Were you able to tune into the live streams of this past weekend’s rookie tournament on the Pittsburgh Penguins website? If not, you actually missed a glimpse of some good hockey being played in September.
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The biggest question mark for the Pittsburgh Penguins is definitely their organizational depth and prospect pool. This is a win-now team, or at least win in the next two or three seasons. I’m not discounting what they’ll be capable of with Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel locked up for the foreseeable future but at some point the cap could catch up with them and an overhaul will be needed. That being said, this is obviously a group that any team would love to approach an overhaul with.
However, despite the concerns of the future in Pittsburgh, this past weekend helped to somewhat ease the minds of us that believe this team is in trouble when it comes to developing from within. Throughout the three games played against the Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs the Pens’ prospects showed a lot of promise. A few names stood out to me in a big way.
Daniel Sprong is delivering as the prototypical top-six scoring winger. While I was somewhat disappointed with him in the Pens’ prospect game at Consol Energy Center, he looked like the player I had hoped they drafted this past weekend. His speed was on display, as well as his creativity and shot. I’m really looking forward to watching him develop.
Ty Loney, while not an overwhelming talent, looks like he could be an answer in Pittsburgh’s bottom-six in the near future. He’s a solid power forward and has surprised everyone with his scoring touch. He’s playing on an AHL contract this season but similar to Conor Sheary, if things go well he’ll likely earn a two-way deal next year.
Scott Wilson and Oskar Sundqvist are going to make Mike Johnston’s decision on Pittsburgh’s fourth line very difficult. If both continue to play the way they did in Ontario, choosing whether Matt Cullen moves to wing in order to create a spot for Sundqvist at center or filling that left-wing spot with Wilson is sure to cause headaches. Of course, there are a few other prospects vying for a spot but those two were both very impressive and consistent all weekend.
Matt Murphy was my surprise prospect in these games. His ability to join the rush and contribute on the offensive side of things is well-documented but he’s a much better puck mover than I anticipated. He also stood out as one of the more physical players that I witnessed, accounting for all teams that we saw. He’s in camp as an undrafted free agent but could very well earn a spot in Wilkes-Barre for 2015-16.
The Pittsburgh Penguins officially open training camp on Friday. Keep it here and follow me on Twitter at @Michael29Angelo for all of the latest updates, analysis and opinions.
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