It is probably safe to say that the Pittsburgh Penguins have had one of the most active offseasons in the NHL. It started with the hiring of Kyle Dubas as president of hockey operations and general manager and has not slowed down since then. The Penguins are getting ready to head into training camp on Thursday, and with several new faces competing for a roster spot, it should be interesting. Who will the standouts be and will there be any surprises?
Sam Poulin
Sam Poulin was drafted by the Penguins in 2019 and may finally be ready to take the next step in his development. He impressed the coaching staff at training camp last season and was among the final cuts before being sent down to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. In fact, had Pittsburgh not been up against the salary cap there is a chance he would have made the team. He played in a total of 15 games at the American Hockey League (AHL) level last season and scored four goals.
By mid-October of last year, the Penguins were already dealing with injuries and had to call Poulin up from Wilkes-Barre. He played in a total of three NHL games last season and had one assist. In December, he stepped away from hockey to work on his mental health and did not return until March.
At 22 years old, Poulin stands at 6-foot-2 and weighs in at 213 pounds. He is a strong skater who is not afraid to shoot the puck and would add some youth to the bottom six. He is definitely one of the most intriguing players heading into camp, and it will be interesting to see whether or not his time away hindered his development.
Valtteri Puustinen
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69824307/1152964615.0.jpg)
Valtteri Puustinen is another player to watch during training camp this year. He was drafted by the Penguins in 2019 and has spent the last two seasons in the AHL blossoming into an elite player. Last season, he played in 72 games for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and scored 24 goals and 35 assists for a total of 59 points. He is a smart player with good offensive instincts and a knack for reading the game. He is also an extremely fluid skater with a quick release.
Puustinen’s one major drawback is his size. At 5-foot-9 and 183 pounds, he will never be a force in front of the net, but he is a hard worker who finds a way to make an impact. Last season, he played next to Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel at training camp and impressed head coach Mike Sullivan and his staff. He is at a turning point in his career and has a real shot at earning a spot on the Penguins roster this season.
Mark Pysyk
Mark Pysyk will be competing for a job on the defensive side of the puck and has a real shot at making the team. With over 500 games of NHL experience, he could definitely make things a little bit harder for Chad Ruhwedel who is currently slotted as the sixth defenseman. His biggest issue is that he is coming off of an Achilles injury which caused him to miss all of the 2022-23 season. During the 2021-22 season, he was with the Buffalo Sabres and scored three goals for a total of 12 points on the year. He is a strong skater who is good at moving the puck up the ice. The battle between him and Ruhwedel should be a good one.
Dubas and the Penguins have their marching orders. At the very least, they have to make it back to the playoffs this season, and advancing past the first round would be ideal. Training camp will be all about finding the best players to help them achieve this goal, and it will be one of the most interesting camps Pittsburgh has had in years.