Group C kicked off Saturday’s training camp session, and there wasn’t as much systems work compared to Friday’s session. Instead, we got to see a fair amount of line rushes and a lot of odd-man rush opportunities.
Filip Hallander skated on a line with Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust during drills and looked just as comfortable as he did on Friday. Speaking of Rakell, he had a great practice and was showcasing his one-timer throughout the 90-minute session. He was one of the only players to beat goaltender Sergei Murashov during those drills.
Rakell’s hoping to have another big season after finishing with 35 goals and 70 points last year, since the 2026 Olympics are on the horizon. He wants to make Team Sweden after playing for his country during the 4 Nations Face-Off.
“It’s huge for me,” Rakell said after practice. “For the Penguins, for me to have a better season than last year, it was important for me to have a good summer and just try to improve all the things I wanted to improve from last year. Obviously, getting a chance to play in the Olympics… never really had a chance before, so that would be cool for me and a great motivator for this year.”
Outside of Rakell, Murashov stood out again, which shouldn’t surprise anyone. He’s been a total freak in the crease and the best goaltender at camp so far. Sometimes it feels like he’s not even trying when making some saves because of how natural everything looks to him.
The Penguins don’t want to rush his development, which is why it’s still highly likely that he starts the season in Wilkes-Barre. Getting him the bulk of the starts in WBS this year should be the goal before he’s potentially NHL-ready next year.
Group A
The Sidney Crosby group was next up on Saturday, and outside of Crosby being his usual self, Owen Pickering had himself a really good day. He looks to be faster and has more command of his skating compared to last season. Pickering was paired with Harrison Brunicke again for a lot of drills, especially with Crosby and Ville Koivunen, and never looked out of place.
Speaking of Brunicke, he talked about his pairing with Pickering after practice and likes how the pair is developing.
“I think good,” Brunicke said. “We are taking it each day, just learning and growing together, so it’s been a lot of fun. We’re creating some chemistry here and looking to keep progressing.”
This is a pair that fans could see down the line in the NHL once both players are NHL-ready.
Forward Aidan McDonough has flown a little under the radar since camp started on Thursday. He has showcased some strong puck skills and has an underrated release when he has time and space to use it. He should give the WBS Penguins solid depth for the 2025-26 season after he was signed to an AHL deal. He had 10 goals and 16 points in 16 games for the Charlotte Checkers last season.
Finally, Erik Karlsson was having the time of his life on Saturday. He was into the practice like it was a regular-season game and was shouting so loud that people in the other rink could probably hear him. Karlsson was paired a lot with Parker Wotherspoon for the second straight day, which could be a sign that they will be on the top pair to start the season.
Group B
The Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang group rounded out Saturday’s training camp practice, and once again, goaltender Arturs Silovs was the biggest standout. He was locked in during the 90-minute practice and made some outstanding saves during a swath of different drills. His positioning continues to really shine in this camp.
Outside of Murashov, Silovs has been the best goaltender at camp thus far and is in the driver’s seat to be Tristan Jarry’s backup this year. Jarry and Blomqvist have both been totally fine at camp, but the former two have been locked in since Thursday.
‘There’s No Place I’d Rather Be’: Tomasino Eager To Prove Himself In Pittsburgh This Season
After a third consecutive season of missing the playoffs, the long offseason was a grueling one for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Players were eager to get back in action, and some knew they were going to have to come into training camp this season with a purpose.
Towards the end of the session, Evgeni Malkin and Anthony Mantha took turns firing slap shots that turned into goals when the group was doing a 3v3 drill with one net set up along the left side of the boards and another on the right side. It was very fast-paced and only involved a few skaters at a time, but the shots drew some oohs and ahhs from the crowd.
The Penguins will have an off day on Sunday before playing their first game of the preseason on Monday against the Montreal Canadiens. There will be a morning skate for the players who will play in that game before they fly to Montreal.
The next training camp practice will start at 8:45 a.m. ET on Tuesday.
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