Meet the New Penguins: Part II

Joel Blomqvist and Jonathan Gruden aren’t the only new Pittsburgh Penguins. Genreal Manager (GM) Jim Rutherford added another Goalie Calle Clang, and 3 forwards; Lukáš Švejkovský, Raivis Ansons, and Chase Yoder, in rounds 3 – 6. So, who are these kids?

Calle Clang

Let’s start with 3rd round selection Calle Clang. Clang is an 18-year-old, 6’-2” tall, 176lbs Goalie from Olofstrom, Sweden. He was born May 20th, 2002 and catches left-handed. Last year he split time between Rögle BK J18 and J20. He only played 3 Games Played (GP) for the J18 team posting a 2.75 Goals Against Average (GAA) and 0.897 Save Percentage (Sv%). For the J20 team he had 34 GP, 2.64 GAA, and a 0.913 Sv%. So far this season, loaned to Kristianstads IK of the HockeyAllsvenskan, he played 1 Game with a 1.85 GAA and 0.939 Sv%.

What the Scouts say about Clang’s assets;

Clang is a butterfly Goalie with strong, powerful legs. Ben Kerr of thelastwordonsports and Bill Plachek agree Clang is able to drop down to cut the low corners but get back up quickly if an opponent tries to deke him. His strong legs also allow him to go post to post quickly. Unlike 2nd round pick Joel Blomqvist, Clang will come out of his net to cut down angles and challenge shooters.

Kerr gives Clang high marks for a quick glove hand, puck tracking skills, closing down the 5-hole, anticipation, his ability to fight through traffic and screens, and ability to stay square to the shooter, just as he did with Blomqvist. However, Kerr seems to think better of Clang’s puck moving skills in comparisons to Blomqvist. Not only does he get out quickly to intercept dump-ins, he has shown the ability to make the long lead pass to catch teams in line changes.

Mentally, Kerr speaks of Clang like he did of Blomqvist; he doesn’t let bad goals spiral him out of control and he knows when to slow the game down to let his team catch its bearth vs when to go into hyper-drive and press the other team on the counterattack.

What are the scouts saying about his limitations?

Clang’s powerful legs will sometimes cause him to over slide on some plays, taking himself out of position. He is very athletic, and can often still get back, at least against the talent he has played against. He may not be so fortunate if he gets to the NHL, players at that level will make a Goalie pay. The young Swede also needs to work on his rebound control. Placzek also suggests Clang work on not committing too soon.

As a 3rd round pick, Clang is a project. He will probably stay in Europe a couple of seasons, like Blomqvist. However, Eugene Helfrick of thehockeywriters seems to think that Clang needs at least 3 more seasons in Europe followed by several more seasons in the NHL and doesn’t see he more than a backup.

Lukáš Švejkovský

Rutherford tagged Lukáš Švejkovský as his 4th round pick. Švejkovský has the size of a typical Penguin; he is 5’-10” tall, 165 lbs right-handed Center who could play Right Wing (RW). He was born November 23, 2001, in Point Roberts, WI. He holds dual citizen ship, USa and the Czech Republic.

Last season, between the Vancouver Giants and the Medicine Hat Tigers he scored 18 Goals (G) and 20 Assists (A) in 52 GP. He was +27 with 32 Penalty Minutes (PIM) in those 52 games.

It was hard to find anything from the scouts on a pick this low but Tony Ferrari of dobberprospects scouted a game where Švejkovský played against the Winnipeg Ice.

“Lukas Svejkovsky has been solid if nothing else this season. Against the Ice, he was noticeable on the ice (no pun intended) on every shift. He had two goals against Winnipeg, showing off his speed and hands as well as his willingness to battle along the boards. Svejkovsky’s second goal of the night came on a beautiful play on a two-on-one. After receiving the pass, he drags the puck to the middle to lose the defender and then snipes the puck across the grain for a beautiful goal as can be seen below. He has the ability to create time and space for himself, using his quick first step and raw speed to open the ice up. His shot is good, not great, but he does a good job of getting into the dangerous areas to make sure that his shot can be more effective.

Svejkovsky has his warts but he’s an intriguing offensive talent. He is a player that fans enjoy watching with the puck on his stick because he is willing to try and create opportunities for both himself and his teammates. The issues with Svejkovsky come when you watch his effort in the defensive end. He is a bit uninterested at times but he has a good stick. He shows the skill that he has with some takeaways but he’s not a defensive stalwart by any means. His creativity can lead to unique paths through the neutral zone but that can be chalked up to the fact that he is a young player trying new things. He is an intriguing prospect for the 2020 NHL Draft, to say the least.”

On Neutralzone.net and hockeyprospect, I also read some quotes that suggest Švejkovský is an agitator. I am not sure if Mike Sullivan would like that, but I am sorry, a couple of extra Power Plays drawn by an agitator could be interesting.

Raivis Ansons

In the 5th round Rutherford snag Raivis Ansons. Ansons is a 6’-1” tall 185lb, left-handed Left Wing (LW) Hailing from Riga, Latvia. He is 18 years old, born on January 29, 2002.

Last season he played for Baie-Comeau Drakkar of the QMJHL and in 60 GP, scored 13 G and 22 A but was a -17. This season, he has been loaned to Zemgale of the Latvia League and had 2 A in his 1st GP.

EliteProspects said of him;

 “He knows where to skate to continue supporting teammates on the rush. He pressures opponents, wins the puck, and protects it with his frame. Ansons does the little things that star offensive forwards sometimes prefer not doing. He’s a trusted penalty killer, always adopts risk-mitigating positioning, and easily switches from one assignment to the other.”

Pro Wheeler in The Athletic wrote;

 “ANSONS’ NUMBERS DON’T JUMP OFF THE PAGE. HE FINISHED THE SEASON WITH 35 POINTS IN 60 GAMES, WHICH WAS 14TH PLACE AMONG THE QMJHL NEWBIES THAT SEASON. NHL CENTRAL SCOUTING RANKED HIM 100TH AMONG NORTH AMERICAN SKATERS ON THEIR FINAL LIST, AND HIS CHANCES OF GETTING DRAFTED ARE LIKELY DUE TO A COIN TOSS. BUT WHEN I WATCHED HIM IN THE SECOND HALF, I SAW SOME FASCINATING FEATURES. THE DRAKKAR LACKED OFFENSIVE FIREPOWER THIS SEASON, AND ANSONS FINISHED FOURTH ON THE TEAM WHEN IT CAME TO GOALS AND SHOTS ON GOAL (HIS 9.4 SHOTS PERCENTAGE LIKELY SUGGESTS HE NEEDED TO SCORE A FEW MORE GOALS).”

Chase Yoder

Finally, in the 6^th round Rutherford added Chase Yoder to the Organization. Yoder is a 5’-11” tall, 176lbs, left-handed Center from Fairview, Tx (isn’t 5’-11” small for a Texan?). Like so many of the new Penguins, he was born in May, May 28^th, 2002.

Yoder split time between US National U18 Team and the USNTDP Juniors scoring 13 G and 14 A in 56 GP. He is enrolled in Providence College of the NCAA for this season.

Brian Fogerty of the hockeyprohets summarized what he saw of him as follows;

“Played a solid two-way game, and was disruptive in the neutral zone, getting in lanes, picking off passes, using his feet to cause problems for the Buccaneers. He set up some prime chances, and got things done, even if they didn’t show on the scoreboard in this game.”

So there you have it Penguins Fans a look at all of your new Pittsburgh Penguins