Penguins Down to 42 Players (Surprising Cuts)

Yesterday, the Pittsburgh Penguins GM, Ray Shero, announced that they reduced their training camp roster to 42 players.

Six players were assigned to the Penguins AHL affiliate, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins:

FORWARDS -

• Luca Caputi
• Joe Haddad
• Dustin Jeffrey
• Nick Johnson
• Mark Letestu

DEFENSEMAN -

• Jonathan D’Aversa

And 3 other players were re-assigned to QMJHL and WHL they originally played for:

• Alex Grant (St. John's Sea Dogs - QMJHL)
• Keven Veilleux (Rimouski Oceanic - QMJHL)
• Casey Pierro-Zabotel (Vancouver Giants - WHL)

The Penguins current roster stands at 24 forwards, 14 defensemen and four goaltenders. Click for an updated training camp roster.

A surprising cut to most of us was Luca Caputi since he's the Penguins #2 prospect and was the focus of alot of media buzz.

Surprising - yes, but also reasonable after learning the rationale behind such cuts from assistant coach Mike Yeo who said they have to use the limited number of pre-season games to get ready for the regular season and not to test the rookies.