There has been enough doom and gloom surrounding the Pittsburgh Penguins over the last few weeks. There will be significant changes coming to the roster this offseason and there might be some young Penguins joining the team for the upcoming 2015-2016 season.
Pittsburgh’s farm system is known to be weak by many, but that does not mean they do not have some strong prospects. Let’s examine their top ten promising young players and estimate when they will make their NHL debut.
This will be the first part of a two part series where we look at prospects ranked from 10-6.
10. Bryan Rust
Position: RW
Drafted: 80th Overall – 2010 (3rd Round)
Age: 23
2014-2015 Stats (NHL): 14 games played, 1 goal, 1 assist, 2 points, -3 skater, 4 PIM, 2.9% shooting
2014-2015 Playoff Stats (NHL): N/A
2014-2015 Stats (AHL): 45 games played, 13 goals, 14 assists, 27 points, +6 skater, 14 PIM, 11.9% shooting
2014-2015 Playoff Stats (AHL): 3 games played, 2 goals, 0 assists, 2 points, -1 skater, 0 PIM, 22.2% shooting
Analysis:
Bryan Rust projects to be a bottom six forward in the NHL one day, and that day might be coming sooner than expected. He has been playing at a high level down with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, but struggled in his NHL debut this season. However, with a full training camp and preseason, Rust might be ready to make the leap for the Penguins.
He’s excellent in the corners and excels at controlling the puck along the boards, but he is not a goal scoring forward that the Penguins desperately need. Like Patric Hornqvist, Rust is great at crashing the net and scoring the “dirty” goals, except that’s the one thing the Pens have a surplus of.
Projection:
I think Bryan Rust could be a productive member of the Penguins bottom six, but it’s hard to envision him making the roster out of training camp. Most likely he will be relied upon during times of injuries again and there’s potential for him to make the NHL roster full-time for the 2017-2018 season.
9. Scott Wilson
Position: C
Drafted: 209th Overall – 2010 (7th Round)
Age: 23
2014-2015 Stats (NHL): 1 game played, 0 goals, 0 assists, 0 points, 0 skater, 0 PIM, 0% shooting
2014-2015 Playoff Stats (NHL): 3 games played, 0 goals, 0 assists, 0 points, 0 skater, 0 PIM, 0% shooting
2014-2015 Stats (AHL): 55 games played, 19 goals, 22 assists, 41 points, +14 skater, 30 PIM, 12.9% shooting
2014-2015 Playoff Stats (AHL): 3 games played, 2 goals, 2 assists, 4 points, -3 skater, 0 PIM, 40% shooting
Analysis:
Scott Wilson will be a productive NHL player. His debut this last season was cut short when he was injured on his first shift of his first NHL game.
Wilson has always been motivated to show the Penguins that he deserved to be drafted higher than the 7th round. In his first full season with the WBS Penguins, Wilson produced at a rate of .745 points per game.
Wilson is a jack of all trades, he does just about everything well and that’s why the Penguins need him.
Projection:
It’s easy to see that the Penguins value Scott Wilson and given their lack of forward depth, he should make the NHL roster by outworking other players in training camp.
His ideal fit is on the third line, but he might be required to play on the fourth line next season in a grinding role. Most players would have a problem adjusting their game for a team, but not Wilson, he thrives on it.
8. Oskar Sundqvist
Position: C
Drafted: 81st Overall – 2012 (3rd Round)
Age: 21
2014-2015 Stats (NHL): N/A
2014-2015 Playoff Stats (NHL): N/A 
2014-2015 Stats (AHL): N/A
2014-2015 Playoff Stats (AHL): 1 game played, 0 goals, 0 assists, 0 points, -1 skater, 0 PIM, 0% shooting
Analysis:
Many believe that Sundqvist can jump to the NHL next season and be the Penguins third or fourth line center.
However, he’s a very unknown commodity, as he has played in just one game in North America. Sundqvist was playing in Sweden this season until the WBS Penguins called him up for the playoffs.
He skated in one game and was held off the score sheet and was not anything special. Expectations must be tempered for Sundqvist, especially next season.
Projection:
Sundqvist will not be the Penguins third or fourth line center to start the 2015-2016 season. He needs to prove that he is able to play the North American style of hockey before moving to the NHL. While he’s a solid defensive center, he has not proved to be much more than that.
While playing in the AIK, Sundqvist produced just 16 points in 51 games played. If you transition that to the NHL, the production will be reduced significantly.
He might get his chance next season at some point, but it will not be (and should not be) at the start of the season.
7. Conor Sheary
Position: LW
Drafted: Undrafted
Age: 22
2014-2015 Stats (NHL): N/A
2014-2015 Playoff Stats (NHL): N/A
2014-2015 Stats (AHL): 58 games played, 20 goals, 25 assists, 45 points, +0 skater, 8 PIM, 15.7% shooting
2014-2015 Playoff Stats (AHL): 8 games played, 5 goals, 7 assists, 12 points, -1 skater, 2 PIM, 19.2% shooting
Analysis:
Unless you have avidly followed the Penguins you might ask yourself “Who is Conor Sheary?”
He made his AHL debut during the very end of the WBS Penguins last season (2013-2014) and has been phenomenal ever since.
Sheary was an undrafted free agent the Penguins managed to sign and they might have found gold.
Like Tampa Bay’s Tyler Johnon, Sheary was passed over during the draft because of his size. He’s only 5’9″ and 175 lbs, but he plays much bigger than it.
Projection:
Sheary will make the Pittsburgh Penguins roster straight out of training camp. He’s a great offensive player and Johnson has proved that size isn’t everything.
I expect the Penguins to thoroughly look at Sheary during camp and eventually decide to give him a roster spot. Sheary is lightning quick, he’s offensive gifted and is not intimated by larger players.
6. Scott Harrington
Position: D
Drafted: 54th Overall – 2011 (2nd Round)
Age: 22
2014-2015 Stats (NHL): 10 game played, 0 goals, 0 assists, 0 points, -10 skater, 4 PIM, 0% shooting
2014-2015 Playoff Stats (NHL): N/A
2014-2015 Stats (AHL): 48 games played, 2 goals, 10 assists, 12 points, +19 skater, 20 PIM, 3.7% shooting
2014-2015 Playoff Stats (AHL): 8 games played, 0 goals, 1 assists, 4 points, +2 skater, 0 PIM, 0% shooting
Analysis:
If you ask a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ management, they’d rank Scott Harrington much higher than their 6th best prospect. However, we’re ranking the players based on their performance and outlook, not perception.
Harrington is a skilled puckmover who’s struggled when given big assignments. The Penguins thought he was NHL ready and relied upon him when injuries set in and Harrington quickly proved he was not.
Projection:
Harrington could easily be part of a trade this offseason to bring a top-six wing back to Pittsburgh.
He has not developed as quickly as management had hoped and he’s one of the trade-able assets the Penguins still have. He still projects to be a bottom four defender in the NHL someday, except it might not be as a part of the Penguins.
If he is not traded, Harrington will have his work cut out for him and there’s a possibility he could win a roster spot in training camp, but he’s fighting an uphill battle.