2012 Development Camp, Day 1 Report...

[ville5]

I know Manicotti was hurt but is he really that good? His # s aren't all that impressive. Seems something more than the injury made him drop from potential 1 st rounder to 4th round. Does seem to have a boatload of potential though.
Oh yeah, nice work kid.

[Puffymuffin]

Thanks for the report, also enjoyed your twitter updates yesterday!

[steelhammer]

I know Manicotti was hurt but is he really that good? His # s aren't all that impressive. Seems something more than the injury made him drop from potential 1 st rounder to 4th round. Does seem to have a boatload of potential though.
Oh yeah, nice work kid.

He had several injuries and just when he was putting everything together the shoulder went out. There are plenty of legitimate concerns though including his vision, hockey sense and use of teammates. Add to that, most scouts say he plays the game too fast and that his brain doesn't keep up with his skates/stick. That withstanding, his skating is off the charts good and he has a deadly wristshot. He is a project, but his raw physical skills overshadow his shortcomings. When I think of his speed and getting 100+ ft passes from Letang my heart beat skips a little (the Italian Bure?).

[BigMcK]

. Look at Eric Tangradi. There is a part of the Penguin fan base that almost seems to be rooting for this guy to fail. Why? Because he may have been unfairly labeled as a surefire, top 6 forward when acquired? Or maybe in response to other parts of the fan base touting him because they want him to live up to that tag? I know he hasn't come close to establishing himself as an NHLer player of any kind. What his critics gloss over, forget, or just don't know is that he's only 23 years old and has only been in pro hockey for 3 years. Not every player takes the Crosby-Malkin-Staal fast track to the NHL. For most, it's a process. Just sit back and see what happens.

There are a lot of big boys on the blueline at this camp. Simon Despres, Brian Dumoulin, Olli Maatta, Reid McNeill, Harrison Ruopp, Clark Seymour and Andrej Sustr are all 6'2", 200 or bigger.

Rant ON, Brother! 23 years old and some say he is a never was. Agree with you 100%! Give him a chance...

Big Boys on the Blueline? Yes, PLEASE! Now to get them some experience and in the lineup soon.

Great job, Netwolf as always. Always love the reports.

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