Daniel Russell didn’t spend his first taste of pro hockey just collecting a few games and heading home. He treated his brief run with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton like a crash course, and now that lesson is shaping the way he’s approaching his offseason.
The Michigan State product joined the Penguins on an amateur tryout agreement and a one-year AHL contract on Apr. 1, then jumped right into the business of learning how things work at the next level. At Pittsburgh Penguins Development Camp, Russell said the value wasn’t just in the minutes he played, but in watching how the organization operates day to day.
“Seeing the way we do things here, all that stuff was super, super valuable,” Russell said after the first day of Pittsburgh Penguins Development Camp. “The way you treat yourself, the way you handle everything on the ice, the way we skate, the way we work, that’s the important stuff that you get a feel for.”
Now 24, Russell is attacking the offseason with a clear checklist: get “bigger, stronger, faster.” That work is being done with his AHL experience front and center, and he’s carrying more than just a few game notes into his training.
He made an impact quickly in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, picking up a point in each of his first two AHL games and showing off the kind of playmaking that kept creating looks over the four games he appeared in. But Russell said the education went well beyond what showed up on the scoresheet. He paid attention to the veterans around him, and he singled out Rutger McGroarty and Avery Hayes as players whose habits stood out.
Russell sees a path in players like Hayes and McGroarty, two fellow Michiganders, and he also got a firsthand look at what the postseason grind really feels like. He stayed with the club through its entire playoff run, even though he didn’t get into a game, and that gave him another layer of perspective.
“In college, it’s all one game and you’re done,” he said. “Getting a little feel for a series, like a full, seven-game series, it really is a grind, game-after game.
Like you could be losing a game, but even that third period, the way you respond is important for the next game. Building on shifts, building on games is huge.
I think that was super valuable.”
Development Camp gives Russell a chance to show the small gains he made while working out regularly during Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s playoff push. But he’s not chasing a feel-good summer story. He’s after a job.
Russell is aiming for an opening-night roster spot with the Penguins, and he knows nothing is going to be handed to him.
“Nothing’s given,” Russell said. “But I’m pretty used to that, having to earn my spot everywhere I go.”
In Other News...
Penguins Came Uncomfortably Close To A Franchise Shifting Trade Decision
The Penguins offseason search for a difference-maker has apparently been active enough to reach one of the biggest names on the market, with Jason Robertson surfacing in trade chatter around the league. For a team trying to stay competitive while also threading the needle on long-term roster decisions, that alone speaks to how aggressive Pittsburgh has been willing to get as it weighs what kind of move would actually move the needle.
Kyle Dubas has kept the door open to more talks, which is usually the part of these negotiations that matters most when a high-end player is involved. Even so, no agreement came together, and that leaves the Penguins in the uncomfortable spot of having explored a franchise-altering path without actually crossing that line, a reminder that the asking price, the fit, or both can turn a bold idea into nothing more than a near miss. [Read more 🡒]
Penguins Trade Raises Bigger Questions About Their Offseason Identity
The Penguins made another quiet roster move this week, dealing Jack St. Ivany and adding a center in David Gustafsson, a swap that says plenty about how they are trying to shape the bottom of the lineup. St. Ivany brought size and a physical edge on defense, but injuries kept him from becoming a dependable presence, while Gustafsson arrives with limited NHL scoring to his name and comes off a season spent in the AHL.
For Pittsburgh, the trade is less about headline value than about what kind of supporting cast this front office wants around its core. Gustafsson could fit as a depth option in the middle, especially with Joona Koppanen potentially headed back to Europe, but the move also fits into a broader summer pattern that has left some of the roster's tougher elements looking less certain by the day. [Read more 🡒]