BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Unofficially, the Penguins are the champions of the 2023 Prospects Challenge here at the LECOM Harborcenter in Buffalo, N.Y.
The Penguins' 3-0 win over the Sabres prospects on Monday gave them a 2-1 record, and the Penguins finished with the best goal differential among the teams that finished 2-1. There won't be a trophy or a parade to commemorate the Penguins' efforts, but they're heading back to Pittsburgh proud of what they accomplished here this week.
The chorus of "champs!" from the players outside the locker room made much that clear.
"They did a good job," coach J.D. Forrest said of his team. "It was tough. That was a good team we played today, and they did a great job. ... Guys were willing to work hard and play the right way. What we liked the most, top to bottom, we gave them some new things to try in the games and new concepts and different adjustments and they were able to do it on the fly. So I think from a hockey standpoint, that says a lot about the players that we had in that room."
A number of players stood out for the better over the course of the three games. Here are some takeaways from this year's Prospects Challenge:
1. Jagger Joshua, a forward entering his first full pro season and the first of a two-year AHL deal with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, might have been the most fun player to watch this tournament. Most players didn't play in all three games, and Joshua just played in the last two. The physicality and edge that he plays with were noticeable on every shift. More so in the first of the two games, he was getting under the skin of opponents and capturing their attention in a way that directly led to a goal at one point. He earned a promotion to the top line for Monday's game, and had a pretty strong overall game. He was frequently parked in the Buffalo crease and being 6-foot-3, 210 pounds, was pretty adept at screening the goaltender. He's scored a lot of goals from that area in college, and he nearly had a redirect goal today from there. He'll be one to really watch in Wilkes-Barre this season, and will surely be a fan favorite by the end of the year.
2. I've still yet to see any indication that forward Sam Poulin was set back by missing most of last season for mental health reasons. His legs are there, he's physical, he's the same player he was early last season. He had a goal Saturday and then another today, both a result of driving to the net. One of the more impressive things from him today was when he was on the penalty kill late in the game, and his stick got broken. He stayed out there and was diving to block shots and diving to knock the puck off of Sabres players' sticks. It's a summer exhibition series of games, and he was out there treating it like it was Game 7 in a playoff series.
"Everyone's trying to make an impression," Forrest said. "If that's something that you're willing to do in this environment, then when the chips are down and you're in a high-pressure game, then imagine what they're going to be trying to do, the sacrifices that they'll make. Poulin there, he's got no stick killing a penalty, he's throwing his body in front of a bunch of shots."
3. This was the first opportunity 2023 first-round pick forward Brayden Yager has had to play with and against players who are older, bigger and with pro experience, and he didn't look out of place. He had a goal Saturday that was a result of a shot from the point, an opportunity he created for himself after he made the smart, responsible decision to cover for a pinching defenseman. Monday, he scored a beautiful breakaway goal. He impressed the coaching staff, for sure.
"For someone his age, he’s playing both sides of the ice with a level of maturity that you don't often see with guys coming through from junior," Forrest said. "I think he takes a lot of pride in that up-and-down game and making sure he's being responsible on the defensive side of things. He has the ability to make plays, he made a couple of slick little passes."
4. Wilkes-Barre doesn't have many NHL-contracted, young defensemen going into next season, it's really only Jack St. Ivany and Isaac Belliveau. Belliveau, who will be turning pro after playing in the QMJHL, has the higher ceiling of the two. He was one of the few players to play in all three games here, and he was on the top defense pairing, quarterbacked the power play and played on a penalty-killing unit. Forrest said that he thought Monday's game was Belliveau's best "by a landslide."
"He just was able to close people down. He played a little bit more on the physical side today," Forrest said. "Not like outrageous hits but just making sure that he got a piece every time and that the other team wouldn't be able to gain momentum and get their feet going without getting tripped up a little bit. He also made some better, some easier decisions with the puck. That's one thing with some of the guys especially on the D side that are used to making an extra move. Here it's about quick puck movement and he did that much better today."
5. Goaltender Joel Blomqvist, who played a game and a half, was the Penguins' best player in both starts he made. It doesn't look like he's having any issues at all adjusting to the smaller ice surface as he makes the move to North America. He stopped 12 of 14 shots in the first half of the 4-2 opening loss to the Bruins, then played the full 60 minutes in Monday's 3-0 win over the Sabres, recording 34 saves. Especially when you take into account that Blomqvist is coming off of a season in which he missed several months due to two separate concussions, his performance this week was very impressive. It'll be interesting to see how he fares in the AHL once he's playing regularly and the games matter.
6. Other than Poulin, the player here who has the next-best chances of seeing NHL time next season is forward Corey Andonovski. This past season was his first full year of pro hockey, and he scored eight goals and 11 assists in 62 games. He's big (6-1, 194), physical, good in his own end, and a good net-front guy. And despite being on the lower end of the spectrum when it comes to pro experience, he's respected in the locker room during the year like a real leader, and that was true here at the tournament.
"He's one of the older guys here on the team," Forrest said of Andonovski. "He was around us last year in Wilkes-Barre, and he was at camp and everything. So he's been through this, and he also has a presence about him. And he's a really intelligent guy too, a Princeton guy. I think that says something. But he does have some sway in the locker room. He plays a hard game. And when he does that, guys respond."
He'll never be much of a point-producer at the NHL level, but if Andonovski can take the next step offensively at the AHL this season, that might be what he needs to get the call when an opportunity presents itself due to injury.
7. AHL-contracted forward Sam Houde was frequently noticeable for good reasons. He had a goal in the opening game, played on the power play, was physical and good defensively. On Houde, Forrest said, "I think part of the game that he doesn't get enough credit for is that he's willing to go to some ugly areas around the net. ... He just keeps growing into the type of player that we think can help the organization."
8.. The Penguins brought a ton of undrafted free agents to this tournament on tryout deals. Many of them will head back to their junior teams regardless of whether they earn a contract. Forrest was asked Saturday if any of those players stood out to him, and he named one in particular: AHL-contracted forward Avery Hayes, turning pro this season after being signed out of the OHL.
"Hayes stood out as someone that's making the most of his chances," Forrest said. "That goal he scored (Saturday) where he tracks back, steals the puck, then makes a really nice play to come to the back of the net, I thought it was impressive. There were plays like that where he's doing something little to drive the offense. I think everyone's been doing a great job, but he's one that's stood out a little bit.
9. The Penguins certainly took this tournament as a serious one for evaluation purposes. In addition to Wilkes-Barre coaches Forest, Sheldon Brookbank and Kevin Porter, and Nailers coach Derek Army all behind the bench, those who made the trip included GM Kyle Dubas, assistant GM Jason Spezza, senior adviser of hockey operations Doug Wilson, director of hockey operations Vukie Mpofu, special assistant to the GM Amanda Kessel, Wilkes-Barre GM Erik Heasley, special assignment scout Kevin Stevens, director of player development Tom Kostopoulos, coaches Mike Sullivan, Todd Reirden and Mike Vellucci, goalie coaches Andy Chiodo and Kain Tisi, video coaches Madison Nikkel and CJ D'Alimonte, and members of the analytics staff. Has to be pretty intimidating for the prospects here, I'd imagine.
10. Thanks to everyone for following along this week and reading everything I wrote on some September exhibition games between prospects. This is one of my favorite events of the year, and it's nice to see the interest from you all too.
THE ESSENTIALS
• Live file
• Game sheet
• Boxscore
• Schedule
THE INJURIES
• Forward Raivis Ansons is dealing with an upper-body injury sustained in the last month of the AHL season. He is skating on his own in a non-contact capacity.
• Defenseman Nolan Collins is sidelined after offseason wrist surgery after an injury sustained late in the OHL regular season.
• Defenseman Owen Pickering is dealing with a lower-body injury (believed to be an ankle injury) sustained during offseason training. He has yet to resume skating but the Penguins are hopeful he will be able to participate in training camp.
THE LINEUP
Forrest’s lines and pairings:
Jagger Joshua - Sam Poulin - Lukas Svejkovsky
Sam Houde - Brayden Yager - Avery Hayes
Cooper Foster - Atley Calvert - Max Namestnikov
Ty Glover - Pano Fimis - Matthew Soto
Isaac Belliveau - Jack St. Ivany
Mathis Aguilar - Justin Lee
Andre Anania - Cole Moberg
THE MULTIMEDIA
THE SCHEDULE
That's a wrap on the Prospects Challenge. Training camp opens Sept. 21.
THE CONTENT
Visit our team page for everything.
