CRANBERRY, Pa. -- Cam Lee's first season in pro hockey surely did not play out the way he had imagined it would.
Or, most likely, the way he would have preferred.
But even though the pandemic forced Lee to split it between two continents -- starting in Slovakia and finishing in Wilkes-Barre -- Baby Penguins coach J.D. Forrest believes Lee benefited from his first foray into the pro game after four years at Western Michigan University.
"Last year was a really good learning situation for him, albeit a shorter season, but his first look at real pro hockey," Forrest said Monday, after Day 3 of the Penguins' development camp at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex. "He was able to to figure out the things that translate from where he was before, how to get that to work in the American League. Now, hopefully we can see some of that in this NHL camp."
Lee, who signed with the Penguins as an undrafted free agent in 2020, had two goals and nine assists in 14 games with HC Slovan Bratislava before coming back across the Atlantic to put up two goals and 13 assists in 31 games with Wilkes-Barre.
"I loved it in Wilkes," Lee said. "Great coaching staff. Loved the boys. I couldn't have asked for a better opportunity. They gave me a lot of leash."
Allowing a player with Lee's offensive talents some latitude to exploit them makes sense, even if Forrest and his staff try to rein him in a bit more than had been necessary when he was at Western Michigan.
The additional restraint was prudent, Forrest said, because Lee was "coming from a college where he was able to kind of dictate what was going on on the ice all the time and (had) a little more freedom because of less consequences, I guess, by being punished by his opponent."
Even as Lee was adapting to the pro game, he was adjusting to again playing on a smaller ice surface than he had been on in Slovakia.
And while some North Americans struggle on the larger sheets found in most international rinks, Lee's game is almost tailored to taking advantage of the extra space.
"You're able to use your speed more," he said. "Everything is spread open more. You don't feel as much pressure. You have more room. ... Playing here, it's a lot tighter. You don't get to use your speed as much, but it's good."
Lee's first stint in the AHL reinforced the reality that non-stop skating isn't always the best approach, that speed can be most effective when applied judiciously.
"Last year was a big eye-opener for me," he said. "I learned a lot through video, through the coaches. And even through the vets. Kind of picking your spots. When it's time, when it's not.
"I took a big jump in that. I'm starting to understand the game more, and understand the professional level more and more."
Although Lee scored just twice, he launched 75 shots on goal, third-most among American Hockey League defensemen. And there was some pretty sound logic behind his focus on throwing pucks at the net.
"You can't score if you don't shoot it," he said.
Whether Lee, 24, can shoot enough to earn some games in the NHL during the coming season remains to be seen -- Forrest believes "Cam just needs some more time" -- but said that "absolutely" is his objective.
"I want to play at the highest level possible," Lee said. "I want to play as long as I can. At the end of day, whatever the team needs, I'll be there."
