Penguins Analysis from Dev. Camp: 1st Rounders & Diamonds in the Rough (+)

CRANBERRY — The Pittsburgh Penguins prospect pool has been mudpuddle shallow for the last couple of seasons. A lack of draft picks and bad drafting left the WBS Penguins in the crosshairs of opponents on a nightly basis, and the Pittsburgh Penguins reliant on free agents instead of internal options.

For the first time in memory, the Penguins put three of their own first-round draft picks, Sam Poulin (2019), Owen Pickering (2022), and Brayden Yager (2023), on the ice at the same in the Development Camp, which began Saturday and concluded with a three-team 3v3 tournament Monday.

For posterity, Team Stevens won. The players were increasingly invested in the outcome, banging their sticks on the boards late in the game. With the goalie pulled, trailing by one, Pickering faked a shot from the point and instead made a hard pass to 2022 fifth-round pick Zam Plante who redirected the tying goal.