Top 7 Best Seasons by a Penguins Player Under 20

The Pittsburgh Penguins recently announced they signed their top prospect, Brayden Yager, to an entry-level deal. 

At just 19, he's on the cusp of securing a spot in the NHL, which got us wondering who had the best statistical campaigns for a Penguins player under 20.

Thanks to QuantHockey data, we could figure out the top spots, even though some were pretty obvious.

By his 20th birthday, Jaromir Jagr was a two-time Stanley Cup champion and had 126 points in 150 games. However, in 1992-93, he scored 94 points, kicking off a streak of collecting at least 90 or more points in seven of the next eight seasons.

After being the top pick in the 1984 Entry Draft, Mario Lemieux scored his first goal on his first shot on his first shift. He finished the season with 100 points in 73 games, winning the Calder Trophy and becoming the third player in Penguins history to tally 100 points.

Current Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby owns the team record with 102 points as a teenager, set in 2005-06, a mark that may never be broken. In addition to those scoring accolades, he finished third in penalty minutes, racking a career-high 110 in 81 games.

Pierre Larouche's historic 111-point season in 1975-76 was the Penguins team record until Lemieux came along in the 1980s. Along with Jean Pronovost, Larouche became one of the first two players to reach 50 goals in a single season while wearing a Pittsburgh sweater. 

Rob Brown scored more than 100 points just once in his 11-year career, which happened to be in 1988-89 when his linemate Lemieux recorded 114 assists and 199 points. Playing alongside a legend allowed Brown to net 49 goals and have one of the best seasons by a Penguins player under 20.  

Everyone knew Crosby was a special player. After losing out on the Calder Trophy as Rookie of the Year, he erupted for 120 points in his second season to win the Hart and Pearson Trophies as NHL MVP and claim the Art Ross Trophy as the top scorer. He owns the club record for most points for a player under 20 with 222.

Lemieux's totals, 838 points in just 427 games, from 1984 to 1990 are the second-highest during that span. Of course, Wayne Gretzky scored more, with 1,065, but Lemieux kept pace with 241 points in his first two seasons, while The Great One compiled 301 at the beginning of his career. Because of their successes at a young age, it's safe to say their production levels aged 20 and under may never be duplicated again.