Great article on Pens draft pick Ben Hanowski

From the St Cloud Times.

Highlights include:

• Hanowski is playing the point on the power play currently.
• He is one of three captains as a junior, which is a big shift from last season when he was a healthy scratch early in the year.
• Ben is playing left wing this season with LA Kings draft pick Nic Dowd at center.
• It has been challenging for him to learn to play without the puck.

Ben still has quite a way to go in terms of making the pros, but his progress so far has been good.  He is 21, so if he hadn't gone to college, he would be in Wilkes-Barre right now.  Based on what I'm reading, he may not be ready for that yet.  Hopefully after this season he will be.  He has the skill to be an offensive force, but he needs to have a complete game to play for the Pens.

Nice article - go read it.

Penguins draft D Viktor Ekbom

Viktor is the first Euro drafted by Ray Shero this year. He appears to be a typical stay at home kind of defensemen who is not over mobile.

Viktor will add some depth to the organization.

Penguins draft F Andy Bathgate

Another draftee with good bloodlines, Andy is the grandson of NHL great Andy Bathgate.

Andy played last season with Belleville in the OHL. He, by most accounts, was physically dominated by the older players in the OHL. He seems to have come on strong late in the season and could fill in to his frame as he gets older. He'll be a project that could have good upside if he can develop the physical aspects of his game, because he seems to have the offensive skills.

Penguins draft D Alex Velischek

It was another high-schooler with the 5th round pick. Alex is the son of former NHL player Randy Velischek.

He's a defensemen that has played some forward and has an good all-around game.

Alex will go to Providence in the fall.

Penguins draft F Nick Petersen

Nick played with Shawinigan in the QMJHL at the age of 20. He had a nice scoring year, leading his junior team in scoring while finishing second in goals. Generally, you would like to see the numbers a few years earlier.

He's going to be in Wilkes-Barre next season if he signs.

Penguins draft F Ben Hanowski

This is the most intriguing pick so far. Ben is the all time leading high school scorer in US history. He managed 110 points in 25 games this season (57 + 53).

The knock is that the competition wasn't very good. The good news is that he has played well against some better competition.

Ben is committed to St Cloud St. It will be interesting to see how he fares against better competition over a longer period of time.

Here's a video feature on Ben:

Penguins draft D Phil Samuelsson

Yes, he's the son of Ulf. Do you need to know any more?

Phil seems to be in the same mold as his famous father, but without the notorious nasty streak. Most accounts I've read said that he'll need some work, but he has the size and toughness that you cannot teach.

He's committed to Boston College.

Penguins draft D Simon Despres

The Pens first round draft pick fits the Ray Shero mold for NHL players in that he has size and speed.

He's 6'4" and skates well. He's not yet an offensive dynamo, but given that the Pens have a few of those already, Despres makes a nice addition to the organization. He's also not as physical as he could be, but that can come with time.

The Pens are a bit weak up front in the organization, but it looks like Despres was an excellent choice.