Third in a series.
The Penguins have gotten some pretty good players out of the NHL Draft over the years. Some current and future Hall of Famers, even.
But very few of them have come out of the second round. Finding productive talent there has been an issue for most of the franchise's time in the league,
What follows is a look at all of the Penguins' second-round choices, with performance-based rankings of the ones who made it to the NHL.
The rankings are subjective and based on a player's performance over the course of his NHL career, with extra emphasis on what he accomplished while with the Penguins.
C Greg Malone (1976). Seems ironic that a guy who oversaw so many drafts for the Penguins as their head scout fared better in the rankings that any player he helped to select.
D Alex Goligoski (2004). A skilled offensive defenseman who's had a nice career with the Penguins, Dallas and Arizona.
D Colin Campbell (1973). Long before he became a lightning rod for criticism as an NHL disciplinarian, Campbell was a fearless, feisty and hard-hitting presence on the Penguins' blue line.
C/RW Richard Park (1994). Put together a solid career that spanned parts of 14 seasons.
G Tristan Jarry (2013). Has a legitimate chance to develop into the finest second-round selection in franchise history if his rookie-season trajectory holds.
C Teddy Blueger (2012). Blueger's credentials as a capable bottom-six center and penalty-killer have been established early in his career.
R Russ Anderson (1975). Added toughness to the Penguins' blue line for 5 1/2 seasons in the late 1970s and early 1980s before being traded to Hartford.
D Paul Laus (1989). Never made it into a game with the Penguins, but went on to be a physical fixture on Florida's defense for nine seasons.
LW Wayne Bianchin (1973). Might have ended up higher on this list if not for a broken neck sustained in a surfing accident.
G Rick Tabaracci (1987). Once regarded as the franchise's possible "goalie of the future," Tabaracci appeared in just one game here before playing 285 others with six more clubs.
D Scott Harrington (2011). Has developed into a responsible defensive defenseman, pretty much as projected.
C Peter Marsh (1976). Never played a game for the Penguins, but had a nice run with Winnipeg and Chicago after a stint with Cincinnati of the World Hockey Association.
D Calen Addison (2018). Went to Minnesota in the Jason Zucker trade, and might well climb high on this list after he turns pro.
C Filip Hallander (2018). Like Addison, Hallander, who was sent to Toronto in the Kasperi Kapanen deal, has the potential to be productive in the NHL.
RW Daniel Sprong (2015). Despite having a quality shot, he hasn't become the offensive force in the NHL that many expected him to be.
RW Kasper Bjorqvist (2016). Shoulder and knee surgeries have slowed what has the potential to be a productive career.
LW John Stewart (1970). Became a reasonably reliable point-producer after going to the Atlanta Flames.
LW Dave Capuano (1986). There were great expectations for Capuano when he came out of the University of Maine. He never came close to realizing them.
G Filip Gustavsson (2016). Was sent to Ottawa in the Derick Brassard trade, but still hasn't made it into an NHL game.
D Noah Welch (2001). Had good size and real promise, but never played more than 40 games in any of his five NHL seasons.
D Jack Lynch (1972). Did his best work in Detroit and Washington after scoring once in 64 games with the Penguins.
RW Steve Gatzos (1981). Scored six goals in his first 16 NHL games, but just nine in the 73 that followed.
D Todd Charlesworth (1983). Never become the blue-line regular the Penguins projected him to be.
RW Jim Hamilton (1977). Best remembered for being the Penguins' one-man farm system in the early 1980s.
LW Paul Marshall (1979). Peaked early, with 21 points in 46 games in the first of his four NHL seaaons.
LW Matt Murley (1999). Had the look of a solid two-way player, but never panned out as expected.
C Domenic Pittis (1993). Played one game with the Penguins before bouncing to Buffalo, Edmonton, Nashville and back to Buffalo.
LW Tim Hrynewich (1982). A non-factor on a couple of the worst teams in franchise history.
RW Jacques Cossette (1974). Pierre Larouche's linemate in junior, but his prodigious goal-scoring in Sorel didn't carry into the pros.
C Rusty Fitzgerald (1991). Put up two goals and two assists in 25 games for a pretty fair offensive team in the mid-1990s.
C Shane Endicott (2000). Had the size and appearance of a good shutdown center. Looks can be deceiving.
RW Bernie Lukowich (1972). Played one so-so year here before being traded to St. Louis, where he had his only other NHL season.
RW Ron Snell (1968). Recorded three goals and two assists in seven games with the Penguins over two seasons, then jumped to the WHA for two years and subsequently finished his career in the minors.
C Rick Kessell (1969). Scored one goal in 67 games in his final season with the Penguins before closing out his career with the California Golden Seals a year later.
LW Ryan Stone (2003). Made a few appearances with the Penguins before closing out his NHL career in Edmonton.
RW Lee Giffin (1985). A fairly reliable goal-scorer in junior and the minors, but had no impact in the NHL.
D Philip Samuelsson (2009). The only on-ice thing he has in common with his father, Ulf Samuelsson, is the nameplate on his sweater.
D Pavel Skrbek (1996). The Penguins expected great things from Skrbek. They were wrong.
LW Brian McKenzie (1971). Had a six-game NHL career before joining the WHA for one season and part of another.
RW Mike Meeker (1978). No points in four NHL games after a pretty good college career at Wisconsin.
D Carl Sneep (2006). Got into one NHL game following a solid career at Boston College.
LW Mark Major (1988). The blend of toughness and decent skill he showed in junior never translated to the pro game.
The following second-round choices never appeared an an NHL game, and are ranked in no particular order:
D Brian Gaffaney (1997)
LW Alexander Zevakhin (1998)
D Marc Hussey (1992)
C Keven Velleux (2007)
LW Michael Gergen (2005)
D Jeremy Van Hoof (1999)
D Ondrej Nemec (2002)
LW Johannes Salmonsson (2004)
D Zachary Lauzon (2017)
C Bob Smith (1967)
Previously: Ranking the Penguins' third-round choices
Ranking the Penguins' fourth-round choices
Next: Ranking the Penguins' first-round choices
