The Penguins have made a lot of headway in restocking the prospect pool with players with legitimate potential over the last two years.
Kyle Dubas has also done well to load up on picks to keep that process going, with more picks than any other team -- and more picks in the top three rounds specifically than any other team -- over the next three seasons.
But if the Penguins really want to accelerate that process, hitting on some undrafted free agent signings who are slightly older and closer could go a long way toward that goal. They've already appeared to find one real gem using that path, inking Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's leading goal-scorer Avery Hayes to a two-year entry-level contract after two years in the system on an AHL contract.
If there's one AHL-contracted prospect currently in the system who seems likely to be the next in line for an entry-level deal of his own, it's forward Atley Calvert.
Calvert, 21, was signed to a two-year AHL contract last summer out of the WHL champion Moose Jaw Warriors, where he was then-Penguins prospect Brayden Yager's linemate. Calvert tied Yager for No. 2 in scoring on Moose Jaw with 61 points and ranked No. 2 in goals with 47 in 68 games.
Calvert started the year in Wheeling, where the transition to the pro game seemed pretty seamless. He produced at just shy of a point-per-game pace, with 13 goals and 23 assists in 38 games.
"Looking back, that was the best thing for me," Calvert told me in Wilkes-Barre last week about starting the year in the ECHL. "I think the guys down there and (coach Derek) Army really helped us young guys learn how to learn how to play pro. It was an unbelievable experience."
Army told me when I went to Wheeling that he doesn't expect Calvert to ever be back in the ECHL playing for him again, and it's because that early success Calvert found went well beyond the point production. He was just a well-rounded player, ready for pro hockey.
"He was physically the most mature (6 foot, 193 pounds), I think, of all the young guys," Army said. "Right away, he stepped up. He was first PK, first PP, first line. He had some ups and downs where you could see where three-in-threes and the minutes he was playing was a little bit exhausting. He's playing 23 minutes a night. And then you could see where he started to really come into his own as a player in faceoffs, every category. He was just so good. I think the world of him. He's NHL potential."
WBS PENGUINS
Atley Calvert
Calvert earned his first opportunity in the AHL at the end of January and never went back to the ECHL. Now in a bottom-six role, he still managed to produce with nine goals and five assists in 26 games. And again, his contributions went beyond the scoresheet, with Wilkes-Barre coach Kirk MacDonald telling me Calvert has been "forcing his way into more minutes" with his well-rounded play.
"He's done a great job for us. He just takes pucks to hard areas. He works, competes, low maintenance," MacDonald said. "He's on top of pucks. He gets to the blue paint. He wins puck battles. He wins a lot of pucks, and he allows us to maintain possession, maintain momentum. He doesn't lose many shifts, it just gives him opportunities to play in the offensive zone. He gives versatility for us -- he can play center, he can play the wing. He gives you depth to your lineup."
Calvert said that the physicality of the game was the biggest adjustment for him coming up from junior and then again as he moved up through the ranks to the AHL. And as he continued to stick in the AHL, the biggest messages form the coaching staff about his game were just to keep things simple, keep doing the little things that made him so successful in Wheeling.
Both Army and MacDonald pointed to Hayes as a comparison for Calvert. Army noted that the two are "cut from the same cloth" in their play, though Calvert has a size edge over Hayes. And MacDonald said that he thinks Hayes is proving to be a "great example" for Calvert, and evidence that he could work his way up to an NHL contract too.
Calvert, too, told me that Hayes is someone he's looking up to and hoping to follow in being someone that turns an AHL deal into an NHL one with the Penguins. The biggest thing he thinks he needs to work on in order to do that is to get faster, and improve his pure foot speed. But beyond that, he just needs to stick on the path he's on.
"I'm just trying to learn something every day," he said.
WBS PENGUINS
Atley Calvert
Want to participate in our comments?
Want an ad-free experience?
Become a member, and enjoy premium benefits! Make your voice heard on the Steelers, Penguins and Pirates, and hear right back from tens of thousands of fellow Pittsburgh sports fans worldwide! Plus, access all our premium content, including Dejan Kovacevic columns, Friday Insider, daily Live Qs with the staff, more! And yeah, that's right, no ads at all!
THE ASYLUM
Taylor Haase
7:01 pm - 04.30.2025Wilkes-Barre, Pa.Could Calvert be next to earn NHL contract?
The Penguins have made a lot of headway in restocking the prospect pool with players with legitimate potential over the last two years.
Kyle Dubas has also done well to load up on picks to keep that process going, with more picks than any other team -- and more picks in the top three rounds specifically than any other team -- over the next three seasons.
But if the Penguins really want to accelerate that process, hitting on some undrafted free agent signings who are slightly older and closer could go a long way toward that goal. They've already appeared to find one real gem using that path, inking Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's leading goal-scorer Avery Hayes to a two-year entry-level contract after two years in the system on an AHL contract.
If there's one AHL-contracted prospect currently in the system who seems likely to be the next in line for an entry-level deal of his own, it's forward Atley Calvert.
Calvert, 21, was signed to a two-year AHL contract last summer out of the WHL champion Moose Jaw Warriors, where he was then-Penguins prospect Brayden Yager's linemate. Calvert tied Yager for No. 2 in scoring on Moose Jaw with 61 points and ranked No. 2 in goals with 47 in 68 games.
Calvert started the year in Wheeling, where the transition to the pro game seemed pretty seamless. He produced at just shy of a point-per-game pace, with 13 goals and 23 assists in 38 games.
"Looking back, that was the best thing for me," Calvert told me in Wilkes-Barre last week about starting the year in the ECHL. "I think the guys down there and (coach Derek) Army really helped us young guys learn how to learn how to play pro. It was an unbelievable experience."
Army told me when I went to Wheeling that he doesn't expect Calvert to ever be back in the ECHL playing for him again, and it's because that early success Calvert found went well beyond the point production. He was just a well-rounded player, ready for pro hockey.
"He was physically the most mature (6 foot, 193 pounds), I think, of all the young guys," Army said. "Right away, he stepped up. He was first PK, first PP, first line. He had some ups and downs where you could see where three-in-threes and the minutes he was playing was a little bit exhausting. He's playing 23 minutes a night. And then you could see where he started to really come into his own as a player in faceoffs, every category. He was just so good. I think the world of him. He's NHL potential."
WBS PENGUINS
Atley Calvert
Calvert earned his first opportunity in the AHL at the end of January and never went back to the ECHL. Now in a bottom-six role, he still managed to produce with nine goals and five assists in 26 games. And again, his contributions went beyond the scoresheet, with Wilkes-Barre coach Kirk MacDonald telling me Calvert has been "forcing his way into more minutes" with his well-rounded play.
"He's done a great job for us. He just takes pucks to hard areas. He works, competes, low maintenance," MacDonald said. "He's on top of pucks. He gets to the blue paint. He wins puck battles. He wins a lot of pucks, and he allows us to maintain possession, maintain momentum. He doesn't lose many shifts, it just gives him opportunities to play in the offensive zone. He gives versatility for us -- he can play center, he can play the wing. He gives you depth to your lineup."
Calvert said that the physicality of the game was the biggest adjustment for him coming up from junior and then again as he moved up through the ranks to the AHL. And as he continued to stick in the AHL, the biggest messages form the coaching staff about his game were just to keep things simple, keep doing the little things that made him so successful in Wheeling.
Both Army and MacDonald pointed to Hayes as a comparison for Calvert. Army noted that the two are "cut from the same cloth" in their play, though Calvert has a size edge over Hayes. And MacDonald said that he thinks Hayes is proving to be a "great example" for Calvert, and evidence that he could work his way up to an NHL contract too.
Calvert, too, told me that Hayes is someone he's looking up to and hoping to follow in being someone that turns an AHL deal into an NHL one with the Penguins. The biggest thing he thinks he needs to work on in order to do that is to get faster, and improve his pure foot speed. But beyond that, he just needs to stick on the path he's on.
"I'm just trying to learn something every day," he said.
WBS PENGUINS
Atley Calvert
Want to participate in our comments?
Want an ad-free experience?
Become a member, and enjoy premium benefits! Make your voice heard on the Steelers, Penguins and Pirates, and hear right back from tens of thousands of fellow Pittsburgh sports fans worldwide! Plus, access all our premium content, including Dejan Kovacevic columns, Friday Insider, daily Live Qs with the staff, more! And yeah, that's right, no ads at all!
We’d love to have you!