CRANBERRY, Pa. -- They came from all corners of the world. From Western Canada, from Boston and Sweden. They came in many sizes and different ages, 17 through 19. But they all came as Penguins draft picks.
The draft class of 2018, the four players selected in last weekend's NHL Draft in Dallas, came to Pittsburgh for the first -- but hopefully not the last -- time. Calen Addison, Filip Hallander, Justin Almeida and Liam Gorman were among the 38 players to take the ice Wednesday afternoon at the Penguins' development camp at the Lemieux Sports Complex.
Even for players of their pedigrees, the first glimpse of the big time can be a little daunting. For kids who dreamt of one day playing in the NHL, pulling on the jersey of the Penguins is a dream come true.
Here, in their words, has been their experience of the past week and of development camp:
CALEN ADDISON, second round (64th overall)
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Calen Addison. - MATT SUNDAY / DKPS[/caption]
The Lethbridge Hurricanes defenseman wasn't a first-round pick in this year's draft. The organization certainly treated him like one, pulling out all the stops to greet him.
Unlike his other draftees, he's gotten to see a little bit of what could be his future city. After arriving from Dallas on Sunday night, he's been through the Fort Pitt Tunnel, atop Mount Washington and on one of the inclines (he can't recall which). Even went for lunch down on the "South Area," as he says, which I'll just assume is the South Side.
The superstar treatment places a little more pressure on him than perhaps any other prospect in camp, no?
"I kind of like pressure in a way," the 18-year-old was telling me. "I've just learned to handle more pressure and the best way to prove people (wrong) is to go out there and play your game."
Though Sidney Crosby wasn't here, nor were any of his Penguins teammates, there were definitely some stars in his eyes. He looked forward to one day calling the captain his teammate.
"When he gets here and I can watch him every day, I'll take that in and that's an experience that not many people have," he says. "Every second I can follow him and watch what he does, that’s what I’m going to do."
While this is, by no means, an evaluation camp, Addison said he wanted to make a good first impression. He planned to take away a few things from the camp.
"Just learn how to be a pro," he says. "Being here and seeing this facility and learning from all these high-end hockey people in the Penguins organization is huge for me and that's what I’m going to do this week."
FILIP HALLANDER, second round (58th overall)
As he was last weekend, the Swede was a man -- OK, a teen -- of few words. Which is certainly understandable. For speaking a second language in a foreign land, Hallander acquits himself quite well.
He's also the youngest of the draftees at 17 years old. But he's also perhaps the most mature in that he played professional hockey last season against grown men for Timra IK in the Swedish League.
"No, it was fun," says Hallander, a 6-foot-2, 187-pound center. "It was a bit scary at the beginning but you get used to it."
Apparently, that wasn't nearly as intimidating as walking into an NHL practice facility for the first time.
"It’s unbelievable, of course," he says. "To see the locker room, it’s so big ... I’m speechless."
Hallander has been in the U.S. for a week now, attending the draft with his father and brother. But they've since ditched him for a few days to take in the brighter lights of the really big city: New York. After Wednesday's first practice session ended, though, he said his goal was to make it to downtown Pittsburgh and see the "big buildings and the arena."
For him, the experience of this week is to basically dip his toes in the water and see what the organization is all about.
"Hopefully get some tips from the coaches," he says.
JUSTIN ALMEIDA, fifth round (129th overall)
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Justin Almeida. - MATT SUNDAY / DKPS[/caption]
It was just five days ago that Almeida was sitting with his sister and parents at the family home in Kitimat, British Columbia, watching as the second day of the draft unfolded. One by one, name after name was taken off the board. Just as it was last season, when he was left un-drafted.
Finally, the Moose Jaw Warriors center got the call that he was about to be taken by the Penguins.
"Complete excitement," he says. "It’s a dream to get drafted in the NHL. You’re sitting, waiting, waiting, to hear your name. You're just so happy and filled with joy."
And Almeida isn't going to just any organization either. He's going to an organization that has won two of the last three Stanley Cups and has an appreciation for speed and skill, traits that the diminutive Almeida has in abundance.
"They’re excellent," the 5-9, 159 pounder says of his new organization. "They’re at the top of the league almost every year. To get to an organization like this, that’s run so well, it makes it easy to come in."
Were there any nerves coming to Pittsburgh?
"Obviously a little bit, little bit shaky hands at first, but when you first step out there you calm down after the first drill and feel like a regular hockey player," he told me.
Before he steps on the ice at the NHL level, he'll have some filling out to do. That's OK too, he says. There's some things he needs to learn first at this camp.
'Just what it takes to be a pro," he was saying. "They get us in there and show us what it takes. You have to work that extra level, play at that extra speed to be a pro."
LIAM GORMAN, sixth round (177th overall)
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Liam Gorman. - MATT SUNDAY / DKPS[/caption]
Admittedly, the last week has been kind of hectic for the Boston native. There was never a doubt in his mind that he'd be drafted and that he'd be traveling somewhere in North America this week to attend a camp. It was only a matter of which one.
He had a feeling he'd be headed to Pittsburgh, though.
"It was definitely a possibility," he was telling me. "Going to the Combine we had a few weeks earlier, they liked me and were happy with how I performed. I was kind of expecting it."
Nope, the senior-to-be at Saint Sebastian's Prep doesn't lack for confidence. Being a 6-3, 194 pound center, he even compares himself to Evgeni Malkin, but he won't get to see the big Russian during this trip to Pittsburgh.
Actually he hasn't seen much of anything since getting into town Tuesday morning. He's seen the airport, his hotel and the rink. Come to think of it, that's pretty much the life of a pro hockey player. He should know. His father was drafted by the hometown Bruins and spent five years in the minor leagues.
Liam still has to finish high school, and then the plan is to attend Boston University before going pro full-time. He says he has much to learn, beginning with this week.
"You can get a lot out of this," he was telling me. "The staff around here, all great guys, treating us well here. Also, just getting to know the guys around you. It’s been fun seeing guys from everywhere."
MATT SUNDAY GALLERY
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Penguins development camp, UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex, June 27, 2018. - MATT SUNDAY / DKPS[/caption]
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