Penguins 4 draftees start their long trek
When Calen Addison left for the NHL Draft in Dallas last weekend, he packed a bit extra, just in case he had to turn around for another quick trip somewhere else.
That destination ended up being Pittsburgh, as Addison and the Penguins’ three other 2018 draft picks took the ice in black and gold for the first time at the team’s prospect development camp in Cranberry Wednesday.
“It’s pretty crazy,” Addison said. “You look around and you think of all the good players that come in here every day, it’s pretty special. They’re so welcoming here and they make you feel so comfortable. It makes it so much easier being here.”
The Penguins took Addison, a defenseman, and Filip Hallander, a center, in the second round Saturday. They added centers Justin Almeida in the fifth round and Liam Gorman in the sixth to round out their small draft class. Within hours of getting picked, all four had made arrangements to come to Pittsburgh as Penguins for the first time.
“It’s been very exciting,” Hallander said. “Being drafted by Pittsburgh and coming over here, it’s been very fun.”
Hallander has racked up more frequent-flyer miles than the other three over the past week.
He got to Dallas from his native Sweden June 20, and, after a few days there, came to Pittsburgh Sunday. His father and brother were at the draft with him, but have since taken the opportunity to head off to New York for some sightseeing while Hallander gets settled in with his new organization.
“It’s unbelievable, of course, to see the locker rooms and everything,” Hallander said. “It’s so big. I’m speechless.”
Gorman, the Penguins’ final selection this year, wasn’t at the draft in Dallas. He watched with his dad at home in Massachusetts.
“I heard my name on the TV, I looked around at my dad and he was looking at me,” Gorman said. “We were like, ‘Wow, this is really happening.’ That was probably the craziest part.
“I’m still on cloud nine right now. It’s kind of crazy to me, still.”
Gorman didn’t have to wait until he got to Pittsburgh to be introduced to the Penguins organization, either, as coach Mike Sullivan wason his flight into the city.
“I saw him in the Pittsburgh airport, talked to him a little bit and then we talked when we got back here,” Gorman said.
To be fair, all four players are at least a few years away from Sullivan being their coach in the NHL. The Penguins’ development and coaching staffs know that, and the players do, too. This week, especially, is more about gaining some familiarity with the team and city as opposed to instilling any on-ice systems or traits.
“We’re looking to teach them about how we do things in the Penguins organization,” Penguins director of player development Scott Young said. “We hope they learn a lot from these three days. We get to know them as players. We get to see them skate, yes, but it’s more about having them meet with our strength and conditioning coaches, getting some testing done off-ice and see where they’re at physically.”
For the players, they enjoyed the opportunity to just do what they do best: play hockey.
After spending the past few months (and maybe years) stressing about the draft process, they know their NHL home for the foreseeable future is Pittsburgh.
“It’s a stressful year on and off the ice,” Addison said of thepast 12 months.
“There’s so many people to talk to after games and on days off and stuff like that.
“Now that I’m just with Pittsburgh, I can focus on my own game and just focus on one organization, do the best I can every time to try and showthem what I’ve got.”
Even if this development camp — particularly the first day — is only the first step in a long, sometimes winding process for these four players, Young saw it as a good start.
“We’re trying not to assess too much because it is the middle of summer, but we like what we see,” Young said. “They came in ready, and we see how they’re adapting to being around some older players and getting out there.
“This is their first time on the ice — and those were two really high-paced practices — and they did very well.”