• HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • Atlantic Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
    • Metropolitan Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Dallas Stars
      • Minnesota Wild
      • Nashville Predators
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • Pacific Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle NHL
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • NHL Rumors
  • NHL Prospects
  • Fantasy Hockey
  • THW Archives
  • More…
    • Columns
    • NWHL
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • Long Read
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • Site Index
  • NHL Salary Caps
  • Hockey 101: A Beginner’s Guide
  • Join Our Team
  • Free Newsletter
  • Store
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • Atlantic Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
    • Metropolitan Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Dallas Stars
      • Minnesota Wild
      • Nashville Predators
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • Pacific Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle NHL
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • NHL Rumors
  • NHL Prospects
  • Fantasy Hockey
  • THW Archives
  • More…
    • Columns
    • NWHL
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • Long Read
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
Home
Pittsburgh Penguins
Penguins Prospects

Penguins’ Next Generation on Display

By Greg Thornberry June 30th, 2016

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp

The Penguins didn’t have a first-round pick in the draft again this year, and many of the exciting young players in the system have already graduated to Pittsburgh. But that doesn’t mean that the Penguins development camp isn’t full of interesting storylines, quite the contrary.

There are a lot of young, exceptionally talented players on display in Cranberry this week. Many of whom could be in Pittsburgh sooner than you think. On Wednesday, I spent the afternoon at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex watching the Penguins’ prospects show what they can do. This is not a prospect rankings list, just a few quick observations of some players that stood out to me.

Ethan Prow

During the first session, defenseman Ethan Prow stood out above most of the other skaters during almost every drill. He skated well, and had solid positioning. None of the drills were particularly physical in nature, so it was difficult to assess that aspect of his game. All indications were that he would fit in well with the Penguins system of mobile defensemen. His first pass on breakout drills was quick and crisp, which is a critical aspect of Pittsburgh’s zone exit.

Ethan Prow is good at handling the puck. With Austin Lemieux here. pic.twitter.com/RIwU91OXHQ

— Jason Mackey (@Mackey_PGH) June 30, 2016

Austin Lemieux

There have been two reactions that I have heard resulting from the presence of Mario Lemieux’s son, Austin at camp. The first being unreasonable expectations comparing him to his father. The second accusing the younger Lemieux of getting a free ride because of his father. Neither appears to be true. Austin held his own, and stood out at times. He scored a nifty goal against goalie Tristan Jarry that drew cheers from the crowd of well over one hundred people.

Austin Lemieux scores one at the Lemieux Complex! Full coverage of today coming on https://t.co/TwQapegLT8 #Penguins pic.twitter.com/ropXc2pt81

— DKPittsburghSports (@DKPghSports) June 29, 2016

It is unrealistic to compare him to one of the best players in the history of the game, even if they do share a surname. But watching him skate, stickhandle, and shoot, there are definitely shades of Mario in his game. Whether there is a future for him in the NHL remains to be seen, but if he gets there it will be on his own merit, not a charity spot.

Jake Guentzel

Guentzel goal at Penguins development camp.

A video posted by Greg Thornberry (@gregthornberry) on Jun 30, 2016 at 4:59am PDT

On the first day of camp, center Jake Guentzel was the true standout above all. At times his play looked like a man playing among boys. He skated hard and fast, while his hockey sense was clearly far ahead of his peers. He scored some nice goals during the drills, one in particular where he skated down the left wing, cut inside on a defender and scored with a nice backhand. Mark Recchi praised Guentzel’s hockey I.Q. after practice, and with good reason. The 21-year-old will spend most of next year in Wilkes-Barre, but when the inevitable injury recalls happen, Guentzel will likely be high on the list. This is a special player that Penguins’ fans should be very excited about. There is definitely a bright future here.

Recchi on #Pens prospect Jake Guentzel: “His hockey IQ is off the charts.” Read more: https://t.co/EvWRxMMiHO pic.twitter.com/WFiOY9yod4

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) June 29, 2016

Quick Hits

  • Filip Gustavsson and Tristan Jarry worked quite a bit on positioning with a coach. They both played well during drills, but most situations lacked a defensive focus sometimes creating two forwards alone on the netminders. The pair looked like young goalies that need work, with Jarry having the obvious advantage of being there before.
  • Dylan Zink, Austin Ortega, and Nikita Pavlychev were players that were pleasant surprises. None of them get much publicity, but they played well. At times each of them made plays that turned heads.
  • Prior to the first session starting, two camp attendees were kicking a soccer ball around rinkside. The ball went up in the air and got caught in the protective netting above the glass. One of the players went into the locker room and got a stick which he proceeded to use to knock the ball back down. This has nothing to do with anything, I just found it amusing. Hey, I’m easily entertained.

Until next time.

  • Tags
  • Ethan Prow
  • Filip Gustavsson
  • Jake Guentzel
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp

Facebook Comments

Editor’s Picks
Martin St. Louis, the Little Big Man

Martin St. Louis, the Little Big Man

9078
'Mr. Hockey' Gordie Howe

'Mr. Hockey' Gordie Howe

9606
Recent Posts
Dec 7th 12:35 PM
Colorado Avalanche

NHL Rumors: Avalanche, Devils, Red Wings, More

Dec 7th 12:20 PM
Colorado Avalanche

How the Avalanche Became Contenders Under Sakic

Dec 7th 12:05 PM
Commentary

Erie Otters Falling Way Short of Expectations

Dec 7th 10:20 AM
Toronto Maple Leafs

Maple Leafs: Pontus Aberg’s Opportunity is Now

Dec 7th 9:35 AM
Toronto Maple Leafs

Maple Leafs’ 2019 Draft Class Update

Dec 7th 9:20 AM
Long Read

2020 WJC Team Slovakia Preview

Dec 7th 9:05 AM
Commentary

9 Potential Trading Partners for Taylor Hall

Dec 7th 8:50 AM
Boston Bruins

THW’s Goalie News: Jarry Flawless Again, Cheevers Born, and More

Dec 7th 8:35 AM
Prospects

2020 WJC Team Czech Republic Preview

Dec 7th 1:00 AM
Anaheim Ducks

Vrana’s Goal Gives Capitals 3-2 Victory over Ducks

Stay in Touch
Contact Us

Via our Newsletters
RSS Feeds

Privacy Statement

Our Partners
HFBoards

About THW…

Founded in 2009, The Hockey Writers is a premier destination for news and information on everything hockey. Updated daily with news and features from over 130 writers worldwide. Over 2 million monthly readers now come to THW for their hockey fix.

Join over 18 000 Subscribers of our free bi-weekly Newsletter.

© The Hockey Writers 2018. All rights reserved.
The Hockey Writers
  • HOME
  • Hockey Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • Atlantic Division
    • Boston Bruins
    • Buffalo Sabres
    • Detroit Red Wings
    • Florida Panthers
    • Montreal Canadiens
    • Ottawa Senators
    • Tampa Bay Lightning
    • Toronto Maple Leafs
  • Metropolitan Division
    • Carolina Hurricanes
    • Columbus Blue Jackets
    • New Jersey Devils
    • New York Islanders
    • New York Rangers
    • Philadelphia Flyers
    • Pittsburgh Penguins
    • Washington Capitals
  • Central Division
    • Chicago Blackhawks
    • Colorado Avalanche
    • Dallas Stars
    • Minnesota Wild
    • Nashville Predators
    • St Louis Blues
    • Winnipeg Jets
  • Pacific Division
    • Anaheim Ducks
    • Arizona Coyotes
    • Calgary Flames
    • Edmonton Oilers
    • Los Angeles Kings
    • San Jose Sharks
    • Seattle NHL
    • Vegas Golden Knights
    • Vancouver Canucks
  • Store
  • The THW Archives
  • Prospects
  • The Goalie Page
  • NHL Salary Cap Information
  • Join Our Team
  • Search THW