When Pittsburgh Penguins’ Prospect Development Camp began on Thursday, 48 players took the to the ice - some for the first time in black and gold, others returned to a familiar place.
Among those 48 skaters - which excludes four injured invitees in forwards Tanner Howe, Zam Plante, and Luke Devlin as well as defenseman Maleek McGowan - 16 are young defensemen. Many of these blueliners are already within the Penguins’ system somewhere, whether acquired through the draft or by college free agent signing. Some are non-roster invitees.
Whatever path they started toward the Penguins’ organization on, the goal is all the same for each of them in development camp: To prove they’re worthy of a chance to play at the NHL level someday.
“Oh yeah,” top defensive prospect Harrison Brunicke - drafted 44th overall by the Penguins in 2024 - responded to Wes Crosby of NHL.com, who asked if it was a personal goal of his to make the NHL club out of training camp.
Brunicke turned a lot of heads during training camp in 2024, when he wowed the masses with his smooth skating, masterful puckhandling, and advanced vision, which led many to believe that - at 18 - he already wasn’t a far cry from NHL-ready. Kyle Dubas and the Penguins must have thought so, too, to an extent, as Brunicke stuck around right through the very end of training camp and nearly earned a nine-game trial at the NHL level.
Harrison Brunicke Goes Bar Down During Development Camp - Community PostPittsburgh Penguins defensive prospect Harrison Brunicke went bar down with a shot during Thursday's development camp practice.
But not every blueliner in the Penguins’ system - in fact, probably not any of them - is going to have the same developmental path as Brunicke, and not all of them are going to turn so many heads right away. It will take time, effort, patience - and a whole lot of refinement.
That’s what development camp is all about - and small improvements are what each player is aiming for every day.
“I’m trying to pick up as much stuff as I can through development camp,” said Charlie Trethewey, 17, who was drafted in the third round (73rd overall) by the Penguins less than a week ago. “There’s a lot of great resources here, and the staff is amazing, and just looking to learn the most I can.
“Just come to the rink every day and look to get one percent better.”
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Trethewey is one of four defensemen who were drafted this year - the others being Quinn Beauchesne (148th overall), Brady Peddle (91st overall), and Peyton Kettles (39th overall) - to participate in development camp. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound two-way defenseman was projected by many - as of last summer - to go in the first round of the 2025 draft.
The cards fell a little differently, and - somehow - Trethewey ended up in the organization he represented and rooted for as a kid. And he - like many of his peers - knows he can learn a lot from both the coaching staff and the other players in the organization he’s surrounded by at camp.
“Obviously, there’s a bunch of great players, especially on the back end,” Trethewey said. “And it’s just awesome to watch the older guys and learn some stuff that they, kind of, picked up along the way and that I can add to my game.”
And the opportunity to learn from each other is a sentiment that was echoed throughout the locker room - especially with the Penguins’ organization in a transitional period. There is a lot of youth, a lot of talent, and a lot of competition for few roster spots. But each player knows that they can also take advantage of the opportunity to grow together within the system and through things like development camp.
“It’s been great so far to get to know some of the other prospects coming in and other guys that have signed. It’s good getting to know the staff, too,” said David Breazeale, who captained the University of Maine for two seasons before signing with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) Penguins this spring. “I just think it’s an awesome opportunity not only to develop throughout the week, but also to get to know everybody, understand what the culture is all about, and be able to bring that back to either the team you came from or to the organization.”
He continued: “There’s a ton you can pick up from each other. Everybody’s coming from all over the place, everybody’s had different coaches, so just talking about it, having a common language amongst each other while you’re here throughout the week… and then asking guys questions, trying to keep the locker room an open place where everybody feels like they have a voice. Even just in this week’s time, I think it’s really important.”
Finn Harding - drafted in the seventh round (223rd overall) in 2024 - is one example of a defenseman who has grown a lot since last year’s development camp. He, like many, echoed the desire to improve upon his skating - which will definitely be a point of emphasis for everyone as camp bores on - but he’s also aware of the strides he’s made in just the year he’s been with the organization.
He came into the organization, primarily, as a defensive defenseman, but he rounded out his skillset last summer to build out his offensive game. Harding ended up finishing his 2024-25 season with the Brampton Steelheads eighth overall in scoring among OHL defensemen with 57 points in 67 games, and he is encouraged by the growth in his all-around game.
But he knows there is still a lot of work to be done, especially with the defensive prospect pool being as rich as it is.
“It’s a great group here, and great staff… and they help us each and every day to be better and help develop as fast as we can,” Harding said. “But, obviously, it’s up to us to push the pace and come into the rink with a purpose and a plan every day and grow together, grow as fast as we can, and help this team out.”
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Breazeale knows a thing or two about how to help this Penguins’ team get back to competitive relevance, as he led Maine to its first Hockey East title in 21 years this season. He is aware that the Penguins have high organizational expectations when it comes to winning and championship-caliber hockey.
And he believes that this group has what it takes to help get them there.
“You understand the sacrifice that you have to make to be able to win, and I know that the Penguins want to be a winning franchise again like they have in the past.,” Breazeale said. “Coming from teams who have won in places or have done well with a good, strong culture, we’re just adding pieces into the good, strong culture that’s already established here.
“So, for us, it’s just coming in here with an open mindset… ready, eager to learn, be a sponge, soak in everything that you can.”
Penguins Prospect Development Camp: Standouts From Day 1On Thursday, the Pittsburgh Penguins opened their annual Prospect Development Camp, which features 48 players both from the Penguins' system and outside of it.
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Feature image credit: Kelsey Surmacz - The Hockey News
