The Penguins used the first of their three seventh-round picks on Saturday to select their second defenseman of the draft, Ryan McCleary from the WHL's Portland Winterhawks at No. 194 overall.
McCleary, who doesn't turn 18 until September, is 6-foot-2, 180 pounds with a right-handed shot.
McCleary made his WHL debut last season, scoring two goals and five assists in 18 games for the Winterhawks under former Penguins head coach Mike Johnston.
Winterhawks assistant general manager and associate coach Kyle Gustafson, who coaches the team's defenseman, spoke with PNW Hockey Talk about McCleary's game.
“The things I like about Ryan are his offensive instincts,” Gustafson said. “He anticipates the play well, willing to jump up ice and contribute offensively. He is doing a lot of things that are smart with the puck and makes a lot of nice plays in the middle of the ice.”
Mike Coflin, the Winterhawks’ assistant to the general manager and director of scouting and player development, praised McCleary's vision, among other things.
“I think he is calm, sees the ice well, moves it well out of his own end, effective at the offensive blue line,” Coflin said. “I think he will physically mature more as well so you will see a harder shot, and be more of a weapon down the road. You will see with more leg strength a little more pop to his skating in the year or two to come."
Penguins director of player personnel Chris Pryor called McCleary "a very raw, young, kid."
"If you look at birth year, he's almost close to next year's draft which is intriguing to say the least because there's a lot from a projection standpoint," Pryor said. "There's a lot to project, but there's also a lot to like here. You think next year at this time where he's going to be, he just started to get into his own body and feel for the game. Big, right shot defenseman. He's got a lot of attributes there to like, we just need some time and patience."
SCOUTS SAY
NHL Central Scouting ranked McCleary the No. 141 North American skater.
Elite Prospects: "Transition’s where McCleary’s impact is most felt, and it’s through activation and deception rather than explosiveness. He deceives forecheckers with his eyes, looks to pass through pressure to create space up the ice, and accelerates out of his passes to join the rush."