Development camp: Penguins see 'lot of potential' in 6-foot-5 defenseman Laatsch

CRANBERRY, Pa. -- There isn't a player in the Penguins' system taller than the 6-foot-5 left-handed defenseman Daniel Laatsch.

Laatsch's size is what stands out first when watching him play. But the 2021 seventh-round pick brings more than just that size, and he'll be looking to use those tools to earn an entry-level contract in his upcoming senior season at the University of Wisconsin.

Penguins director of player development Tom Kostopoulos said at the team's development camp last month in Cranberry, Pa. that they "think there's a lot of potential in Daniel, being the size he is, the intelligence he has defensively, the stick detail he has."

Kostopoulos said that Chris Butler, the former NHL defenseman who works for the Penguins as a development coach, has been saying for years now that Laatsch "has got the best defensive stick in college hockey."

Plays like this:

Laatsch, 22, tied for Wisconsin's lead in plus/minus in his junior season with a plus-17. He won some midseason hardware, being named the Most Outstanding Defenseman of the Holiday Face-Off, an in-season tournament between Wisconsin, Minnesota Duluth, Northeastern and Air Force. As a defensive defenseman, Laatsch isn't ever going to be much of a point producer, but he set a new career-high with 11 points (two goals, nine assists) in 40 games.

Overall, Laatsch said he felt as if his junior season went "pretty good."

"I just tried to stick to my game, which is a little bit more defensive," Laatsch told me at development camp. "I think that fit in well with our coaching staff, because they really harp on defense-first, it leads to offense. So I just tried to do my game and worry about myself."

JOE ZAK / PENGUINS

Daniel Laatsch in the Penguins' development camp last month in Cranberry, Pa.

Kostopoulos said that the organization made the decision that the best thing for Laatsch's development was for him to return to a "great program" at Wisconsin and play his senior season. As Laatsch heads back to school, there's still some things that the team wants to see from him if he is to earn an entry-level contract in the spring.

"He's got to get stronger and keep working on the meanness of his game," Kostopoulos said of Laatsch, who is still on the slender side for his height at 190 pounds. "But we think there's an NHL role for him. We'll be tracking him all year and and working with him, and hopefully it comes to a good meeting at the end of his season next year."

"I'm just going to keep working on my game and keep growing my confidence and mature a little bit more, because the next level is obviously a lot bigger, faster, stronger," Laatsch said. "I'm always working on getting a little bit stronger, but it's just using that to be a little bit harder to play against. Then also, I'm really focused on defense, but just maybe creating a little bit more from the offensive blue line, because that's not my best attribute, but it's something I can work on."

The Penguins' prospect pool is still on the weaker side, and they really need prospects of all positions and skillsets to pan out. But a big, 6-foot-5, defenseman who is looking to add more "meanness" to his game isn't anything the Penguins currently have at the NHL or minor-league level. If Laatsch can keep taking steps forward in his senior season, get stronger and round out the other areas of his game, there could be a path for him to earn an NHL contract in the organization.

JOE ZAK / PENGUINS

Daniel Laatsch in the Penguins' development camp last month in Cranberry, Pa.