As we head into the offseason, it's time to take a look at where the Penguins prospect pool stands.
I'll break down the status of each prospect in the Penguins system, including players on Pittsburgh contracts and players on AHL-level deals who spent time at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
I'll take a look at their contract statuses for next season and where they are likely to play. If I interviewed the player this season, I'll also share my favorite quote of the season from him.
In case you missed it, I recently took a look at the forward prospects in the Penguins' system.
Today, we look at the defensemen and the goaltenders in the system.
DEFENSEMEN
Niclas Almari
2017-18 contract: Liiga
2018-19 status: Liiga(?)
Age: 20
Drafted: 2016, fifth round
Almari is currently under contract with HPK of the Finnish Liiga for next season. However, the Penguins can move him to Wilkes-Barre if they want. Almari wanted to play in North America this season, but the Penguins elected to let him continue to develop in the top Finnish men's league.
Almari is a two-way defenseman, and has had some offensive success with HPK this season, with four goals and four assists in 41 games. The league is low-scoring, especially for defensemen, and his four goals are the second-most of any defenseman on his team.
Almari played in two regular season games for Wilkes-Barre at the end of this season, and was scoreless with an even plus-minus. He played in one of Wilkes-Barre's three postseason games; he recorded one assist and was a plus-3.
Lukas Bengtsson
2017-18 contract: NHL contract
2018-19 status: Restricted free agent
Age: 24
Drafted: Undrafted free agent
Quote: "I appreciate the game much more because at one point you thought that you maybe lost it."
Bengtsson is reportedly in talks to return to the SHL next season after a rough go at hockey in North America.
Bengtsson only played in 37 games this season due to two upper-body injuries — an improvement over last season’s total of 16 games due to a POTS diagnosis. On Wilkes-Barre's cleanout day, he said that he was still undecided on his future.
Bengtsson was one of Wilkes-Barre's best defensemen while he was healthy. His POTS symptoms are under control, and his injuries this season were more a result of bad luck, rather than being prone to any kind of injuries. It would be great to see what Bengtsson could do in a full season in North America.
If the Penguins make him a qualifying offer and he does go back to Sweden, they can still retain his NHL rights until he is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent at age 27.
Frank Corrado
2017-18 contract: NHL contract
2018-19 status: Restricted free agent
Age: 25
Drafted: 2011, fifth round, Vancouver
Corrado's season ended on Feb. 16 after being injured in a collision with Kevin Czuczman.
He did play in five games in Pittsburgh this season, and two games in Pittsburgh last season. If the Penguins bring him back, he would require waivers to be sent down to Wilkes-Barre again, as was the case this season.
With so much still up in the air with other defensive prospects possibly heading overseas, it's hard to tell where Corrado fits in the Penguins' plans for next season.
Kevin Czuczman
2017-18 contract: NHL contract
2018-19 status: Unrestricted free agent
Age: 27
Drafted: Undrafted free agent
Czuczman was one of Wilkes-Barre's strongest defensemen this year, and one of the few with NHL experience, albeit only 13 games for the Islanders in the 2013-14 season.
With four goals and 31 assists in 71 games, Czuczman led all Wilkes-Barre defensemen in scoring. He didn't get a shot in Pittsburgh this year but was a strong veteran presence on the team and a good depth defenseman.
He had a good season, but I don't know if he'll be back.
Andrey Pedan
2017-18 contract: NHL contract
2018-19 status: Restricted free agent
Age: 24
Drafted: 2016, third round, New York Islanders
Quote: "I'm not just looking to crush guys, I'm looking to be hard to play against. And when there's a time and place, of course, I can hit the guys. I mean, I don't want the guys to be happy when I'm on the ice. I want them to not to want to come to the net when I'm out there. That's the way I play."
Pedan has reportedly already signed a deal with Ak Bars Kazan of the KHL, according to Russia's Sport-Express.
Pedan is a big, physical defenseman and a great skater. He lacked discipline and control at times but I'm surprised he didn't at least get a game in Pittsburgh this season.
If the Penguins make him a qualifying offer and he does indeed go to the KHL, they can still retain his NHL rights until he is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent at age 27.
Ethan Prow
2017-18 contract: NHL contract
2018-19 status: Restricted free agent
Age: 25
Drafted: Undrafted free agent
Quote: "(The Penguins) are just known as a world-class organization. When you hear that through people and players and all that, I think it makes them really attractive."
This was Prow's second full professional season after signing an entry-level deal following his senior season at St. Cloud State University in 2016.
He only played 40 games in the AHL this season, and spent three games in Wheeling, in addition to some time as a healthy scratch.
Prow doesn't have as much of an upside or NHL potential as some of the other members of Wilkes-Barre's blue line, but he's earned a regular spot in the lineup for next season.
Kevin Schulze
2017-18 contract: ECHL contract, then professional tryout contract in WBS
2018-19 status: Unrestricted free agent
Age: 25
Drafted: Undrafted free agent
Quote: "(Being named to the ECHL All-Star Game) was great. Entering the year I didn't expect that much. But it was a nice surprise to say the least."
Schulze was on an ECHL contract for most of this year, but earned a 12-game tryout in Wilkes-Barre.
Schulze is an offensive defenseman. His rookie season in 2016-17, he was tied with Cody Wydo as Wheeling's leading scorer with 60 points. He led all ECHL defensemen in assists, with 47.
After sustaining a concussion 12 games into his sophomore season, Schulze missed over a month of game action. He picked up where he left off last season once he returned, and recorded 31 points in 47 games.
Kevin Spinozzi
2017-18 contract: AHL contract
2018-19 status: Unrestricted free agent
Age: 21
Drafted: Undrafted free agent
Spinozzi struggled to earn a spot in Wilkes-Barre's lineup this season. He only played 16 games through March, and spent a lot of time as a healthy scratch.
He was reassigned to Wheeling in March, and played 12 games with the Nailers to close out the season, during which he scored two goals and three assists.
Spinozzi had a successful OHL career before turning pro, recording 28 goals and 85 assists in 275 games over five seasons. He hasn't found his footing in professional hockey yet, and I don't think Wilkes-Barre will re-sign him.
Chris Summers
2017-18 contract: NHL contract
2018-19 status: NHL contract
Age: 30
Drafted: 2006, first round, Phoenix
Pittsburgh signed Summers to a two-way, two-year deal last summer.
He'll be back next season and is a good veteran presence on Wilkes-Barre's blue line. He has over 500 games of professional hockey experience, including 70 games in the NHL. He likely won't see time in Pittsburgh, but he'll be an alternate captain again for Wilkes-Barre.
Jarred Tinordi
2017-18 contract: NHL contract
2018-19 status: Unrestricted free agent
Age: 26
Drafted: 2010, first round, Montreal
Quote: "(Mark Tinordi, Jarred's father) still follows hockey and everything like that. He gets what Pittsburgh is going through, and two Cups back-to-back, I think he was excited for me to get an opportunity on a team that's so good right now is great. I remember asking him about that whole (1991 Cup Final) series before. But I think he was excited."
Tinordi benefitted from the stability of being in Wilkes-Barre all season, after spending the first four years of his professional career bouncing between the NHL and AHL, and spending a lot of time in NHL press boxes.
He won Wilkes-Barre's team award for best overall defenseman this season, and tallied five goals and 16 assists in 62 games. If he does re-sign with Pittsburgh, he'd certainly be in the running for some NHL time next season, especially with the potential departure of fellow physical defenseman Pedan.
Zach Trotman
2017-18 contract: NHL contract
2018-19 status: Unrestricted free agent
Age: 27
Drafted: 2010, seventh round, Boston
Trotman earned an early call-up to Pittsburgh this season, playing three games in October. He was scoreless and an overall minus-3 during those games.
Trotman missed some time in Wilkes-Barre with an injury, and only played 49 games this season. He was one of Wilkes-Barre's stronger defensemen when he was healthy, and contributed offensively as well, with seven goals and 10 assists. Many of the young players I spoke to this season said that players like Trotman, with his 70 games of NHL experience and multiple seasons of AHL playoff experience, were a great influence on them.
Dane Birks
2017-18 contract: NCAA, then amateur tryout contract in WBS
2018-19 status: NHL contract
Age: 22
Drafted: 2013, sixth round
Birks signed a two-year, entry-level contract this spring, following three seasons at Michigan Tech. He spent four years in college, but was academically ineligible to play his entire freshman year.
Birks joined Wilkes-Barre on a tryout contract to finish the 2017-18 season, and appeared in one game. His size is one of his strengths, at 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds. He's a good skater with a heavy shot. He improved his offensive contributions every year at Michigan Tech, but his career highs of five goals and 13 assists are still low.
Connor Hall
2017-18 contract: OHL
2018-19 status: Unsigned
Age: 20
Drafted: 2016, third round
The Penguins must sign Hall by June 1 or they lose their exclusive rights to him.
Hall is a big, physical defensive defenseman. In juniors, he has been working to improve the offensive side of his game, as well as his skating. The reason the Penguins may be wary of signing Hall is his injury history. Hall dealt with multiple upper-body injuries this season, and he has had multiple major shoulder injuries over the course of his career.
His 2017-18 season was cut short after Hall elected to have shoulder surgery to fix a lingering injury suffered earlier in the season. His 2016-17 season ended after 17 games by another shoulder injury that required surgery.
Coincidentally, the draft pick used to select Hall was acquired in the trade that sent Beau Bennett to New Jersey.
Ryan Jones
2017-18 contract: NCAA
2018-19 status: NCAA
Age: 21
Drafted: 2016, fourth round
Jones will be entering his junior season at University of Nebraska-Omaha in the fall.
Jones is a physical defenseman and a good skater, and has been a strong playmaker throughout his junior and college career. He won't be turning pro just yet, but we'll get another look at him in this summer's development camp.
Zachary Lauzon
2017-18 contract: QMJHL
2018-19 status: QMJHL
Age: 19
Drafted: 2017, second round
Lauzon is another defensive prospect who dealt with significant injury problems this season.
Lauzon appeared in only 25 games, playing with a recurring neck injury sustained at the beginning of the season. The injury was still not healed by the end of the season, and he missed the final playoff games for Rouyn-Noranda.
Lauzon is a strong skater with good offensive production and vision on the ice. An offseason of rest should hopefully help heal his neck ailment for good, but we'll have to wait until next season to assess his health.
Joseph Masonius
2017-18 contract: NCAA, then amateur tryout contact in WBS
2018-19 status: AHL contract
Age: 21
Drafted: 2016, sixth round
Masonius was drafted by Pittsburgh, but he's not signing an entry-level deal with Pittsburgh. Instead, he signed an AHL-level contract with Wilkes-Barre following the conclusion of his junior season at the University of Connecticut, giving up his last year of college eligibility.
In 96 career college games, Masonius tallied 10 goals and 40 assists, leading all Connecticut defensemen in points in two of his three seasons.
When he turns pro, Masonius will have some guidance from a familiar face. Masonius is a product of the United States National Team Development Program, and he was there when current Wilkes-Barre/Scranton assistant coach J.D. Forrest was a coach.
Antti Palojarvi
2017-18 contract: Jr. A SM-liiga
2018-19 status: SM-liiga
Age: 19
Drafted: 2017, sixth round
Palojarvi spent this season playing for Lukko U20, a minor-league Finnish team.
Palojarvi was a minus-23 for Lukko U20, the worst plus/minus of anyone on the team. He scored two goals and 10 assists in 44 games, saw time on the power play, and is a strong passer with a hard shot.
He's a puck-moving defenseman like the Penguins prefer, but he's more of a project than some of the other defensemen in the system.
Clayton Phillips
2017-18 contract: USHL then NCAA
2018-19 status: NCAA
Age: 18
Drafted: 2017, third round
Phillips spent two months in the USHL before the University of Minnesota gave him a call.
In December, the Gophers brought in Phillips for the second semester of the season. Phillips, a forward in high school, had previously been committed to Minnesota, but was brought in earlier than anticipated to provide a boost to Minnesota’s low-scoring team, and to replace a freshman defenseman who had left the program.
Phillips is a fast, puck-moving defenseman, the type who fits well in the Penguins’ system.
“Clayton is very skilled,” USHL coach John LaFontaine said. “He has his head up and reads the ice well. He has very quick feet. You can see why Pittsburgh drafted him.”
Even though Phillips didn't play the full season in college, he still burned through his freshman year of eligibility and only has three years remaining.
William Reilly
2017-18 contract: NCAA
2018-19 status: NCAA
Age: 20
Drafted: 2017, seventh round
Reilly was the last pick of the 2017 draft after being passed over in his first two years of eligibility, so expectations are low.
Reilly, who will be a junior at RPI next season, is a 6-foot-3, puck-moving, offensive defenseman.
RPI has been a poor team for the past two seasons, and every player was in the minus column in plus/minus. Reilly was a minus-17 as a freshman, and a minus-19 as a sophomore.
Jeff Taylor
2017-18 contract: NHL contract
2018-19 status: NHL contract
Age: 24
Drafted: 2014, seventh round
Taylor is entering the final year of his entry-level contract.
Taylor split time this season between the ECHL and AHL, with 28 games in Wheeling and 14 games in Wilkes-Barre. He recorded four goals and 15 assists and was a plus-5 in Wheeling; he had one assist and was a minus-1 in Wilkes-Barre.
When Taylor joined Wilkes-Barre at the end of 2016-17 following his senior season of college, he was the second-highest scoring defenseman in Union history, with 92 points over his 149 games. He hasn't seen quite the same offensive success since turning pro, but he should see more AHL time next season.
GOALTENDERS
Tristan Jarry
2017-18 contract: NHL contract
2018-19 status: Restricted free agent
Age: 23
Drafted: 2013, second round
Quote: "I think just getting better and better, that's been my mindset all year, that's something that I've been trying to do the last couple years with Pittsburgh that I've been in their organization. This playoff run will help me."
Jarry will need to be re-signed next season, but he'll be back, and likely in Pittsburgh.
Jarry and DeSmith split the backup job in Pittsburgh this season. Jarry played 26 games in Pittsburgh and posted a 2.77 goals against average and a .908 save percentage. He played 16 games in Wilkes-Barre, with a 3.05 goals against average and .901 save percentage.
Jarry started in Wilkes-Barre's three playoff games. They were swept, but Jarry was stellar in the first two games. Despite the losses, Jarry told me that this playoff run was good for his development and a learning experience.
The Penguins remain confident in Jarry's abilities, and he has a future in the NHL.
Casey DeSmith
2017-18 contract: NHL contract
2018-19 status: NHL contract
Age: 26
Drafted: Undrafted free agent
DeSmith has come a long way from being the Wheeling Nailers' third goaltender in 2015-16.
This season, DeSmith posted a 2.40 goals against average and .921 save percentage in 14 NHL games, and 2.73 goals against average and .910 save percentage in 27 AHL games.
DeSmith is still under contract next season. While he may be behind Jarry on the depth chart next season, the Penguins really value goaltending depth and DeSmith is their only other option in the system currently, so he won't be going anywhere.
Michael Leighton
2017-18 contract: NHL contract
2018-19 status: Unrestricted free agent
Age: 36
Drafted: 1999, sixth round, Chicago
Wilkes-Barre acquired Michael Leighton in a trade that sent Sean Maguire to Arizona early in the season.
Leighton would have been a better backup option for Wilkes-Barre this season than Maguire, but Leighton was injured after one game and missed a lot of time. He only played six games in Wilkes-Barre, during which he recorded a 2.67 goals against average and a .913 save percentage.
Even though Leighton was injured, Jarry told me that it really helped to have his perspective and experience around during the season. Still, he likely won't be back next season.
Anthony Peters
2017-18 contract: AHL contract
2018-19 status: AHL contract
Age: 27
Drafted: Undrafted free agent
Peters stepped up when Leighton went down.
Wilkes-Barre signed Peters to a professional tryout contract in December after he posted a 2.34 goals against average and .925 save percentage in 16 games with the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL. In Wilkes-Barre, he recorded a 2.71 goals against average and .907 save percentage in 24 games. When his tryout contract expired in February, he earned a full contract to finish the season.
Peters took the path of OHL hockey, college hockey in Canada, and split time between the AHL and ECHL over parts of three seasons before coming to Wilkes-Barre. As with Leighton, Jarry said that he valued Peters' input and perspective over the course of the season.
Wilkes-Barre has already re-signed Peters, and he'll be solid in the AHL backup role. He doesn't have a high ceiling and won't be in the NHL, but he's steady enough and has the experience needed to stick as Wilkes-Barre's backup.
Alex D'Orio
2017-18 contract: QMJHL
2018-19 status: QMJHL
Age: 19
Drafted: Undrafted free agent
The Penguins signed D'Orio to an entry-level contract after he was impressive during the Penguins' 2017 development camp and prospect tournament.
In 2016-17, D’Orio’s Saint John Sea Dogs led the QMJHL as the regular season champions. D’Orio, a rookie, was the team’s backup goaltender, and posted a 19-2-1 record and a 2.40 goals against average and .903 save percentage in 28 appearances.
This season, D’Orio and the Sea Dogs didn't see nearly the same level of success. The Sea Dogs finished last in the QMJHL, with a 14-43-9-2 record. In D’Orio’s 44 appearances this season as starter, he posted a 9-35 record, a 4.01 goals against average, and a .895 save percentage. The Sea Dogs as a whole had a bad season, and a goals against average isn’t exactly a fair indication of a goaltender’s talent when the QMJHL is such a high-scoring league.
D’Orio has been praised for his athleticism and quickness, and at 6-foot-3 and 196 pounds, his size is an asset as well. He needs to improve his rebound control and his glove hand.
D'Orio is too young to join the AHL, so he won't be turning pro just yet. With the past two seasons being at such different extremes for D'Orio and the Sea Dogs, next season should provide a better idea of D'Orio's talent and potential.
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