Penguins Rookie Camp Gets Intense; Standouts & Surprises (+)

CRANBERRY, Twp. — There were a few long faces and a few more angry ones at the Pittsburgh Penguins Development Camp, which concluded its five-day run with a three-team 4v4 scrimmage.

Tristan Broz, the Penguins 2021 second-round pick, was “pissed off,” his team lost.

Owen Pickering, the team’s 2022 first-round pick (21st overall), bruised his hand while blocking a shot in the final seconds of the championship game but still had the good sense to chirp future teammate Brayden Yager.

“Ah, it was Yager’s shot. It didn’t hurt,” the now 6-foot-5 defenseman said with a straight face before giving in with a laugh.

The 2024 Penguins Development Camp will not be remembered for the championship game or the on-ice celebration, but it might well be remembered as the first camp in memory that featured a handful of potential NHL talents and a genuinely competitive nature.

The boys were getting after it. There were hits along the walls, some net-front battles (courtesy of 2024 second-rounder Tanner Howe), and numerous players playing as if it mattered.

Perhaps for the first time in memory, this camp did matter.

There were several performances worth noting, and a few overage players clearly trying to make an impression. Wednesday was the last day of the five-day camp but the first with real hockey, and it showed what the organization has on the way.

Make no mistake, the competitiveness was the best in recent memory, if not ever.

The Good, the Surprises, and the Disappointing