Summer prospect camp is in full swing
A week out from the NHL draft and the Penguins are holding their annual summer development camp. Sunday’s penultimate practice featured the three groups of prospects interacting with one another in a spirited, battle-drill filled morning.
The internet being the internet, there’s always a rush for a standout player or star to find, but at the risk of sounding like Kenny Powers, summer camp is the closest the NHL gets to celebrating being good at exercising. There’s a risk of reading too much into drills that in the big picture won’t add up to that much.
But hockey is hockey and development is important and that doesn’t mean there can be some useful takeaways. Here’s some that stood out today:
- Naturally, the focus on the three first round picks from last week is a key takeaway. I thought Bill Zonnon was fine but didn’t stand out in good or bad ways. It was just a Sunday in the summer for him, nothing wrong with that. Ben Kindel had some ups and downs, at times looking a little lost near the net and getting swallowed up by the physical play. But Kindel had some good moments too, including scoring from in tight. Seeing him and knowing he’s a first round pick makes sense.
- Will Horcoff was in the spotlight. With his size, frame and being a first round pick of Pittsburgh it’s difficult not to compare Horcoff to Jordan Staal in some ways. They’re not the same player, Horcoff showcased hands from in tight and a little bit of touch that wouldn’t draw a comparison to Staal. But Staal’s compete, two-way game and general standout play has some areas where it doesn’t look like the light has gone off for Horcoff yet at times. Which is fine, he’s young and it was a summer practice. Horcoff is a beast down low and in this venue it’s a guaranteed goal when he gets the puck near to the net. Doesn’t have much of a shot from distance, but he could deke around players and was pretty impressive. For being a controversial type of pick at 24 (and added that the Pens traded out from a better pick, not that he could control it) a lot of spotlight will be on Horcoff. He’s got a ways to go but again looking at him and knowing he’s barely 18 and it makes complete sense for this viewing that he was a first round pick.
- Speaking of what stands out to see why some players are more advanced or higher end, towards the end of the day the team was working on battling by the net and sending in point shots. Most the defensemen were getting their shots blocked down. Harrison Brunicke smoothly fired from the left side through traffic to the far bottom corner of the net. Brunicke doesn’t look like he belongs at a prospect camp (in a good way).
- In general, the chippiness was something to watch. Lots of board battles, little cross-checks in small area drills and full on wiping opponents out at the blueline. They weren’t full on trying to kill each other like it was the Stanley Cup Final but it was a spirited day.
- To that end, free agent invitee Thomas Budnik might have been the most entertaining player of the day. He was just flying around looking to get a piece out of anyone in the other color jersey. I don’t know what that means for his future or even if there is one, but he was fun to watch.
- Melvin Fernstrom kinda looks like what everyone wanted Nathan Legare to be. Dynamite shot when he has the space. Skating is a little iffy as advertised but Fernstrom has the touch and shot that looks very natural.
- Cruz Lucius plays like it’s a video game and he doesn’t remember the button to pass. Holds the puck for days. Great dekes. Can finish in tight. Did not like to give it up, even to his own teammates. Had a great hit on Emil Jarventie near the blueline too.
- The Pens’ most underrated prospect might be Joona Vaisanen. He’s just solid, doesn’t get a lot of press but I liked him out there today.
- Good day for Finn Harding too. He kinda looks like a Calen Addison out there, very small relative to all the 6’4”+ monsters the team has added recently but Harding has his head up and makes good plays with the puck.
- Newcomer Mikhail Ilyin looked like a stranger in a strange land sometimes, understandably enough since his English is nonexistent at this point. To be expected, but he flashed a few times, including a deke between his legs in close and scoring. At other times he was getting wiped out along the boards, looks very small. And also was staying to the perimeter at times, surely a big first taste of a different style of hockey but should do him well in the longer term. It’s not hard to see his vision, puckhandling ability and passing and see that he is one of the most skilled players on this rink.
Overall the size of the prospects and the amount of right handed shots was a stand out too. The Pens are early in the process of building back with youth, but a day like today showed what they are trying to develop in terms of compete level and size for the future.