Two rising prospects in Penguins system make noise in 4-3 win over Senators prospects

Two of the more intriguing forward prospects in the Penguins system, J.S. Dea (TIOPS No. 10 prospect) and Anton Zlobin (TIOPS No. 9 prospect) were among the standouts in the Penguins 4-3 win over the Ottawa Senators prospects on Saturday. Dea scored the game winning goal with 18 seconds left and had a three point game with a goal, two assists. Dea who has scored 94 goals over his last two junior seasons, led the Penguins in scoring last year at the September Rookie Tournament with four points. A fast rising prospect in the Penguins system, Dea is arguably the second most skilled forward in the Penguins system behind Kasperi Kapanen. There are quite a few doubters out there in

Prospects Buzz: Archibald, Wilson, Rust are next wave of young forwards with NHL potential in Pens system

LATEST PROSPECTS BUZZ The Pittsburgh Penguins are an organization that has struggled mightily to develop forwards in their system. There’s no denying that fact. The team doesn’t have one forward in their system right now that screams top-6 forward/winger, but there’s a small group of forwards who project as the next wave of young forwards who could become NHL players in the next 1-2 years. Jayson Megna has come onto the scene this year and has shown enough where he could earn a full time bottom-6 role next year and Brian Gibbons has some in the organization believing he’s an NHL player who could have a future here, though, he’s more of a tweener. After those two, there’s not a

Prospects Buzz: Improvement in key area has Penguins believing Pouliot is on fast track to NHL

PROSPECTS BUZZ Improved defensive play has some in the Penguins organization believing that 2012 1st round pick Derrick Pouliot, the 8th overall pick, is likely to emerge as a strong candidate for regular NHL action next season, sources say. Pouliot made a strong impression on the Penguins coaching staff in training camp with his top end offensive skills but the Penguins and scouts outside the organization all seem to be in agreement that Pouliot is evolving into a more complete player. That’s what scouts coming out of the recent SuperSeries are telling me about Pouliot and if paired with a defensive minded defenseman at the NHL level, the Penguins could have two 20 year old defensemen in the lineup next

Day 3 Penguins Camp Report: Crosby line in top form; Despres rebounds; Notable prospects showing promise & more buzz

DAY 3 PENGUINS CAMP REPORT The Penguins top line of Chris Kunitz, Sidney Crosby and Pascal Dupuis were dominant for the second straight scrimmage as Crosby’s squad defeated Evgeni Malkin’s group 4-1 in today’s scrimmage. Kris Letang scored twice, while Crosby and Dupuis added goals for Group B. Jean Sebastien-Dea scored the only goal for Group C. Tomas Vokoun played the first half for Group B and posted a shutout for the second straight day. The Crosby line already looks to be on the different level than everyone else and the fast pace they play at compared to lets say the Malkin line is just something else. “You kind of trust where everyone’s going to be,” Crosby said afterwards of

Day 1 Analysis: Scouting Report and Observations from Day 1 of Penguins Development Camp

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS DEVELOPMENT CAMP 2013 DAY 1 ANALYSIS By Dave Fryer, Contributor to InsidePittsburghSports.com The first day was broken into 2 sets of identical practice sessions, with 2 goaltenders and a mix of forwards and defensemen in each session. All drills were primarily centered on the basic skills of passing and shooting, with no contact, 1-on-1 play, or small-area games employed today. It was clear from the nature of the drills on the instructions being shouted by the on-ice staff that there is a strong emphasis on teaching the players how to better support the puck, getting to the right spot with speed, and communicating more to the player with the puck. The players collectively looked a bit nervous and

Analyzing the Penguins 2013 Draft Class: Have the Penguins found a long-term No. 1 goaltender?

The Pittsburgh Penguins 2013 draft class is highlighted by the selection of goaltender Tristan Jarry in the second round with the 44th overall selection. Pittsburgh moved up six spots in round 2, trading the 50th, 89th overall selections to the Columbus Blue Jackets for the 44th pick. To get into the second round, the Penguins traded Tyler Kennedy to the San Jose Sharks for the 50th overall pick. Overall the Penguins made six selections, three forwards, two defensemen and one goaltender. Several years down the road when it’s time to evaluate this draft, it’s going to be all about how Jarry develops. Will the Penguins four to five years from now be saying they traded a role player in Tyler

Penguins sign Anton Zlobin to three year entry level contract

2012 6th round pick Anton Zlobin (5-11, 190lbs) already in Wilkes Barre on an amateur tryout, has officially signed a three year entry level contract, the Penguins announced this morning. The deal begins in 2013-2014 and runs through 2015-2016 season. Playing as a 20 year old for Val-d’Or Foreurs of the QMJHL, Zlobin finished ninth overall in points with 29 goals, 62 assists for 91 points 61 games. Regarded as having good speed, the intrigue with Zlobin is that he has the offensive skill to become a top-6 forward if he can put it all together. Zlobin fell to the 6th round last season due to concerns from scouts about his overall game and work ethic. The Penguins last summer

Penguins sign prospect Harrison Ruopp to a three year entry level deal

The Penguins announced this morning that the team has signed defenseman Harrison Ruopp, to a three-year entry-level contract. According to the team, the deal begins with the 2013-14 season and runs through the 2015-16 campaign so Ruopp doesn’t count against the 50-man contract limit for this season. Ruopp, 20, is a big defenseman at 6-foot-3, 205-pound and was acquired in the Zbynek Michalek trade from Phoenix. Ruopp was originally drafted by the Coyotes in the second round (84th overall) of the 2011 NHL Draft. Ruopp just completed his fourth season with the Prince Albert Raiders of the Western Hockey League (WHL), where he established career highs for games played (65), assists (15), points (16), penalty minutes (132) and rating (+11).

Scouts Take on five Penguins draft picks playing in the Men’s Hockey NCAA Tournament

PENGUINS PROSPECTS BUZZ Five Penguins draft picks, Teddy Blueger, Minnesota State, Kenny Agostino, Yale, Scott Wilson, UMass-Lowell, Ben Hanowski, St. Cloud State, and Bryan Rust, Notre Dame, will be participating in the NCAA Tournament this week. The Men’s Frozen Four is April 11 and 13 at the Consol Energy Center. UMass-Lowell is in the Northeast Regional, Yale in the West Regional and Notre Dame, St. Cloud State are in the Mid-West Regional. UMass-Lowell and Notre Dame are No. 1 seeds and considered favorites to get to the Frozen Four. Pens Prospects in Action This Week: No. 1 Notre Dame (25-12-3) vs. No. 4 St. Cloud State (23-15-1), Saturday, March 30 1:30 p.m. ET No. 1 Massachusetts-Lowell (26-10-2) vs. No. 4