Crosby Laughs at Hitting Malkin; Sullivan Enthusiastic on 2 Prospects

CRANBERRY, Twp — The mood reflected the sunny weather engulfing Western Pennsylvania. The Pittsburgh Penguins training camp is only through Day 2, but Sidney Crosby had a good laugh after flattening his longtime teammate Evgeni Malkin, and coach Mike Sullivan nearly gushed over a pair of prospects.

Eager to scrub the results of the last two seasons in which the Penguins seasons ended unceremoniously in the final game of the regular season, president of hockey operations/GM Kyle Dubas has overloaded the roster with potential bottom-six forwards who would also be top-shelf AHL depth.

“Some guys have to play their way off the roster, and some guys have to play their way on the roster,” Sullivan said. “That’s the nature of the business, and knowing which (player) you are is an important part of being a professional.”

A few names indirectly referenced in the latter part of that statement are probably obvious, including Jesse Puljujarvi and Sam Poulin. However, there are still open questions about several players and their roster outlook, including prospect Vasily Ponomarev.

Sullivan seemed eagerly welcome Pittsburgh Hockey Now’s question (which doesn’t happen often). He lept at the chance to praise Ponomarev and Villie Koivunen, both of whom the Penguins acquired in the Jake Guentzel trade last March.

“I think Ponomarev has had a really strong camp. He’s got a great motor. (He) skates well. Good energy guy. I think he’s hard to play against,” Sullivan said. “I think he’s shown some hockey sense. He’s made some plays offensively. I think he’s a conscientious player defensively.”

It’s worth noting how Ponomarev lines up against what Sullivan said he is looking for from bubble players in training camp.

Read More: Penguins Camp: Mike Sullivan’s Cut Criteria; Rookie Watch

Ponomarev made his NHL debut last season with the Carolina Hurricanes, registering two points and a goal in two games. Dubas alluded to Ponomarev getting more NHL games with the Penguins after some adjustment time with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

Perhaps he was a little reserved during the Prospects Challenge last weekend. He was a professional playing against prospects, but his game has elevated in camp. During the scrimmage, he’s easy to notice. Thursday, he came low in the defensive zone to assist the breakout and quickly sprung the rush that resulted in a two-on-one.

The other acquisition from Carolina in the Guentzel trade earned steep praise, though some acknowledgment that he’s not yet ready.

“I think Koivunen is a really smart hockey player. When we went to Buffalo, we watched him in the rookie camp; my first impression of them after the first game was, ‘This kid’s a hockey player.’ He just sees it. He thinks it,” Sullivan said. “He has great poise with the puck. When you watch him with his peers, I think it’s even more evident with his peers.

“Obviously, the talent gets a little steeper when he’s out there playing against Crosby or players like that. It’s a little bit more difficult. But when he’s playing against his peers in Buffalo–I think that’s one of the values of that tournament–but to watch him there, he was one of the better players in tournaments and in the games that I watched.”

While Pittsburgh Hockey Now has been a bit critical of parts of Koivunen’s game, Sullivan happily delivered an optimistic view.

Koivunen scored 22 goals in the Finnish Elite League as a 20-year-old. At the outset of camp, Sullivan placed him on Evgeni Malkin’s left wing–perhaps a bit foreshadowing for months or seasons in the near future. 

“I just think he’s got a really high hockey IQ. He thinks the game really well. He has good offensive instincts. You know, I think he will get stronger as he starts to grow into his own body and trains a little bit more–and he’ll get faster,” said Sullivan. “Those physical challenges will evolve just through this maturation process. But as (far as) him as a hockey player, we couldn’t be more excited with what we’ve seen so far.”

Sidney Crosby vs. Evgeni Malkin, Laughs

The PHN video of Crosby delivering an open-ice hit on Malkin, who was crashing the net during the Day 1 scrimmage, has gone viral. Crosby’s hit dropped Malkin to the ice. Thus far, it has garnered garnering nearly 130,000 plays since we posted it Wednesday afternoon.

As Crosby spoke of Malkin’s self-effacing admission (Malkin is now the oldest member of the team), the incident came up in the conversation, and Crosby couldn’t help but laugh. He didn’t know it was Malkin when he threw the body to protect his net, but then he looked down to see Malkin lying flat on the ice–also laughing at the incident.

“I looked for a second–he was looking up at me. We got a good laugh out of it. I’m glad he was alright,” Crosby said with a big grin. “That’s a training camp play right there.”