Confirmed with Link: Penguins sign college undrafted Drew O'Connor

[Peat]

He did spend a decent amount of time with Sid and Geno, then was relegated to the bottom 6. I think his production is consistent with that.

It's a big part of it but iirc, when you break it down, he's still behind his bottom line numbers from last season and certainly looks less dynamic on the puck. He was making some nice plays on Cullen's line. Plus, he was finishing what he was given. Blueger and Tanev have given him some absolutely glorious chances this season and he's been super wasteful. I'm idly curious to see whether he can bounce back as a goal scorer next season or whether this is it. There's plenty of reason to hope he can from his career so far and plenty of reason to expect he can't.

For once I wasn't being sarcastic. I'm just looking to waste some time at work.

You are the hero this forum needs.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

What kind of name is Drew, is his full name Dreward? Is it short for Andrew? Which makes it douchey to be shortened to "Drew"...so is it then Drewander?

 

[cygnus47]

He's free, so there's no downside. Probably Eric Tangradi-ish, but who knows, lottery ticket.

 

[EightyOne]

I would almost assume an NCAA team has better facilities than an AHL team lol lol

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

What kind of name is Drew, is his full name Dreward? Is it short for Andrew? Which makes it douchey to be shortened to "Drew"...so is it then Drewander?

You've seriously never heard Andrews shorten their name to Drew? I knew about 4 or 5 Andrews in elementary/high school who went by Drew.

 

[EightyOne]

You've seriously never heard Andrews shorten their name to Drew? I knew about 4 or 5 Andrews in elementary/high school who went by Drew.

Sir. He's messing with y'all.

 

[Randy Butternubs]

Something like this:

1	San Diego, CA
2	Cedar Park, TX
3	Charlotte, NC
4	Loveland, CO
5	San Jose, CA
6	San Antonio, TX
7	Grand Rapids, MI
8	Cleveland, OH
9	Milwaukee, WI
10	Laval, QUE
11	Toronto, ONT
12	Tucson, AZ
13	Des Moines, IO
14	Ontario, CA
15	Providence, RI
16	Rochester, NY
17	Bridgeport, CT
18	Hartford, CT
19	Springfield, MA
20	Hershey, PA
21	WBS, PA
22	Allentown, PA
23	Belleville, ONT
24	Rosemont, IL
25	Bakersfield, CA
26	Stockton, CA
27	Utica, NY
28	Syracuse, NY
29	Rockford, IL
30	Binghamton, NY
31	Winnipeg, MAN

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

 

[EightyOne]

Stockton is better than Bakersfield though

You'll never make it to LA from bfield

At least Stockton has Sacramento and SF bay area closer and more accessible

 

[StaalForOne]

Something like this:

1	San Diego, CA
2	Cedar Park, TX
3	Charlotte, NC
4	Loveland, CO
5	San Jose, CA
6	San Antonio, TX
7	Grand Rapids, MI
8	Cleveland, OH
9	Milwaukee, WI
10	Laval, QUE
11	Toronto, ONT
12	Tucson, AZ
13	Des Moines, IO
14	Ontario, CA
15	Providence, RI
16	Rochester, NY
17	Bridgeport, CT
18	Hartford, CT
19	Springfield, MA
20	Hershey, PA
21	WBS, PA
22	Allentown, PA
23	Belleville, ONT
24	Rosemont, IL
25	Bakersfield, CA
26	Stockton, CA
27	Utica, NY
28	Syracuse, NY
29	Rockford, IL
30	Binghamton, NY
31	Winnipeg, MAN

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

I'll only rate the places I've been to, but I will say I'm surprised at how high you have Des Moines...a city I know mostly nothing about it.


4 Loveland, CO
11 Toronto, ONT
3 Charlotte, NC
15 Providence, RI
12 Tucson, AZ
8 Cleveland, OH
16 Rochester, NY
21 WBS, PA
20 Hershey, PA
19 Springfield, MA
30 Binghamton, NY
27 Utica, NY
28 Syracuse, NY

Syracuse sucks.

I also think Providence is underrated. The city itself is whatever, but it's near Boston and Newport

 

[Andy99]

is there a couple more of these guys we could get?

College free agents starting to sign with NHL teams

 

[Peat]

is there a couple more of these guys we could get?

College free agents starting to sign with NHL teams

I very much doubt we're done, although I don't know how many of the top guys we'll be in on. I do think there's obvious easy routes to the NHL for a C and RD in WBS though, so maybe that sways people.

 

[Randy Butternubs]

The Lucchini signing didn't work out for the Pens, but he seems to be doing okay in Laval.

 

[Andy99]

I very much doubt we're done, although I don't know how many of the top guys we'll be in on. I do think there's obvious easy routes to the NHL for a C and RD in WBS though, so maybe that sways people.

Besides D, I really hope we’re making strong pushes for some of the top scorers, as we could use some more shooting talent...

 

[Al Smith]

I'll only rate the places I've been to, but I will say I'm surprised at how high you have Des Moines...a city I know mostly nothing about it.


4 Loveland, CO
11 Toronto, ONT
3 Charlotte, NC
15 Providence, RI
12 Tucson, AZ
8 Cleveland, OH
16 Rochester, NY
21 WBS, PA
20 Hershey, PA
19 Springfield, MA
30 Binghamton, NY
27 Utica, NY
28 Syracuse, NY

Syracuse sucks.

I also think Providence is underrated. The city itself is whatever, but it's near Boston and Newport

Yeah, if you’re doing anything south of Boston flying in and out of Providence is a nice alternative to Logan. Rochester’s lovely if you time it right. I was up there in May many years ago and it felt like February. But August there was lovely, especially when you get out in he country a bit. Tucson over Cleveland any and every day.

Nice effort last night. I thought 3rd and 4th lines had some great shifts and Marino and Petts had a nice game. Schultz with not only a shot on frame but in the net. Don’t know what the **** 58 was thinking with the slash, but everyone on the PK really stepped up. Let’s see what happens agst better comp. later this week.

 

[CheckingLineCenter]

Something like this:

1	San Diego, CA
2	Cedar Park, TX
3	Charlotte, NC
4	Loveland, CO
5	San Jose, CA
6	San Antonio, TX
7	Grand Rapids, MI
8	Cleveland, OH
9	Milwaukee, WI
10	Laval, QUE
11	Toronto, ONT
12	Tucson, AZ
13	Des Moines, IO
14	Ontario, CA
15	Providence, RI
16	Rochester, NY
17	Bridgeport, CT
18	Hartford, CT
19	Springfield, MA
20	Hershey, PA
21	WBS, PA
22	Allentown, PA
23	Belleville, ONT
24	Rosemont, IL
25	Bakersfield, CA
26	Stockton, CA
27	Utica, NY
28	Syracuse, NY
29	Rockford, IL
30	Binghamton, NY
31	Winnipeg, MAN

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

only thing I’ll say is that as a ZAR or OC, top UDFA type, you’re prob coming into this with the idea that you won’t spend a ton of time in the AHL. Combine that with the fact they’re off completely in the summers, sometimes as early as April.. they’re not really living there. Plus away games, travel time.

Then factor in these kids are already coming from college towns in the middle of nowhere. A lot of these AHL towns are upgrades, if not massive ones.

I mean if you go to BU or BC or Harvard or Northeastern, etc and had a great experience in the city— then maybe there’s an inclination to look harder at location. Other than that, I don’t know how big a deal it is. I’d think opportunity, organization, comfort with coaches and other factors trump the city/town as far as recruiting these kids.

Idk, as a someone who is only a year older than O’Connor- that’s my thinking for UDFAs. Everyone is their own person though so it’s hard to generalize. And then obviously for the older lifer types who grind out solid careers in the American, you look at it much differently.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

You've seriously never heard Andrews shorten their name to Drew? I knew about 4 or 5 Andrews in elementary/high school who went by Drew.

Wankers, the lot of them.

 

[ziggyjoe212]

Something like this:

1	San Diego, CA
2	Cedar Park, TX
3	Charlotte, NC
4	Loveland, CO
5	San Jose, CA
6	San Antonio, TX
7	Grand Rapids, MI
8	Cleveland, OH
9	Milwaukee, WI
10	Laval, QUE
11	Toronto, ONT
12	Tucson, AZ
13	Des Moines, IO
14	Ontario, CA
15	Providence, RI
16	Rochester, NY
17	Bridgeport, CT
18	Hartford, CT
19	Springfield, MA
20	Hershey, PA
21	WBS, PA
22	Allentown, PA
23	Belleville, ONT
24	Rosemont, IL
25	Bakersfield, CA
26	Stockton, CA
27	Utica, NY
28	Syracuse, NY
29	Rockford, IL
30	Binghamton, NY
31	Winnipeg, MAN

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Unless the team pays for your housing the vast majority of AHLers can't afford a decent home in San Diego, San Jose or Toronto and would likely require a roommate. I would hate to be a pro hockey player and live in a tiny apartment with a roommate, even if it is in San Diego.
With that being said, Cleveland over Toronto? Really?

 

[Peat]

Besides D, I really hope we’re making strong pushes for some of the top scorers, as we could use some more shooting talent...

Given Conor Sheary might be the current most productive NHLer to be an undrafted NCAA free agent, I wouldn't exactly hold my breath there.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

Given Conor Sheary might be the current most productive NHLer to be an undrafted NCAA free agent, I wouldn't exactly hold my breath there.

Just wait 'til Sheary to hits his Drew O'Connor growth spurt.

 

[Peat]

Just wait 'til Sheary to hits his Drew O'Connor growth spurt.

He can be a little uncoordinated at the best of times, can you imagine him after growing 5 inches in a short period of time?

 

[Pens x]

We gotta keep signing these guys since we are terrible at drafting. I don’t know much about him, but it seems he was coveted.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

He can be a little uncoordinated at the best of times, can you imagine him after growing 5 inches in a short period of time?

 

[Speaking Moistly]

Unless the team pays for your housing the vast majority of AHLers can't afford a decent home in San Diego, San Jose or Toronto and would likely require a roommate. I would hate to be a pro hockey player and live in a tiny apartment with a roommate, even if it is in San Diego.
With that being said, Cleveland over Toronto? Really?

You’ve got to wonder how many live in Toronto let alone downtown. It kind of defeats the purpose of living in the city itself as a selling point but I’m not sure a lot are really living in Toronto. A 30 minute drive in to Toronto would be different than, say the time for Wilkes barre to Pittsburgh.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

We gotta keep signing these guys since we are terrible at drafting. I don’t know much about him, but it seems he was coveted.

The Pens aren't terrible at drafting, they're actually quite good. The prospect pool is shallow because they're always packaging high picks and prospects to bolster playoff runs. Since 2012, the Pens have only kept one first round pick...and that was Poulin, drafted in the bottom third of the 1st round.

 

[ziggyjoe212]

We gotta keep signing these guys since we are terrible at drafting. I don’t know much about him, but it seems he was coveted.

what makes you say that? I think the Pens are above average at drafting. It just so happens that JR trades away all our picks and prospects so we have a small pool.

Recent pens draft picks/prospects that panned out include: Rust, Guentzel, Murray, Jarry, Sheary, Kapanen, ZAR (arguable), Blueger, Simon, Sunqvist.
And it sounds like the pens had a strong draft last year with Poulin and Legare.