A look at the 5 players the Penguins drafted this weekend in Vancouver
SAMUEL POULIN
Chosen: First round, 21st overall
Position: F
Team: Sherbrooke (QMJHL)
Height: 6-1
Weight: 206
Last year: 29 goals, 76 points in 67 games
Scouting report: No-nonsense power forward with a good shot and a conscientious, consistent, competitive game. Skating isn’t a strength. Offensive upside is limited, so he might top out as a third-liner.
NATHAN LEGARE
Chosen: Third round, 74th overall
Position: RW
Team: Baie-Comeau (QMJHL)
Height: 6-0
Weight: 205
Last year: 45 goals, 87 points in 68 games
Scouting report: Another modern power forward. Has an excellent shot and isn’t shy about using it. Skating doesn’t usually hold him back, but it’s an area he could improve. He’s willing to hit and play a physical game, but he could be more effective in puck battles.
JUDD CAULFIELD
Chosen: Fifth round, 145th overall
Position: RW
Team: U.S. National Team Development Program
Height: 6-3
Weight: 204
Last year: 12 goals, 36 points in 64 games
Scouting report: He’s big, willing to go to the net and is successful in puck battles on the boards and in the corners. He’s a project because his skating and puck skills lag behind. He’s headed to the University of North Dakota in the fall.
VALTTERI PUUSTINEN
Chosen: Seventh round, 203rd overall
Position: RW
Team: HPK (Finland)
Height: 5-9
Weight: 183
Last year: 10 goals, 13 points in 47 games
Scouting report: Shifty, undersized scorer made a name for himself with a strong performance for Finland’s winning entry in the World Junior Championships. Teammate of Penguins prospect Niclas Almari and recently signed goalie Emil Larmi, so scouts saw him regularly.
SANTRI AIROLA
Chosen: Seventh round, 211th overall
Position: D
Team: SaiPa U20 (Finland)
Height: 5-11
Weight: 172
Last year: 4 goals, 31 points in 41 games
Scouting report: Airola is no seventh-round lottery ticket. He’s a skilled puck mover and excellent skater who is one of 10 defensemen invited to Finland’s World Junior Championships camp. Penguins European scouts were surprised he was on the board in the seventh round.
NOTE: Scouting report information from hockeyprospect.com.
Jonathan Bombulie is the TribLive assistant sports editor. A Greensburg native, he was a hockey reporter for two decades, covering the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for 17 seasons before joining the Trib in 2015 and covering the Penguins for four seasons, including Stanley Cup championships in 2016-17. He can be reached at jbombulie@triblive.com.
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