Day 2 Wrap-up

After an eventful first round of the 2014 NHL Draft for Pittsburgh, the Penguins stayed put with their four picks on the second day and continued to add to their forward depth.  

At No. 113, Pittsburgh selected Sam Lafferty from Deerfield Academy.  The 19-yr old right winger hails from Hollidaysburg, PA, right outside of Altoona. Lafferty posted 21G-34A-54pts in 25 GP for Deerfield last year.  Lafferty will spend next year with the Tri-City Americans of the USHL and is committed to Brown University for the 2015-16 season.  

To see a nice goal last season from Lafferty, fast forward to 2:19 of the video. 

In the fifth round, the Penguins picked center Anthony Angello from the Omaha Lancers of the USHL at No. 145. In 58 games played last year, he registered 21 points (10g-11a). Currently committed to Cornell in 2015-16. The 18-year old is originally from Manlius, NY, 20 mins outside of Syracuse and is a big forward at 6-4, 190 lbs.

With the 173rd pick (6th round), the Pittsburgh Penguins then picked Owen Sound Attack (OHL) right wing Jaden Lindo.  Lindo has spent the last two years with Owen Sound, totaling 14G-26A-40pts in 103 GP. Last season, he recorded nine goals and nine assists over 40 games. The 18-year old native of Brampton, ON stands at 6-1, 202 lbs and is a right handed shot.

From Hockey's Future on Lindo...

"2013-14: Lindo was limited to 40 games with the Attack in his second OHL season due to a series of injuries in the second half— suffering a season-ending lower body injury in February. He scored 9 goals with 9 assists and was -9 with 41 penalty minutes. Owen Sound reached the playoffs; finishing fourth in the Midwest Division. Lindo was ranked 96th amongst North American skaters in Central Scouting's mid-term rankings prior to the 2014 NHL Draft."

Lindo becomes first Owen Sound player ever drafted by Pens. The last time the Penguins used first their first four picks on forwards was in 1988 with Darrin Shannon, Mark Major, Danile Gauthier and Mark Recchi.

The pick before, Kingston, PA-native CJ Yakimowicz was selected by the St. Louis Blues.  It was a heck of a year for Yakimowicz, who began the season with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Junior Knights before making the jump midway through the year to the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League.  I had a chance to talk to Bill Armstrong, Blues' Director of Amateur Scouting, and get his thoughts on the first player ever to be drafted out of Luzerne County.


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Pittsburgh went defense with their final pick, selecting Union College blueliner Jeff Taylor.  During his freshman season for the NCAA Champions, Talyor netted three goals, 13 assists and 18 penalty minutes in 41 contests.  The left-handed defenseman is originally from Clifton Park, NY and, prior to joining Union, played for the Dubuque Fighting Saints (USHL) during the 2012-13 season.  

General Manager Jim Rutherford spoke to the media after Day 2 of the Draft.  The mystery as to whether he was the first GM to draft both a father and son (Sami and Kasperi Kapanen) carries on.  Also, much like Olli Maatta at No. 22 in 2012, the Penguins were surprised that Kasperi was still around at the same pick this year. 

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Associate General Manager Jason Botterill also gave his thoughts on the draft and the upcoming free agency period.

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Co-Director of Amateur Scouting Randy Sexton gave his assessment of the Penguins selections over the course of the weekend.  

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Another draft is in the books and another group of young men join the Penguins organization, hopeful that they will some day fulfill their NHL dreams and don the Pittsburgh black and gold.  

There will be little time to rest for Rutherford and the rest of the Penguins with the first day of free agency coming on Tuesday.  Soon thereafter, the Penguins prospects will gather in Pittsburgh in the middle of July for Development Camp.  

Thanks for following along this weekend and make sure you follow me and the W-B/Scranton Penguins for updates throughout the off-season.  

Pens Select Taylor with Final Pick

With their final pick of the draft (No. 203), the Penguins select Jeff Taylor from NCAA Champion, Union College. The six-foot defenseman totaled 16 points (3G-13A) and 18 PIM in 41 games during his freshman season at Union.

Penguins Pick Lindo with Sixth Round Selection

With the 173rd pick (6th round), the Pittsburgh Penguins selected Owen Sound Attack (OHL) right wing Jaden Lindo.  Lindo has spent the last two years with Owen Sound and totaled 14G-26A-40pts in 103 GP. Last season, he recorded nine goals and nine assists over 40 games. The 18-year old native of Brampton, ON stands at 6-1, 202 lbs and is a right handed shot.

With 145th Pick, Penguins Select Angello

Penguins select center Anthony Angello from the Omaha Lancers of the USHL. In 58 games played last year, he registered 21 points (10g-11a). Currently committed to Cornell in 2015-16. The 18-year old is originally from Manlius, NY, 20 mins outside of Syracuse and is a big forward at 6-4, 190 lbs.

Pittsburgh Selects Lafferty at No. 113

At No. 113, Pittsburgh selects Sam Lafferty from Deerfield Academy.  The 19-yr old right winger hails from Hollidaysburg, PA, right outside of Altoona. Lafferty posted 21G-34A-54pts in 25 GP for Deerfield last year.  According to Mark Divver of the Providence Journal, Lafferty will spend 2014-15 with Tri-City of the USHL.  The forward has committed to Brown University and will head to the Bears for 2015-16. 

Day 2

Good morning once again from Wells Fargo Center.   The 2014 NHL Draft resumes at 10:00am as the second round gets underway.  As of right now, the Pittsburgh Penguins will be waiting until round four to make their next selection at No. 113.  The Penguins also have picks at 145 (5th rd), 173 (6th rd) and 203 (7th rd).  It will be interesting to see whether Pittsburgh will be maneuver around the draft today.  General Manager Jim Rutherford spoke last night improving depth and it is something the will look to do not only for the upcoming season, but the future as well. 

For those who were holed up in a bunker last night, Pittsburgh was involved in the biggest trade during the Draft itself when it was announced that the Penguins had acquired Patric Hornqvist and Nick Spaling from the Nashville Predators in exchange for James Neal.  

Later on at No. 22, Pittsburgh selected Finnish winger Kasperi Kapanen.  The last time the Penguins picked a Finn at No. 22 was two years ago when they selected Olli Maatta.  Safe to say that's worked out for them so far.  

The Neal trade was not even the biggest trade of Day 1 of the Draft.  Vancouver sent Ryan Kesler to the Anaheim Ducks for Nick Bonnino, Luca Sbisa, the No 24. pick from last night (Jared McCann) and the 85th pick today.   The Canucks were the most active team throughout the evening as well, acquiring Derek Dorsett from the New York Rangers for a 3rd-round pick and also gathering a second-round selection from Tampa Bay for a package involving defenseman Jason Garrison and the rights to Jeff Costello.

There should be plenty of activity here today on Day 2 and we will keep you updated until the final pick on the seventh round is made.

Make sure to check back here and also follow me on Twitter and Facebook.  

First Round Wrap-up

After the first seven picks went largely as expected, it was Pittsburgh making the biggest splash when they announced that long-time winger James Neal was being shipped to the Nashville Predators in exchange for forwards Patric Hornqvist and Nick Spaling.  

The full release can be found here.

Penguins General Manager Jim Rutherford likes what the two players bring to Pittsburgh in terms of grit and character and gave his thoughts to the media after the trade.

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The first round moved along quickly after that and the Penguins found themselves up at No. 22. In 2012, Pittsburgh selected Finnish defenseman Olli Maatta with the 22nd pick.  Tonight, they went with another Finn, when picked right wing Kasperi Kapanen, who played with KalPa of the Finnish Elite League the last two seasons.  

The 17-year old from Kuopio, Finland is the son of NHL veteran Sami Kapanen, who played in 831 games and totaled 458 points with the Hartford Whalers, Carolina Hurricanes and Philadelphia Flyers. Rutherford may have the distinction of being the only person to have drafted a father-son duo.  During his time as GM of the Whalers, Rutherford selected Sami in the fourth round of the 1994 NHL Draft.  Adding another fun layer to this story, Sami and Kasperi skated as teammates on KalPa over the last two years. This past season, Kasperi posted seven goals and seven assists in 47 games and also recorded six points (5G-1A) in two games for Finland at the World Junior Championships.  Scouts say he has good speed and vision, but like most young prospects, needs to further develop his details in the defensive zone.  

Kapanen spoke to reporters after being selected by the Penguins.

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Rounds 2-7 will start up tomorrow at 10am.  Again, barring any additional trades, Pittsburgh's next selection comes in fourth round, where they have the 113th pick.  The Penguins also have picks at 145 (5th rd), 173 (6th rd) and 203 (7th rd).  For a complete list of the NHL Draft order, click here.

That will do it for us from Wells Fargo Center tonight.  Thanks for following and see you in the morning.