This time of year for hockey prospect watchers is synonymous for one thing: the biggest international event of the whole year in the form of the World Junior Championships. The best players in the world under-20 (the ones who aren’t in the NHL, anyways) compete for national glory. Legends are made and careers can be launched.
The WJC tournament has been has not been very high on the Penguins’ radar lately. The best 18 and 19 year old players tend to get drafted really high, and Pittsburgh hasn’t been in position to get their hands on many in the past few years.