The Pittsburgh Penguins displayed their talent and depth in their opening-round sweep of the Ottawa Senators.

However, the future remains bright for the organization. Penguins fans will get closer looks at three more of the team’s prospects as Luca Caputi, Keven Veilleux and Casey Pierro-Zabotel joined Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for the AHL playoffs on amateur tryout contracts. 

“It’s a great opportunity for all three kids. On the one hand we’re competing and trying to win as many games as we can in the playoffs and trying to contend for a championship. But, you always want to give your young players the opportunity to come in, whether they play or just practice,” said Penguins Assistant General Manager Chuck Fletcher, who oversees Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. “You want to expose them to the AHL playoff environment and it normally pays dividends for you the next fall when they come back to camp. They are more mature and more aware of what is expected. In terms of the long-term development of these players, it’s a smart decision.”

While all three players joined the Baby Penguins following the ends of their junior hockey teams’ seasons, the prospects won’t immediately be counted on to contribute to the AHL squad. 

“It’s hard to bring them in and immediately throw them into the lineup. Right now, we have a group of players who have played hard and won the division and are battling away against Hershey. We’ll certainly look at the opportunity to get them in. It’s up to Todd Richards and Dan Bylsma if we need to put one of them in due to injury or poor play by another player,” Fletcher said. “At this point, it’s more of an evaluation stage. Todd and Dan are getting to know the players and the players are acclimating and practicing every day. The longer we go, the more likely it is they can get into some game action. In the short term, we want to get them a chance to know our system and practice and get comfortable before we just throw them in the lineup.”

All three players are 2007 draft choices and they enjoyed solid junior hockey league campaigns. 

“They all had good years. It’s a whole other level in pro hockey. The speed of AHL is significantly greater than the speed of junior hockey. When you bring them in, even the practices are fast for them and we are not even having hard practices right now for what AHL players are used to, but they are hard for the kids coming from juniors,” Fletcher said. “That’s why there’s an adjustment period and that’s why you like to bring them in and expose them to these situations and allow them to start to acclimate and learn the pace of the play, so when they do come back in the fall, whether it’s for training camp before they go back junior or training camp before they start their pro career, they’ll be ready.

“Most likely, Caputi will turn pro next year and Veilleux will definitely be in junior next year. Pierro-Zabotel is a kid that could go either way. He’s only played three-quarters of a season of major junior hockey and we certainly have the option of seeing how he does in camp and allowing him to play one more year of major junior hockey if necessary.”

CAPUTI EMERGES FOR NIAGARA

Luca Caputi

Caputi, a fourth-round pick (111^th overall), garnered the most headlines. He finished fourth in the OHL with 111 points (51+60) in 66 regular-season games for Niagara. He established franchise records with the 51 goals and 111 points. The 6-foot-3, 185-pound left winger had 17 points (8+9) in 10 playoff games for the IceDogs. He finished his junior career with 185 points (86+99) in 214 games.

“Statistically, he certainly had a great year. He and Dustin Jeffrey probably had the best years statistically of that class. Time will tell who will turn out to be the best pro,” Fletcher said. “Certainly, Luca is a player who has the ability to handle the puck and make smart decisions offensively. He also has the ability to grind it out on wall and use his size to play effectively in traffic. He’s an intriguing prospect. He’s a kid who has the attributes, in terms of skill and work ethic and grit, to succeed at the pro level. He could turn out to be as good as anyone from that draft class, which is a credit to our scouting staff for finding a player like that in the fourth round.”

VEILLEUX EXCELS AFTER TRADE

Keven Veilleux

Veilleux, a second-round choice (51^st overall), split this season between Victoriaville and Rimouski in the QMJHL. He finished with 64 points (17+47) and 76 penalty minutes in 61 games. The 6-foot-5, 202-pound center added seven points (3+4) in nine playoff games for the Oceanic.  

In three seasons in the QMJHL, Veilleux has 134 points (39+95) and 133 penalty minutes in 164 games. 

“He started the year at Victoriaville and, for various reasons, that situation didn’t work out. He was traded to Rimouski before the QMJHL trading deadline and we were thrilled with that. After he was traded to Rimouski, his season really seemed to take off. He was more productive offensively, but just his overall game, effort and work ethic seemed to improve after he was traded,” Fletcher said. “I know our scouts felt that he really developed tremendously after the trade. It seemed to work well and seemed to be a better environment for him and that’s a real positive step. At 6-4 or 6-5, he has tremendous talent. The key for him is growing up and maturing and learning how to play hard night in and night out and learning how to utilize the talents that he has. This season was a good first step for him.”

PIERRO-ZABOTEL SHINES IN VANCOUVER

Casey Pierro-Zabotel

Pierro-Zabotel, the Penguins’ third round pick (80^th overall) last simmer, had 48 points (19+29) and a plus-19 rating in 49 games with Vancouver in the Western Hockey League. The 6-1, 205-pound center added six points (2+4), including one game-winning goal, in 10 playoff games with the club.  Last season, he totaled 116 points (51+65) in 55 games with Merritt of the Tier-II British Columbia Hockey League.

“Casey has a lot of talent. He joined Vancouver after the start of the season, so he had a little bit of a late start this season. He is a slick puckhandler and a good passer; he sees the ice well. The key for Casey was that he had to make a big of an adjustment from Tier II hockey to Major A, in terms of the speed,” Fletcher said. “That’ll continue to be his challenge as he moves forward, the pace of the play as he moves up the ladder and his skating speed. But, he has size and talent. He has the things you can’t teach. We’re just going to have to continue to push him to improve the pace of his game and improve the pace of his overall speed.” 

While those three prospects are getting their first taste of AHL action, the other players in the Penguins’ 2007 draft class – Dustin Jeffrey, Alex Grant, Robert Bortuzzo and Jake Muzzin – are enjoying successful postseasons in junior hockey.

Dustin Jeffrey

JEFFREY, MUZZIN STARRING FOR GREYHOUNDS

Jeffrey, a 6-1, 205-pound center, tallied a team-best 97 points (38+59) in 56 games with the Sault Ste. Marie in the OHL. He has nine points (3+6) in 11 playoff games for the Greyhounds, who are battling Kitchener in the OHL semifinals. 

Jeffrey, a sixth-round choice (161^st overall), earned a contract with the Penguins during training camp in the fall.

“Dustin played very well. He had an injury earlier in the season and was able to bounce back. He’s just a real smart player. We signed him to a contract in the fall after he had a strong training camp,” Fletcher said. “He’s smart offensively with puck and he’s smart defensively away from the puck. He really plays a nice, sound two-way game. He understands the game like you like your centermen to understand a game. He has a lot of things going for him. Like a lot of these kids, he needs to continue to improve his strength, quickness and speed. That’s what happens when they are 18 or 19. They are good players at the junior level, but they do have to make those adjustments as far as getting faster and stronger to play at the pro level. This will be a big summer for Dustin because he will turn pro next season and he’ll need to make some improvements in those areas.”

Jake Muzzin

Muzzin is Jeffrey’s teammate at Sault Ste. Marie. The 6-2, 206-pound defenseman had 18 points (6+12) in 67 games for the Greyhounds. He has three assists in seven playoff appearances this year. He was Pittsburgh’s fifth-round choice (151^st overall) in 2007.

“He’s on a real top junior club. The team has had a tremendous season and Jake has been a big part of it. He’s a defensive defenseman and sort of an unheralded type of player where he’s not going to produce big numbers offensively, but he knows how to defend and he can kill penalties,” Fletcher said. “He’s just a sound and effective defensive defenseman. Jake has improved as the year has gone on and it’s a real great opportunity for those players to continue playing when a lot of their junior peers have been out for a good month and they get an opportunity to play well into April. Jake is a kid who has really improved a lot over last 18 months.”

BORTUZZO MANS KITCHENER BLUE LINE

Robert Bortuzzo

One person trying to stop Jeffrey and Muzzin is Bortuzzo. The third-round choice (78^th overall), had 18 points (3+15) in 52 games for Kitchener. The 6-3, 196-pound defenseman has five assists and is a plus-9 in 10 playoff games for the Rangers, who are battling Sault Ste. Marie.

“He is a big defensive defenseman who is a good penalty killer and smart defensively. He has a good stick defensively,” Fletcher said. “He’s still playing. Kitchener is going to be the host team for the Memorial Cup, so he still has another month of hockey left ahead of him. This is a tremendous opportunity for him to continue to get valuable playoff experience and play against the best of the best in junior hockey for the next month.” 

GRANT LIGHTS IT UP FOR SAINT JOHN

Grant, a 6-2, 185-pound defenseman, racked up 48 points (15+33) in 70 games with Saint John in the QMJHL. That point total tied for sixth in the league among defensemen. The Penguins’ fourth-round choice (118^th overall) has 13 points (3+10) in 12 playoff games for the Sea Dogs.

Alex Grant

“Grant has some pretty good offensive skills. He has good size. He’s playing on a club that was an expansion team a few years ago. Like the team, Grant has improved tremendously the last couple years,” Fletcher said. “He’s continuing to learn some of the finer points of the game defensively, but in terms of overall skills, puck skills, size and even skating speed, he has a lot of raw talent that excites our scouts. He’s another young player who has another year of junior eligibility.” 

It’s been a successful year for the Penguins’ 2007 draft class. The team’s first-round pick, Angelo Esposito, was enjoying a solid season as well before he was traded to Atlanta in the deal that brought Marian Hossa and Pascal Dupuis to Pittsburgh.

“The guys did a tremendous job last year – you have to give a lot of credit to our scouts. We’re almost a year after the fact and all the kids continue to improve. We’ve already signed Jeffrey and we’re close to signing Luca Caputi. We have a few kids here at Wilkes-Barre,” Fletcher said. “Don’t forget, the scouts were responsible for drafting Angelo Esposito. He had a good season and was part of the package that allowed us to get Hossa. When look at it that way, the scouts’ job is to identify young players and draft as many assets as they can for our organization. Sometimes, those assts end up playing for the Penguins and sometimes we use them to get other players for the Penguins. So, when you look at it a year later, Jay Heinbuck and his staff did a great job in their first full season running a draft for the Penguins.”