Prospect Info: Pittsburgh Penguins Prospects Thread: 2023-2024 Edition

[Ryder71]

Not in Edmonton

He's just making things up at this point. You don't have to be big to be a good NHLer and beyond that the kid is 19, he'll put on weight, it's not an issue.

 

[cookthebooks]

does he even look that thin relative to his competition?

 

[The Old Master]

He's just making things up at this point. You don't have to be big to be a good NHLer and beyond that the kid is 19, he'll put on weight, it's not an issue.

i was sure of it when we drafted him, .....now, i'm not as sure.

 

[Rakell67]

Putting on weight may be best achieved with the Pens. They have the better training facilities/weight trainers and he would be getting advice from NHLers and I'm sure it wouldn't hurt being with Crosby. Also, he wouldn't be playing top line minutes so his body would be able to rest more/put on more weight.

 

[Jacob]

Success in juniors (or NCAA or Euro leagues) doesn’t guarantee NHL success but a lack of success in juniors almost certainly guarantees you won’t be successful in the NHL, although there are some interesting examples of guys that seemingly bloomed waaay later in their careers.

They just replayed MJ’s last game on NHL Network but it wasn’t on their programming schedule so I only caught the last 6 minutes or so.

If Yager can’t go AHL I suppose WHL isn’t the worst option. Let him be the guy on Moose Jaw, then WJCs in a larger role. They seem to play responsible defensively under O’Leary. And unless they have some imports up their sleeve they will probably be sellers and Yager will be traded to a contender where he can gain even more playoff experience.

He’s not NHL-ready though. And unless he was not only NHL-ready but productive in the NHL I wouldn’t waste an ELC year in Pittsburgh.

If we sign him he can use his signing bonus to hire a nutritionist and part time trainer.

 

[Pancakes]

Success in juniors (or NCAA or Euro leagues) doesn’t guarantee NHL success but a lack of success in juniors almost certainly guarantees you won’t be successful in the NHL, although there are some interesting examples of guys that seemingly bloomed waaay later in their careers.

Rust is an interesting example of that. Never really lit it up that much anywhere he played but became a great NHLer.

 

[Ryder71]

i was sure of it when we drafted him, .....now, i'm not as sure.

He's 19, he's also not yet a an off season program because he's still playing. I can't believe we're even talking about this nothing burger!!!!

 

[Don'tcry4mejanhrdina]

All this weight talk about Yager reminds me of when Malkin was drafted and weighed 185 pounds and people on this board were talking about him becoming a 230 pound beast, ultimately culminating in the infamous "thin bones" post.

Malkin topped out at about 195 pounds at 6'3" and he's done alright for himself. Not everybody has to be built like Jagr to succeed in the NHL.

 

[HandshakeLine]

All this weight talk about Yager reminds me of when Malkin was drafted and weighed 185 pounds and people on this board were talking about him becoming a 230 pound beast, ultimately culminating in the infamous "thin bones" post.

Malkin topped out at about 195 pounds at 6'3" and he's done alright for himself. Not everybody has to be built like Jagr to succeed in the NHL.

Yeah. I think what's getting lost in the shuffle here is you have to play a different game with a different build. And sometimes that game doesn't translate to the NHL, sometimes it does. Lots of smaller players just can't make that adjustment, just like lots of boxers can't necessarily fight at different weight classes.

And while the difference between getting hit by a player weighing 165 and one who tips the scales at 225 is night and day, I think a bigger issue is height/reach. You can always try to add mass. But you can't make a player taller or give them more of a wingspan.

 

[MrBurghundy]

Success in juniors (or NCAA or Euro leagues) doesn’t guarantee NHL success but a lack of success in juniors almost certainly guarantees you won’t be successful in the NHL, although there are some interesting examples of guys that seemingly bloomed waaay later in their careers.

They just replayed MJ’s last game on NHL Network but it wasn’t on their programming schedule so I only caught the last 6 minutes or so.

If Yager can’t go AHL I suppose WHL isn’t the worst option. Let him be the guy on Moose Jaw, then WJCs in a larger role. They seem to play responsible defensively under O’Leary. And unless they have some imports up their sleeve they will probably be sellers and Yager will be traded to a contender where he can gain even more playoff experience.

He’s not NHL-ready though. And unless he was not only NHL-ready but productive in the NHL I wouldn’t waste an ELC year in Pittsburgh.

If we sign him he can use his signing bonus to hire a nutritionist and part time trainer.

While you may very well be right, I'm not sure watching 6 minutes of the last game of the year, after slogging through the playoffs is the best sample size to judge if he can play in the NHL next year or not.

Unless you had a chance to watch him more on other occasions this year that I don't know about, and you're factoring that in too.

 

[Ryder71]

All this weight talk about Yager reminds me of when Malkin was drafted and weighed 185 pounds and people on this board were talking about him becoming a 230 pound beast, ultimately culminating in the infamous "thin bones" post.

Malkin topped out at about 195 pounds at 6'3" and he's done alright for himself. Not everybody has to be built like Jagr to succeed in the NHL.

100% RIGHT!

 

[The Old Master]

All this weight talk about Yager reminds me of when Malkin was drafted and weighed 185 pounds and people on this board were talking about him becoming a 230 pound beast, ultimately culminating in the infamous "thin bones" post.

Malkin topped out at about 195 pounds at 6'3" and he's done alright for himself. Not everybody has to be built like Jagr to succeed in the NHL.

two completely deferent types of players. and 170 from 185 is a big deference add to that at 6' 3'' you have a better reach that lets you avoid a lot of physical battles. I could see yager playing wing and just using his speed and shot and doing a good job at it. but that's not what he's been working for. He wants to be a defensively sound center. that can win battels not only along the boards but also in front of our net. to do that he needs to get big enough that he won't get rag dolled.

 

[HandshakeLine]

two completely deferent types of players. and 170 from 185 is a big deference add to that at 6' 3'' you have a better reach that lets you avoid a lot of physical battles. I could see yager playing wing and just using his speed and shot and doing a good job at it. but that's not what he's been working for. He wants to be a defensively sound center. that can win battels not only along the boards but also in front of our net. to do that he needs to get big enough that he won't get rag dolled.

Yeah, I don't think the game he wants to play necessarily translates for him to the NHL, at least not as he currently is built. That's my concern.

 

[lokomotiv15]

All this weight talk about Yager reminds me of when Malkin was drafted and weighed 185 pounds and people on this board were talking about him becoming a 230 pound beast, ultimately culminating in the infamous "thin bones" post.

Malkin topped out at about 195 pounds at 6'3" and he's done alright for himself. Not everybody has to be built like Jagr to succeed in the NHL.

My best buddy played for the Pens in 17-18 and then a good friend played there for a few years after that so I went to Pitt maybe 6 or 7 times during those seasons for games and meeting the guys, hanging out, etc... and I'd say maybe 1/4 of that room was listed at the proper height and weight looking back at it. I don't think they adjusted Malkins weight after his sophomore season; Recently you can tell he's slimmed down a bit but in '17, at his height, I wouldn't have been surprised if he was more in the 205 and maybe up to 210 range. No way Kessel was 208, or that Sheary was 5'9, or 185 or whatever he was listed at. A couple egregious height discrepancies to be sure

 

[HandshakeLine]

My best buddy played for the Pens in 17-18 and then a good friend played there for a few years after that so I went to Pitt maybe 6 or 7 times during those seasons for games and meeting the guys, hanging out, etc... and I'd say maybe 1/4 of that room was listed at the proper height and weight looking back at it. I don't think they adjusted Malkins weight after his sophomore season; Recently you can tell he's slimmed down a bit but in '17, at his height, I wouldn't have been surprised if he was more in the 205 and maybe up to 210 range. No way Kessel was 208, or that Sheary was 5'9, or 185 or whatever he was listed at. A couple egregious height discrepancies to be sure

Josh Jooris?

 

[Gurglesons]

All this weight talk about Yager reminds me of when Malkin was drafted and weighed 185 pounds and people on this board were talking about him becoming a 230 pound beast, ultimately culminating in the infamous "thin bones" post.

Malkin topped out at about 195 pounds at 6'3" and he's done alright for himself. Not everybody has to be built like Jagr to succeed in the NHL.

Not saying they do. Just like you said. Acting like Yager is “just 19” and will suddenly be 200+ is really weird.

 

[lokomotiv15]

Josh Jooris?

Haha no, the equally impactful, but less handsome, Greg McKegg.

 

[Turin]

Malkin was definitely over 200 in his mid to late 20’s. You’re telling me he gained no weight from 2008 to 2020? No chance.

 

[Kasperi kapanen]

Not saying they do. Just like you said. Acting like Yager is “just 19” and will suddenly be 200+ is really weird.

Nobody said that. Most people agree somewhere between 185-190.

 

[Andy99]

5’11 170 is fine to play in the NHL…just look at Guentzel when he first came up

 

[Kasperi kapanen]

Let’s shift this convo ab Yager and his weight, we’ve just gone in circles lol.

Any particular prospects you guys want the Pens to draft with picks 44 and 46? I think BPA is the best route but I hope there is still a good dman, preferably RH, on the board. This draft is loaded with dmen. Harrison Bruenicke and Linus Eriksson are my picks. I also really like Solberg but he’s rising FAST and might sneak in the top 10 a la Moritz Seider.

 

[GilbertSeinfeld]

Haha no, the equally impactful, but less handsome, Greg McKegg.

They were traded for one another.

 

[WickedWrister]

Not trying to rehash the Yager weight stuff but FWIW he talked a little bit about his conversations with the Penguins in this interview from a few days ago. Spoke with members of the player development staff and strength coaches about what to do in the gym and get stronger. Mentions faceoffs and defensive zone as something he's been trying to work on this year.

Pens related stuff starts at 2:00

 

[The Old Master]

Let’s shift this convo ab Yager and his weight, we’ve just gone in circles lol.

Any particular prospects you guys want the Pens to draft with picks 44 and 46? I think BPA is the best route but I hope there is still a good dman, preferably RH, on the board. This draft is loaded with dmen. Harrison Bruenicke and Linus Eriksson are my picks. I also really like Solberg but he’s rising FAST and might sneak in the top 10 a la Moritz Seider.

haven't done any homework this year, because picking this low is so much a crap shoot. there are away too many variables to make a good guess. some one is sure to fall, but even then but I'm not letting that stop me! thinking all the players that might drop no. one would be the Russians so

Matvei Gridin

LHRW

Matvei Shuravin

LD

Nikita Artamonov

LW

all of these could still be there. need to check with our russian scout Caser.
.

Dean Letourneau

RHC

would be a nice home run swing

 

[Kasperi kapanen]

Artamonov is weird beacuse he put up excellent numbers in the KHL as a 17yo, but he’s seen as a late 1st early 2nd prospect. Would for sure be an interesting grab. Letourneau could be Tage Thompson or Michael McCarron, I like it.