Prospect Rankings: Projecting NHL Timetable for the Penguins Top-30 Prospects

Scouting Report: A player who shows a great commitment to his two-way game and impacts the game offensively. Got great experience with Team USA last summer

Strengths/Weaknesses: Smart two way player who shows emphasis on being effective in all three zones

– Has slick hands and scouts praise his vision and offensive ability to pick his spots. Doesn’t rush things when in command of the puck and waits for the play to develop

– Is good skater, quick and agile

– Not a physical player but goes to the tough areas, winning battles in the corners and establishing a front-net presence.

Potential – 3rd line role player with offensive upside

2012-2013 Outlook: Uher joined the Penguins organization in spring and should earn a regular top-9 role next season with the Baby Pens. Would not be surprised if he’s kicking on the NHL door by the 2014-2015 season.

Scouting Report: A fast rising prospect who brings a lot to the table. Regarded as a “strong two-way player”, Uher has speed, a high motor, and offensive upside, especially in the offensive department to go along with his defensive instincts that has many believing he could emerge as one of the Penguins best forward prospects in the next year or two. Just 19 years old, he’s likely to spend a couple seasons in the minors.

2012-2013 Outlook: Samuelsson the Penguins 2nd round pick in 2009, remains a project and is nowhere near close to pushing for NHL duty. He is still just 20 years old and remains a hard read at this point. Samuelsson was in and out of the Baby Pens lineup last season and he would be entering his senior season at Boston College if he were to have stayed in school.

Scouting Report: Samuelsson is not a physically imposing defenseman like his father Ulf was, but he plays a sound defensive game within the team’s structure and knows what he’s good at and what he’s not.

Strengths/Weaknesses: Has a very good stick and anticipates the play well.

– Gets his stick in passing lanes and frustrates players in front of the net by being aggressive with his stick within the rules. He’s not scared to give the opposition a hard whack with his stick

— Was an excellent penalty killer in the college ranks

– Skating is a major issue and the one question mark that could keep him from being a regular NHLer. He’s made improvements though and is much more fluid in the skating department. It’s an area the Penguins are working with him on.

– His anticipation though is very good and in 1-on-1 situations when he gets a good angle, he has the ability to lock down on the incoming player and is difficult to beat. If he doesn’t get a good angle, he can easily get beat to the outside as he doesn’t have great footwork.

– In the transition game he moves the puck well for a defensive defenseman

Potential– Bottom pairing defensemen

2012-2013 Outlook: Hanowski will return for his senior season next fall. Hanowski had a rebound year, leading the team in goals, points and power play goals. Hawnowski is another college senior in the Penguins system where the earliest timetable for an NHL role would likely be 2014-2015.

Scouting Report: Hanowski had a prolific high school hockey career scoring 73 goals and 135 points (73-62-135) in 31 games, for Little Falls (2008-2009) during his senior season. However, as expected, he’s been a prospect who’s taken time to develop in the college ranks. In his third collegiate season, Hanowski finally emerged as a top scoring prospect in the Penguins system.

Strengths/Weaknesses: Above average puck skills, goal scoring ability

– Has a knack for scoring goals

– Elusive when a defender is closing on him

– Good at moving the puck in tight and gets the puck off his stick quickly

– Smart two way player, high hockey IQ, hockey sense

– Captain at SCSU, Hard worker, student of the game

– Not a strong skater by any means, lacks breakaway speed but has quick feet

Potential – Top-9 forward but his speed could hold him back.

2012-2013 Outlook: Thompson will be penciled in for Wilkes Barre next season after a solid but not spectacular season. What to watch with Thompson is whether he takes that next step offensively in his second professional season. He scored 52 points in 29 games, including 29 goals in his final college season in 2010-2011

Scouting Report:When Pittsburgh signed Thompson, they felt the NHL potential is there, and he has some offensive tools, possessing an accurate hard shot to go along with good vision and strong hockey sense. Offensively he provides a good mix of goal scoring potential and playmaking ability but he also brings a two-way game to the table which helps his NHL prospects down the road.

Potential – Top 9 forward

2012-2013 Outlook: Maatta just 17 years old, will return to juniors and play for the London Knights next season. Maatta is likely a good three years away from pushing for NHL action and bet here is that he doesn’t earn a full time role for at least four years.

Scouting Report: In the mold of a Scott Harrington, Maatta plays a rock solid two-way game and is a player the Penguins had rated as a top-15 player on the board. “Penguins definitely got a steal where they got him, ” Harrington a teammate of Maatta in London said last week at the Penguins development camp. “I definitely thought he’d go top 10 for sure. He’s just an all-around two-way defenseman.” Like Harrington, there’s nothing real flashy about Maatta’s game but he plays with a lot of poise and confidence who can play in all situations……… Maatta has a strong hockey IQ and what’s so intriguing about Maatta’s upside is that he already has great size at 6-2, 206 lbs.

Potential– Top-4 defensive defenseman who can play all situations

2012-2013 season Outlook: Pouliot is destined to return to juniors in Portland for 2012-2013 season and join the Penguins organization for the 2013-2014 season. Pouliot is a good bet to be at least three years away from the NHL as he needs to get stronger.

Scouting Report: A strong puck possession defenseman, Pouliot has excellent vision and passing ability on the breakout……See’s the play before it unfolds and has power play QB written all over him….Has good skating ability but he’s not a dynamic skater….Pouliot though has great quickness and escape ability when eluding an incoming forechecker…….Needs to gain more upper body strength as he can be overmatched physically at times…..Makes up for lack of size with good positioning and ability to read the play……

2012-2013 Outlook: Blueger is attending Minnesota State University for his freshman season in 2012-2013. He figures to spend at least two seasons in college before turning pro. Blueger is probably around four years away from NHL but with his skill set, it could end up being a short stay in the minors once he turns pro.

Scouting Report: Blueger is widely regarded as the second most skilled player in the Penguins system behind Beau Bennett. Has excellent vision and dynamic passing ability…..See’s the ice very well and doesn’t rush things as he waits for the play develop…..One improvement in his game will be improving his quickness and bulking up before he turns pro.

Potential – Top 6 skilled forward

Potential – Top-4 Offensive defenseman

2012-2013 Outlook: Will be returning to school, looking to build off of his freshman year. Assuming Archibald spends at least two more seasons in college, we’re looking at 2015-2016 as a best case scenario for a projected NHL timetable.

Scouting Report:A tremendous skater who has a hard worker mentality fitting the Penguins mold of a role player. Archibald made Team USA’s World Championship team this past December.

Strengths/Weaknesses In addition to often being the best skaters on the ice, Archibald has good offensive instincts and the ability to produce offensively with 10 goals so far this season as a freshman.

– Reminds scouts of a Joe Vitale on the forecheck but has much a higher offensive upside

– Is tenacious and battles hard for pucks

– Is a coachable player but needs to learn better defensive zone play and that should come in his upcoming collegiate seasons

Bulking up will be key before he turns pro

Potential – Potential late round gem, Role player….Fast rising prospect…

2012-2013 Outlook: McNeill signed an entry level contract and will be joining the Penguins organization in 2012-2013.

Scouting Report: McNeill has some Scott Harrington traits in his ability to play a shutdown role at the OHL level, but also provide mobility and the ability to move the puck up quickly in the transition game…….. He played with Harrington a lot in London in 2010-2011, prior to being traded to Barrie, and has learned the right way to play defense under Dale Hunter in the junior ranks. Word from scouts is that McNeill has developed a physical edge to his game to go with his steady defensive minded play………What stood out with McNeill at the Penguins development camp is his ability to read the play as he’s been coached extremely well……

Potential– Defensive minded defenseman.

2012-2013 Outlook: Velischek will return to school next fall for his senior season. He figures to spend at least a couple seasons in the minors after that.

Scouting Report: The son of former NHL player Randy Velischek, Alex is a totally different player than his dad. A very strong skater, Velischek plays a defensive minded game with little to no physicality, compared to his dad who was a banger with the Devils. Alex is more of a defenseman who relies on positioning and using his longstick.

Potential– Defensive minded defenseman with good skating ability

2012-2013 Outlook: Sundvist will return to Europe for the 2012-2013 season and while it remains to be seen when he comes over to North America, Sundvist is believed to have a strong interest in coming over to North America at somepoint.

Scouting Report: Sundvist tallied 26 goals and 35 assists for 61 points  and racked up 132 penalty minutes in 43 games with Skelleftea. He’s regarded as a two-way centerman with high offensive upside. He’s a big player who skates well and plays hard, not fitting the typical scouting report of Europeans. Sundvist hands in around the net, in addition to the ability to finish stood out during development camp.

Potential Top-9 Forward

2012-2013 Outlook: Wilson is among the fastest rising prospects in the system but he’s still not a good read on his NHL potential. Had an excellent freshman season at UMass Lowell and will be returning to school for his sophomore season and figures to spend at least two more seasons in college. The earliest I would project his NHL timetable is 2016-2017

Scouting Report: Wilson is widely regarded as an all-around player who can do it all. “Speed, tenacious, good skills, plays hard and in your face. He’s a power play, penalty kill guy, good around. He’s tenacious and he comes to you, ” Randy Sexton director of amateur scouting said about Wilson a while back. That evaluation is spot on about Wilson who’s also regarded as having elite hockey sense and being very intelligent with the puck.

2012-2013 Outlook: Zlobin will be returning to juniors for 2012-2013 season

Scouting Report: Skill wise, he has top-6 potential, with slick hands in tight and a dangerous shot. He’s skating is not great and most concerning about him is that he’s known not to battle for loose battles and play hard at a consistent level. In development camp, he often seemed a step behind the play.

2012-2013 Outlook: Marcantuoni will return to juniors for the Kitchner Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League. He’s at least four years away from being NHL ready.

Scouting Report: One of the more skilled forwards in the Penguins system and he could earn some NHL consideration down the road. Has tremendous speed, can really fly and competes hard and can also make a skilled play. Has a lot of raw skills making him a potential steal in the 4th round pick but he has never produced consistently in the junior ranks. Overall game has a ways to develop.

Potential – Third line forward

2012-2013 Outlook: Rust will be returning to school for his junior season next fall and the Penguins are unlikely to ask him to turn pro after this upcoming season. The former third round pick is likely four years or more from reaching the NHL

Scouting Report: As a third round pick just two years ago, you would think Rust would be higher, but internally I hear Rust is pegged in the 15-20 range. He’s one of those players though the Penguins are drawn to in the draft as he’s a smart player who plays the game at both ends and regarded as having great hockey sense. He has some offensive ability but hasn’t produced in the college ranks. Rust has excellent speed and regarded as a deceptive playmaker. When coming out of the US National Development Program, he was viewed as a possible top-6 forward in Notre Dame but he hasn’t evolved into much of a points producer. After a solid freshman year with 6 goals and 19 points, Rust had just 11 points in 2011-2012.

Potential€“ Tough Role Player to play against

2012-2013 Outlook: Seymour will be returning to juniors and is several years away from the NHL

Scouting Report: Seymour is a defensive minded defenseman who’s a thumper, playing a hard physical game……Why the Penguins really like him in addition to being a thumper is that he skates very well….

Potential – Physical defenseman

2012-2013 Outlook: Ruopp will be returning to juniors for 2012-2013

Scouting Report: Talk of him being a highly touted prospect was extremely overrated when the Penguins acquired Ruopp……What he brings to the table is a physical game, ability to clear front of the net, other than that, not much….Was a minus-23 in regular season and minus-7 in six playoff games……

Potential – Physical defenseman