded their 2021 Rookie Camp on Tuesday at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex. It was a hybrid of their annual development camp - which they haven't been able to hold for the last two years - and the Prospects Challenge.
"We wanted to get these guys in early, get them used to the facilities and get them accustomed to what we do here, so they'll have a better chance and feel better going into main camp," Penguins director of player development Scott Young said.
Wrapping Up Rookie Camp with Scott Young
The Penguins' director of player development shares his takeaways
The Penguins invited 24 players to Rookie Camp, which lasted for four days and consisted mainly of skills sessions and practices before wrapping up with a scrimmage this afternoon. It also featured a variety of off-ice presentations and activities focused on helping the players transition to becoming professional athletes.
"They're sponges," Young said. "Everything that we've brought them through, whether it's on the ice, whether it's off the ice, through meetings - and we try to educate them in a bunch of different ways - it's been a really receptive group that asks questions."
Here's what else Young had to say.
- Young acknowledged that it's been tough for the prospects to work on their development while being tested both physically and mentally over the past year and a half, as they tried to play their amateur seasons in the midst of a pandemic.
Like when goalie Filip Lindberg had to quarantine for 10 days before jumping right into game action without any practice time during the NCAA Frozen Four at PPG Paints Arena, or forward Sam Poulin had to quarantine on numerous occasions during the QMJHL's shortened campaign.
"We had guys that went through it so many times, so it was difficult," Young said. "A lot of stop and go throughout the year, but we would do some Zoom calls with them as a development group."
Young and Penguins player development coach Tom Kostopoulos would do individual work with players like Poulin, along with organizing positional-based group video calls at different points throughout the year.
"We'd put clips together to show the forwards. We'd get clips together to show the D," Young said. "We would just sit down and go over them. We'd talk it out, get their opinions. It's good feedback. I think all of that was helpful, but it was different."
Young credited the kids with doing the best they could within the circumstances, and raved about the work ethic that's been on display the past few days now that they're finally able to be in Pittsburgh.
"We love the work ethic," Young said. "They're great kids. They want to learn. Sometimes when you get in a big group and you're around a bunch of strange players, you're afraid to ask questions or you're afraid to get involved. And this been an excellent group as far as that goes."
- Since camp wasn't held in person the past two summers, this was the first time that members of Pittsburgh's 2020 and 2021 NHL Draft classes got to skate in Pittsburgh - like forward Lukas Svejkovsky (4th round, '20), forward Raivis Ansons (7th round, '20), defenseman Isaac Belliveau (5th round, '21) and forward Ryan McCleary (7th round, '21).
"There's a lot of young guys in this camp that we're excited about that just need time, you know?" Young said. "Their game might need to mature, or maybe their bodies need to mature, or maybe both. We've got a number of those guys, so it's a good experience for these guys to go through this."
- On the flip side, there are a number of players who took part in Rookie Camp
that are ready to take the next step
this season. When asked about Poulin (1st round) and Nathan Legare (3rd round), who were drafted by Pittsburgh in 2019 and recently finished their junior hockey careers, Young acknowledged that they're close to seeing time in the NHL.
"They've done very well and they've made good strides," Young said. "I think it's something we're going to have to just watch through main camp and see how they do, but they're two guys who we're very excited about."
Someone else the Penguins are excited about is forward Josh Williams, who attended Rookie Camp on an amateur tryout contract and earned an invite to training camp after impressing management with his play. "He's someone we like," Young said.
The 20-year-old found the back of the net 17 times in 22 games last year with the WHL's Edmonton Oil Kings, and ranked second on the team and tied for 14th in the QMJHL with 30 points.
- Outside of this group, Young named a few younger guys who will be attending main camp that should compete for time with Pittsburgh this season.
Forward Radim Zohorna, 25; forward Drew O'Connor, 23; and defenseman P.O Joseph, 22, all got a taste of the NHL last season and are hungry for even more. And Kasper Bjorkqvist, Pittsburgh's second-round pick in 2016, is looking to make his NHL debut after a successful season split between KooKoo of Liiga, Finland's top professional league, and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League.
Penguins assistant general manager Patrik Allvin said they feel Bjorkqvist has all the intangibles to become an NHL player.
"You go down the list of some of our guys, and there's more than people realize," Young said. "We're not loaded with a bunch of first-round picks and a bunch of second-round picks, but I think there's more than the hockey world realizes that we have."
Young thinks that Joseph, who appeared in 16 total games with Pittsburgh, is "really, really" close to breaking through for even more time with the Penguins this season.
"It's going to be that mental consistency, too," Young said. "It's not just the physical consistency. Because we all saw how well he did when he was up last year. To be a consistent pro, you've got to mentally be focused and be able to do that day in day out, game in game out. He's really, really close. I think everybody can sense that. So we'll see how it plays out."
