CRANBERRY, Pa. -- It's the best time of year.
Later this week a group of Penguins prospects will head to the LECOM Harborcenter in Buffalo, N.Y., to participate in the annual Prospects Challenge, a tournament between the young players of the Penguins, Sabres, Bruins, Devils, Canadiens and Senators.
Here's everything you need to know about the Penguins participating:
SCHEDULE, STREAMING
The Penguins will play three games over four days in Buffalo:
Friday, Sept. 15, 3:30 p.m. vs. Bruins
Saturday, Sept. 16, 12 p.m. vs. Senators
Monday, Sept. 18, 5 p.m. vs. Sabres
The Penguins said back in July that potential streaming information for these games will be announced at a later date closer to the event.
WHO IS COMING?
The Penguins are bringing a 27-man roster made up of 16 forwards, eight defensemen and three goaltenders. The full roster can be viewed here.
Unlike development camp, which is geared more toward players with limited to no professional experience, a number of regulars from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton are a part of this crew. Several undrafted, unsigned players were invited to the games, which are serving as a tryout for potentially earning a contract later down the line. Drafted prospects from Canadian junior leagues will be in attendance, but none of the prospects who play in Europe or college will be joining as they're with their teams already.
Three Penguins prospects are on the roster but won't play due to injury:
Defenseman Owen Pickering (2022, first round) - Suffered a lower-body injury during offseason training after development camp. It's believed to be an ankle injury that happened about a month ago, and it's significant enough that he's yet to resume skating. This will be the second Prospects Challenge in a row missed for Pickering, who was sidelined last summer with an upper-body injury sustained from a hit in the WHL preseason. That injury prevented Pickering from participating in any NHL preseason games before being sent back to junior, and it looks like that will be the case again this year.
Forward Raivis Ansons (2020, fifth round) - Suffered an upper-body injury playing for Wilkes-Barre that caused him to miss the last month of the season. He is in Pittsburgh already and has been skating prior to or with the informal skate group the last few days, albeit in a non-contact capacity.
Defenseman Nolan Collins (2022, sixth round) - Suffered an undisclosed injury in the final game of the OHL regular season that sidelined him for Sudbury's short-lived playoff run. Collins missed last summer's Prospects Challenge as well, a result of a shoulder injury sustained in an intra-squad game in the OHL training camp.
WHO ARE THE UNDRAFTED INVITES?
A pretty significant number of unsigned, undrafted prospects will look to impress enough to earn a contract:
Forwards:
Atley Calvert
Age: 19
Size: 6-0, 190
Shoots: Right
2022-23 stats: 67 games, 40 goals, 33 assists (WHL)
Calvert previously attended this summer's development camp. He attended Sabres development camp last summer and played for the Sabres in last year's Prospects Challenge. He was Brayden Yager's linemate with the WHL's Moose Jaw Warriors last season. Calvert has a Sept. 17 birthday, which would have him turning 20 years old early enough to be eligible for the AHL this season if he does earn a contract. He also has the option to return to junior for a final, overage 20-year-old season.
Elite Prospects writes that Calvert "shows manipulation ability, one-touch playmaking, and deception. He slips pucks through defenders and passes while looking off his target. Intelligent off-puck positioning and frequent scanning place him in the middle of the action, and he’s adaptable, never locked into a play. Where many players shoot, he finds a teammate in better position, often misdirecting a defender to create the passing lane."
Pano Fimis
Age: 19
Size: 5-11, 176
Shoots: Right
2022-23 stats: 55 games, 16 goals, 31 assists (OHL)
Fimis has one more year in the OHL before he's eligible to play in the AHL, but that doesn't preclude him potentially getting a contract this summer. Fimis started last season with the Niagara Ice Dogs then got traded to the Erie Otters midseason. His production remained pretty consistent over the course of the year, with eight goals and 17 assists in the first half and eight goals and 14 assists in the second half.
Dobber Prospects describes Fimis as a "two-way center with good vision and a solid off-puck game. Has the potential to develop into a reliable middle-six NHL forward."
Max Namestnikov
Age: 19
Size: 5-8, 174
Shoots: Left
2022-23 stats: 65 games, 39 goals, 22 assists (OHL)
Namestnikov is the younger brother of Jets forward Vladislav Namestnikov and the son of former Canucks defenseman Yevgeni Namestnikov. He started last season playing for the Sarnia Sting, where he scored four goals and three assists in 18 games. He was then traded to the Guelph Storm, and finished the year with 35 goals and 19 assists in 47 games. Namestnikov attended the Canuckss development camp last summer, and both the Hurricanes' and Canucks' development camps this summer.
FC Hockey described Namestnikov as "a player who likes to make quick snap passes through opponents and set his teammates up net-front. He has quick feet when challenging his opponent, moving his feet with every stick movement to make sure he stays with his man and shows his quick edges while following in the corner.”
Matthew Soto
Age: 18
Size: 5-11, 168
Shoots: Right
2022-23 stats: 54 games, 15 goals, 27 assists (OHL)
Soto is coming off of his first year of draft eligibility and has another two years of junior hockey left before he's able to go to the AHL.
Elite Prospects praises Soto's skating first and foremost, writing that his "unrelenting pace overwhelms opponents. Crossovers, cutbacks, and dekes leave defenders confused as he barrels his way to the net. Never flatfooted, he constantly flips between scoring and supporting position, engaging in every battle possible. When opponents recover possession, he’s the first player to apply pressure."
Dobber Prospects writes that Soto "has great puck skills, is an excellent playmaker, has terrific off-puck instincts to find soft ice, drives the middle lane, and is one of the youngest players in the class. He also has a high motor, which when paired with his efficient movements, makes him a very effective forechecker and penalty killer. Soto scans the ice very well, makes good passing decisions in transition to diffuse pressure, and finds pockets of space upon entry in the offensive zone better than most OHLers."
Defensemen:
Mathis Aguilar
Age: 18
Size: 6-3, 205
Shoots: Left
2022-23 stats: 55 games, 3 goals, 6 assists (QMJHL)
Aguilar has at least one more year left of junior hockey, but could play in the AHL in 2024-25 because he has a Nov. 17 birthday.
The Draft Analyst describes Aguilar as "a mobile, smooth skating, puck mover, excelling at finding seams for outlet passes. ... He is solid in all facets and would benefit by adding some snarl to his game. He plays both sides, defends well, has excellent reads, and is rarely caught up ice."
Andre Anania
Age: 20
Size: 6-1,185
Shoots: Left
2022-23 stats: 63 games, 7 goals, 26 assists (OHL)
Anania is a teammate of Penguins defense prospect Nolan Collins, and the two spent some time last season as a top pairing for Sudbury, with Anania on the left and Collins on the right side. Anania won the team awards for the top defenseman and top plus-minus (plus-31). He is eligible to play in the minors next season if he earns a contract, or he has the option to return to the OHL for a final overage season.
Various reports from Sudbury praise Anania's decision-making as one of his biggest strengths.
Ty Higgins
Age: 18
Size: 6-0, 187
Shoots: Right
2022-23 stats: 68 games, 13 goals, 28 assists (QMJHL)
Higgins turns 19 later this month, so he only has one more year of junior hockey before he's eligible to play in the minors. He was ranked the No. 147 North American skater heading into this summer's draft but went unselected.
Elite Prospects writes that Higgins "has some interesting elements. He participates in most plays, has a physical element, and he looks for attacks to the middle of the ice and the slot. Constant deception in his passing especially on regroups; he fakes with his head and shoulders and then hits teammates in stride."
Daily Faceoff adds that Higgins has strong "two-way play and his ability to start the rush," but "his skating is quite average."
Cole Moberg
Age: 22
Size: 6-3, 187
Shoots: Left
2022-23 stats: 67 games, 5 goals, 11 assists (ECHL)
Moberg is an interesting addition in that he's a few years older than the rest of the undrafted invites, and has a few years of professional experience already. He might be the only guy on the ice in Buffalo with a full-on beard. Originally a seventh-round pick of the Blackhawks in 2019, Moberg spent some time in the AHL in his first two professional seasons -- 22 games with Rockford in 2020-21, and 31 games with San Jose in 2021-22.
Moberg spent the last season with the Kelly Cup-winning Florida Everblades in the ECHL on an ECHL-level contract. He scored five goals and 11 assists in 67 regular-season games, and then another two goals and three assists in 22 games in the postseason.
In August Moberg signed a one-year contract extension with the Everblades, but that doesn't preclude him from signing an NHL or AHL contract with the Penguins. Since the Everblades own his ECHL rights, though, it does prevent him from playing in Wheeling if he is signed. The Everblades would have to loan him to the Nailers.
Goaltender:
Michael Simpson
Age: 20
Size: 6-1, 192
Catches: Left
2022-23 stats: 51 games, 2.73 GAA, .914 SV%, 5 shutouts (OHL)
Simpson previously attended this summer's development camp and fared well in the three-on-three tournament to close out the camp.
Simpson is coming off of a career year. He won the OHL championships with his Peterborough Petes, and led the league in shutouts with five in the regular season. He went 16-7 in the postseason with a 2.80 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage, and won the Wayne Gretzky 99 Award as the OHL's postseason MVP.
Simpson is eligible to play in the minors next season but also has the option to go back to the OHL for an overage season. With the number of goaltenders already signed and in the Penguins' system for this season, it's hard to imagine where Simpson could fit in. He could be someone that makes sense to add for the following season, though.
WHO ELSE TO WATCH?
These are the five prospects who are already Penguins property who I'm most looking forward to seeing play. These aren't necessarily the best five in attendance, but rather the ones who I think are pretty intriguing:
Brayden Yager
Position: Center
Age: 18
Size: 5-11, 166
Shoots: Right
Acquired: 2023 draft, first round
2022-23 stats: 67 games, 28 goals, 50 assists (WHL)
This one is easy. Yager is the Penguins' top prospect. This will be the first opportunity to see him in game-like action since he was drafted, and he'll be playing with and against players with AHL-level experience. It'll be interesting to see how he stacks up.
Joel Blomqvist
Position: Goaltender
Age: 21
Size: 6-2, 183
Catches: Left
Acquired: 2020 draft, second round
2022-23 stats: 21 games, 2.29 GAA, .907 SV%, 1 shutout (Liiga), 1 game, 4.00 GAA, .852 SV% (AHL)
Blomqvist will be moving over to North America from Finland for this season. He's the Penguins' top goaltending prospect and could be the team's future No. 1. goaltender. It'll be interesting to see how he adjusts to the smaller ice and how he handles playing against other AHL-level competition. He's also coming off of a season in which he missed significant time from two separate concussions, so seeing where he is now after that missed time is something else to watch for.
Sam Poulin
Position: Center/wing
Age: 22
Size: 6-2, 214
Shoots: Left
Acquired: 2019 draft, first round
2022-23 stats: 3 games, 1 assist (NHL), 15 games, 4 goals (AHL)
Poulin missed most of last season as he took some time away to focus on his mental health. He's back and feeling better, which is the biggest thing. Now, it'll be interesting to see where his game is at after the time off. He participated in the Penguins' development camp and joined the Penguins' informal skates and scrimmage on Monday, and he didn't look like he's lost a step. But both those situations are pretty far off from being a real game-like scenario, and seeing Poulin play these games will give a better idea of where he is heading into training camp.
Dillon Hamaliuk
Position: Left wing
Age: 22
Size: 6-3, 190
Shoots: Left
Acquired: Erik Karlsson trade
2022-23 stats: 6 games, 4 goals, 3 assists (ECHL)
Hamaliuk was the throw-in from San Jose in the Erik Karlsson trade this summer. He was originally the Sharks' second-round pick in 2019, and is entering his third professional season. He brings some good size for a forward prospect and described his game in San Jose as "gritty, physical, and just hard-nosed hockey.” The Penguins don't have a ton of prospects who fit that description, so that alone makes Hamaliuk intriguing.
Hamaliuk played 44 games for the AHL's San Jose Barracuda in his first pro season, and scored three goals and six assists. He started last season in the ECHL with the Wichita Thunder, but was limited to just six games due to an undisclosed injury.
It'll be interesting to see what the Penguins got in Hamaliuk, and how he's doing after missing much of last season.
Jagger Joshua
Position: Wing
Age: 24
Size: 6-2, 201
Shoots: Left
Acquired: AHL contract signing
2022-23 stats: 37 games, 13 goals, 11 assists (NCAA), 7 games (AHL)
Joshua, the younger brother of Canucks forward Dakota Joshua, is a prospect who will likely be fun to watch in this setting.
Joshua was the first AHL-contracted signing Wilkes-Barre made this past spring, signing a two-year AHL deal after his senior season ended at Michigan State. The deal kicks in next season, but he did finish the year in the AHL on a tryout deal, playing seven games in a bottom-six capacity.
Joshua is a power forward who has experience playing both left wing and right wing, and played on both the power play and penalty kill at Michigan State. He compares his playing style to that of Tom Wilson or Wayne Simmonds, as tougher power forwards who have the ability to play with skilled players. As a sophomore he told Michigan State's athletics website, "I love hitting people. There's definitely something about contact that I definitely enjoy. I take pride in it. I don't think about it, I just go out and do it.''
Michigan State coach Adam Nightingale told The State News last season that “Jags really brings a lot to that (top) line. His ability to extend plays in the offensive zone and his strength on the puck and obviously he's great around that net. He understands his role. I think it's really important. Player development is like understanding who you are and what makes you great.”
Physical, gritty players like Joshua tend to stand out in these prospect games as they try to make an impression. I'd anticipate Joshua getting under the skin of opponents and making things interesting.
