If the early turnout for the Penguins' small-group skating sessions are any indication, players are pretty enthused about resuming the 2019-20 season this summer.
Although those informal workouts have attracted only a handful of players at some team facilities, which were allowed to reopen Monday, Mike Sullivan said "more than half" of those on the Penguins' roster reported to the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex for the first day of those sessions today, although he declined to give a specific number.
"They're organized in small groups," he said. "Let's say that it will be more than half of the team, and (more) guys will trickle in as these informal skates continue to evolve and you get closer to a training camp. We've got a fair amount of guys who are still in town, in Pittsburgh, and who have returned so they could participate in these informal skates and I know they're all excited about getting back on the ice."
A team official said the Penguins would not divulge which players are taking part in the workouts because they are voluntary. Anthony Angello tweeted a picture on Tuesday appearing to be on his way to the rink:
All smiles when getting back to business pic.twitter.com/VSBFL3HWkv
— Anthony Angello (@Anthony_Angello) June 9, 2020
Per guidelines established by the NHL, no more than six players can be on the ice at a time and coaches are not permitted to skate with them during what has been labeled "Phase 2" in the NHL's return-to-play plan.
Sullivan said he does not expect to watch any of the groups skate, at least in the short term.
"Right now, I won't," he said. "I trust our guys. I do think this time is about them. It's really not about the coaches. I have a comfort level with our leadership, and with the group of players that we have. In due time, we'll spend plenty of time with them."
The small-group sessions are scheduled to eventually segue into training camps, probably in mid-July if current plans hold, with games to follow.
Most players haven't been on the ice since the NHL suspended operations March 12 because of the coronavirus pandemic, and have had to rely largely on unconventional methods -- and often, equipment -- to try to remain in the best shape possible during the shutdown.
And although players undergo a series of conditioning tests before a conventional camp gets underway, Sullivan said he doesn't anticipate the Penguins make those a priority if things progress to the point where the Penguins begin preparing for the resumption of play, as a group.
"We haven't made a definitive decision at this point, but I don't foresee us putting our guys through the whole testing regimen that we do in training camp," he said. "I think we're going to try to maximize every opportunity and time that we have to prepare guys on the ice to play."
Those test results provide insights on an individual player's conditioning level, among other things. Sullivan, though, believes the coaches will have all of the information needed about the fitness of their personnel to make sound decisions about them.
"They'll be working out with our strength-and-conditioning coaches in small groups here for the next month," he said. "Our strength-and-conditioning guys are well aware of where (the players) are at.
"They also have been in constant contact with (players) through this whole process, so we have a real good idea of where all of our guys are at at this point, and then we'll make decisions accordingly."
To continue reading, log into your account:
