Penguins' Rookie Orientation Camp Concludes

The Penguins concluded their nearly week long rookie orientation camp a few days ago and, by all accounts, had another successful week tutoring their organization's best young players and prospects.

This was the third year the Penguins have had the camp and, aside from the on and off-ice instruction given to these players, the camp continues to give all of the kids a great opportunity to bond with each other.

For the prospects who have been to the camp before -- and there are at least 8 to 10 or so of those players -- it's another opportunity to be together, and that's not an effect that should be underestimated. After all, a lot of the Penguins' core roster has grown up playing together, whether it be Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin in the NHL or Marc-Andre Fleury and Brooks Orpik in the AHL.

Growing those relationships early puts the focus on the entire organization and drives home playing for the logo on the front of the sweater and not the name on the back.

I think holding these camps are a great thing for the Penguins for that reason alone, without regard to the consistent and regular close-up look on the best players it provides the team brass.

By the time camp completed this year, it was clear who the better and more professional-ready prospects are for Pittsburgh.

Nick Johnson, the Penguins' 3rd round pick in 2004, was probably the best player in the entire camp, after being the most improved player last year. If he doesn't squeeze out a roster spot while Stanley Cup hero Max Talbot is still recovering from shoulder surgery to begin the year, he'll be knocking on the door in Wilkes-Barre most of this year.

On Defense, Carl Sneep may have been the best blueliner in camp. Sneep, a 2nd round pick in 2006, showed good poise and played well at both ends. He'll return to Boston College for his senior year this season, but look for him to join the Baby Penguins' at the end of the season when his Division I playoffs conclude.

The other obvious top-end performer throughout camp was LW Eric Tangradi, the 6' 4" USA-born power forward acquired from the Anaheim Ducks with Chris Kunitz in the deal that sent defenseman Ryan Whitney to the west coast. And that was with some limited range and strength in his left wrist, which is still recovering from off season surgery to reattach a tendon after a collision with an opposing goaltender in the Ontario Hockey League playoffs cut the wrist and hand severely and ended his season.

In fact, Tangradi will undergo a second, much more minor, surgical procedure this week in which scar tissue is removed from the base of his thumb, providing him a return to near full range of motion.

Despite his limiations, Tangradi was a beast around the goal, along the wall and in the corners throughout camp. He has strong puck skills and good hands for a big man, and both of those traits complement is great shot. The comparison is made regularly, but there's no denying it. He looks like Kevin Stevens on the ice.

Tangradi will proably begin the season in Wilkes Barre, but there's no denying that he won't be there long. If he doesn't come up to the big club this year, there's no reason not to think he won't be able to make the squad and perhaps even immediately step into a top 6 role in the 2010-2011 season when the Penguins open their new arena -- the Consol Energy Center.

He's that good.

Other notable performers in camp were Kevin Vellieux, a 2nd round pick in 2007, and Dustin Jeffrey, a 5th rounder in the same year who spent 12 games with the big club last year.

Other players were inconsistent, including Casey Pierro Zabotel, the Pens' 3rd round pick in 2007, and even Luca Caputi, who is generally regarded as one of the more NHL-ready forwards in the Penguins' system.

Caputi showed flashes of why he can succeed in the NHL, but also had an off-day at camp when he really wasn't his best. Like most young players, he needs to work on his consistency.

Disappointments at camp were defenseman Brian Strait, who the Penguins' recently signed to a 3-year entry level contract and who will start the season this year in Wilkes-Barre, and fellow blueliner Alex Grant, the Penguins' 4th round pick in 2007.

Strait should have performed better than he did and still may be a few professional seasons in the AHL away from being able to be someone who the Penguins can count on.

Grant, meanwhile, was supposed to be one of the Penguins' better offensive blueline prospects, but he struggled a little bit in this -- his 2nd -- camp.

Pittsburgh's first round pick from this past year -- defenseman Simon Despres -- by all accounts acquitted himself fairly well. He had his youthful moments, but there were several others where he showed why he was picked in the first round. He still needs more seasoning, and will begin getting that back in junior hockey this year.

That's a good camp summary, so I'll end with that.

In the next week or so, I'll start kindling a debate about which Stanley Cup win of the 3 the franchise now has ranks as the greatest.

Approximately 6 weeks until training camp ....