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Pittsburgh Penguins: Training Camp Start Date, Rookie Tournament, and More

By Mike Necciai

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We’ve surpassed Labor Day, which is an important benchmark for NHL hockey. The Pittsburgh Penguins are set to begin the rookie tournament in London, Ontario shortly and training camp begins just days later. At least, according to Olli Maatta.

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That’s right, while the Pittsburgh Penguins have not yet released the official date for training camp to begin, Maatta may have spilled the beans in an interview with Ryan Pyette at lfpress.com. I’m not sure how surprising the date is considering the time frame is pretty standard for all teams to begin their camps but it’s nice to have a little more info on what to expect.

Maatta cites September 17 as the start date for camp and stresses his desire to be ready to prove himself. He wants to show that he’s the same player as before his surgery, but better. The full quote is below.

"All I want to do is be ready Sept. 17 when training camp starts and show the Penguins I can be the same player – and even better – than I was before"

This season’s camp is going to be far more interesting than we’ve seen in Pittsburgh over the last few years. There are a ton of battles to watch, including those that I discussed here. I think the most intriguing part of camp for me is watching how the left-wing position plays out considering the inconsistent play of Chris Kunitz and David Perron down the stretch. Combine that with the unknown impact of Sergei Plotnikov and it’s must-watch tv.

Prior to training camp, the Pittsburgh Penguins will also partake in a rookie tournament that begins on September 11 in London, Ontario at Budweiser Gardens. The four teams competing in the tournament are the Pens, Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators.

From a Pens perspective, all eyes will be on Oskar Sundqvist, Daniel Sprong and of course, Derrick Pouliot throughout these games. Sprong isn’t quite ready for NHL action but fans still want a glimpse into what he offers. Pouliot is all but guaranteed a spot in Pittsburgh’s top-six and Sundqvist is someone who can really make a case for anchoring the fourth line and shuffling Matt Cullen to wing.

The full roster and schedule can be found here.

I fully expect that we’ll see players filing into Pittsburgh over the next week to get settled and prepared for business. In fact, though he won’t be playing just yet, Eric Fehr is making the trek today.

After a quiet holiday weekend, things will be ramping up in a big way for hockey coverage. Keep it here and follow me on Twitter at @Michael29Angelo for all the latest.

Next: Sestito Gets the Spotlight But Why Not Keep Downie?

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