Penguins Sign Prospect Veilleux

Matt Bodenschatz | Pittsburgh Penguins

May 17, 12:42 PM | Hype this story!

French web site RDS is reporting that the Pittsburgh Penguins have signed forward prospect Kevin Veilleux to a three-year entry level contract.

Veilleux, who stand 6’4 and weighs roughly 2oo punds, was the Penguins 2007 second round draft pick and has impressed team management throughout the year.

While the signing is something for Penguins fans to acknowledge, it is important to note that that soon-to-be 19 year-old is a product of the OHL, a league within the Canadian juniors, thus requiring him to play either in the NHL or return to his junior team.

He is not yet eligible to play in the AHL, meaning he likely won’t turn pro for another year.

Comments

  1. jon s

    May 17, 04:38 PM

    Caputi, jeffery, cpz and him all in the system makes what we gave up in the hossa trade look even better.

  2. Matt Bodenschatz

    May 17, 05:06 PM

    I don’t want to say it makes it look “better” as much as it lessens the blow. It’s never a good thing to see a prospect of Esposito’s status and a first rounder traded for a potential rental return. With that being said, the talent in the system is pretty solid, as you mentioned, which definitely makes the Hossa/Dupuis deal easier to stomach — especially if one or both leave this summer (which I happen to think WON’T happen).

  3. Ben Schmidt

    May 17, 08:27 PM

    I do think it is unlikely that the Pens will be able to re-sign Hossa, unless he’s willing to give them a discount, but I also think it is pretty likely that they’ll be able to re-sign Dupuis. Retaining Dupuis along with making to at least the Conference Finals makes the deal worth it, to me.

    Back on the original topic: Wow. The sheer number of prospects that are looking good for the Pens’ future that have come out of just the 2007 draft really speaks well of Ray Shero and the scouting staff he’s put together. Veilleux, Caputi and Jeffrey are all signed to NHL contracts already, Pierro-Zabotel looks like a promising prospect as well, and then there are the various defensemen that were picked. Add to that the Esposito pick helping the Penguins to acquire Hossa and Dupuis, and it really looks good for the Pens in the future. Especially if they can keep finding late-round gems like Caputi and Jeffrey (since they’ll need to find them for this year’s draft…)

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