CRANBERRY, Pa. -- With so few high draft picks in recent years, the Penguins have turned to the undrafted free agent market in search of diamonds in the rough, prospects who were late bloomers or passed over by other teams.
Some of those prospects, like goaltender Alex D'Orio and forward Jordy Bellerive, earned their entry-level contracts after strong performances in a development camp or rookie tournament after initially attending on a tryout basis.
Of the players who attended this summer's development camp on a tryout basis, one seems poised to earn a professional contract with the organization in the near future: Right wing Josh Williams.
Williams, 20, participated in his second development camp with the Penguins after previously attending development camp in 2019.
"I'm honored to be invited," Williams told me Tuesday after the final development camp practice came to a close. "You know, it's a good feeling, when you get that call. And I'm just really excited to be here."
Williams said that he and the Penguins continued to communicate with each other after the camp in 2019, and that he would have attended camp last summer as well, had it not been canceled due to COVID-19. Player development staff gave Williams feedback and things they'd like to see him work on throughout the year.
Asked how he'd describe himself as a player, Williams called himself a "good offensive player."
"Finding open ice and getting time and space to get my shot away," he said of his strengths. "My shot is probably the biggest part of my game."
He's not lying. It's a rocket:
After attending development camp in 2019, Williams went on to have a successful season in the WHL with the Edmonton Oil Kings, finishing No. 2 on his team in goals (25) and No. 4 in points (52) in 64 games.
The WHL played an abbreviated season in 2020-21 as a result of the COVID-19 limitations, and the Oil Kings played a 23-game schedule. Williams produced at a career-high pace of 1.36 points per game, with 17 goals and 13 assists in his 22 games. His 17 goals led his team, and ranked No. 2 in the entire WHL.
"I think I just took another step in my game," he said of that increased offensive success. "I got a got a bigger role with my team. And obviously, team success helps individual success. Playing on a really good team last year definitely helped me put up the numbers I did."
Williams scored two goals in the Oil Kings' penultimate game of the season -- including the overtime winner -- to clinch the WHL's Central Division title.
“It’s a shot mentality and I think that’s the biggest thing for him,” Oil Kings head coach Brad Lauer said of Williams after that game. “When he has that, he’s very effective five-on-five, on the power-play or all situations for us. He’s done well for us, he’s been a really consistent player for us this year. He’s had a really good year, just a complete game, reliable in the d-zone, he’s done a lot of good work for us.”
Listed at 6 foot 1, 193 pounds, Williams already has good size. His biggest focus this offseason in hopes to find success at the professional level was to work on his skating.
"Growing up and last couple years, I've never been the best skater," he said. "To get to that next level, I need to improve my skating."
Throughout development camp, Williams primarily skated alongside fellow WHL forward Lukas Svejkovsky and former WHL forward Justin Almeida. Williams and Svejkovsky played Bantam hockey together at the Delta Hockey Academy in British Columbia, and Williams recalls "tough" battles against Almeida in juniors.
"We all sort of grew up together," Williams said.
The three play a similar style to each other as a result of coming from the WHL, adding to their chemistry in development camp.
"A lot of teams in the W play a similar game," he said. "It's a fast-paced, physical game, hard-nosed. So all of us coming from there are used to that type of game. I think it really helps."
Development camp culminated in a scrimmage on Tuesday that included a scoreless five-on-five portion, and a faster-paced three-on-three portion in which Williams scored one of his team's five goals, lifting the puck over the pads of Filip Lindberg.
After the scrimmage, the Penguins informed Williams that he had earned an invite to the main training camp, which begins on Thursday.
"He is someone we like," Penguins director of player development Scott Young told me of Williams after the scrimmage. "I mean, there's a lot of young guys in this camp that we're excited about that just need time. Their game night might need to mature or maybe their bodies need to mature or maybe both. ... It's a good experience for these guys to go through this."
At 20 years old, Williams is now eligible to turn pro and play in the AHL next season, but he also has the option to return to the WHL for one more overage season. While he's hoping to earn a contract out of this camp and make the transition to professional hockey, he's open to returning to the WHL if that's what's best for his development.
"Edmonton's a great spot to play," he said. "They're really good at developing their players. And we should have another really good team there this year. So if that happens, I'll be super excited to play for them again."
