Penguins Prospect Update: World Junior redux

Taking stock of the Pens’ prospects now that the dust on the World Junior Championships has settled

Now that World Juniors, the biggest on-ice event for youngsters on the hockey calendar, is over, it’s time to check back in on the Pittsburgh Penguins’ prospects and how the winter is going for the most noteworthy of them.

Pieniniemi’s eventful rise continues

One of the most interesting development stories of the past year for the Penguins has been Finnish defender Emil Pieniniemi. He was ranked 13th in last summer’s Top 25 Under 25, a bump in large part due to all the hockey he has played as of late and the steady progression track he’s been on.

The World Junior Championship tournament was another eventful one for Pieniniemi, but even before that Pieniniemi decided to leave Finland’s pro ranks and head over to Canadian juniors. That move has paid off, Pieniniemi has 34 points in 32 OHL games this season. As Scott Wheeler pointed out at The Athletic, the move to North America has gotten him closer to the Pens’ organization.

Cooper said he has also benefitted from the attention the Penguins’ development staff have been able to give him in Kingston. In the early months of this season, Cooper said members of the Penguins development staff, including director of player development Tom Kostopoulos and skills consultant Andrew Fritsch have been in town “a lot — monthly, if not biweekly” to take him to dinner and get out on the ice with him. Pieniniemi said their focus has been primarily on his skating and that he feels like it has improved.

“They really guide them along the process of not only on the ice but off the ice from a culture standpoint and right down to food and all those areas,” Cooper said of the Penguins’ hands-on approach. “They check in regularly and are here often with him.

Pieniniemi played on Finland’s top pair, his WJC tournament included:

• Playing 23:59 in the opening game against Canada, 10:31 of which came in the third period
• Scoring a goal the very next day against Germany, he’d again lead Finland in ice time and recorded six shots on goal

• Missed the final game of group play with an undisclosed ailment
• Ejected in the quarterfinals for a kneeing penalty against Slovakia
• Scored a goal in the gold medal game against the USA

• Led the Finns in ice time (24:19) and named their player of the game in the gold medal OTL to the Americans

As far as spotlights go, the WJC was a tremendous one for Pieniniemi. He’s grown into becoming one of the top U-20 defenders in the sport based on the recent performance, and his future looks exceedingly bright. While mostly known as a defensive or all-around player, he’s running the power play in the OHL and showed great offensive instincts and ability against players in his age group. Pieniniemi was Kyle Dubas’ second draft pick with the Penguins, and at this rate it is looking better with each passing day, game, week and month.

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Howe comes up empty with Canada

Howe played an energy/defensive role for the Canadians and had his highlight come on a shorthanded goal

From Wheeler on Howe:

Tanner Howe (F, Pittsburgh Penguins): He made a couple of plays early on Boxing Day and then while I thought he was mostly quiet from there on out, I did think he was good on the penalty kill and one of the only Canadian forwards who regularly cleared the zone. Made good reads in the D-zone. Positive on penalty kill. Very little offense to his game at this level. You’re hoping he becomes a competitive third-liner.

We’ll see on Howe’s ceiling but at this point he looks like a high-floor ceiling type of prospect with some decent upside. He has the drive and a bit of skill and should be a noticeable player at the junior level this season and next before turning pro.

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Rutger chugging along

Because there can’t be a prospect update without focusing on the Pens’ top one, some news on Rutger McGroarty:

The PG got some quotes from the youngster:

“It’s a completely different game,” he said. “I feel like [there is greater] attention to detail — stopping in your spot, managing the puck. And, obviously, you don’t get as many chances as you do in college, so it’s just about bearing down on those. I feel like that’s something I really struggled with early on. It’s getting a lot better.”

“I feel like every single week we have a development person in town, and we go on the ice 30 minutes early and stay on for 30 minutes after practice. It’s every single day, honestly. It’s incredible how much we care about development,” McGroarty said. “I am so lucky to be a part of the organization for that development piece.”

Overall it’s looking like a developmental year for the 20-year old. He’s done his part as of late by showing some progress with 11 points (4G+7A) in his last 15 games, including a two goal outing in Wilkes’ last game against Hartford. McGroarty has a lot to learn but is in the right spot to pick up and grow.