Penguins forward prospect Lukas Svejkovsky's junior career ended just shy of a WHL championship.
Svejkovsky and the Seattle Thunderbirds were eliminated in Game 6 of the WHL Final on Monday night, dropping a 2-0 decision to the Edmonton Oil Kings.
The Thunderbirds won the opening game of the best-of-seven series by a 2-1 margin, then fell to a 3-1 series deficit after three consecutive losses. A 3-2 win in Game 5 extended the series to six games.
Svejkovsky entered the championship round with nine goals and 15 assists in 18 games through the first three rounds. He recorded two goals and two assists in the Final, with both goals and one of the assists coming in a 5-4 loss in Game 2:
Svejkovsky, the Penguins' fourth-round pick in 2020, will turn pro next season and presumably start in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. He signed a three-year entry-level contract back in April.
At 5-foot-10 and 165 pounds, Svejkovsky is on the smaller side. But as young is he is, that's something that the Penguins hope to help change once he makes the jump to pro hockey next season.
"There's a lot to really like about him," Penguins director of player development Scott Young told me of Svejkovsky this season. "We've got to get a little more muscle on him. And always the case is going to be making sure with the transition that he pays attention to the details in the defensive zone. But there's a high ceiling there."
The field for the Memorial Cup is nearly set, with the WHL champion Edmonton Oil Kings, QMJHL champion Shawinigan Cataractes, and the host Saint John Sea Dogs. The final spot will go to the winner of the OHL championship after Wednesday's Game 7 between the Hamilton Bulldogs and Windsor Spitfires.
The Memorial Cup tournament, which will be held June 20-29, will only include one Penguins prospect. Raivis Ansons, the Penguins' 2020 fifth-round pick, is a forward for the Sea Dogs.
