Goaltender Mack Guzda is turning heads in the OHL this season.
Guzda, 21, is a 6-foot-5, 215-pound undrafted free agent in his overage OHL season. He started the year playing for the Owen Sound Attack, where he put up a 5-4-1 record, 3.20 goals-against average and .915 save percentage in 10 games. He was traded midseason to a stronger team, the Barrie Colts, and has since recorded an 11-2-1 record, two shutouts, a 2.04 goals-against average and .931 save percentage in 14 games.
Sportsnets Jeff Marek reported on 32 Thoughts this week that a number of teams are pursuing signing Guzda to a contract, naming the Penguins, Rangers and Predators as front-runners, with the Maple Leafs, Islanders, Ducks, and Hurricanes also among the teams that are interested.
Guzda also attended the Sabres' development camp last summer.
Though Marek included the Penguins among the front-runners, I don't exactly see how a contract with Pittsburgh would make sense for the Penguins or Guzda.
With Guzda being 21 and in his overage season, he can't go back to junior next season. Wherever he signs, he'll be turning pro there next season.
The Penguins have 23-year-old goaltending prospect Filip Lindberg signed through next season, and though he's been out with an ankle injury since mid-November, he had an encouraging start to his professional career with a 4-2 record, 2.76 goals-against average and .915 save percentage in seven games.
Alex D'Orio, 22, is a restricted free agent this summer, but his performances last season and this season have been strong enough to merit a qualifying offer. He had a rocky start this season health-wise, but since he's gotten healthy and settled in, he's returned to form. He recently started six games in just nine days, three sets of back-to-back games. He posted a 5-1 record, one shutout, a 1.85 goals-against average and a .932 save percentage in those games.
If a third goaltender is going to be added to the mix, it'd make more sense to bring in a veteran with NHL experience, given that the current options in Wilkes-Barre have none.
That's also not including 23-year-old Tommy Nappier, who is currently in the second year of a three-year AHL contract after being signed out of Ohio State last spring. He's split the season between Wilkes-Barre and Wheeling this season.
The Penguins also have their two goaltenders from the 2020 draft class, second-round pick Joel Blomqvist in the top Finnish league and third-round pick Calle Clang in the top Swedish league. Both are having successful seasons in backup roles in their respective leagues, and aren't expected to move to North America next season yet, but are two of the top prospects in the whole system.
The Penguins prospect pool is pretty shallow, but goaltending is an area that isn't actually that weak. If they're going to pursue undrafted prospects in free agency, it might be more worthwhile to use one of their contract spots on a forward or defensemen, areas of the prospect pool that are considerably weaker.
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Here's how the Penguins' prospects in junior, college, and Europe did this week:
FORWARDS
Raivis Ansons
Position: Right wing/left wing
Size: 6-1/190
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2021, fifth round
Team: Saint John Sea Dogs (QMJHL)
Season totals: 19 games, 6 goals, 18 assists
The QMJHL extended its pause until Feb. 1.
Tristan Broz
Position: Center/wing
Size: 6-0/179
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2021, second round
Team: University of Minnesota (NCAA)
Season totals: 23 games, 2 goal, 2 assists
Broz played in two games, skating on the left wing of the third line. He scored his second NCAA goal:
Judd Caulfield
Position: Right wing
Size: 6-3/207
Shoots: Right
Drafted: 2019, fifth round
Team: University of North Dakota (NCAA)
Season totals: 25 games, 4 goal, 5 assists
Caulfield was scoreless in two games on the right wing of North Dakota's second line.
Caulfield was on North Dakota's President's List for the fall semester, meaning he had an overall cumulative grade point average of 3.80 or higher.
Liam Gorman
Position: Center
Size: 6-3/199
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2018, sixth round
Team: Princeton University (NCAA)
Season totals: 18 games, 2 goal, 2 assist
Gorman was scoreless in two games on the left wing of Princeton's second line.
Lukas Svejkovsky
Position: Center/right wing
Size: 5-9/170
Shoots: Right
Drafted: 2020, fourth round
Team: Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL)
Season totals: 30 games, 13 goals, 23 assists
Svejkovsky played in four games and recorded five assists, skating on the right wing of Seattle's first line. Three of the assists came in one game, a 7-0 win over Spokane on Friday in which he was named No. 3 star.
Svejkovsky recorded seven shots on goal in a loss to Everett on Sunday, the fifth time in which he's taken seven or more shots in a game this season.
Svejkovsky's 18-year-old sister Anna, who would have played for the U.S. in the Women's World Junior Championships had the tournament not been canceled, announced her commitment to Colgate University.
Kirill Tankov
Position: Center/wing
Size: 6-2/190
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2021, seventh round
Team: SKA-Neva (VHL)
Season totals: 33 games, 9 goals, 8 assists
Tankov played in three games and scored one goal and two assists.
His goal came off of this 2-on-1:
Chase Yoder
Position: Center
Size: 5-11/185
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2020, sixth round
Team: Providence College (NCAA)
Season totals: 29 games, 4 goal, 5 assists
Yoder was scoreless in two games centering Providence's third line.
DEFENSEMEN
Santeri Airola
Size: 5-9/163
Shoots: Right
Drafted: 2019, seventh round
Team: Ilves (Liiga), KOOVEE (Mestis)
Season totals: 2 games (Mestis)
Airola missed the start of the Liiga season with a lower-body injury. His team announced on Oct. 14 that Airola underwent surgery and is expected to be sidelined for 6-8 months.
Isaac Belliveau
Size: 6-2/185
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2021, fifth round
Team: Gatineau Olympiques (QMJHL)
Season totals: 29 games, 1 goal, 9 assists
The QMJHL extended its pause until Feb. 1.
Daniel Laatsch
Size: 6-5/190
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2021, seventh round
Team: University of Wisconsin (NCAA)
Season totals: 25 games, 2 assists
Laatsch was scoreless in one game on Friday. He suffered an undisclosed injury in that game and didn't play on Saturday.
Ryan McCleary
Size: 6-2/180
Shoots: Right
Drafted: 2021, seventh round
Team: Portland Winterhawks (WHL)
Season totals: 36 games, 4 goals, 12 assists
McCleary recorded two assists in three games on the left side of Portland's second defense pairing.
Clayton Phillips
Size: 6-0/195
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2017, third round
Team: Penn State University (NCAA)
Season totals: 26 games, 5 goal, 7 assists
Phillips was scoreless in two games.
Phillips is one of three Penn State players nominated for the Hobey Baker Award, awarded annually to the top player in college hockey. Voting is here and runs through March 6.
GOALTENDERS
Joel Blomqvist
Size: 6-1/183
Catches: Left
Drafted: 2020, second round
Team: Karpat (Liiga), Hermes (Mestis)
Season totals: 11 games, 1.05 GAA, .952 SV% (Liiga), 4 games, 2.26 GAA, .882 SV% (Mestis)
Blomqvist started one game in the lower-level Mestis league and allowed three goals on 15 shots in an overtime loss.
Calle Clang
Size: 6-2/176
Catches: Left
Drafted: 2020, third round
Team: Rogle (SHL)
Season totals: 9 games, 2.52 GAA, .903 SV%
Clang dressed as backup this week.
