NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Penguins are scheduled to pick at No. 14 in the first round of the draft on Wednesday night here in Nashville ... for now.
As Kyle Dubas acknowledged last week in his pre-draft media availability in Cranberry, all options remain on the table in regards to the first-round pick. The Penguins could trade up in the draft, or they could also move down a few spots as part of a larger trade.
The latter might be a move that makes sense. You want to take the "best player available" in the draft as Dubas said, but the "best player available" isn't in the draft at all, he's a trade piece on an NHL roster somewhere, and a swap of picks could be a part of that move.
Even if the Penguins do move down later in the first round, they should be able to get a pretty good prospect.
"I think this is a really deep draft class in the first round," NHL Central Scouting director Dan Marr said at the scouting combine earlier this month in Buffalo, N.Y. "You know, the top 50 all are going to be pretty good players down the road. We do our best, the NHL scouts do their best to get the order correct. But we won't know for another two or three years."
If the Penguins do indeed drop down a few spots in the draft, one forward who could be an option to keep an eye on is Swedish forward Otto Stenberg.
Stenberg, who just turned 18 last month, is expected to go mid- to late-first round on Wednesday. Major rankings have him as high as No. 14 (FC Hockey), to No. 16 (Sportsnet), No. 18 (Bob McKenzie, TSN), No. 19 (Dobber Prospects), and No. 29 (Recruit Scouting). One ranking, Elite Prospects, has him just out of the first round entirely, falling to No. 36.
Stenberg said at the scouting combine earlier this month in Buffalo, N.Y. that he interviewed with 28 teams. The Penguins were among that group.
Stenberg, who plays both center and wing, split last team between Frolunda in the SHL and Frolunda's U20 affiliate in the Swedish junior league. He scored 11 goals and 15 assists in 29 games in the junior league, and then one goal and two assists in 23 games at the pro level.
"After Christmas, I had maybe 15 games with the SHL team," Stenberg said of the way his season went while at the combine. "It helped a lot when I came down to the U20 team and to the national team against players in my same age group. It helped a lot because I had been playing the bigger and heavier players.
Stenberg named Sidney Crosby as a player he watches a lot and looks up to, something that's seemingly becoming more of a rarity these days with draft-eligible prospects. Most of them were four years old when Crosby lifted the Stanley Cup for the first time. Regardless, Crosby is always a good player for someone like Stenberg to look up to given his skillset.
"I'd say I'm a two-way forward," Stenberg told me. " A smart player, can score goals and make good plays, smart player. A playmaker."
It's Stenberg's compete that sets him apart, too.
“He plays the strong, character game,” central scouting director Marr told NBC Sports Philadelphia of Stenberg.. “This is your warrior, this is the guy you go into battle with, this is the guy that teammates will follow into battle when you need to win.”
Craig Button of TSN praised Stenberg's overall reliable game.
“Otto Stenberg is just a consistent, reliable, competitive, dependent player," Button said. "He plays the game in all its areas. He’s not going to overwhelm you in one area, but whatever area he happens to be playing in, you can count on him to be really effective, really strong and a real, real challenge for opponents to try to handle.”
Many draft-age players need to get bigger, and that's true with Stenberg. He has decent size already at 5 foot 11 and 185 pounds, but he'd ideally continue to get stronger as he starts to play more against grown men.
I asked Stenberg what his main focuses are in his game and he said "of course, to get stronger and faster."
"My goal for next season is to play in the SHL with Frolunda," Stenberg said. "I have to be strong and fast to play against men, that's my goal."
Ideally, Stenberg would have a full, strong year in the SHL before a team brings him over to North America. He's going to need some time to develop. But whenever he does make his way over, his compete, reliability and two-way play should make for an easier transition.
This is the 13th story in a series of player profiles from the NHL's Scouting Combine in Buffalo, N.Y., focusing on potential first-round picks for the Penguins.
