Penguins' Prospects Hoping To Make Jump in 2023
A handful of Pittsburgh Penguins prospects begin a very important season next week in Buffalo.
We sit two weeks away from the return of hockey as the Pittsburgh Penguins open their training camp on September 21st. But before that, over two dozen prospects will begin their season at the annual Prospect Challenge in Buffalo next weekend.
Several Penguins' top prospects will participate, including 2023 1st Round Pick Brayden Yager. While Yager looks to make a good first impression with the Penguins organization, a handful of his teammates next weekend will take their first shifts of a pivotal season in their development.
Prospect Challenge veteran and 2019 1st Rounder Sam Poulin returns for his third crack at the field in Buffalo. The 22-year-old forward played in three games with the Penguins at the NHL level last season, registering one assist in his NHL debut against the Calgary Flames.
He took a few months away from the game last season for personal reasons before returning late in the year with the AHL Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins. Poulin enters the season in the final year of his entry-level contract (ELC) and will look to prove that he can stick at the NHL level.
Lukas Svejkovsky is another forward to keep an eye on next week and through training camp. The undersized 21-year-old is coming off his first professional season, skating in 46 games at the AHL level last season and scoring 15 points (3G-12A).
Svejkovsky has a tremendous amount of scoring talent but needs to work on becoming a more well-rounded player to become a serious contender for an NHL roster spot.
What lessons will he be able to take from his rookie season, and how will he use them to take the next step in his progression this season? That will be the question surrounding Svejkovsky this year.
Speaking of AHL rookies, Joel Blomqvist will likely jump from Europe to North America this season as he begins his three-year ELC. The Penguins top goaltending prospect told Taylor Hasse of DKPittsburgh Sports as much when he attended Penguins rookie camp in July.
Blomqvist played 21 games for Karpat of the Finnish professional league last season, finishing with a .907 save percentage and a 2.14 goals-against average. The 21-year-old netminder looks to make a smooth transition to the North American game, and it all begins next week.
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