Sam Lafferty spent much of his first 24 years of life wanting to play for the Pittsburgh Penguins and hoping he one day would be good enough to do so.
After only 50 games with the Penguins, Lafferty is convinced he belongs.
“I think I have shown I can definitely play at this level and be very effective,” Lafferty said during a video conference call with media Friday.
A few minutes later, the Hollidaysburg native reiterated, “I know I am an NHL player.”
But that doesn’t mean the speedy, versatile forward was too proud to be an AHL player at times during the regular season.
Lafferty was sent to the Penguins’ affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton a handful of times, even during January and February after he earned the trust of coach Mike Sullivan.
That Lafferty accepted what some players might have viewed as an undeserved demotion impressed Sullivan.
“I thought he handled it extremely well,” Sullivan said via video call after practice Friday in Cranberry Township. “We were very upfront and forthright with Sam with how we were trying to balance his own personal development with what the needs are of the Pittsburgh Penguins as an organization.
“One of the things that we talked to Sam about was we didn’t want him sitting on the sidelines if he wasn’t in the lineup on a fairly consistent basis, that it made sense to go to Wilkes-Barre and play a lot of minutes and play in key situations and continue to play in a competitive environment.”
Lafferty finished his rookie regular season with six goals, seven assists, a plus-5 rating, 95 hits, 17 blocked shots and a 48.2% team puck-possession metric.
Lafferty also showed a versatility that endeared him to Sullivan. Lafferty took 236 faceoffs (winning 49.6%) but also played both wings. During this first week at practice during Penguins summer camp, Lafferty has been rotating into the third-line right wing spot with Evan Rodrigues.
That designation, though, could end up being little more than a placeholder if veteran wing Patric Hornqvist is cleared to return. Hornqvist is one of nine players who have not taken part in workouts this week because of potential secondary exposure to covid-19.
If Hornqvist comes back and the Penguins have a fully healthy lineup, Lafferty likely will be a healthy scratch.
“We’ve got a big forward group here, and it was always a battle for me to get into the lineup,” Lafferty said. “So I will definitely draw on that. I’ll definitely stay ready whenever my number’s called. Just excited to help the team, win some playoff games here.”
Lafferty’s family might be even more excited for that than him, although they won’t be able to watch in person since fans can’t attend games.
“Everyone is going to be watching the games on TV, just like normal,” he said. “I know everyone in my hometown is super excited.”
That presumably will be the case whether Lafferty opens the postseason as the third-line right wing or the fourth-line left wing, penalty-killing center — or as a healthy scratch.
When Sam Lafferty was drafted by the Penguins and made his debut with them this season, it was a nice story. The local kid plays for the hometown team.
— Tribune-ReviewSports (@TribSports) May 18, 2020
But he appears to be more than a nice story.https://t.co/MCF8O0jpdw
But judging by his coach’s opinion of him, Lafferty’s spot in the Penguins’ future is secure.
“He’s a great kid,” Sullivan said. “He just wants to improve and get better. He’s a motivated kid. He wants to make the Pittsburgh Penguins roster, and he’s willing to do whatever it takes to get there.
“He’s one of those guys who’s a treat to coach because of the positive attitude and the approach that he has every single day.”
