Scouting Eric Tangradi’s NHL debut; Top 5 winger prospects in the Penguins system

The Pittsburgh Penguins No. 2 prospect Eric Tangradi made his NHL debut Sunday evening against the New York Islanders.

Tangradi, 21, the marquee acquisition of the Ryan Whitney trade last February, had 13:49 of ice time playing on a line with Jordan Staal and Tyler Kennedy.

Tangradi had 3 shots on goal and got better as the game went on. In the first half of the game, it appeared that it was an adjustment period for Tangradi to adjust to the NHL speed, struggling off the boards but he started getting more comfortable later in the game.

He played a strong third period and his ability around the net stood out. Tangradi protects the puck well with his size and never tried to do much. When entering the offensive zone with the puck, Tangradi would dump the puck in and look to create offensive opportunities off the fore-check and cycle. He’s not a player that is going to create prime scoring chances with flashy individual plays.

One area of his game that must improve is his physical play. There were a few situations on the fore-check where Tangradi was poke checking instead of taking the body.

Tangradi has drawn some concerns from scouts at the AHL level about his lack of consistency when it comes to physical play.

Tangradi is expected to be re-assigned to Wilkes Barre/Scranton Monday morning but fans may not have seen the last of him this season. Team sources indicate that Tangradi will be added to the Penguins playoff roster, if Wilkes Barre is knocked out of the playoffs and the Penguins are still playing.

Looking ahead to 2010 and beyond, Tangradi is the only legitimate top-6 forward in the Penguins system.

Names such as Dustin Jeffrey (71 pts, WBS) get mentioned around here but try to find a scout who actually projects Dustin Jeffrey to develop into a top-6 forward at the next level.

Scouts like Nick Johnson to potentially play a second line role but concerns continue about his speed and most evaluators see him as more of an asset as a third line winger at the next level.

Meanwhile, 2009 third round pick Ben Hanowski has tremendous puck skills but is a major project according to league evaluators. Hanowski had 9 goals and 19 points in 43 games at St. Cloud State. He’s at least 3-4 years away, according to one evaluator.

2009 4th round pick Nick Petersen is a talented winger in the Penguins system, scoring 39 goals and 79 points for the Saint John Sea Dogs of the QMJHL but he’s an older player that is playing against younger competition. His projection as an NHL player is years away.

A sleeper in the Penguins system is Keven Veilleux whose season was cut short due to shoulder surgery.

One scout ranked the Penguins as having one of the bottom five systems in the National Hockey League when it comes to the winger position.

Last year Pittsburgh went defense-defense in the 1st and 2nd round and their focus in the first round of the upcoming 2010 draft will be drafting a winger.

The Penguins are very deep on their blueline with Simon Despres, Robert Bortuzzo, Brian Strait, Philip Samuelsson Ben Lovejoy and Carl Sneep (not signed) in their system.

1. Eric Tangradi – Age 20

-Protects the puck very well down low in the offensive zone

– establishes a net presence, effective in the slot

– Strong possession player in around the net, uses size very well to protect puck

– Great Hockey vision, sees the ice very well

– Does not have an explosive shot but he has good hands around the net

– Quickness of his shot is a still a work in progress

– More consistency in the offensive zone. Ability to create scoring chances off of one-on-one battles is still a developing area of his game.

– Lacks consistency in physical play. Doesn’t play a rugged game that proto-typical power forwards play at the NHL level.

– Hard accurate shot, has top 6 forward potential in the shooting and passing department

– Above average speed, acceleration for a player his size

– Uses his long reach, protects the puck well in the offensive zone

– Has drawn comparisons to Viktor Kozlov from team scouts

– Looks very comfortable playing wing

– Smart two-way player, cleans up his own well, has a center instinct

– Size, offensive skill to be a 45+ point player in the National Hockey League

– Big strong player who has top 9 potential, can score in around the net and create his own play

– Regarded by scouts around the league as the most under-rated prospect in the Penguins system

– Protects the puck well, quick passer when a defender is closing in

– Uses his size well– behind and around the net

– Ability to pick corners, snap shot is his biggest asset

– Not afraid to establish a net presence

– Reliable player in the defensive zone

– Has not shown the ability to dominate at the college or AHL level, despite the physical skills he possess.

– Concerns surround his skating ability, most notably his acceleration at the next level coming off the boards.

– Had a knack for scoring goals at the high school level

– Elusive when a defender is closing on him

– Good at moving the puck in tight

– Smart two way player

– Hard worker, student of the game

– Performed well in testing drills at Penguins prospect camp in drills that had an emphasis on quick feet

– Overall Skating ability which could hinder his NHL prospects.

– Body needs to fill out

– Needs atleast three years of college hockey to get stronger and prepare for the physicality of professional hockey

– Extremely good passer

– Puck possession player

– Good instincts in the defensive zone

– Regarded as being too finesse

– Holds onto the puck too long

– Skating ability needs to improve