The NHL preseason is always a hectic time for coach Mike Sullivan and the Pittsburgh Penguins staff. This year, they started with 69 players in camp, a good chunk of whom are NHL veterans and/or core players who are more so getting back in the swing of playing games rather than having their performances scrutinized. But the majority of participants at camp don’t have that luxury.
There are far more players than roster spots, and this time of year serves as an audition — a narrow window to make an impression. “The players, they’re all here for a reason,” Sullivan said. “There’s a dimension to their game that they bring that obviously intrigues (general manager) Kyle (Dubas) and our hockey operations that potentially, they could fit into our organization in some capacity, whether it’s Pittsburgh or Wilkes-Barre, and help us have success.
” One such player searching for a role with the Penguins is 24-year-old defenseman Filip Kral, who joined the club after inking a one-year deal in May worth $775,000. Kral, a left-handed shot, spent last season playing in Liiga, the top pro league of Finland, where he put together a standout campaign, scoring five goals with 32 assists in 46 games for the Lahti Pelicans. The 37 points Kral produced ranked fourth among the league’s defensemen despite missing 14 games due to injury.
The benefits of the season in Finland were immense for Kral, a native of Blankso, Czech Republic, who was originally selected by the Toronto Maple .