Back in the 1970s, streaking became a popular fad, especially among high school and college students. Perhaps fortified with a little liquid libation (Boone’s Farm wine was a favorite), individuals would run naked (or streak) through public places, perhaps wearing a ski mask to hide their identify if not their…uh…privates. In 1974, at the height of the craze, novelty recording artist Ray Stevens cut a song appropriately titled, The Streak, which became a smash No. 1 hit. But I digress.
There’s been a whole lot of streakin’ goin’ on in the Penguins organ-i-zation these days. Some good. Some not so good.
On the plus side, the Penguins ran off an NHL-best 10 game winning streak, only recently snapped by Dallas. However, our top farm club…Wilkes-Barre/Scranton…has been doin’ a little streakin’ too. Unfortunately, in the totally opposite direction.
Indeed, while the big club has been lighting it up, the Baby Pens have lost seven straight (six in regulation, one in a shootout). They’ve sunk like a stone to the Atlantic Division cellar with a record of 9-14-4 and 22 points. Their points percentage of .407 is second-worst in the 31-team American Hockey League, ahead of only the Texas Stars.
While there appear to be issues in every facet of their game, lack of scoring punch is the primary culprit. Indeed, the Baby Pens are ranked dead-last with only 60 goals (in 27 games). Their leading point getter, rookie winger Valtteri Puustinen, ranks 51st among AHL scorers with 19 points.
I confess to being surprised by our lack of punch and overall success. With talented kids like Puustinen, Samuel Poulin, Nathan Legare and Filip Hallander joining forces with holdovers Anthony Angello, Jordy Bellerive and Radim Zohorna, I thought the Baby Pens would be a team to be reckoned with. It hasn’t worked out that way at all. Quite the opposite, in fact.
Poulin, who racked up 88 goals and 229 points during 192 games in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, has just four goals in 23 games. Hallander, rumored to be NHL-ready after finishing second in goals with his team in Sweden, has only three goals in 24 games.
By far the biggest surprise and disappointment to me? Nathan Legare. The fiery plumber’s son notched 106 goals over a 224-game career in the Quebec League…14 more in 15 playoff games last spring. I confess I expected big things from him. However, after impressing during the Pens’ training camp he’s fallen to earth with a pronounced thud. Indeed, Legare has notched just two goals in 23 games to go with a team-worst minus-12.
It’s shocking to me that a kid with his bomb of a shot and lightning release isn’t having more success.
Then again, I read somewhere that sports teams tend to overrate their young talent. One only needs to look at the Pittsburgh Pirates to find a prime example. How many can’t-miss prospects came up through AAA only to fizzle. Do the names Alen Hanson and Nick Kingham ring a bell? Probably not.
Could the same be true for the Pens’ current crop of kids? According to JFresh and TopDownHockey…yes. Resurrecting results of a study originally posted in an article on Pensburgh last July titled, A sobering look at the Penguins shallow prospect pool, none of our kids are a sure bet to make it. Far from it.
I haven’t a clue as to how JFresh comes up with his ratings, but here goes. Poulin has a four percent chance of becoming an NHL star and a 27 percent chance of becoming an NHL player. Puustinen has a six percent chance of becoming an NHL star and an 18 percent chance of making it to the NHL.
And my favorite Legare? He graded out at having only a two percent chance of starring in the big time and a six percent chance at becoming a big-leaguer. Which seems to support his paltry output thus far.
Of course, it’s still very early in their respective careers. The Baby Pens have had seven games postponed due to Covid, which surely hasn’t helped matters any. With the team being so young, you wonder if it’s lacking some veteran leadership to help ease the kids’ transition to the pro game.
Too, you have to take a long, hard look at coach J.D. Forest, one of the last holdouts from the Jim Rutherford era. Given how much present GM Ron Hextall is committed to developing young talent, you’d think he’d want one of his own teaching the kids.
Just so this isn’t all negative, there are some success stories. With 13 points in 19 games to go with a team-leading plus-six, defenseman Pierre-Olivier Joseph (40 percent chance of becoming an NHLer) is enjoying a strong season. Bellerive (13 points) has been solid if unspectacular. Zohorna’s had his moments (five goals, 10 points). Same with undrafted pivot Felix Robert (six goals, 11 points).
Still, the Baby Pens continue to take their lumps. And the streak continues…
Hey Rick,
No surprise here. This is what happens after a decade of neglect . I read Brian Burke’s,President of Hockey Operations comments the other day when he said,(and I am paraphrasing,) ” I am not going to criticize my friend and former Pen’s GM Jimmy for giving away top draft prospects and High first and second round draft picks to have a 20% chance at winning a Stanley Cup. Those days are done he said.” Boom !!!! Finally someone inside the New Ownership group is doing the logical thing.
However it will take along time to right the ship in WBS because what you are seeing is that almost all other teams have so much more talent to draw from than the Penguins.You can not have a team made up of other teams rejects and lower level draft picks and expect to compete with a roster that has 6 or 7 first or second round picks and a few highly skilled, aged veterans who accept their role to teach the young kids the life of a professional Hockey player.
Again this only makes common sense Rick.
My final point is that we also must take a real critical and objective look at the Real problem. The pen’s have not really drafted that well as an organization this past decade.Yes their has been a few successes but over all this HAS NOT been a Pen’s strong point. Just because they where a Baby Pen’s uniform these kids do not all of a sudden become TOP NOTCH NHL READY PROSPECTS. You are seeing that result now. We give way to much credit to our team’s players with out objectively looking at the completion.
My hope is Brian Burke sticks to his guns and the Pen’s STOP trying to trade their picks away.
Cheers
JIM
Hey Jim,
Did you read the comments by Bobby Clarke on Ron Hextall – particularly over Nolan Patrick?
Like you I want some real draft picks, ones with a better probability of making it to the NHL than we have been getting. However, Clarke’s blast makes me wonder about the team’s ability to evaluate talent, even under Hextall. I am not saying I accept what Clarke said, but it does give me pause. Hextall’s apparent recent success in signings not withstanding, if he ignored all his scouts input and drafted Patrick anyway, and more, as Clarke charges; that does concern me. I can’t deny, I really want a chance at several of these kids this season, to set us up for a quick return to Cup Contention rather than delusional pretension.
Hey Rick,
Several points;
A) The lack of top end talent is exactly why I want the team to start thinking long term. This is a deep draft. and there are at least 2 players in nest seasons draft that I covet. No apologies to any Kool-Aid drinkers out there, this is not a Cup contending team. There are at least 3 bricks shy of that load, maybe more. Even if Hextall screws up worse than JR and sells off 2 or more future 1st round picks, this team will fall short by a mile. They won the Division last season and still got unceremoniously dumped in the 1st round – and they are still playing the same soft game. The team is in desperate need of top end, young talent.
B) There are several variables that you need to look at before giving up on any of the players on the Pens Farm.
1) First and foremost is coaching. If WBS is infected with the same Butter Soft Disease that the parent club ails from then it doesn’t surprise me to see Poulin, Legare, Hallander, Bellerive, Angello, and Bjorkqvist are not doing well. If Sullivan’s body snatchers are trying to grow pods near these grittier players to mold them into Smurfs then of course they will struggle. Bellerive is the anomaly here, because of his injuries he may not be completely like the rest of the players I note. I have watched Angello, Bjorkqvist, Legare and Poulin play. I like what I saw in Legare in his 1st training camp and preseason. He and Bjorkqvist formed the best unit, with Lafferty, that preseason but Sullivan doesn’t like sandy players so they all were quickly dismissed and lesser players disgraced the roster. Legare also had good preseason this year and was still sent to WBS while the human pylon stayed in Pgh and got an NHL paycheck. The long and short, if Sullivan is trying to defang these players, I am not surprised that when they are not being allowed to play their game, Sullivan is ruining them.
2) WBS has had pathetic Goaltending since the opening month. Sunday may have been D’Orio’s best game. He only gave up 3 Goals on 25 Shots. It his hard to really to show what you can do when you are always fighting an up hill battle. If you are trying to still win games and not simply pad stats, as a forward you are exhausting yourself insulating your D and Goalies. I liked what I saw in Lindberg but he was hurt in Nov and WBS has suffered since. Nappier, and D’Orio have been abysmal. Domingue has been inconsistent and often times sitting up in Pgh. The only other Goalie has been Jurusik. He hasn’t played bad at all, but he has only played 2 Games. Maybe when Lindberg gets back or next season or the season after when they try and bring Blomqvist or Clang over here, Goaltending will not be a gaping hole, but for now, these struggles radiate into every other position.
3) From what little I have seen, Legare is not getting quality Ice Time. If he is out there with a bunch of Simons then that is understandable. The AHL isn’t the NHL but nor is it the QJMHL either. Being able to skate through 5 AHL players is a lot harder than skating through 5 QJMHL players. Just like not every AHL player makes the NHL, not every QJMHL player makes it to the AHL or even the ECHL.
4) Bjorkqvist wasn’t playing all that well in WBS either, but once reunited with Lafferty in the NHL, he did score a Goal.
With a coaching change, I still believe Angello, Bjorkqvist, Legare, O’Connor, Puustenin, Legare, and Zohorna have a chance to make it. Not saying they are shoe ins, but under a Sullivan run, anti – Physical edict, you can not evaluate them properly. And as I said at the beginning, the WBS streak only illustrates my belief that it is imperative to get multiple 1st round picks this season, including at least 1 top 10 and maybe try and deal with a team that you think will finish low enough to get you a top 2 pick next season.
Good Luck on that phone call Rick