CRANBERRY, Pa. -- The Penguins made their first round of cuts from the training camp roster on Sunday, reducing the number of players in camp to 50.
The Penguins assigned forward Sam Houde, defensemen Chris Bigras, Chris Merisier-Ortiz, Josh Maniscalco, and goaltenders Alex D'Orio and Tommy Nappier to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for the AHL training camp. Of that group, only Maniscalco and D'Orio are on NHL contracts, and the rest are on AHL deals.
The Penguins also sent forwards Lukas Svejkovsky and Josh Williams and defensemen Isaac Belliveau and Ryan McCleary back to their respective junior teams.
Of the players sent back to juniors, only undrafted free agent Williams was eligible for the AHL because of the NHL-CHL transfer agreement, with the other three players not yet eligible due to their age. When I spoke to Williams in development camp, he said he was open to the idea of returning to the WHL's Edmonton Oil Kings for an extra overage season if he didn't sign a professional contract out of camp.
"Edmonton's a great spot to play," he told me. "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."
An updated camp roster can be found here.
After the first round of cuts, the only players signed to AHL contracts who remain on the training camp roster are forwards Felix Robert and Kyle Olson, and defenseman Mitch Reinke. It's a pretty good endorsement from the organization that they're still around despite not being on NHL contracts.
The Penguins open the preseason Monday at home against the Blue Jackets, and are expected to announce their roster for the game later today.
