Penguins Camp Takeaways: Players Shine on Day Two

For some, the beginning of fall means pumpkin spice lattes and flannel shirts, but for others, it means training camp season for the Pittsburgh Penguins. 57 players took the ice for day two of Penguins camp on Friday, looking to make a name for themselves in front of a busy crowd at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex. 

Here are the biggest takeaways from day two of Penguins training camp.

PO Joseph enters this season hoping to earn consistent playing time at the NHL level. With the Penguin's blue line stockpiled with NHL talent, Joseph will have to be on his game every session to stand out and separate himself from the pack. It doesn’t hurt that he’s practicing alongside Kris Letang either.

With the roster split into three different teams, Joseph is seeing a lot of time with Letang early in camp. It is noteworthy but not entirely new. Joseph and Letang played together for a handful of games during Joseph’s first stint in the NHL. The pairing looked good on day two of training camp, already showing more of a connection than their previous time together back in 2020.

The scrimmage session between teams 2 and 3 was not an overly physical affair, but that didn’t stop Jason Zucker and Kasperi Kapanen from throwing the body around. Both players played with an edge throughout the scrimmage, each laying the loudest hits for their respective teams.

Both players enter the year looking to bounce back from disappointing seasons in 2021-22. Zucker’s early physical showing was matched with a nice goal during the scrimmage off a feed from Radim Zohorna. Taking the pass on his forehand, Zucker switched to the backhand and put the puck over Tommy Nappier’s shoulder and into the net. Finishing was an issue for Zucker last season (7.8% shooting percentage), but the former 30-goal scorer had no problem lighting the lamp on day two.

Speaking of Zohorna, he was easily one of the best players on the ice during the scrimmage session. Centering a line with Jason Zucker and Josh Archibald, Zohorna was constantly around the puck and collected a goal and an assist in the contest. His stature (6’6” 220 lbs.) makes him stand out on the ice, but his skating is what separated him from a lot of the competition today.

The last thing of note from practice is Bryan Rust. With the ink still wet from his new six-year contract, Rust enters camp with a newfound sense of security with the Penguins. His ability to play in all aspects of the game makes him one of Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan’s favorite weapons.

One thing that doesn’t get discussed enough is his vision and passing ability. There were multiple instances during today’s scrimmage where Rust was able to thread a pass through the offensive zone to create a chance in front of the net for a high-danger scoring chance.

The play of the day goes to Casey DeSmith. In a two-on-one drill, DeSmith robbed Drew O’Conner, who had a wide open net from inside the crease. O’Connor made a handsy play off a pass from Ryan Poehling to move the puck to his forehand. Unfortunately for him, DeSmith got his leg out just in time to prevent the shot from going in, drawing stick taps from his teammates on the side of the drill. 

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