Big Weekend for Penguins Prospects; 3 Who Will Arrive Sooner Than Later (+)

BUFFALO — It’s not the most prestigious or historical title the Pittsburgh Penguins will defend, but their prospects tournament team was aware the Penguins won the Prospects Challenge last season and they will have a chance to defend the title Monday by beating the Buffalo Sabres at the LECOM Harborcenter.

The victories matter little but are symbolic of the increased competitiveness among the prospects and the group’s significantly increased ability to compete externally. Just a few years ago, the Penguins were a late addition to the tournament and played only one game. For a few years running, the Penguins’ prospects team was full of ECHL players and college graduates hoping to catch on. There have even been times when the group didn’t have a goalie who had realistic expectations of reaching the AHL.

It’s no wonder many Penguins fans know little about the annual tournament.

Yet Friday and Saturday, the Penguins flexed. They dominated a pair of games against the Boston Bruins and Ottawa Senators. In fairness, Boston and Ottawa rank as lesser prospect pools, but amateur analysts rank the Penguins on the same tier.

After this weekend, a few things may change. The Penguins prospect pool might be owed a bit more respect, and a few prospects may be a lot closer to the NHL than previously thought.

We’ll skip past top prospect Rutger McGroarty. Spoiler Alert: He’s ready and will play in the show this season. You can read up on his performances in the Day 1 and Day 2 coverage.

We’ll also skip over Vasily Ponomarev. He flashed his speed and grittiness at the Prospects Challenge, and he will get a good look at training camp. However, after seeing him in person for the first time (he was injured just four games into his Penguins season last March), his skill set is probably too similar to those of Blake Lizotte and Noel Acciari to make the team out of training camp.

Instead, three prospects showed well enough to contribute to coach Mike Sullivan’s NHL crew sooner rather than later.