Give Scott Young much of the credit for convincing Drew O'Connor to sign with the Penguins.
But save a little for guys like Conor Sheary, Casey DeSmith and Zach Aston-Reese, too.
Oh, they weren't directly involved in recruiting O'Connor, a free-agent forward from Dartmouth who signed a two-year deal with the Penguins earlier this month, but the success they've had in the organization after leaving college as free agents helped to convince O'Connor to start his pro career here.
"Part of joining the Penguins was their history with college free agents, and college players in general," he told a conference call Friday. "The success they've had with those players, and how they've developed them. That was a main selling point for me, for sure."
O'Connor's entry-level contract is worth $925,000 per season at the NHL level and takes effect in 2020-21.
He is 6 foot 3, 200 pounds and had 21 goals and 11 assists in 30 games as a sophomore with the Big Green this season, when he was named Ivy League player of the year.
O'Connor wasn't always power forward-sized -- he recalled being about 5 foot 9 when he was in high school -- and suggested that being what he characterized as "a late bloomer" might actually have contributed to his development as a player with pro potential.
"I was pretty small for a little while," he said. "I was a late bloomer, for sure. ... I did grow pretty late. I think that helped me to grow into my body a little bit."
Between high school and college, O'Connor played for the Boston Jr. Bruins in the National Collegiate Development Conference, during which time he wondered occasionally whether his playing days would end there.
"What I always wanted to do was to play D(ivision) I hockey," he said. "There was probably a certain point around the end of high school and the first year playing out of high school that it didn't seem like that opportunity was going to be available.
"Dartmouth was a great place for me to go and it helped me a lot with developing. I'm very fortunate to go to Dartmouth and be able to continue to play at a high level."
O'Connor had been scheduled to join the Penguins American Hockey League affiliate in Wilkes-Barre for the balance of this season, but the AHL has suspended play because of coronavirus.
How much seasoning he will need in the AHL before competing for a job on the major-league roster is impossible to predict, but O'Connor said he expects to be capable of handling any duties he might eventually be given with the parent club.
"I'll be able to fill any role that's asked of me," he said. "The most important thing is to keep developing over the next couple of years, to keep improving."
Because he was at Dartmouth for just two years, O'Connor's decision to leave school was a bit unexpected, but the Penguins got word that he was considering it and Young, their director of player development, ratcheted up efforts to get him to sign with them.
"He was great in kind of explaining everything about the Penguins," O'Connor said. "And helping me to understand more about the Penguins' organization."
Including the part about how many college free agents have had a chance to live out their professional hockey dreams there.
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