Penguins Day 2 Draft Picks; Can Zam Plante Follow His Father to NHL? (+)

MONTREAL — Sure, the Pittsburgh Penguins knew all about Zam Plante’s bloodlines.

That would be kind of tough to overlook when a prospect’s father has 450 NHL games and a Stanley Cup championship on his resume.

But it was not Derek Plante’s professional achievements that convinced the Penguins to invest their fifth-round choice in the 2022 NHL draft in his son Friday at the Bell Centre.

Oh, Zam Plante’s background in a hockey family didn’t hurt, but the Penguins feel there was a lot more than that to like about him.

Ask Nick Pryor, their director of amateur scouting, about Plante, and he steers the discussion to Plante’s skill and compete level and hockey sense.

Which doesn’t mean that Pryor fails to recognize the value in Plante’s upbringing.