Though the Pittsburgh Penguins may lack projected impact players in the system, the team used late picks in recent years to build depth by drafting NCAA players. Take Bryan Rust and Scott Wilson, two younger NCAA products capable of solidifying the third or fourth lines as NHL call ups.
With the college hockey season getting underway in earnest this week, several Penguins draft picks playing in the NCAA this season look to follow in the footsteps of a Rust and Wilson and add to the team’s depth in the coming seasons.
University of Nebraska-Omaha junior Jake Guentzel leads the way. As a sophomore last season, Guentzel led the Mavericks with 25 assists and 39 points and helped guide the team to a Frozen Four appearance with four points in three tournament games. At 5-foot-10 and 168 pounds, the 2013 third rounder needs to add size, but impressed the Penguins coaching staff at rookie camp in July.
“It’s a big stepping stone to see what [the NHL players] do, the little things and take away stuff from them and see where you’re up to and what you have to do to get there,” Guentzel said.
Guentzel’s UNO Mavericks were joined in the NCAA tournament last season by the Minnesota State Mavericks, home of Pens 2012 second-rounder Teddy Blueger. Blueger posted career highs with the University of Minnesota-Mankato last season with 10 goals and 28 points. After an upset loss to RIT in the NCAA regionals in the spring, both the Mavs and the Pens hope the talented Latvian breaks out as a senior in 2015–16.
Also involved in the playoff hunt in the ultra-competitive NCHC will be the Western Michigan Broncos and sophomore forward Frederik Tiffels. A German native, Tiffels impressed the Penguins enough after scoring 11 goals and 21 points as a freshman at Western Michigan University to be drafted in the sixth round in June. Though unrefined, Tiffels comes with a lot of potential and eagerness to learn.
“Every season I just want to get better. Same with this year, I’ve set my goals, and I want to reach them,” Tiffels said. “They emphasize the compete level here and just being smarter on the ice, I think I can take that away from here.”
In the Hockey East conference, the Pens have a trio of players ready to make an impact.
Blaine Byron, a 2014 sixth rounder, finished second on the University of Maine with 12 goals in 39 games last season. Like Guentzel, Byron needs to bulk up, coming in at 6-foot tall but only 172 pounds. The Osgoode, Ontario native wants to up production as a junior.
“You always want to be known as a guy who can step up and make big plays in big games and hopefully play well and help the team out to get the right outcome and get the win,” Byron said.
Defenseman Ryan Segalla comes with little offensive upside, but the 2013 fourth rounder led the team with 54 penalty minutes as a sophomore, playing in 31 games. The pesky defender wants to be a rock with Connecticut in 2015–16.
“I want to work on being more consistent and keeping my game as simple as possible,” he said. “That’s when I think I’m helping my team the most; just keeping it simple.”
With a big body and a nasty streak, Segalla may have gleaned more from his time with the Penguins this summer than most collegiate players.
“These guys are all here for a reason,” he said. “They’ve proven they can play in the highest league. It’s very important for me to take in as much as I can, just become a sponge for this camp, and take it back to UConn and help our team win some games.”
Playing against Byron and Segalla, Boston University goaltender Sean Maguire looks to rebound after sitting out last season recovering from injury. The 2012 fourth rounder posted a .926 save percentage in 21 games as a freshman in 2012–13 and a .919 save percentage in 16 games as a sophomore two seasons ago. Led by now-Buffalo Sabres superstar Jack Eichel, BU advanced to the National Championship last season as Maguire watched from the press box.
“It’s not easy watching for any player,” he said. “Even though we had so much success, it’s bittersweet to be honest. I want to be there so bad. In the long run, I definitely think it was a better decision for me.”
Also sitting out last season was defenseman Dane Birks. Birks, a 2013 sixth rounder, was an academic redshirt at Michigan Tech last season after playing two seasons in the BCHL.
“Mentally it was tough, but I knew in the long run that it was the right decision,” Birks said of his choice to stay at the school despite having to sit out a season. “It took a lot of dedication, but I got through it. I learned a lot just from practicing even though not playing any games, I learned a lot being around the players and the coaches.”
In the ECAC, there will be Penguins prospects on four of the 12 teams. The Cornell Bears and Clarkson Golden Knights occupied the middle of the league last season, with upward ambitions for the young squads.
Forward Troy Josephs hopes to break out next season at Clarks
on University. After finishing with five points and 60 penalty minutes as a scrappy freshman, Josephs finished with 17 points and only 14 penalty minutes as a reinvented sophomore.
“I just want to be a real big role guy,” he said at this summer’s prospect camp. “I want to be someone the coach can count on. I feel like last season, I reached my potential near the end of the season near playoffs, and I just have to keep moving forward from there.”
The 6-foot-1, 183-pound forward wants to return to Consol Energy Center for the Three Rivers Classic Tournament in December as a household name: “By [the Three Rivers Classic], I want to be solidified as a top player in the ECAC and just be somewhat of a presence when I’m on the ice and just be impactful every time I touch the puck.”
Two years after a National Championship, the Union Dutchmen are in the midst of a full rebuild. Anchoring that effort on the back line will be Jeff Taylor. Taylor, an undersized yet productive player, enjoyed a strong sophomore season in 2014-15 with 31 points in 34 games.
Joining the Union at the bottom of the ECAC last season were the Brown Bears. Brown forward Sam Lafferty was born in Hollidaysburg, PA, about 90 miles east of Pittsburgh, and finished with 12 points in 31 games last season as a freshman.
With so many draft picks expected to be top contributors in the NCAA next season, the future seems a little brighter for the Penguins.
Photo credit: Omaha.com
