Pittsburgh Penguins remain stacked with collegiate talent

[HF Article]

Jake Guentzel finished with 13 goals and 25 assists in his sophomore season with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (Courtesy of Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire)


 

Under former general manager Ray Shero, the Pittsburgh Penguins emphasized college-bound talent in the middle to later parts of the draft, and they generally avoided drafting players from*overseas. The result is a system deep on college talent and short on Europeans.

Two college prospects represented the Penguins in the NCAA tournament: Teddy Blueger and Jake Guentzel. Both of the Penguins’ European prospects, Oskar Sundqvist and Kasperi Kapanen, are competing in their respective league playoffs.

Teddy Blueger, C/LW, Minnesota State Mavericks (WCHA)
Drafted 2nd round, 52nd overall, 2012

Although he had only eight points in his last 15 games, Blueger remained a key cog for Minnesota State, who was among the top ranked teams in the nation.… read more

The post Pittsburgh Penguins remain stacked with collegiate talent appeared first on Hockey's Future.



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[wej20]

Glad to hear Maguire has been cleared to play next year.

 

[AquaticBirdman]

Sucks that Guentzel has the build of a 13 year old.

 

[AjaxTelamon]

Sucks that Guentzel has the build of a 13 year old.

And he was actually drafted at a similar draft position as Sundqvist. Nothing like drafting midgets just because they're from Minnesota.

 

[billybudd]

And he was actually drafted at a similar draft position as Sundqvist. Nothing like drafting midgets just because they're from Minnesota.

Anthony Duclair went 2 or 3 picks later. Seems to me the Penguins (and NHL) would have had more use for a burner at wing who puts pucks in the net like it's nobody's business than for a playmaking center who could make weight against Demetrious Johnson, were he to change professions.

 

[Jules Winnfield]

Anthony Duclair went 2 or 3 picks later. Seems to me the Penguins (and NHL) would have had more use for a burner at wing who puts pucks in the net like it's nobody's business than for a playmaking center who could make weight against Demetrious Johnson, were he to change professions.

Duclair is going to be a good player. I've been impressed with him every time I saw him play.

 

[Scandale du Jour]

Duclair is going to be a good player. I've been impressed with him every time I saw him play.

Duclair has motivation/discipline problems though. He will need a VERY strict surrounding to develop properly and our gongshow of an organization wouldn't provide that. Duclair is very likely to bust if in the wrong environment. Luckily for him, he will play for Dave Tippett.

 

[wej20]

Gunetzel is putting up some great numbers, not sure why anyone would be down on that pick.

 

[BrunoPuntzJones]

Hasn't Guentzel filled out a bit? HockeyDB lists him 5'10", 160 lbs., while his Omaha player bio puts him at the same height and 175 lbs. The fact that he looked 15 when he was drafted is always going to haunt him with people here.

 

[billybudd]

Even if Guentzel's game translates to the NHL, which is doubtful, he's of zero use to us unless we trade Evgeni Malkin or Sidney Crosby, which I don't want to do and certainly not to be backfilled by a player like that.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

Gunetzel is putting up some great numbers, not sure why anyone would be down on that pick.

Probably because he's tiny, and the odds of a tiny player making an impact in the NHL unless he's out of this world talented is very slim.

 

[wej20]

Even if Guentzel's game translates to the NHL, which is doubtful, he's of zero use to us unless we trade Evgeni Malkin or Sidney Crosby, which I don't want to do and certainly not to be backfilled by a player like that.

Guentzel could well end on the wing as a pro.

Probably because he's tiny, and the odds of a tiny player making an impact in the NHL unless he's out of this world talented is very slim.

He's 5'10, Duclair is 5'11.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

Guentzel could well end on the wing as a pro.



He's 5'10, Duclair is 5'11.

Not just height, but weight.

If you're 5'11 and close to 200 lbs., I wouldn't worry about a player's height. If you're 5'10 and lucky to be more than 160 lbs, I would.

Kind of like the difference between Sidney Crosby and Pierre-Marc Bouchard.

 

[Le Magnifique 66]

Sucks that Guentzel has the build of a 13 year old.

Like Gaudreau?

Not comparing him to Gaudreau but size doesn't really matter when you have the hockey sense!

 

[billybudd]

Guentzel could well end on the wing as a pro.

Not with his size, he couldn't. The guy is tiny and doesn't have the Hall of Fame sort of skillset that St Louis uses to make it work for him.

He's 5'10, Duclair is 5'11.

Duclair is actually 5'11 (if not a touch over) and not slight of build for an NHLer. Guentzel is closer to Gibbons' size than Duclair's, except he's many times more slight of build than Frodo. Guentzel would be considered small if he was a first year Canadian junior player. If his bio says he's 5'10, 175, it's wrong.

 

[wej20]

Not just height, but weight.

If you're 5'11 and close to 200 lbs., I wouldn't worry about a player's height. If you're 5'10 and lucky to be more than 160 lbs, I would.

Kind of like the difference between Sidney Crosby and Pierre-Marc Bouchard.

Guentzel is 175, and he's still not done with college. Tyler Ennis is tiny and has managed to be a productive player.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

Guentzel is 175, and he's still not done with college. Tyler Ennis is tiny and has managed to be a productive player.

It's still about the odds. How many tiny players are there in the NHL? How many are actually decent players and not just tweeners like Chris Conner or Brian Gibbons?

Combine that with the Penguins' inability to develop forwards of any size, and I'd be absolutely shocked if a single one of these collegiate forwards turns into an impact player. Cup of tea in the NHL perhaps, but impact? Shocked.

 

[Le Magnifique 66]

Guentzel is 175, and he's still not done with college. Tyler Ennis is tiny and has managed to be a productive player.

The NHL is built for smaller guys now, with no hooking and less contact. If the talent is there and they work hard, these guys stick on rosters compared to previous years where teams just had that mentality of getting bigger!!!

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

The NHL is built for smaller guys now, with no hooking and less contact. If the talent is there and they work hard, these guys stick on rosters compared to previous years where teams just had that mentality of getting bigger!!!

Is this meant as a sarcastic post? We've seen for ourselves how the smaller Penguins roster can't compete with these bigger rosters who are allowed to clutch, grab, hook and hold.

 

[Skk82]

It's still about the odds. How many tiny players are there in the NHL? How many are actually decent players and not just tweeners like Chris Conner or Brian Gibbons

Jiri Hudler, Tyler Johnson, Patrick Kane and Jaden Schwarz all fit the profile and are all top 30 NHL scorers this season. Gaudreau isn't far behind. Marty St. Louis is an HOF'er. Brendan Gallagher and Mathieu Perreault are having nice seasons too, and guys like Hagelin and Zuccarello have been good too in the past. Mike Cammaleri is a 30 goal threat on a team with almost no offense.

Which isn't to say Guentzel belongs in the same sentence as Kaner, but if a small player has enough skill to be productive, they'll get a chance to play. Just as there are plenty of examples like Gibbons, there are plenty of good smaller NHL'er players around the league.

 

[theicebox]

Not buying what you're selling.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

Jiri Hudler, Tyler Johnson, Patrick Kane and Jaden Schwarz all fit the profile and are all top 30 NHL scorers this season. Gaudreau isn't far behind. Marty St. Louis is an HOF'er. Brendan Gallagher and Mathieu Perreault are having nice seasons too, and guys like Hagelin and Zuccarello have been good too in the past. Mike Cammaleri is a 30 goal threat on a team with almost no offense.

Which isn't to say Guentzel belongs in the same sentence as Kaner, but if a small player has enough skill to be productive, they'll get a chance to play. Just as there are plenty of examples like Gibbons, there are plenty of good smaller NHL'er players around the league.

But the bolded is exactly my original point. Unless you have out of this world skill to overcome the size thing, what are the chances you become a regular?

Guys like Kane and Schwartz were first round picks, so their talent was obvious even at the draft that they looked like they could overcome any lack of size. And a guy like Gaudreau was putting up phenomenal numbers in college. I don't think Guentzel is performing at the kind of level that suggests he's a good bet to buck the trend of small players not making it.

 

[Jacob]

Gunetzel is putting up some great numbers, not sure why anyone would be down on that pick.

Because he's 5'4" and 97 lbs.

 

[chethejet]

The Shero drafts will be remembered for him never drafting anyone taller than him. It is remarkable how little thought the Pens draft strategy was about loading up with PMD and small forwards who have limited physical size to start with. It will take years to rebuild the farm assuming they hire a head scout and staff that reflect what is in short supply to begin with.

 

[djt153]

sundqvist's measurables must've been lost in the metric translation