The Pittsburgh Penguins have invited 41 players to their annual prospect development camp, which will be held this Wednesday-Friday, June 26-28, at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry.
This year’s roster (click for full roster) includes all five players selected at the 2019 NHL Draft in Vancouver last weekend – forwards Samuel Poulin (1st round, 21st overall), Nathan Legare (3rdround, 74th overall), Judd Caulfield (5th round, 145th overall) and Valtteri Puustinen (7th round, 203rd overall) and defenseman Santeri Airola (7th round, 211th overall).
There will be some familiar faces for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins as well, with late season additions Jake Lucchini, Chase Berger, Jordy Bellerive, Jon Lizotte and Alex D’Orio, among others, expected to participate.
Pittsburgh’s top selection last weekend, Poulin, is coming off a career year as the captain of the Sherbrooke Phoenix of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The 18-year old set career highs across the board with 29 goals, 47 assists and 76 points. He led his team in all categories during the 2018-19 season, while also leading the Phoenix in goals (8) and points (14) through 10 playoff games.
Of the 41 players invited (22 forwards, 14 defensemen, 5 goaltenders), 15 players were originally drafted by the Penguins, including Pittsburgh’s top selection in the 2018 NHL draft, defenseman Calen Addison, and recent free agent signee Emil Larmi.
Addison, 19, recently signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Penguins in April. The defenseman enjoyed another superb season with the Western Hockey League’s Lethbridge Hurricanes in 2018-19, ranking sixth among all WHL blueliners with 65 points (11G-54A) in 67 games. Following the conclusion of his playoff run with Lethbridge, where he tacked on nine points (2G-7A) in seven playoff games, Addison skated with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins recording two assists in three games.
Larmi is coming off a championship season with HPK of Finland’s top professional league, Liiga. The goaltender appeared in all 18 playoff games for his team, going 12-6 with a 1.72 goals-against average, a .932 save percentage and two shutouts, both in the finals. The 22-year old signed a two-year, entry level contract with the Penguins earlier this month.
Justin Almeida, Kasper Bjorkqvist and Nikita Pavlychev will miss development camp due to summer rehabilitation.
Camp will begin with a pair of practices on Wednesday, June 26. Team A takes the ice from 1:30-2:15 PM; Team B hits the ice after from 3:15-4:00 PM. Goaltenders will hit the ice 30 minutes prior to their respective team’s time slots for an individual session.
Thursday’s practices, led by Penguins’ skills development coach Ty Hennes, will be held at 10:00 AM (Team A) and 11:00 AM (Team B). Goaltenders will again take the ice 30 minutes before their respective groups.
As in past years, all players will be broken up into four teams to compete in a 3-on-3 tournament on Friday, June 28 at 7:00 PM. The tournament’s winning team will receive the Michel Briere Cup. The players will simulate a traditional game day with morning skates at 10:30 AM (Team B) and 11:30 AM (Team A).
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton broadcaster Nick Hart will provide updates from camp on wbspenguins.com each day, as well as live coverage via his Twitter handle, @_NickHart.
All practices, including the 3-on-3 tournament, are open to the public and free of charge.
As in previous years, the Penguins’ development camp will feature a variety of off-ice presentations and activities focused on helping players transition to becoming a professional athlete.
In addition to the 2019 draft picks, here is a list of other past draftees attending this year’s camp: Forwards Jan Drozg (2017 5th round; 152nd overall), Liam Gorman (2018 6th round; 177th overall), and Filip Hallander (2018 2nd round; 58th overall), plus defensemen Addison (2018 2nd round; 53rdoverall), Niclas Almari (2016 5th round; 151st overall), Ryan Jones (2016 4th round; 121st overall), Zachary Lauzon (2017 2nd round; 51st overall), Antti Palojarvi (2017 6th round; 186th overall), and William Reilly (2017 7th round; 217th overall).
Below is the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 2019 Development Camp Practice Schedule at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex:
Wednesday, June 26
1:00PM – Team A Goalie Session
1:30-2:15PM – Team A Practice
2:45PM – Team B Goalie Session
3:15-4:00PM – Team B Practice
Thursday, June 27
9:30AM – Team A Goalie Session
10:00AM – Team A Skills Session
10:30AM – Team B Goalie Session
11:00AM – Team B Skills Session
Friday, June 28
10:30AM – Team B Morning Skate
11:30AM – Team A Morning Skate
7:00PM – 3-on-3 Tournament
Season ticket packages for the Penguins’ upcoming 2019-20 season, including Full Season, 22-game, 12-game, Flexbook and Premium Seating plans, are available by reaching out to the Penguins directly at (570) 208-7367.
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