Penguins Prospect Camp gets underway

cpawfan · Sep 9, 2008

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08254/910833-61.stm

For some guys, this is as close as they'll ever get to working in the NHL.

For others, it is just another step on the road that almost certainly will lead them there. Eventually, anyway.
Camp data

So, sure, all 24 players -- 14 forwards, 7 defensemen and 3 goaltenders -- who will report to the Penguins' prospects camp today can have legitimate hope about what they'll be able to show management in coming days. Only a few, however, have guarantees.

It would, for example, take a felony charge -- no, a felony conviction -- to prevent defensemen Alex Goligoski from getting an opportunity to contend for a spot on the major league roster later this month, no matter how he performs during the next week.

Goligoski is very much the exception, though. Even players who seem to have a place in the franchise's long-range plans face the possibility of being back with their junior team a week from now.

The challenge is even greater for the likes of forwards Corey Cowick, Joey Haddad and Cedric Lalone-McNichol. They are on amateur tryouts and have six days to prove to general manager Ray Shero and his staff that they deserve a chance to be part of the team's future.

Or, at the very least, to participate in the regular training camp, which opens Tuesday.

Precedent suggests that most, if not all, will fail.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton coach Dan Bylsma and his assistant, Todd Reirden, will oversee practices today, tomorrow and Friday at Southpointe.

After the workout Friday, the group will bus to Kitchener, Ontario, for a tournament against young players from the Toronto, Ottawa and Florida organizations. The Penguins won that event last year.

Last September, center Dustin Jeffrey was the only player to earn an invitation to the Penguins' regular training camp with his play in the tournament -- 13 others, most of whom owned pro contracts, already had been penciled in to take part in both -- and it's uncertain how many, if any, will be around Tuesday.

"It's a good gauge to see them against their age group," Shero said. "Not all these players will be coming to our main camp, so this is a good starting point for us."

Of course, that's not necessarily the only reason the Penguins decided to stage the camp -- and participate in the tournament -- again.

"It's a real good excuse to get started early," Shero said, chuckling softly. "You're itching to get back at it. From a hockey standpoint, our coaches and scouts are eager to get up [to Kitchener] and see the kids play. It will be good. It was last year, anyway."

The only prospect who will miss the camp because of injury is defenseman Robert Bortuzzo, a third-round draft choice in 2007. He is recovering from shoulder surgery and will be out four to six months.

"It's disappointing for him," Shero said. "We still like him as a prospect."

Even with Bortuzzo out of the mix, there are several intriguing prospects for the scouts and front office to assess during the next week. They include a handful of 2007 draftees:

• Center Keven Veilleux, a second-round draft choice. He's big (6 feet 5, 200 pounds) and has good skills, putting up 17 goals and 47 assists in 61 games while splitting last season between Victoriaville and Rimouski of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. He missed the prospects camp and tournament last fall because of surgery to repair a sports hernia.

• Left winger Luca Caputi, a fourth-rounder. He is coming off a breakthrough season (51 goals and 60 assists in 66 games) with Niagara in the Ontario Hockey League and performed well in a 19-game audition with Wilkes-Barre during the Calder Cup playoffs.

• Left winger Casey Pierro-Zabotel, a third-round selection. He can be a force around the net and abandoned his plans to play college hockey to join Vancouver of the Western Hockey League.

• Defenseman Alex Grant, another fourth-rounder. He still needs polish, but has the physical tools to contend for a place in the NHL in coming seasons.

NOTES -- The Penguins will be allowed to carry 24 players, one more than usual, on their roster for their season-opening, two-game series against Ottawa in Sweden Oct. 4-5. Shero said he expects the extra spot to go to a third goaltender, with John Curry the likely choice at this point.
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cpawfan · Sep 20, 2008

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08257/911999-61.stm

A week old, but still good information

Keven Veilleux faced several learning curves after he was selected by the Penguins in the second round of the 2007 NHL entry draft.

At 6 feet 4, 195 pounds, he had to figure out how to use his size to his best advantage. A natural center, he needed to make sure he was comfortable at all three forward positions to increase his chances of fitting in better and perhaps more quickly with the Penguins.

And then there was the French-Canadian's challenge of picking up a new language.

"He's a guy who took the initiative and learned English when English wasn't a strong suit for him," Dan Bylsma, coach of the Penguins' top farm affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and of the organization's ongoing prospects camp, said yesterday after the young players practiced at Southpointe.

"Two years ago, I speak no English," Veilleux, 19, said before the prospects headed to Kitchener, Ontario, where they will spend the next three days playing in a tournament with prospects from the Toronto, Ottawa and Florida organizations.

After a midseason Quebec Major Junior Hockey League trade sent him from Victoriaville to Rimouski, Veilleux took English lessons from a private tutor. That helped when he signed an amateur tryout contract with the Penguins' American Hockey League affiliate and spent about a month in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton last spring, and it is making the prospects camp easier.

"It's the best experience of my life," Veilleux said of the camp.

Although there are a few players who are pretty much assured they will be invited to stay for the start of Penguins training camp next week, Veilleux is among the rest who hope to play well enough in Kitchener to earn a coveted invitation to the big club's camp. Either way, he is expected to return to Rimouski for the season.

He made a handful of nice setup passes during a three-on-three, half-rink drill yesterday. With his versatility, he could be an imposing forward if he can raise his physical play to match his size.

"It happens to a lot of bigger players," Penguins assistant general manager Chuck Fletcher said. "Sometimes, it takes them a couple years to get comfortable and have their strength catch up to their size and learn how to use that size -- just learning how to protect the puck and beat defenders down low and maybe develop a little more of a power game."

Veilleux recognizes that.

"I have to work on using my size, trying to use my size for one-on-one battles," he said. "I have to get stronger."

In two-plus seasons with Victoriaville, Veilleux played mostly center, but he has been primarily at right wing with Rimouski and said he is just as comfortable on the left side.

When he was traded to Rimouski, he had 10 goals, 42 points in 42 games with Victoriaville. With his new club, Veilleux had seven goals, 22 points in 19 games down the stretch and three goals, seven points in nine playoff games.

"Keven's game took off statistically and his confidence grew, and we just noticed a tremendous improvement after he was traded," Fletcher said.

Although he didn't play with Wilkes-Barre, Veilleux spent his weeks there practicing during the AHL playoffs. Bylsma, then an assistant with the Baby Penguins, was impressed.

"He's a guy who was out 30 minutes before practice most of his days in Wilkes-Barre," he said.

"He's a big guy who can skate and make plays. You see him around the net. I expect him in the future to be a real, real strong candidate to contend here in Pittsburgh."
Prospecting

• What: Three-day rookie tournament in Kitchener, Ontario.

• Who: Penguins, Maple Leafs, Panthers, Senators.

• Format: Round robin.

• Penguins schedule
6 p.m. today vs. Maple Leafs
2 p.m. tomorrow vs. Panthers
2 p.m. Monday vs. Senators
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cpawfan · Sep 20, 2008

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08258/912155-61.stm

It not as if John Curry actually was confessing to anything.

Nothing that hasn't been obvious for quite a while, anyway.

"It could be," he said, "that I position myself as the underdog."
Gee, ya think so?

Would that be because he went to Boston University as a walk-on and had to beat out two scholarship players to become the No. 1 goalie?

Because no NHL team bothered to invest even a late-round draft choice in him?

Or because, after signing with the Penguins as a free agent in 2007, he entered pro hockey as no better than the No. 5 goalie on the organizational depth chart?

"I like proving people wrong," Curry said. "I like a challenge."

That was evident last season, after a six-game audition with Las Vegas of the ECHL and a strong showing in the Deutschland Cup tournament. When Marc-Andre Fleury went down with a high ankle sprain, Curry filled the void created by the promotion of Ty Conklin and became the go-to goalie for the Penguins' American Hockey League team in Wilkes-Barre.

"I was fortunate, being able to play more than I originally expected to because of the injuries," Curry said. "You never hope for injuries, but that's how opportunities are made."

Curry took full advantage of his, outdueling David Brown, an eighth-round draft choice in 2004, to earn the No. 1 job with the Baby Penguins.

After going 24-12-3, with a .915 save percentage and 2.23 goals-against average, in 40 regular-season appearances, he helped to lead Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to the Calder Cup final.

"Both Curry and Brown progressed more than we expected," assistant general manager Chuck Fletcher said. "A lot of that had a lot to do with Fleury getting hurt.

"Both played a lot more games in the American League than we expected, and, obviously, Curry grabbed the reins. He clearly established himself as the [Baby Penguins'] No. 1 goalie by the end of the year."

Curry's work cemented his place as the franchise' No. 3 goalie going into the training camp that begins Tuesday, and he did nothing to undermine his position by stopping 19 of 21 shots in a 5-2 victory against Toronto in a prospects tournament at Kitchener Memorial Auditorium last night.

Curry was recovering from hip surgery when he signed with the Penguins, but showed few lingering effects of that operation last season, when he made a surprisingly smooth transition to pro hockey.

"In a way, it's more organized, so it's easier," Curry said. "It's more controlled, therefore you have to develop your style to be more controlled. A 'less-is-more' type of style.

"I honestly thought it was a little easier than college. Obviously, the shots are better because the quality of the players is better, but it's easier to anticipate."

What wasn't so easy to anticipate, at least for management, was that Curry would hold up so well under the pressure of his first professional playoffs, as he went 14-9 over four rounds.

"Going into the playoffs, one of the main questions for our club was whether we'd have the goaltending that could match up with our opponents," Fletcher said. "I think the record clearly shows that we did."

There is, of course, ample room for improvement. While the technical aspects of Curry's game, like his positioning, got better last season, his intangibles remain his greatest asset.

"He has tremendous focus and competitiveness," Fletcher said. "He's one of those goaltenders who doesn't get rattled. He fights through traffic well in front of the net. If he lets in a bad goal or has a bad game, he rebounds quickly. He's just a good, honest player."

Good enough that, for now, he is the early favorite to succeed Dany Sabourin as Fleury's backup if the Penguins opt against re-signing Sabourin next summer. That can change, of course, but Curry has a habit of humbling those who underestimate him.

"It's still a big jump from the American League to the NHL, and he'll have to prove he can do it," Fletcher said. "But his track record shows that you don't bet against him too often."

NOTES -- Right wingers Joey Haddad (two) and Jean-Michel Daoust, along with defensemen Ben Lovejoy and Jonathan D'Aversa, scored goals for the Penguins' prospects last night. Center Mark Letestu assisted on the first three goals.
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cpawfan · Sep 20, 2008

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08259/912265-61.stm

Ben Lovejoy learned a lot during his first season of professional hockey.

He learned about the speed of the game in the American Hockey League.

He learned that he had to alter his style, because some defensemen at that level are more talented than he is.

And most of all, Lovejoy learned that it's not good to be the last guy to move into a house being shared with three teammates.

It wasn't much consolation knowing that, by the time Wilkes-Barre/Scranton management gave Lovejoy clearance to move out of a hotel and into a more permanent residence, he had few options.

All Lovejoy knows is that he has no intention of enduring another season like the one he had living on the bottom level of former teammate Ryan Lannon's house, which was the only space available after Alex Goligoski and Tim Wallace of the Baby Penguins had moved in.

"I will miss living with those guys, but I will not miss Ryan Lannon's basement," Lovejoy said, smiling. "When [the front office] finally told me to get a place, that was the only one left.

"Lannon still had his basement open, and I didn't want to be the guy who lived alone right away. I wanted to make friends, so I decided the basement wasn't that bad."

That, presumably, was before he realized that the ceiling in his living quarters was about 6 feet high. That would require an adjustment for almost anyone, let alone a guy who stands 6-2.

"I had to walk [bent over] to get to the bathroom," Lovejoy said. "I really enjoyed [living with those teammates], but I won't be doing it again."

Lannon signed with Phoenix as a free agent during the summer, and if Goligoski claims a spot on the Penguins' roster, Lovejoy will be near, if not at, the top of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's defensive depth chart.

He is coming off a solid first season in the AHL, putting up two goals and 18 assists in 72 regular-season games despite having to adjust his game after filling more of an offensive niche at Dartmouth.

"I've made the transition to a more defensive role, killing penalties," he said. "I hope to chip in offensively, but we have other guys who do that well. My job right now is to keep the puck out of the net."

He still shows up on the scoresheet occasionally -- Lovejoy got a goal during the Penguins' 5-2 victory against Toronto in a prospects-tournament game Saturday, then went scoreless in a 5-2 loss to Florida yesterday -- but his long-term objective is to "be kind of a shut-down defenseman."

While there's always a demand for guys who can fill that role effectively, Lovejoy understands that, barring a trade or spate of significant injuries, he isn't likely to make it to the NHL this winter.

Even with Ryan Whitney sidelined indefinitely by foot surgery, the Penguins have eight defensemen -- Sergei Gonchar, Mark Eaton, Brooks Orpik, Hal Gill, Kris Letang, Rob Scuderi, Darryl Sydor and Goligoski -- ahead of him on the depth chart.

"You definitely look at that, but I'm hoping that if I play my game, someone will notice," Lovejoy said. "I need to go out and play hard every night and continue to get better."

He had the opportunity to seek a less rigorous path to the NHL in the summer, when he was an unrestricted free agent, but opted to re-sign with the Penguins and doesn't second-guess that decision.

"I learned a ton from the coaches and players [in Wilkes-Barre last season]," he said. "I just decided that I wanted to continue to develop here."

Lovejoy doesn't have a timetable for getting to the next level, and recognizes that the transition isn't always quick or easy.

"I understand that, as a defenseman, there's a lot of learning involved," he said.

When Lovejoy will make it to the NHL remains to be seen; whether he has the athleticism to play there isn't an issue. He was an all-New England selection in hockey, lacrosse and soccer in high school, and played college lacrosse for three years before deciding to concentrate on hockey in his senior season.

"I was very into lacrosse," he said. "But hockey was always kind of the thing that I loved best."

In that sense, Lovejoy seems to have found a home. Now all he needs is a place to live.

NOTES -- Forwards Casey Pierro-Zabotel and Dustin Jeffrey scored against Florida, while goalie David Brown stopped 23 of 28 shots. ... Winger Luca Caputi was held out of yesterday's game because of a bruised hip. ... Although right-handed shots are relatively rare in hockey, three of the seven defensemen (including Lovejoy) and seven of the 14 forwards in the Penguins' prospect camp are righties. ... A post-game scoring change Saturday took away one of Joey Haddad's two goals and gave it to Mark Letestu, who also had three assists.
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Penguins Prospect Camp gets underway

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Penguins Prospect Camp gets underway

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