The Pittsburgh Penguins have announced the full roster and schedule for the 2015 prospect development camp. The camp will be held July 14-18 at Consol Energy Center.
The final practice session at 3 p.m. on Saturday, July 18 will be open to the public.
The camp will be run by first-year Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan, Wheeling Nailers head coach Clark Donatelli and goaltender development coach Mike Buckley.
37 players will take part in the four-day camp. Below is a breakdown of each of the 10 goaltenders and four goaltenders invited to camp. Forwards were featured in part one.
Defense:
Dane Birks, 19, Michgan Tech (WCHA)
Birks, the Penguins sixth-round pick in 2013, had a wasted season in 2014-15, as he was an academic redshirt at Michigan Tech. The Huskies didn’t miss a beat without Birks, going 29-10-2 and finishing the season ranked #9. Birks will be a redshirt freshman this fall.
Jake Kulevich, 22, Colgate (ECAC)
Kulevich, in camp on a tryout, should be able to find his away around Consol Energy Center as his Colgate Raiders won the 2014 Three Rivers Classic. Kulevich led Colgate blueliners with eight goals, nine assists and 17 points. He still has one year on NCAA eligibility remaining.
Joseph Masonius, 18, USNTDP (USHL)
Masonius, who is still draft-eligible, had 10 assists for the US National Team in 24 games in 2014-15. The Spring Lake, NJ, native will start his collegiate career at the University of Connecticut this fall.
Matt Murphy, 20, Quebec and Halifax (QMJHL)
Murphy, another camp tryout, will be looking for a pro contract in 2015-16, as he would be an overager in the QMJHL. The Fredericton, NB, native had eight goals and 22 assists between Halifax and Quebec in 2014-15, his second and third stops in “the Q”.
Derrick Pouliot, 21, Pittsburgh (NHL) and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL)
Pouliot should be the man amongst boys at prospect camp. The team’s first-round pick in 2012 is already penciled into an NHL middle-pairing role for the upcoming season. That’s not to say that his game has completely matured, but he is a different class of player than the rest of the Pens prospects.
Harrison Ruopp, 22, Wilkes Barre/Scranton (AHL) and Wheeling (ECHL)
Acquired in the Zbynek Michalek trade, Ruopp does his work is when his on-ice opponents aren’t also potential teammates. The rugged defenseman had an injury-plagued 2014-15 season, appearing in just 37 games between the Pens two pro affiliates. He should be in line to claim a full-time AHL role if he can remain healthy.
Ryan Segalla, 20, Connecticut (Hockey East)
Segalla, a fourth-round pick in 2013, had a down year offensively after breaking out for 14 points as a freshman in 2013-14. Segalla has two more years with the Huskies to hone his game.
Patrick Sexton, 21, Penticton (BCHL)
Sexton, in camp on a tryout, is the son of Penguins amateur scout Randy Sexton. Sexton is 21 and is out of junior hockey eligibility, so he could turn pro. He was the captain for the Vees in 2014-15 and had 11 assists in 45 games, while leading the team to the BCHL championship.
Clark Seymour, 22, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL) and Wheeling (ECHL)
Seymour, a fifth-round pick in 2012, went unsigned by the Penguins but was picked up on an AHL contract and spent most of last season with Wheeling, potting 14 assists in 54 games along with being one of the team’s most reliable defenders.
Jeff Taylor, 21, Union College (ECAC)
Taylor had a breakout season for the Dutchmen, as he took over for Shayne Gostisbehere on the Union back line. The Penguins’ seventh-round pick in 2014 responded well to the increased role, approaching a point-per-game pace with four goals and 27 assists in 34 games. Taylor defensive game still needs some honing, and he should return to college for his junior year in 2015-16.
Goaltenders:
Tristan Jarry, 20, Edmonton (WHL)
Jarry, the Penguins second-round pick in 2013, had a down year in 2014-15 along with the rest of the Oil Kings after their Memorial Cup run in 2014. He still had solid numbers, though, posting a 2.74 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage. Jarry is expected to turn pro this fall.
Sean Maguire, 22, Boston University (Hockey East)
Magure didn’t play in 2014-15, as he sat out the season with an undisclosed medical issue. After briefly unrolling at BU, Maguire looks ready to get back between the pipes for his third season with the Terriers in 2015-16. The Pens fourth-round pick in 2012, he’ll have some work to do in order to re-establish himself as a prospect.
Matt Murray, 21, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL)
Murray won nearly every award that an AHL rookie goaltender can win in his record-breaking 2014-15 season. He finished with a .941 save percentage and a 1.58 goals-against average. He’ll be asked to be the full-time starter for the first time in 2015-16, as he split time with Jeff Zatkoff a season ago. Zatkoff is expected to back up Marc-Andre Fleury in Pittsburgh this season.
Matt Skoff, 23, Penn State (Big 10)
Skoff is in camp on a tryout and is expected to return to Penn State for his senior season. The McKees Rocks, Pa native had solid numbers in 2014-15, with a 2.81 GAA and a .907 save percentage, but he ceded playing time to Eamon McAdam down the strech. Skoff and McAdam are expected to split playing time in 2015-16.
Photo credit: NHLI/Getty Images, WBS Penguins, ECAC, Albany Times-Union, Boston University
