Penguins invite Ryan St. Louis to development camp

A chip off the old block?

NHL teams are preparing for summer development camps and round out the rosters by inviting a handful of young undrafted players to join their prospects on the ice. The majority of these players might see their pro careers peak just being at off-season camps, but sometimes they go on to grow in stature. Collin Graf is one such example, going from from an unknown prospect to a 2024 Hobey Baker finalist that almost every NHL team wanted to sign.

The Penguins haven’t announced their rosters yet for the upcoming camp and won’t until they draft players and the event gets closer, but an interesting report out says that Pittsburgh will be bringing on forward Ryan St. Louis from Brown.

The name sounds familiar, and it should, St. Louis, 20, is the son of legendary player and current Montreal coach Martin St. Louis.

The younger St. Louis has the arrow pointing up on his career. After an inauspicious start at Northeastern in 2021-22, he dropped down a level and lit up the USHL in 2022-23 with 72 points in 58 games. That led to an on ramp with Brown, where St. Louis led the team in goals (13) and points (24) this past season in his first season there. His hockeydb resume:

Much like dear old dad, Ryan St. Louis went undrafted by the NHL, but if his career continues on the trajectory it’s on he too might join the pro ranks eventually.

These camps can be as beneficial for the players as they are for the team, Graf spent time in summer camps with Florida and Nashville before opting to sign with San Jose. Conor Sheary was another undrafted player who went to a camp in New Jersey, before eventually being signed by the Penguins.

So it’s no guarantee that St. Louis will make it as an impact player at the pro level or even choose to come to the Pittsburgh organization if so. But he will instantly be one of the more intriguing players on the ice this summer for the Pens, given his last name and legacy status that comes along with it.