LONDON, ONT. -- A look at five Pittsburgh Penguins prospects who made an impact at the Maple Leafs Rookie Tournament; headlined by third-year pro Brian Dumoulin. The Biddeford, Maine native showed that he is close to being NHL ready and will have opportunities with blueliners Olli Maatta and Derrick Pouliot recovering from injury.
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Brian Dumoulin -- Displayed good poise and the ability to spearhead rushes as his play with the puck was very confident .. an upright skater with good short bursts of explosiveness up the ice .. first passes were generally accurate .. walked the line effectively at the point - and with purpose as he was used extensively on the power play .. demonstrated a capacity to get his shots through traffic - and was smart enough to sense when to unload his slap shot or a timely-placed wrister .. will have to continue tightening up in the defensive zone .. his expansive reach helps bails him out of trouble as he is a healthy stickchecker however he was also prone to some costly giveaways and the odd lapse in judgment .. needs to play with more assertiveness and finish checks utilizing his 6-foot-4, 220-pound frame .. wore the letter and played in all situations .. on the cusp of cracking the NHL as a viable third-pairing defenceman.
Scott Harrington -- Boasts modest size and a good skill set however his skating has not seen the kind of improvement that is/was needed in order to become an NHL regular .. struggled with lateral cuts and also showed that he misses a top-end gear .. capable of manufacturing rushes up ice, averaged about two end-to-end forays in each contest however his game would be more suited as a two-way defenceman who pushes up pucks rather than carrying them into the zone .. his reverse skating is not quite polished either .. showed good offensive fortitude when plays were developed down low to jump off the line and into the slot .. known for his defensive abilities, yet lost his man and missed assignments on a few occasions .. will require further grooming at the AHL level as he is not quite ready.
Jean-Sebastien Dea -- Undrafted free-agent signing assumed the first-line centre duties and played extremely well all camp getting on the scoreboard in all three games .. shifty and very agile .. displayed an ability to make a series of plays in the slot while showing little fear in attacking danger zones despite his diminutive stature .. tenacious and determined - he stayed with plays and was always 'dialled in' and working to get into better scoring positions .. a crisp passer, highly aware and intuitive .. doesn’t panic in the presence of a scoring opportunity .. showed off a quick snap shot, scoring a handful of goals off rebounds .. darty skater, who is not only deceptively fast but also quite elusive and difficult to track/check .. will need some AHL grooming to work on his defensive game but all signs indicate that he could push for a roster spot sooner rather than later.
Anton Zlobin -- Rode shotgun to Dea and played with solid intensity however only inside the offensive zone .. possesses good speed and an active stick and is equipped with a decent set of soft hands .. can be wildly inconsistent however .. needs to focus on developing his play in the neutral and defensive zones as he is more of a one-dimensional player - based on these performances .. slippery and elusive, but doesn't necessarily like to get hit .. there's skill here yet he isn't enough of a complete player to be considered a key part of the Penguins immediate plans.
Tristan Jarry -- Played okay against Chicago as he showcased his athleticism and compact butterfly style .. very economical in his movements, slides across well and is not caught out of position .. his lateral mobility is understated as he does not appear to be moving fast yet is always in position .. reads and reacts properly - showing good anticipation in correlation to the play .. boasts extremely quick pads as he can kick aside shots with ease .. his 'down low' coverage is a primary strength to his game .. however, he looked awkward when having to defend against players who were aggressively crashing his crease .. still needs to add strength to fend off those types of plays .. will get a good chance to compete for the starting duties for Team Canada at the WJC.