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| Bryan Rust is turning pro in the fall. |
This weekend 22 Penguins prospects - including rookie forward and Penguins 3rd round pick in 2010 Bryan Rust - will compete in the annual rookie tournament in London, Ontario against prospects from the Toronto Maple Leafs, Chicago Blackhawks and Ottawa Senators. The Penguins first game of rookie camp is this Saturday at 2 p.m. against the Senators.
Bryan Rust is another forward who came to the AHL Penguins on an amateur tryout last season, but unlike most who practiced with the team Rust got in some games including a playoff game. Rust left development camp in July on mission to really round out his game and get into top form come rookie camp.
"My goal for the season is to come in the best shape I can, play wherever they put me, play as hard as I can and make a good first impression," Rust said.
It will be interesting to see how Rust as well as the other Penguins prospects perform this weekend.
Bryan Rust Background
3rd round (80th overall) - 2010
Four years at Notre Dame
33 points (17G-16A) in 40 games in senior season (2013-14)
Career at ND: 97 points (43G-54A) in 161 games
Came to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on an amateur tryout contract on April 3rd, 2013.
Played in two regular season games and one playoff game, with a failed penalty shot attempt in the waning moments of a game last season.
Rust Never Sleeps
After getting his first taste of pro hockey last spring with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, Rust looks to build off of the experience and jump start his pro career this fall.
"It was a very big experience for me to come in there at the end of the year and see how things are run," Rust said. "Get a little acclimated to the systems and how the team plays and how to play come playoff time. That's going to be big for me going into the next season. Especially at the beginning, it'll give me a leg up."
At the Penguins annual development camp in July, Rust seemed eager to work on rounding out his game and offered several things he'll be working on over the summer.
"I'll be trying to skate a little more towards the end of the summer to try and get in better skating shape come rookie camp," Rust said, noting that the camp-concluding scrimmage was high-tempo and a little tiring with three lines in a mid-summer skate.
As for improvements to his game, Rust upon my first real look at him seems to be a student of the game and knows what it's going to take to be successful. His self-analysis of where his game needs to improve is quite accurate.
"Try to be a little better in the corners in the offensive zone. Be a little quicker with my tighter turns, good puck protection, taking pucks to the net, being physical in front of the net because that's where I'm going to be able to thrive and become the best player that I can."
In the end the message from management to players at mid-summer development camps is simple. That's what Rust was able to convey in his biggest takeaway from the week.
"Keep working hard. This is just a stepping stone," Rust said. "This a benchmark to where you are in the middle of the summer and to build upon that and build towards the future."
Here's what the future holds for the 22 players the Penguins are sending to London, Ontario for a four-day camp this weekend:
Rookie Tournament: September 13-16th
Penguins NHL Training Camp: Sept. 18th, first on-ice practice 9/19
First NHL Preseason Game: Sept. 22nd
"I'm looking forward to it and looking forward to the next seven weeks or so to train," Rust said. "It's going to be a really exciting time for me being my first rookie camp and I'm going to enjoy it."
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