Being a contender hasn't stopped the Penguins from drafting a lot in the first round which has helped keep a pretty mid-level tier prospect group consistently. For a long time the question was asked about finding the winger who will be destined to play beside Crosby...and why in the hell are they picking defensemen every year! I personally liked their strategy, by and large you could put a goat in skates beside Crosby and he would still be up for the Hart trophy at the end of the year. Regardless the Pens have done a good job with their firsts, while a less than average job with the late round picks past the second. I will say though that 2011 and 2012 look like dynamite years for their scouts.
As always, this list won't contain players past the 40 game mark in the NHL, so the bareness near the end of this list is due to losing out guys like Olli Mà¤à¤ttà¤, Beau Bennett and Simon Després. I want to thank our resident Pens blogger Ryan Wilson with helping me with this list. Read his stuff, unless you're a fan of Craig Adams.
1. Derrick Pouliot : Defenseman, 5'11 203lbs, 8th Overall, 2012, 20 Years Old, Portland Winterhawks in the WHL
58 games 17 goals 53 assists 70 points
One of the most dynamic offensive defenders in the WHL on one of the most consistent powerhouses in junior hockey. Pouliot has had many excellent years for Portland and while his role changed year from year, one thing was consistent, get this guy on the PP. While still a bit of a mixed bag defensively, it's impossible not to notice that he has improved that side of his game since being drafted in the then unthinkable 8th slot. Now it helps in the point production category to continuously play with one of the deadliest offenses in junior, but he's a big part of that and his creativity and more importantly mobility creates plays and opportunities. As a possession driver and puck carrier he is very strong and he moves the puck with speed. Despite not being the biggest or strongest defender, he doesn't get pushed around a lot and is developing some good NHL size. He ended up winning the CHL Defenseman of the Year (as well as the WHL version too) and it's not hard to see why, he's probably the best pure offensive defender in the CHL (other than maybe Anthony De Angelo) while still being average defensively. Josh Morrissey will probably feel a bit robbed by losing out on that award, but that's what happens when you're on a bad team versus a guy who is playing a huge role on a contender. Next season he will start in the AHL and might be there for another year or two as he works out the wrinkles in his game and because the Pens will probably still have Letang in the spot that would be optimal for Pouliot to play in. He could be the spark needed to finally turn around what should be an elite power play in Pittsburgh.
Potential : Number 3 PP QB
2. Kasperi Kapanen : Right Wing, 5'11 181lbs, 22nd Overall, 2014, 18 Years Old, KalPa in the SM-liiga
47 games 7 goals 7 assists 14 points
To say his draft season was disappointing would do a disservice to the word. Disastrous might hit closer to home. However that allowed the Pens to snatch what could be a potential steal...or another Angelo Esposito. There are some similarities, but one bad year doesn't make a career and this season should be more telling for the Son of Sami. Especially since he apparently blew Pens management away at camp. He's a creative offensive forward with excellent speed. Probably his strongest suit is his ability to beat players one on one, if he gets any space (easier to do on the big ice) he has the ability to deke defenders out. This was more on evidence the year before his draft season where he was making very good defenders look like idiots at the U18's. He has a pretty good wrist shot, but no slap shot to speak of, makes him less of a threat outside the circles, but it isn't a big deal. Just from watching him at the U18's it looks to me that he isn't really a play maker, he was almost always on the end of things, not really entering the zone with the puck a lot, but sifting his way towards a scoring area. Nasty hands too. In the end the hope is for Kapanen to develop into a top-six forward and the Pens obviously want the Kapanen of 2012-2013 rather than the one who was such a massive bomb at the U18's it was shocking to find he hadn't been playing through an injury or something. This season he will again play for KalPa.
Potential : Top-Six Sniper
3. Scott Harrington : Defenseman, 6'0 209lbs, 54th Overall, 2011, 21 Years Old, Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins in the AHL
76 games 5 goals 19 assists 24 points
Solid and dependable are two words to describe Harrington. He's such a safe and smart player it's almost impossible to foresee him not having an NHL career. He eats up hard defensive minutes and is the kind of guy who is smart enough and a strong enough skater to play with offensive defenders who need to be bailed out. I'm actually sort of surprised he did so decently offensively in his rookie season, though the Knights penchant for a 5 forward PP often muddles the readings on their defenders skills (see Mà¤à¤ttठand Zadorov when playing on any other team). There really isn't much else to say about Harrington other than he will probably be in the NHL fulltime by next season if things go as planned. He does the little things right and doesn't make many costly mistakes. He very well could become an underrated gem like Vlasic or Hamhuis, with the safety net of being a competent bottom-pairing guy if he doesn't reach those heights.
Potential : Second Pairing Defensive Defenseman
4. Brian Dumoulin : Defenseman, 6'4 219lbs, 51st Overall, 2009, 23 Years Old, Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins in the AHL
53 games 5 goals 16 assists 21 points
When he was drafted by the Canes way back in 2009, they knew that he would be a long time developing and that he embodied the term "raw." Several years later and Dumoulin is finely looking fit for a fulltime NHL debut after he quietly broke out during the playoffs this season. He's big with solid puck skills and is underrated in his ability to skate with the puck. Despite having a very hard shot, he isn't too accurate with it and prefers to pass the puck off more often than not. He is prone to some odd decisions that can lead to goals, but overall his game has rounded into form and even NHL greats make some mistakes at some point. For a big man he skates fairly well and most would say it's an asset in his favour. While he isn't really a physical player (which is a shame), he can, when pushed be fairly aggressive, though it's a rare occurrence with him normally. He has all the tools to be a strong top-four two-way defender, he just needs the opportunity, because at 23 (his birthday coincidentally was yesterday) it's becoming sink/swim time. He will likely start next season in the AHL.
Potential : Top-Four Two-Way Defenseman
5. Teodors Blugers : Centre/Left Wing, 6'0 185lbs, 52nd Overall, 2012, 20 Years Old, Minnesota State University in the NCAA
40 games 4 goals 22 assists 26 points
I strayed away from Ryan's picks here because I really like Blugers game. The Latvian native has played all of the important years of hockey he has had in the United States, coming through the prestigious Shuttuck St. Mary's system. In his rookie season in the NCAA he was one of the top scoring players under the age of 19, including outscoring a certain first round pick from Calgary. This past season he did a solid job anchoring their second line. One issue I have with him right off the bat is that he needs to learn how to shoot, while there are some pure playmakers in the NHL, they are a rare breed. Most offensive threats need more tools than playmaking. He plays with urgency and is surprisingly physical despite his size. He's shown strong defensive instincts and while he often plays wing, when at centre (for his country) he has shown he is a pretty good face-off man. His versatility I believe will net him an NHL role, the question however is in what capacity? I'm not sure if he has enough offensive awareness to really break into the top two lines, but then again he hasn't really gotten an opportunity to shine in the NCAA yet. With veterans leaving the squad, he will likely have that opportunity this season. Could be a real sleeper.
Potential : Third Line Playmaking Centre
6. Tristan Jarry : Goaltender, 6'2 182lbs, 44th Overall, 2013, 19 Years Old, Edmonton Oil Kings in the WHL
63 games 2.24GAA .914sv%
While it's only natural to feel skeptical of any goalie playing behind an elite junior defense, Jarry has shown enough flashes to be considered a strong goaltending prospect. Next season will be telling considering the massive amount of departures from the Memorial Cup Champions. He was oddly enough one of the safest "gambles" in 2013, mainly because he was a backup at the time (how many backups get picked this early...if at all?), yet when he played he was excellent. Very athletic and knows his style well. Goalies are always tricky and wildcards, but in Jarry I think the Pens have a good one.
Potential : Hard to say, but management expects to get a starter out of it
7. Jayson Megna : Centre/Right Wing, 6'1 194lbs, Undrafted, 24 Years Old, Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins in the AHL
25 games 9 goals 6 assists 15 points
It's hard to put him on the list with his age and 36 NHL games, but Ryan wants him on here so be it. The undrafted Megna doesn't really fit the usual mold of undrafted NCAA free agents, he isn't undersized and he isn't insanely skilled, what he brings is a steady work ethic and an honest effort. He's a decent skater with moderate puck skills that finds most of his offense around the net. Don't expect a star, but to be had for free he looks like a decent pick up. There are several guys with much higher upside further down this list, but Megna is practically an NHLer already so it's hard to place him behind boom/bust prospects that litter the rest of this list. He will likely be a fulltime Penguin next season.
Potential : Bottom-Six Grinder
8. Anton Zlobin : 5'11 195lbs, 173rd Overall, 2012, 21 Years Old, Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins in the AHL
46 games 8 goals 11 assists 19 points
Zlobin was passed over in his draft year despite a solid rookie season in the Q where it was obvious he had a bit of trouble adjusting to the new game. The Pens picked him up in the sixth after a 40 goal campaign and Zlobin has continued to impress offensively. Despite spending some time in the ECHL last season, it was pretty obvious he was too good for that league. He was excellent in the playoffs for the Penguins and looks like he will be expected to take a lead on what is a fairly woeful Penguins forward group. The lack of defensive awareness is the obvious downside to Zlobin and one of the main reasons teams passed on him and why expectations should be tempered. He has an amazing shot and some seriously nifty hands, he likes to try to do everything himself which can get him in trouble. Skating needs improvement, but largely he just needs to work on his positioning, if he fixed that he would be fine and a lot of his issues would disappear. He's a boom/bust kind of prospect and always was. He might find himself a niche as a PP/shootout specialist, but in todays NHL it's getting rarer and rarer to see those guys find niches with all the talent out there and teams focusing so much on defensive awareness and the full rink game. Hopefully with big minutes in the AHL he can show more of his potential.
Potential : Top-Six Sniper
9. Oskar Sundqvist : Centre/Right Wing, 6'3 207lbs, 81st Overall, 2012, 20 Years Old, Skellefteॠin the Elitserien
51 games 6 goals 10 assists 16 points
Some players are later bloomers and while it isn't a sure thing, Sundqvist looks like he might be one. It's rare to see prospects worth mentioning play in the SuperElit at 19 yet even rarer to be drafted out of the U18 league, most would be in the Elitserien or Allsvenskan on loan at that point, yet Sundqvist toiled and paid his dues. He was the third highest U20 scorer behind only Andreas Johnson (Leafs) and Alexander Wennberg (Jackets) which is more impressive considering offense is largely an afterthought with Sundqvist, what he's known for is puck protection and defensive ability. He was a solid checker for the Silver winning Swedes at the U20's as well. While he was considered a nightmare to play against in the younger leagues and one of the most dangerous hitters around, his play in the Elitserien was more tame, probably because for the first time he wasn't bigger than everybody else. He has enough snarl and defensive ability to his game to be a solid NHL player if his game translates. He has another year with the reigning Elitserien champions and has already looked decent in the European Championships this season netting an assist.
Potential : Third Line Two-Way Centre
10. Matt Murray : Goaltender, 6'5 172lbs, 83rd Overall, 2012, 20 Years Old, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in the OHL
49 games 2.57GAA .921sv%
Oh what a year can do. Murray ended his season as one of the best goalies in the OHL and looked a lot more comfortable with his raw size than before. Like all big goalies, he has surprising athleticism and moves very quickly. He covers a lot of the net and plays the butterfly like most young goalies these days. He tends to be very active in his net which can be a bit worrying, but that's where the speed and size play their role. Next season he will either split starts in the AHL or like many young goalies start in the ECHL as a bonafide starter. Personally I prefer the second option myself, there is little need to rush a goalie.
Potential : Starting Goalie?
Thanks for reading. As an aside, congratulations to Travis Yost, one of the best bloggers on this site...hell, in this field. Wherever you go, I'm sure you will succeed. You were always a cool guy to have a back and forth with.
Also wow, my Leafs blog just blinked out of existence on my computer before I could save it...fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu