Penguins draft ‘bandwagon’ fan Tristan Broz in 2nd round
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Like a lot of kids who grew up in Minnesota, Tristan Broz gravitated to hockey. After all, it’s the self-proclaimed “state of hockey.”
But he didn’t root for the local NHL club.
“The Wild was always kind of a little bit of a boring team to watch, played a boring style,” Broz said. “So I had to take my fandom elsewhere.”
That fandom was drawn to the Pittsburgh Penguins, a franchise that happened to win three Stanley Cup titles during his formative years.
“Not to say I was bandwagon, but when I was young, I wanted to root for the team that was winning,” the 18-year-old Broz said. “Also, obviously, they were just a fun team to watch always. I always loved Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.”
Broz might have a chance to play with Crosby and Malkin after the Penguins selected him in the second round (No. 58 overall) of the entry draft Saturday. It was their first pick of the draft.
Last season, the left-handed forward led the Fargo Force of the United States Hockey League (USHL) in scoring with 51 points (19 goals, 32 assists) in 54 regular-season games. During the postseason, he led the Force to the Clark Cup Final by scoring 11 points (three goals, eight assists) in nine games.
Listed at center, Broz predominately has been deployed at left wing the past two seasons with Fargo.
“I’ve played center most of my life growing up,” Broz said during a video conference Saturday. “But kind of the last few years, I’ve been transitioning to left wing playing there in Fargo. I don’t really have a preference. I’m pretty comfortable with either. Whatever the team needs, I’m happy to play.”
A native of Bloomington, Minn., Broz (6-foot, 179 pounds) is committed to the University of Minnesota next season. But by the sounds of things, that commitment might be tenuous should the Penguins extend a contract offer.
“I want to play in the NHL,” Broz said. “That’s been my dream. If I’m ready to do that, and the Penguins feel I’m ready to do that, I’m definitely going to take that opportunity. I really haven’t thought about it too much. Like I said, I’ve always wanted to play in the NHL. Whenever I get an opportunity to do that, I’m definitely going to want to take it.”
Going big on defense
With only five picks, the Penguins drafted three defensemen, all of whom have some size, at least vertically.
Fifth-rounder Isaac Belliveau (6-2, 184 pounds), as well as seventh-rounders Ryan McCleary (6-2, 180 pounds) and Daniel Latsch (6-4, 182 pounds), were selected, in part, because of to their dimensions. At the same time, Penguins scouts were mindful of their skills.
“There’s always a balance,” Penguins director of player personnel Chris Pryor said. “You always like to get a little bigger, a little edgier. In the playoffs, it gets very competitive. So, it always helps to have those attributes. But you’ve got to be careful you don’t sacrifice on the other side. You’ve got to still be able to make a play and handle that little black thing on the ice. There is a balance there. We felt that with all three of these (defensemen) … they do have some size but they can play the game.
“So we were happy that they check (boxes) with the skill set. Obviously, some are a little bit better than the others, they all bring a little different look. But they all are giving us some size back there, which we felt that as an organization, we need to try to gradually get a little size in our prospect pool.”
Russian influence
With their final pick in the seventh round, the Penguins selected Russian forward Kirill Tankov.
Pryor credited European scout Alexander Khavanov for recommending Tankov. The Penguins hired Khavanov, a former NHL defenseman, on July 12 to oversee Russia. They previously did not have any scouts solely devoted to that country.
“He’s got a little bit of feel for Kirill,” Pryor said. “We have a good eye there with Alexander.”