CRANBERRY, Pa. -- After the Penguins re-acquired forward prospect Filip Hallander in the Jared McCann trade this summer, Ron Hextall said that Hallander could play a role in the team's near future.
"I would hope that he comes into camp and pushes for a spot," Hextall said at the time. "But in the end, that's going to be up to Filip."
Hallander was asked about his mindset following the opening day of the Penguins' prospect development camp at the Lemieux Complex on Saturday, and he's looking to do just that.
"I'm here to take a spot," he said. "If you're coming to main (training) camp, you have to have the mindset of taking a spot."
Hallander said that he's "really happy to be back" in the Penguins organization after his brief stint as a Maple Leafs prospect, after the Penguins previously sent Hallander to Toronto in the Kasperi Kapanen trade. Because of the impact COVID-19 had on last season, though, Hallander never even set foot in Toronto.
Hallander has yet to play in North America and will make his North American professional debut this coming season. He expected to play in North America last season with the Leafs organization, but the circumstances and delays that came as a result of COVID-19 prevented that. The Leafs loaned Hallander to his SHL team, Lulea, to start the season since the SHL season started on schedule in the fall. The Leafs initially intended to bring Hallander over for NHL training camp in mid-December, but by the time December came around, it was clear that the AHL season wasn't going to begin until February. It didn't make much sense for the Leafs to bring Hallander over for camp, then make him sit for a month-plus until the AHL season began, so the Leafs and Hallander mutually agreed that it was best for Hallander's development to let him finish the season in Sweden.
Hallander, who is left-handed, has experience playing both center and wing. He primarily played top-line left wing last season with Lulea, averaging over 17 minutes per game. He set a career-high in goals last season, finishing tied for No. 2 in team goals on Lulea with 13 in 51 games. His 24 points ranked eighth on the team.
Hallander didn't play much center at all in his three years in the SHL, and doesn't quite see himself as a center anymore. But given the Penguins' current injury situation with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin both recovering from surgeries, Hallander said that he'd be open to playing center again.
"I think I see myself as a left wing," he said. "And I think Pittsburgh does as well. It was a couple of years ago that I played centerman, since I went pro I played as wing. ... I feel most comfortable playing left wing, but if they want to play me as a centerman I can do that."
In a July conversation with Penguins director of player development Scott Young, Young called Hallander "a big, strong winger that is strong in the corners, protects the puck really well and likes to get to the front of the net." He compared Hallander to Patric Hornqvist, and said that when Hallander was previously in the Penguins' organization they used to show Hallander clips of Hornqvist as an example of how to play on the ice, specifically with his ability to "create havoc" in front of the net."
"That's the type of player we envision him," Young said.
"I like to be net-front," Hallander said. "But I think I improved my two-way game last season, and I got to play with the national team as well. So I think that helped me, playing up and down the lineup, many different roles. That's what I want, to be a guy that you can trust and play in many different situations."
Because of his grinding style of play and size -- 6 foot 1 and 196 pounds -- Young said that he believes Hallander will benefit from the smaller ice surface in North American rinks and the style of play that comes with it.
"It's going to be a smaller area for him to be able to get to the corner from the front of the net and from from the corners to the net," Young explained.
Hallander expressed a similar sentiment on Saturday.
"I think it's going to be good for me. I've played a couple tournaments with the national team playing on the smaller ice and I think it fits my game better. I'm a guy who likes to go to the net and play pretty aggressive in the forecheck. I think it's easier playing on the smaller ice."
In order to prove to the organization that he's ready to make the jump to the NHL, Hallander said that he thinks he just needs to continue to play that same style he played back in Sweden.
"I'm a young guy, and of course it's maybe going to need a little bit more from me," he said. "But I'll just try to play my game and do as well as I can. That's all I can do."
MORE FROM DEVELOPMENT CAMP
• Skills coach Ty Hennes led the first part of practice, along with Young, Todd Reirden, goaltending coach Andy Chiodo, new goaltending development coaches Kain Tisi and Charles Grant, hockey operations adviser Trevor Daley, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton assistant coach Kevin Porter, and development coach Tom Kostopoulos. Wilkes-Barre head coach J.D. Forrest led the next practice portion of the day, with Reirden, Tisi, Grant, Daley, Porter, and Kostopoulos continuing to help.
• Mike Sullivan, Ron Hextall, Patrik Allvin, and Mike Vellucci were among those watching practice from the box above the ice.
• Forward Raivis Ansons (fifth round, 2020) is injured and not participating in the on-ice portion of camp.
• Goaltender Alex D'Orio isn't on the development camp roster, but he participated in the full practice, joining goaltenders Brett Brochu, Tommy Nappier, and Filip Lindberg.
• In a lot of the small-area drills, Sam Poulin worked a lot alongside Felix Robert. Robert was Poulin's center in juniors in Sherbrooke. I asked Poulin after practice about being reunited with Robert, and he broke into a big smile.
"It's awesome, to be honest," he said. "We both discussed it, we didn't think that this would happen one day, that we'd see each other at the pro level. It's fun to be around him, I've been with him since my first year in junior."
• I asked Poulin if he's more comfortable at wing or center, and he said he has no preference. He's comfortable at center and either wing.
• WHL forwards Josh Williams (an undrafted free agent invite) and Lukas Svejkovsky (fourth round, 2020) worked alongside each other a lot in the drills.
• The two Finnish skaters attending camp -- defenseman Niclas Almari (fifth round, 2016) and Valtteri Puustinen (seventh round, 2019) -- spent a lot of time alongside each other during the afternoon. Puustinen's English isn't strong, and you could tell that Almari was translating some of what the coaches would say for him.
• The Penguins used the following forward lines and pairings in the second portion of practice, presented in no particular order:
Justin Almeida - Sam Houde - Nathan Legare
Valtteri Puustinen - Shaw Boomhower - Sam Poulin
Felix Robert - Jonathan Gruden - Kyle Olson
Josh Williams - Filip Hallander - Lukas Svejkovsky
Cam Lee - Dylan MacPherson
Niclas Almari - Ryan McCleary
Isaac Belliveau - Will Reilly
Chris Merisier-Ortiz - Josh Maniscalco
• Note that Penguins PR told us that Poulin has said that he prefers to be called "Sam," not "Samuel."
• There were surprisingly few fans in attendance for the practice.
• The team will follow the same schedule tomorrow, with a 10 a.m. skills session led by Hennes followed by an 11 a.m. practice led by Forrest.
