Twenty-four players are scheduled to participate when the Penguins' four-day development camp begins Saturday at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex.
Every one of them will be trying to advance his career in some way.
The ones who will report to Cranberry with nothing more firm than an invitation will attempt to convince management that they deserve a contract, even if it's a minor-league deal. Or at least should get an opportunity to continue demonstrating their worth when the regular camp begins next week.
Others will be trying to solidify their place in the franchise's future by showing their career is on a trajectory that should take them to the NHL, even if it doesn't necessarily happen immediately.
Here's a look at four players who appear to be at that stage in their development:
JONATHAN GRUDEN
Position: Center
Size: 6-foot, 172 pounds
Age: 21
Gruden, acquired from Ottawa in the Matt Murray trade, had a decent debut in the organization last season, with six goals and eight assists in 32 games.
He also had a team-best plus-minus rating of plus-5, and while plus-minus is a superficial, flawed statistic, being plus-5 on a team that wins just 13 of 32 games is a pretty good feat.
Gruden's father is John Gruden, a former NHL defenseman and current assistant coach with the Islanders, so it's no surprise that he has many of the qualities that one might expect from a coach's son. He is, for example, a diligent worker who pays close attention to the details of his job.
Even with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin expected to be unavailable when the regular season begins, Gruden would seem to be very much of a long shot to cash an NHL paycheck this fall.
Still, he looks to have the ability to grow into a third- of fourth-line role as his career moves along. His showing at development camp should provide an indication of when that might happen.
FILIP HALLANDER
Position: Left wing
Size: 6-foot-1, 196 pounds
Age: 21
Hallander, a second-round draft choice in 2018 who was reacquired from Toronto in the Jared McCann trade this summer, has never played a game in North America, which suggests he likely will need a little time to adjust to the smaller ice surface.
Then again, he has spent the past three seasons competing in the Swedish Hockey League, that country's top league, so there shouldn't be any question about whether he's capable to going against fully grown opponents in the NHL.
While coming here for the development camp will allow Hallander to begin to get acclimated to life on and off the ice on this side of the Atlantic, the regular camp that follows should be more interesting and significant for him.
His skating is reputed to be ordinary, but he is versatile, defensively responsible and creative on offense.
Although Hallander doesn't project to be a game-breaker, he could eventually settle into a middle-six role at this level.
And it might happen sooner than some anticipate.
CAM LEE
Position: Defense
Size: 6-foot, 190 pounds
Age: 24
Lee will be the oldest player at this camp -- fellow defenseman Will Reilly also is 24, but was born about five months after Lee -- so it stands to reason that he'd be a bit farther along in his development than some others at his position.
While his size is less-than-ideal, especially in an organization that purportedly wants to get bigger, Lee has many of the qualities teams crave in defensemen today.
He skates well, has good offensive skills and instincts and possesses a high hockey IQ.
Lee was Wilkes-Barre's highest-scoring defenseman last season, with two goals and 13 assists in 31 games. (P.O Joseph placed second, with one goal and 12 assists in 23 appearances.)
He is a left-handed shot, and there is no shortage of lefties, including Joseph, ahead of him on the organizational depth chart.
Still, there is always a market for capable defensemen, and if Lee can live up to his potential, there should eventually be a spot for him in the NHL, even if it wouldn't be with the Penguins.
JOSH MANISCALCO
Position: Defense
Size: 6-foot-2, 205 pounds
Age: 22
A great thing for the Penguins might have been the worst thing that could have happened to Maniscalco.
He signed with them not long after John Marino, fresh out of Harvard, completed his first pro season, during which he performed far better than almost anyone anticipated. And, in the process, inadvertently set a high bar of expectations for those who followed.
That certainly applied to Maniscalco, who was coming off a superb two-year run at Arizona State.
He quickly proved to be nowhere near as NHL-ready as Marino, and his initial year in Wilkes-Barre was forgettable, as he failed to record a point in eight appearances.
That disappointing start aside, Maniscalco still has the size and puck-moving ability that made him so attractive coming out of college, and it should be remembered that he is relatively young and plays a position that often requires prospects -- and their teams -- to be patient and willing to invest a few years in developing and refining the player's game.
That doesn't guarantee Maniscalco ever will become the player the Penguins hope he will. Just that it wasn't realistic to assume his career would follow the same exceptional trajectory as Marino's.