Prospect Watch
Baby Pens Pack Plenty of Promise
By Tony DeFazio

With several unrestricted free agents, the Penguins current roster is likely to undergo plenty of changes next season.

"We'll have to resolve a lot of situations in terms of our personnel up here," Penguins assistant general manager Chuck Fletcher said last month.

DEPTH

This past year the Penguins used 13 different players who started the year in Wilkes-Barre and were called up to Pittsburgh. Several players who should be in the mix for the last couple of roster spots this fall include centers Tim Brent, Connor James and Kurtis McLean, and left wing Chris Minard. All except McLean have NHL experience.

"All have played a couple years of pro hockey now, and they provide your depth, essentially," said Fletcher. "You never know what happens in training camp in terms of what opportunities will be there, but as you saw this year, a lot of those guys will get a shot at some point."

LAST CHANCE

Ryan Stone and Jonathan Filewich were once rising young stars in the Penguins' system. Three years later, as both near the end of their entry-level contracts, they face a crossroads. If they do not make the Penguins' roster this fall, they must be exposed to the waiver process and would likely be claimed by another team.

"Next year is a big year for them," acknowledges Fletcher. "It's certainly not make or break in terms of their careers, but it could be make or break for their tenure with our organization… They both should be at the top of their games going into camp next year. Instead of being 20-year old rookies, they are 23-year old players with some experience under their belts. They should be poised to make a good impression in camp. The rest will be up to them."

BLUE LINE UP & COMER

Alex Gologoski, the Pens second round pick in 2004, started his professional career this year after three standout seasons at the University of Minnesota. He suffered a serious shoulder injury with the Golden Gophers, but seems to be completely recovered.

"The thing with Alex is that he had shoulder surgery last April so he spent a lot of last summer rehabbing from that surgery and wasn't able to do much in terms of strength training, which he would have normally had the time to do," said Fletcher. "This will be a big summer for Alex to build strength and to work as hard off the ice as he possibly can."

With a solid group of NHL defenseman in front of him, Goligoski will face plenty of competition for a roster spot, but Fletcher thinks it's a matter of time before he's taking a regular shift on the Penguins' blue line.

"At some point, whenever that point will be, he'll be an NHL player."

PROMISE IN NET

When John Curry joined the Penguins last fall after a stellar college career at Boston University, the expectation was that he would get his feet wet at the AHL level, playing behind veteran Ty Conklin. A high ankle sprain to Marc-Andre Fleury-and Conklin's subsequent exceptional play in Fleury's stead-changed the plan.

The first year pro took over regular goaltending duties for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and faired better than anyone had a right to expect, winning 24 games, posting a 2.23 goals against average and leading the team to the Calder Cup Finals.

"I think you're always a little bit surprised when a rookie player can come in and play so well so quickly, but having said that he was always a goaltender at BU who seemed to thrive and play well in the big games," said Fletcher. "But it's still a big step to the NHL and he's still young for a goaltender. John's a goalie that can still develop and still learn, although he certainly has come a long way in a short time."

REBUILDING THE SYSTEM

With eight players under the age of 25 on the Penguins' roster, their minor league system has taken a bit of hit these last few years - most of what is usually minor league talent is already with the parent club.

Replacing that talent within the system has been one of Fletcher's primary challenges since he arrived as Ray Shero's top lieutenant.

In addition to prospects like Stone and Filewich, younger players like Gologoski and young defenseman Ben Lovejoy have made names for themselves during Shero's and Fletcher's tenure. They also recently signed 22-year-old right wing Nick Johnson and 19-year-old left wing Luca Caputi, both of whom have already played with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

The glut of young talent at the NHL level has also allowed the Penguins to let their prospects fully mature.

"It's a huge benefit when you're not force-feeding young, unproven guys into the line-up," said Feltcher. "You want players to develop and learn their craft at the AHL level and allow them to progress as they're ready. That obviously makes for a better NHL club and a better prospect."