Today the Pittsburgh Penguins prospects put on a show for over 7,000 fans that packed the Consol Energy Center to watch their team’s future. The prospects were split up in two teams. Team White was coached by assistant to the General Manger, Tom Fitzgerald while Team Black was coached by former Penguin Bill Guerin. The game consisted of two 25 minute halves that included an overtime and shootout.

The first goal of the game was scored on a penalty shot by Reid McNeill (Team Black) after Alex Velischek was called for interference.

Recent draft pick Matia Marcantuoni evened up the game at 1-1, but minutes later Team Black took the lead after a goal by forward Zach Sill. Defenseman Simon Despres, who played 18 games with Pittsburgh this season, scored a late goal with two minutes left to tie it for Team White.

Newly acquired defenseman Brian Dumoulin (Jordan Staal trade) scored during the three-on-three overtime period. Dumoulin, 6-foot-4 219 pounder from Boston College, stood out at camp all week. His impressive play on the blueline shows just another upside from the Staal trade.

Speaking of recent acquisitions, Harrison Ruopp who was part of the Zbynek Michalek trade with Phoenix impressed with his size and strength. The Penguins had their eye on Ruopp even during last year’s draft before he was picked by the Coyotes. Although the Pens have a stacked blueline throughout their system, Ruopp brings more of a physical game that is sometimes hard to find in other players.

Other Camp Notes:

Try to keep your eyes open for Matia Marcantuoni, that is if he doesn’t skate by. The 2012 draft pick was easily one of the fastest guys on the ice. His stellar skating ability and good hands seem to point towards a bright future.

There’s not enough I can say positive about Brian Dumoulin. In addition to having an extremely fan-friendly personality, the defenseman who played at Boston College, is used to playing on a system based off the Pens blueline and it shows through his play.

One of the players that stood out the most during the scrimmage was free agent goaltender Ryan Faragher. Faragher played last season for St. Cloud State where he ended the season with a .915 save percentage. The 22-year-old played the entire game for the Black Team and made a handful of stellar saves and received several ovations from fans.

Forward Beau Bennett, who recently signed his first professional contract with the Pens, continues to recover from his wrist injury suffered while playing for the University of Denver this season. Although he says he is not yet 100% he still showed brilliance stick-handling and being mentioned by Head Coach Dan Bylsma as a candidate for Sidney Crosby’s line probably didn’t hurt the ego either.

With the season quickly approaching, many Penguins prospects are looking forward to the Rookie Tournament in Ottawa as a chance to make their mark. The past couple of seasons, the Penguins have been competing against the Ottawa Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs, and the Chicago Blackhawks prospects. The tournament in Oshawa, Ottawa is a great way for some of hockey’s best prospects to compete against one another before attending their own team’s training camp.

Wilkes Barre-Scranton coaches John Hynes and Alain Nasreddine will lead the 26 Pens players in the tournament. The most well-known name on the Pens roster is forward Eric Tangradi. Tangradi is the player on the tournament roster with the best chance to make the Pens lineup out of training camp. Playing in the tournament is a great chance for Tangradi to prove his worth to the coaches. Being the player with the most NHL experience, it is also a good opportunity to show his leadership by taking younger players under his wing and showing them the expectations of being a Penguin, as well as a professional hockey player. Tangradi, who also was considered the veteran player in July’s rookie camp, has high expectations given to him by Coach Bylsma and GM Ray Shero. If he is unable to stand out during the tournament in Ottawa, Tangradi might know his fate before regular training camp even starts.

Another player to watch in the upcoming tournament is defenseman Simon Despres. Despres ,20, was one of the last cuts of last season’s training camp. During the 2010-2011 season, Despres was one of the top defenseman on the Saint John Sea Dogs of the QMJHL. He helped the Sea Dogs win the President’s Cup on the way to a championship victory. He also represented Canada in the 2011 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships where they won silver. As he has evolved into a dominating figure on the ice and also by exceeding many expectations, Despres will be another star on the ice for the Penguins during training camp. Although many people believe Despres will start the season in Wilkes Barre, it might not be that long until we have to wait to see him with the big club.

Some other players to watch include Joe Morrow, Tom Kuhnhackl, and Philip Samuelsson. Morrow, 18, was the Penguins first pick in this year’s draft. He played in the WHL last season racking up 49 points in 60 games. He is just another name to add to a solid Penguin defensive lineup. It will be interesting to see how he competes against other team’s highly rated prospects. Kuhnhackl, 19, played last year for the Windsor Spitfires of the OHL. Although it is odd for prospects from the European area to move to Canada to play Juniors, this was a good decision for Kuhnhackl. Being the son of arguably the best German ice hockey player ever may come with a lot of pressure, but Kuhnhackl lived up to the hype by scoring 68 points in 63 games and assisting the Spitfires in the playoffs. As a player who continues to get better, it will be fun to watch his progress. Samuelsson, 20, will be attending his first camp since leaving Boston College. A second round pick with the Penguins will most likely join Wilkes Barre-Scranton where he will join another fellow Eagle, Carl Sneep, on the blueline. Since Samuelsson’s game is said to be similar to his father’s, we will all be on the edge of our seats waiting to see what he will bring.

Although we don’t know what kind of players these prospects are going to be, there’s one thing I know for sure: training camp is two weeks away and the excitement is just beginning.

Filed under NHL | Tags: Eric Tangradi, Joe Morrow, Philip Samuelsson, prospects, Simon Despres, Tom Kuhnhackl

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