With a shortage of high draft picks in recent years, the Penguins have turned to college free agents like Conor Sheary, Zach Aston-Reese and Thomas Di Pauli to restock the prospect pipeline.
A defenseman whom the Penguins targeted out of college is Ethan Prow, now in his second full professional season after being signed out of St. Cloud State in 2016.
At 5-foot-11 and 185 pounds, Prow is smaller than most defensive prospects in the Penguins' system. But Prow's offensive success made him a target for the Penguins, totaling 19 goals and 80 assists in 149 college games.
He averaged over a point per game as captain his senior season, and took home a number of awards. In addition to his team winning the NCHC (National Collegiate Hockey Conference) Championship, Prow was named the NCHC's Best Offensive Defenseman, Best Defensive Defenseman, Player of the Year, and was a Hobey Baker Award finalist.
Prow, 25, didn't have to negotiate much with Pittsburgh before he signed. He told me this week that the Penguins were always a very attractive option, calling the team "a world-class organization".
The Penguins' style of play was another factor that led to Prow's decision.
"I think they're one of the teams that they love speed and pushing the pace," he said. "That's kind of what I try to mold my game around, is puck movement. I think if you can instill it in your game and it fits in well, then you're set up for success."
Since turning pro, Prow hasn't shown the same offensive firepower that he did in college. His playmaking abilities and success on the power play have contributed to his two goals and 23 assists in 82 games at the AHL level, and two assists in four ECHL games. While he isn't scoring as often as he did in college, he's making strides in other areas of the ice.
Prow said that since turning pro, he's made an effort to focus on all areas of his game, even if that means showing up on the scoresheet less. He wants to improve his defensive zone play this season, first and foremost.
"I think when I come here I still want to have that [offense] aspect of my game, but I am focusing just kind of on my overall game," he said. "You want to have that consistency, you can't always be on offense. So you gotta make sure you're taking care of all three zones, and just kind of be that overall rounded player."
Prow is becoming more comfortable in his second season, mentioning that he first had to adjust to the rigor of a professional hockey schedule, in addition to the increased speed of the pro game.
"Once you get thrown into it, you get more comfortable," he said, "You gain that confidence, and it goes a long ways."
One factor that has contributed to Prow's growing confidence is his time spent in Wheeling. He was reassigned to the Nailers for a three-game stint this season, and one game last season, which he says has been helpful for his development.
"I think you gotta try to find the positives in everything," he said of the experience. "Going down there, being able to play those big minutes when you get sent down, you're put in all kinds of situations and you find that confidence again. Being able to get the opportunity to come back up and then get thrown in, you try to bring that confidence with you and the game that you were able to play down there and hopefully instill it back up top."
Prow is looking forward to the second half of the season and another shot at the AHL playoffs. He only has seven games of professional playoff experience under his belt - two games in 2015-16 on a tryout contract, and five games last season, when Wilkes-Barre got eliminated in the first round.
"I've kind of been able to be a part of a couple (runs), but they've been short," he said. "I think that's one focus that we're keen on here. First off, make it, and then when you do make it, to be able to have a long run at it and hopefully bring it back."
MORE FROM WILKES-BARRE
• Feb. 2: vs. Hershey, 4-1 win
• Feb. 3: vs. Lehigh Valley, 2-1 win
• On Saturday, the Penguins recalled rookies Reid Gardiner and Troy Josephs from the Nailers. Gardiner was second on the team in scoring with 26 goals and 18 assists in 42 games. Josephs tallied 9 goals and 11 assists in his 26 games with Wheeling, including a hat trick on Friday.
• Daniel Sprong recorded two assists in the Atlantic Division's three games in the All-Star Classic tournament. The Atlantic Division finished 1-2, with the North Division taking first place.
• Coach Clark Donatelli earned his 100th win behind the Penguins' bench on Feb. 2.
• Defenseman Andrey Pedan had a two-goal game in Friday's win. They were his first goals since his hat trick on Jan. 13. His seven goals tie his previous career high from the 2015-16 season with the Utica Comets.
• Despite having the offensive firepower from players like Sprong, the Penguins' power play has fallen to 13.8 percent, with only 24 power play goals on 174 opportunities.
• Lines and defense pairings from Saturday:
Thomas Di Pauli - Jean-Sebastien Dea - Reid Gardiner
Garrett Wilson - Gage Quinney - Daniel Sprong
Adam Johnson - Greg McKegg - Colin Smith
Jarrett Burton - Teddy Blueger - Pat McGrath
Jarred Tinordi - Ethan Prow
Kevin Czuczman - Frank Corrado
Andrey Pedan - Chris Summers
• Ryan Haggerty is day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Tom Kostopoulos was being rested after returning from an upper-body injury the previous week that kept him out for most of the first half of the season. Lukas Bengtsson is practicing with the team after being out of the lineup since December with an upper-body injury.
• After this week, the Penguins remain at the top of the top of the Atlantic Division with a record of 28-12-3-1. They still trail the Toronto Marlies (34-11-0-1) for the Eastern Conference lead.
• The Penguins have three road games against division rivals this week. They'll play the Springfield Thunderbirds (22-24-1-1) on Wednesday, and the Providence Bruins (26-16-3-1) on Friday and Sunday.
GOALS OF THE WEEK
Pedan's two goals against Hershey deserve a look. That first one was a rocket:
There aren't many goalies capable of stopping this Daniel Sprong shot:
SAVES OF THE WEEK
Tristan Jarry was outstanding in the win over Lehigh Valley on Saturday before being recalled to Pittsburgh Sunday morning:
TOP PICK TRACKER
• Defenseman Zachary Lauzon (second round, 2017) returned to full-contact practice this week, and is expected to return to game action within the month of February, barring any setbacks in his recovery from a neck injury. Lauzon has only played in 11 games for Rouyn-Noranda this season, the last of which came on Nov. 26.
• Forward Kasper Bjorkqvist (second round, 2016) scored a goal in Providence College's tie with Vermont this week, and was held scoreless the following night.
• Goaltender Filip Gustavsson (second round, 2016) spoke with the Swedish outlet Hockeymagasinet on his goals moving forward. He said that his main focus is consistency and continuing to be a stable option in net for Luleå as they move into the playoffs. He confirmed that the plan for next season is to play in the Penguins system, but he isn't sure which level he would be playing in.
• Defenseman Connor Hall (third round, 2016) returned to the Kitchener Rangers' lineup on Friday after missing two games with the flu, but left the game favoring his right wrist or shoulder, according to the Waterloo Region Record's Josh Brown. The team won't have an update on Hall's status until Tuesday. He's dealt with multiple shoulder injuries in his career thus far, including one that required season-ending surgery in 2016-17.
WHEELING WATCH
This week's Wheeling Watch will provide an update on Freddie Tiffels' season.
PROSPECT FUN THING
Sprong's hands are just ridiculous:
And this is only warm-ups ??? pic.twitter.com/cMpo9JPy7h
— WBS Penguins (@WBSPenguins) January 29, 2018
