Derrick Pouliot, Olli Maatta, Joe Morrow, Scott Harrington and Simon Despres Among 34 Players Invited to Penguins 2012 Prospect Development Camp

The Pittsburgh Penguins released a roster of prospects who will be attending the team’s annual prospect development camp July 10-14 at CONSOL Energy Center.

Recent top draft picks Derrick Pouliot, Olli Maatta, Joe Morrow, Scott Harrington and Simon Despres highlight the list of invitees. The roster features 22 players drafted by Pittsburgh – including all nine players selected at the 2012 NHL Draft – as well as recent acquisitions Brian Dumoulin and Harrison Ruopp.

Fans are invited to attend the camp-concluding scrimmage – which is free and open to the public – on Saturday, July 14 at 3 p.m. at CONSOL Energy Center. Last year, roughly 5,000 fans attended the scrimmage.

Free parking will be available in all CONSOL Energy Center lots. Several concession stands, as well as PensGear – the Penguins’ official team store – will be open.

Derrick Pouliot and Olli Maatta

Pouliot, 18, was drafted by the Penguins in the first round (8th overall) two weeks ago following a successful season with the Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey League (WHL), where he tied for the postseason lead among all WHL blueliners with 17 points (3G-14A) in 22 games. The 5-foot-11, 186-pound Pouliot ranked second among Portland defensemen behind Pittsburgh’s 2011 first-round pick Joe Morrow with 59 regular-season points (11G-48A).

Maatta, 17, was Pittsburgh’s other first-round pick this year (22nd overall). The Finnish product starred for the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) during the postseason, leading the team and ranking sixth in the OHL with 23 points (6G-17A) in 19 games. During the regular season, the 6-foot-2, 202-pound Maatta earned a spot on the OHL First-Team All-Rookie squad.

Morrow, 19, was drafted 23rd overall by the Penguins in 2011. The 6-foot, 197-pound blueliner ranked second among all WHL blueliners with 64 points (17G-47A) during the regular season. A WHL First-Team All-Star selection in ’11-12, Morrow ranked second on Pittsburgh with four points (1G-3A) in four games during the ’11 preseason.

Harrington, 19, was chosen by the Penguins in the second round (54th overall) of the 2011 NHL Draft. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound stay-at-home blueliner helped the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) win their playoff championship and earn a berth in the Memorial Cup in ’11-12. An OHL First-Team All-Star, Harrington helped Team Canada win a bronze medal at the 2012 World Junior Championships.

Despres, 20, split his first professional season between Pittsburgh and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League (AHL). He made his NHL debut on Dec. 1 at Washington and went on to appear in 18 regular-season games for Pittsburgh, totaling four points (1G-3A) and a plus-5 rating. The 6-foot-4, 219-pound Despres also played in three games for the Penguins during the 2012 playoffs. Despres was voted a starter for the 2012 AHL All-Star Classic, although he had to miss the game due to injury.

Below is a complete prospect development camp roster (or click here to download)