Life As a Long-Shot Prospect With the Penguins (+)

The Pittsburgh Penguins drafted a high-scoring forward from Moose Jaw in the first round of the 2023 NHL Draft.

It wasn’t Atley Calvert.

Rather, the Penguins opted to invest that choice in Warriors center Brayden Yager, who finished the 2022-23 season with 78 points.

Calvert didn’t seem to take it personally that the Penguins — and the NHL’s other 31 clubs — allowed him to go unclaimed in any of the seven rounds that played out in Nashville.

Sure, he finished just five points behind Yager in the team scoring race and actually ran up a 40-28 advantage over him in goals, but Calvert has gotten used to being overlooked.

“I’ve never been drafted, my whole career,” he said. “I was never drafted in the Western League or anything. I’ve kind of been a free agent every step of the way.”