Risers and Fallers at Penguins Training Camp

Which Pittsburgh Penguins are on the rise after the first weekend of camp?

First impressions are crucial for young players vying for an opportunity to impress at Pittsburgh Penguins training camp. The camp itself is only a few weeks long and, as we saw yesterday, players can get sent home quickly.

With the Penguins' camp roster beginning to shrink, here are a few remaining names heading in opposite directions.

Riser - Lars Eller

Newcomer Lars Eller has quickly established himself as the Penguins' third-line center, looking to revitalize a position that hasn't brought much to the table in recent years. Eller has already built up some chemistry with returning Penguins Rickard Rakell and Drew O'Connor, combining for multiple goals early in camp scrimmages.

The Penguins will ask Eller to be a force on both ends of the ice as he leads the charge for a rebuilt bottom six. It has only been a few practices, but Eller already seems to be an upgrade over last year's revolving door of centers.

Riser - Vinnie Hinostroza

It was easy to forget about the acquisition of Vinnie Hinostroza leading up to camp. He was one of several one-year signings for Penguins President of Hockey Ops and General Manager Kyle Dubas over the summer and entered camp as just another winger in the bottom-six battle.

However, Hinostroza grabbed everyone's attention on the first day of camp when he lined up alongside former Notre Dame teammate Bryan Rust and Penguins' captain Sidney Crosby. With Jake Guentzel rehabbing ankle surgery and skating on his own before practice, Hinostroza has impressed during the opening weekend of camp.

Whether he can maintain his position on the Penguins' top line through camp remains to be seen. But for now, Hinostroza is the leading candidate to begin the season next to Crosby until Guentzel returns from injury.

Faller - Valtteri Puustinen

Valtteri Puustinen is one of the rare Penguins that has not benefited from new management. In Dubas' attempt to build up the farm system and ensure a much better season for the AHL Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins, he also placed a handful of extra roadblocks in front of the 24-year-old Finnish forward.

Unlike last preseason, Puustinen has done little to stand out and separate himself from the pack. He hasn't performed poorly during the first few days of camp, but with the number of other forwards in and around his level, he'll need to do more to earn call-ups to the NHL this season over guys like Andreas Johnsson, Radim Zohorna, and Sam Poulin.

The Penguins continue their preseason schedule this evening when they visit the Detroit Red Wings at 7:00 P.M. Eastern.

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