The Penguins have released their roster for the 2026 training camp, which starts today. Altogether, 69 players have been invited to camp, including 36 forwards, 23 defensemen, seven goaltenders and three injured players.
Bear with me, I’m about to go off on a tangent. Anyone who’s read PenguinPoop over the years knows I value toughness. I think it’s an important and necessary element to have on your team, as the majority of the recent Cup winners (Florida, Vegas, Tampa Bay, St. Louis and Washington) have demonstrated.
For one of the few times in recent memory, I was actually quite happy with our team toughness last season. However, by purpose or attrition, POHO/GM Kyle Dubas saw fit to divest the Pens of most of the guys who carried the banner in that regard, including Noel Acciari, Connor Clifton, Anthony Mantha, Parker Wotherspoon and popular heavyweight Boko Imama.
Scanning the training camp roster, we have four players who I’d regard as willing scrappers, defensemen Maleek McGowan (who’s genuinely tough) and Chase Pietila and forwards Max Graham and Lucas Ciona. None of whom figure to carve out a roster spot.
Noting the latter had racked up a fair amount of penalty minutes with the AHL Calgary Wranglers last season, I figured he was the heir apparent to assume Imama’s role as chief protector and looked him up on HockeyFights.com. As anticipated, the 6’2” 218-pound left wing is most willing to engage. Unfortunately, Ciona seems to land nary a punch during his battles, often resorting to wrestling tactics.
This isn’t meant as a put-down by any means. Win, lose, or draw, anyone who drops the gloves has a ton of guts in my book and deserves respect. Perhaps even more so if they’re not especially adept with their dukes. But it’s just so typical of the Pens to import a heavyweight who isn’t a particularly good fighter.
Anyway, enough side-show ramble. Here’s a link to the roster.
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Hey Rick,
Just a quick little note, out of curiosity I calculated the average Age, Height, and Weight of our Penguins' skaters from last season and compared it to the Puckpedia projected depth chart. I averaged the Age, Height, and Weight using actual ice time and not simply making everyone sitting on the bench equal for last season and then estimated ice time based on average NHL ice times for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th lines as well as 1st, 2nd, and 3rd defensive pairings.
The average Age, Height, and Weight last year of the Penguin team at any given time last season was 30.1 yrs, 72.9", and 199.1 lbs. This season, the average Age, Height, and Weight Dubas will be asking Muse to deploy will be 31.0 yrs, 72.4", and 193.5 lbs. Our Penguins will be almost one full year older, one half inch smaller, and 5.6 lbs lighter.
There are players in the organization that could give me hope and I pray they get a chance at some point, but our HoHO would seem to want to age and shrink this roster; not really a good idea whether he is looking to rebuild or compete. Dubas' incessant fascination with reclamation projects, players that have already failed at least once at the NHL level, rather than giving room for development and improvement to players who have no track record of failure yet makes no logical sense.
Rick,
I liked a lot of the players Dubas brought into camp last season, I wasn't really an Imama fan, nor am a a fan of a pugilist for the sake of a pugilist. Unfortunately, last season the team did not start the season off with their best possible roster nor always bring up or trade for the best possible player.
What I liked about last season's camp attendies was the size of many of the players. When a team puts 3 forwards on the ice 6'-2" or better and 2 Defensemen 6'-4" or better, just by shear size they eliminate time and space on their opponents, pressuring them into having to make puck decisions much faster causing more mistakes.
The record shows that when Mantha and Brazeau were deployed together, particularly with Geno, that size alone caused havoc. neither Mantha nor Brazeau could be classified as enforcers but their presence, when paired together gave Kindel the time and space the rookie needed to find his way on to the score sheet. When Kindel was deployed with just about anyone else, the other team took away his time and space and Kindel became an empty sweater (this isn't opion - the with-or-without numbers evidence this statement).
That is one of the reasons I am approching this season with trepidation. all indications are that Dubas and Muse will not return to the recipe that gave them success last season. Even though Mantha is gone, they could still use Brazeau but this time with Soderblom to try and re-Kindel that line and give the kid the time and space he needs. If not Brazeau and Soderblom, Soderblom and Rakell shifting Chinakhov to Rakell's spot on Sid's Wing.
And religating Novak to 13th forward status or trading him ASAP and opening up a roster spot for aplayer who can be successful without Malkin and Chinakhov driving play for him.