Zam Plante's two younger brothers Max and Victor got up to the podium at Red Wings development camp on Monday and Max very clearly advocated for their eldest brother joining them in Detroit in the near future.
"We just have to let (Zam) graduate college and then he'll be a free agent," Max said. "He's just got to have patience. Our older brother just needs to play a couple more years of college, then maybe he can do it."
Max was referring to the Penguins' exclusive signing rights to Zam expiring after his senior season. He was a sophomore this year at Minnesota-Duluth, so two more years of college would give him the freedom to hit unrestricted free agency.
Zam was told about Max's comments on Tuesday afternoon at the Penguins' development camp ... and he doesn't quite agree with his younger brother.
"The Penguins are the team that picked me," Zam said. "They've been really loyal to me, helped me through development, helped me through injuries and stuck with me. This is where I want to be."
Zam joked that one usually has to tell Max to stop talking "once a week anyways," and so he didn't seem too bothered by the comments.
For Zam, playing with his brothers next season might be enough. He'll be going back to Minnesota-Duluth for his junior season, Max for his sophomore season, and Victor will be joining them for his freshman year.
With all three being forwards, Minnesota-Duluth head coach Scott Sandelin made a promise to the trio that they'll get at least the first game of the season on a forward line, and they'll see where it goes from there.
"If Vic can't keep up, then he's gone," Zam quipped. "We'll see what it happens."
There's reason to believe it could work -- Zam and Max were without a doubt the best duo in college hockey last season. Max finished the year tied for third in all of NCAA scoring with 52 points (25 goals, 27 assists) in 40 games, and Zam was right behind with 50 points (20 goals, 30 assists) to tie for sixth in scoring in the league.
Zam doesn't have a plan for how long he'll be in school. His goal was to stay in school long enough to play with Victor, since he never had the opportunity to play with him growing up. While a Plante-Plante-Plante line will be a cool story, Zam thinks he still has steps he can take next year in college hockey.
"Definitely getting a little stronger, holding onto pucks longer is a big thing," Zam said. "It's a big emphasis this summer, holding onto the puck for an extra second to make a play instead of giving pucks away all the time. There's definitely room to grow. And getting bigger and faster, everybody says it, but it's so important, especially for making the NHL one day."
When Zam mentioned the NHL, he nodded in the direction of the Penguins' main locker room -- the room he still hopes to be in one day.
THE ASYLUM
Plante reaffirms loyalty to Penguins
Zam Plante's two younger brothers Max and Victor got up to the podium at Red Wings development camp on Monday and Max very clearly advocated for their eldest brother joining them in Detroit in the near future.
"We just have to let (Zam) graduate college and then he'll be a free agent," Max said. "He's just got to have patience. Our older brother just needs to play a couple more years of college, then maybe he can do it."
Max was referring to the Penguins' exclusive signing rights to Zam expiring after his senior season. He was a sophomore this year at Minnesota-Duluth, so two more years of college would give him the freedom to hit unrestricted free agency.
Zam was told about Max's comments on Tuesday afternoon at the Penguins' development camp ... and he doesn't quite agree with his younger brother.
"The Penguins are the team that picked me," Zam said. "They've been really loyal to me, helped me through development, helped me through injuries and stuck with me. This is where I want to be."
Zam joked that one usually has to tell Max to stop talking "once a week anyways," and so he didn't seem too bothered by the comments.
For Zam, playing with his brothers next season might be enough. He'll be going back to Minnesota-Duluth for his junior season, Max for his sophomore season, and Victor will be joining them for his freshman year.
With all three being forwards, Minnesota-Duluth head coach Scott Sandelin made a promise to the trio that they'll get at least the first game of the season on a forward line, and they'll see where it goes from there.
"If Vic can't keep up, then he's gone," Zam quipped. "We'll see what it happens."
There's reason to believe it could work -- Zam and Max were without a doubt the best duo in college hockey last season. Max finished the year tied for third in all of NCAA scoring with 52 points (25 goals, 27 assists) in 40 games, and Zam was right behind with 50 points (20 goals, 30 assists) to tie for sixth in scoring in the league.
Zam doesn't have a plan for how long he'll be in school. His goal was to stay in school long enough to play with Victor, since he never had the opportunity to play with him growing up. While a Plante-Plante-Plante line will be a cool story, Zam thinks he still has steps he can take next year in college hockey.
"Definitely getting a little stronger, holding onto pucks longer is a big thing," Zam said. "It's a big emphasis this summer, holding onto the puck for an extra second to make a play instead of giving pucks away all the time. There's definitely room to grow. And getting bigger and faster, everybody says it, but it's so important, especially for making the NHL one day."
When Zam mentioned the NHL, he nodded in the direction of the Penguins' main locker room -- the room he still hopes to be in one day.
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