To expand on what was said earlier about Penner's story. He was actually cut twice by his hometown Junior A team in Winkler, Manitoba. Played a couple years in Junior B. For those not aware, junior A is a step below Canadian major junior (WHL, OHL and QMJHL), and the MJHL is not exactly recognized as one of the dominant junior A leagues in Canada.
Bottineau's basically an obscure college in North Dakota. No offence to the school, either. Actually, a friend of mine went there for a couple of years. Don't even know if it's classified as Division III.
Penner has the potential to be an all-time, dictionary example of a hockey late bloomer. Young players are supposed to get better every year, but not to the extent that he has improved. He has all the skills to be a star, and the size to match. The sky is the limit.