The Penguins organization has had much success with young goaltending prospects over the past few years, with the likes of Matt Murray, Tristan Jarry, and Casey DeSmith reaching the NHL, and new additions like Filip Gustavsson seemingly on the same path.
One of the goaltenders in that pipeline is Sean Maguire, Pittsburgh's fourth-round pick in the 2012 draft.
Maguire, 24, is in his second full season of professional hockey, having attended Boston University in the years after he was drafted.
After Jarry's recall to Pittsburgh, Maguire was subsequently recalled to Wilkes-Barre, and now projects to spend much of, if not the remainder of, the season in the AHL. With the recall, an injury to start the season, and an illness that sidelined him for a week, it would appear that Maguire is having a hectic sophomore season.
His peace of mind, though, is one of his biggest takeaways this season.
"There's a lot less commotion going on in my head," he told me of his mindset this season. "My thoughts are a little bit more clear. I've been here before, and I know the drill, how the game works. Definitely, I've noticed a difference in just being calm, not thinking too far ahead."
Spending his rookie campaign in Wheeling, Maguire was mostly on his own. Wheeling doesn't have their own goaltending coach, and goaltending development coach (now head goaltending coach) Mike Buckley spent most of his time in Wilkes-Barre. While Maguire said that Pittsburgh's coaches were "always just a phone call away" wherever he was playing, it's a big improvement being able to work with goaltending development coach Brendan Sullivan regularly in Wilkes-Barre.
"It's really nice," he said. "I get on the ice with Sullivan and Casey (DeSmith). It's nice being face-to-face and talking, going on the ice. It's always good to hop on the ice with a goalie coach. Nothing really beats it, you know?"
Maguire has only made four appearances in net since his recall, posting a 2.19 goals against average and a .924 save percentage. While last season in Wheeling, he tended to look rattled at times, he's making series of saves like these in Wheeling and Wilkes-Barre, and looking more confident:
One of the biggest adjustments for Maguire from the college game to the pro game was the difference in speed of puck-handling in the professional game. College hockey, he says, "the game is based more on moving up the ice, rather than moving the puck up the ice." When the puck is on a player's stick in his zone, he knows that there is a pass or a shot coming soon. In the college game, players would have skated around more and waited for the perfect opportunity.
Maguire was part of the "black aces" squad that was recalled to Pittsburgh for the playoffs after Wilkes-Barre was eliminated. While the players are only there in the case of an extreme emergency, they still practice with the team during their time there. Still, the experience, being able to see the demeanor of players like Matt Murray first-hand, was "enlightening" for Maguire.
"It was really good for my career, I think, seeing those guys, how they carry themselves in those situations where you're playing for a Stanley Cup," he said. "How do those guys continue to win? What are they doing that I need to start doing? It was really good for me as a young player to witness that and just be a part of it."
Aside from the benefits to his career, being able to be around the Penguins on their Stanley Cup run was something Maguire will always remember.
"It was obviously pretty dramatic and pretty... I don't want to say life-changing? That's a little bit too much," he laughed. "It was definitely an incredible experience, a cherishable moment. Not many guys can say that they witnessed what happened, you know? Definitely something I want to keep forever."
With so many good prospects, it might seem that there's a goaltending logjam ahead of Sean Maguire. Watching the way these young goaltenders have developed, though, has been inspiring to Maguire.
"It's really great to see that the coaches and the management staff give opportunities to these kids," he said. "The developmental skills of the Pittsburgh Penguins is second-to-none ... I think that Mike Buckley, Mike Bales, and now Brendan Sullivan recruited and developed some really high-caliber goaltenders."
"And they don't seem to be stopping."
PAT GETS A GOAL
Pat McGrath made history three seasons ago by being the first locally-born player to suit up for Wilkes-Barre. Entering this season, his fifth year in the Penguins organization, the Shavertown native only had one goal in his 51 AHL games, scored on the road last April.
On Wednesday, his fourth game of the season, he finally scored a goal on home ice. His home ice:
Sure, it was only an empty netter. But he received a standing ovation from the hometown crowd that understood the significance of his goal.
"It was cool, I've been waiting awhile to get that," McGrath said after the game. "It was pretty cool to get that off my back."
For a kid that grew up watching guys like Dennis Bonvie and Tom Kostopoulos play in that building, it must have felt good to finally hear his name announced over the PA system not followed by "five for fighting."
SPRONG'S PROGRESS
Coach Clark Donatelli was asked about Daniel Sprong's effort following Wednesday's game. "I thought he's playing the right way," Donatelli said. "When he's playing the right way, he's getting chances, and when he gets chances, he'll get goals."
Sprong scored two goals that game:
Donatelli also believes that Sprong is improving defensively. "Away from the puck he was playing better," he observed. "He's strong on the walls, he's good defensively. Those are things we look for ... I thought his style in the d-zone, he did a good job."
MORE FROM WILKES-BARRE
• Dec. 13: vs. Springfield, 6-3 win
• Dec. 15: at Hartford, 7-3 loss
• Dec. 16: at Bridgeport, 3-2 overtime loss
• Zach Aston-Reese had three assists in Wednesday's win, on goals from Andrey Pedan, Greg McKegg, and Ryan Haggerty. Sprong scored two goals, and McGrath sealed the win with his empty netter. Casey DeSmith made 24 saves on 27 shots to earn the win.
• DeSmith started on Friday as well, but was pulled in the second period after allowing four goals on 11 shots. Maguire played well in relief, although he did allow three goals on 27 shots. Wilkes-Barre had no shortage of chances in the game, but were only able to capitalize on goals from Thomas Di Pauli, Teddy Blueger, and Sprong.
• DeSmith redeemed himself the following night in Bridgeport, making 30 saves on 33 shots. Greg McKegg opened the scoring in the first period, and Zach Aston-Reese scored to send the game to overtime, but the Penguins ultimately fell short when Sebastian Aho scored only 26 seconds into overtime.
• Lines and defense pairings from Saturday:
Zach Aston-Reese - Greg McKegg - Ryan Haggerty
Garrett Wilson - Colin Smith - Daniel Sprong
Christian Thomas - Jean-Sebastien Dea - Pat McGrath
Adam Johnson - Teddy Blueger - Thomas Di Pauli
Jarred Tinordi - Zach Trotman
Andrey Pedan - Chris Summers
Kevin Spinozzi - Frank Corrado
GOALS OF THE WEEK
Aston-Reese picked up the loose puck and made it look easy on Saturday to send the game to overtime. It was his third goal of the year:
Greg McKegg scored this wraparound goal, his second since being reassigned to Wilkes-Barre:
A wide-open Pedan scored his second goal of the season. Earlier this month Pedan talked about how the organization expects defensemen like him to be able to join the rush and contribute offensively:
SAVE OF THE WEEK
Casey DeSmith closed the door on John Stevens to keep it a close game in Bridgeport:
TOP PICK TRACKER
• Defenseman Zachary Lauzon (second round, 2017) is still out of the lineup with a cervical sprain, La Frontière et Le Citoyen reports. The Huskies' coach, Gilles Bouchard, compared the neck injury to the one that kept Sidney Crosby off the ice for 10 months. Lauzon is now in Quebec receiving treatment.
• Forward Kasper Bjorkqvist (second round, 2016) and Providence College were on holiday break this week. They are back in action on Dec. 29 in the Three Rivers Classic at PPG Paints Arena. The tournament also includes Robert Morris, Lake Superior State University, and Arizona State. Austin Lemieux attends Arizona State, but is a redshirt freshman.
• Goaltender Filip Gustavsson (second round, 2016) remains with the Swedish national team in preparation for the World Juniors tournament. He spoke with Hockey Sweden before leaving for the tournament in Buffalo. He's worked with goaltending development coach Brendan Sullivan, as well as having some contact with head goaltending coach Mike Buckley and head Swedish scout Patrik Allvin. For the most part, though, the organization trusts his goaltending coach in Luleå, Linda Blomqvist. Gustavsson said that he expects to be playing in North America next season.
Bill Guerin also spoke with the Swedish media about the Penguins' plan for Gustavsson, someone he called a "big part of (the Penguins') future." Guerin confirmed that the plan is for Gustavsson to be playing somewhere in the Penguins' system next season.
• Defenseman Connor Hall (third round, 2016) is still sidelined with a shoulder injury, but Josh Brown in Kitchener reports that Hall is back at practice in a no-contact jersey.
WHEELING WATCH
This week's Wheeling Watch focuses on Cam Brown, the league's rookie leader in assists.
PROSPECT FUN THING
Daniel Sprong and Kevin Spinozzi weren't too pleased when Lukas Bengtsson saw Star Wars without them:
Spinozzi shared the moment he signed his first professional contract after his tryout contract concluded:
