My favorite games to cover are ones in which a player is making his NHL debut, especially when its a player who I've covered in Wilkes-Barre for some time.
The Penguins had three prospects make their NHL debuts this past season: Forwards Radim Zohorna and Drew O'Connor, both in their first seasons in the Penguins organization, and defenseman P.O Joseph in just his second year as a pro.
The Penguins' prospect pool isn't very deep, but there are several intriguing prospects who will either be turning pro next season or made great strides this year, and could be poised to make their own jump to the NHL.
Here's a look -- in no particular order -- at five prospects in the Penguins' system who have a shot at playing in the NHL for the first time next season, and what coaches have told me about their progress this year.
KASPER BJORKQVIST
Position: Wing
Shoots: Left
Age: 23
Size: 6-1, 198
2020-21 stats: 11 goals, 15 assists in 44 Liiga games; 1 goal in 5 AHL games
Development coach Tom Kostopoulos said: "Bjorkqvist started the season really well. We found a spot for him overseas in Finland, and he's been playing really well. He's a guy that I assume next season will be fighting for a spot in Pittsburgh. He's such a responsible player, and he works so hard. He's a tremendous athlete. I think he'll be knocking on the door."
Even though next season will be Bjorkqvist's third season since turning pro with the Penguins, he hasn't played in the AHL much at all. He made it six games into his rookie 2019-20 season before a freak collision in a practice tore his ACL and ended his season. He had started skating again in the spring, but when the AHL didn't resume play after coronavirus ended the season, there wasn't an opportunity for him to return. Since the 2020-21 AHL season didn't start until February and the Finnish league was playing on a normal timeframe with an early fall start, the Penguins and Bjorkqvist came to an agreement to let him play in Finland for the year so he could get the much-needed stability and playing time this year after his injury. When the Finnish league season ended, Bjorkqvist came over to Wilkes-Barre to play in the last couple of games of the season and readjust to the smaller North American ice, a move he told me was aimed at having him as prepared as possible for next season.
Bjorkqvist got visibly more comfortable with each AHL game he played this season. Forrest told me that after watching Bjorkqvist's first few practices before playing in any AHL games this season that he also thought Bjorkqvist's hands improved from last season, which makes sense given how much Bjorkqvist focused on off-ice skills work during his rehab process.
JORDY BELLERIVE
Position: Center
Shoots: Left
Age: 22
Size: 5-11, 194
2020-21 stats: 10 goals, 8 assists in 29 AHL games
Wilkes-Barre coach J.D. Forrest said: "He just never really stops. He's one of those guys that has endless amount of effort, and he really, really cares big time about his game and our team. So that maybe goes along with why he's able to deep into games find something extra for those important goals."
Bellerive's nickname in Wilkes-Barre this season was "Big Goal Belly" for his habit of stepping up so often in the third period or in overtime for Wilkes-Barre.
Bellerive finished two goals and two assists shy of last season's totals, despite playing in 24 fewer games this season as a result of the AHL's abbreviated schedule. He took major strides offensively this season to add to his physical, defensive game.
Bellerive told me during camp that "without a doubt, this is the fastest I've ever been in my career" after focusing so much on improving his speed last offseason. That speed was perhaps most evident on this overtime goal in the next-to-last game of the season, with Bellerive flying up the length of the ice before Bjorkqvist tapped in the loose puck:
That added speed allowed Bellerive to create more separation for himself during the season, which was one of the big contributing factors in his increased production.
Bellerive earned some time on Pittsburgh's taxi squad near the end of the season, but is still looking for his first NHL game action as he enters his third professional season.
CAM LEE
Position: Defense
Shoots: Left
Age: 24
Size: 6-0, 186
2020-21 stats: 2 goals, 13 assists in 31 AHL games; 2 goals, 9 assists in 14 Slovak Extraliga games
Wilkes-Barre coach J.D. Forrest said: "He's been defending really hard. I think he just irritates people. He's played really well for us down the stretch, much more consistent and has learned a lot this season. His growth as a player and a teammate has been fun to watch."
Lee is an offensive defenseman. He quarterbacked the top power play unit while Joseph was in Pittsburgh, and quarterbacked the second unit once Joseph returned to Wilkes-Barre.
Forrest said back in training camp that one of the biggest focuses for Lee this season as an offensive defenseman would be learning the balance of risk and reward and what he's able to get away with at the pro level compared to when he was in college. I asked Forrest after the season about Lee's growth in that specific area of his game, and he offered praise, saying that Lee's "ability to escape a forechecker really opened up some ice for himself, it's high-level. When he does that and is able to advance it to our forwards and hit holes, that's when he was really effective."
The left-handed side of the defense corps is crowded, with Joseph and Juuso Riikola still likely ahead of Lee on the depth chart. Given the Penguins' injury luck, it wouldn't be much of a surprise if Lee ends up being needed.
SAMUEL POULIN
Position: Center/wing
Shoots: Left
Age: 20
Size: 6-2, 213
2020-21 stats: 11 goals, 20 assists in 24 QMJHL games; 11 goals, 8 assists in 15 playoff games
NATHAN LEGARE
Position: Wing
Shoots: Right
Age: 20
Size: 6-0, 208
2020-21 stats: 16 goals, 22 assists in 33 QMJHL games; 14 goals, 4 assists in 15 playoff games
Development coach Tom Kostopoulos said: "(Poulin and Legare) are both doing really well. They're both working on their skating, they're both scoring, setting up plays. It's small areas of the game that Mike Sullivan was pretty clear that he wants them to work on to take the next step. They've both been working on it, with their puck decisions at the blue line and playing defensively in their own end, just little things like that so when they do make the step to pro, the coaches can totally trust them and they'll earn more ice time that way. They've both bought into it and it's been fun watching them this year."
My thoughts on both Poulin and Legare are the same in this case. I think both start the year in the AHL where they can get a lot of ice time and play in all situations in top-six roles, since that is what will be best for their development as they transition to the pro game. I don't think it would be advantageous to throw them straight into the NHL in a bottom-six, defensive role, especially given that neither has the strongest defensive game yet.
Many players making the jump to the AHL for the first often speak of the defensive responsibilities being one of the biggest adjustments, and that seems to be especially true for players coming from the offense-first QMJHL. When you take into consideration that Poulin and Legare are both coming from such a dominant QMJHL team (their Foreurs made it to the finals, and were both on strong teams in past seasons too) they haven't been playing in situations where they really had to focus so much on defending hard, because their team possesses the puck so often. It'd be a massive leap to go from that straight to the NHL. But if both start in the AHL and have that opportunity to develop down there and they adjust well, then either could be in line for a midseason callup.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Sam Miletic (wing): Miletic had a strong first two seasons in the organization, putting up 12 goals and 23 assists in 49 games as a rookie in 2018-19, then nine goals and 23 assists in 62 games in 2019-20, all while having a solid two-way game. If you would have asked me last offseason, I would have picked him to make his debut this past season. But he came down with mononucleosis at the start of the season, something that zapped his strength, and he missed the first three weeks of the season as a result. He was never quite himself when he came back, and it's hard to pinpoint a definite reason why, but I can't imagine that the mono helped. He only scored two goals and three assists in 21 games primarily in a bottom-six role, and was at times a healthy scratch near the end of the season. If he can put this season behind him and bounce back, he could be a candidate for a shot next season.
Alex D'Orio (goaltender): Right now, D'Orio is the next goaltender in line. Draft picks Calle Clang and Joel Blomqvist are staying in Europe next season with the goals of sticking in the top leagues in their respective countries, after playing in the second leagues this season. Emil Larmi left the organization as a free agent to return to Finland. D'Orio is the only NHL-contracted goalie set to play in Wilkes-Barre next season, although I'd expect the team to add another veteran depth option in free agency. D'Orio took major strides last season and eventually took over as Wilkes-Barre's clear No. 1, putting up a .915 save percentage and a 2.18 goals-against average in 11 games. Last season was only his second professional season, and he's still young at just 22, but if he keeps improving and the Penguins end up needing to recall a goaltender, D'Orio could earn a chance.
Josh Maniscalco (defenseman): Maniscalco was signed out of Arizona State as a sophomore last offseason, and he didn't have quite the John Marino-esque season that some were hoping for as a rookie defenseman out of college. Maniscalco only played eight games in the AHL this year and was scoreless with a plus-1 rating. He was a healthy scratch for much of the season, and Forrest told me that they thought it was best for Maniscalco to focus on some elements of his game in practice. Maniscalco should finally get more regular playing time next season, and he could be a candidate depending on how he adjusts. It helps his case that he's right-handed, and doesn't play on the same side as the likes of Joseph, Riikola and Lee. That could prove useful if a right-handed shot is needed next season.