When the Penguins acquired wing prospect Cruz Lucius in the Jake Guentzel trade two seasons ago, he wasn't quite sure yet which path he would take for his future. At the time, he was coming off a strong sophomore season at the University of Wisconsin, a 34 point (13 goals, 21 assists) season in 36 games.
Lucius could have turned pro last season, something Kyle Dubas said at the time that they would have those conversations with Lucius about soon. Lucius opted to go back to school, but not back to Wisconsin -- he transferred to Arizona State, a move he thinks benefitted him in his development.
Injury prevented Lucius from getting acclimated with his new team right away. He underwent surgery in August after a shoulder labrum injury, and the recovery kept him sidelined until January.
"It was definitely a little bit of a challenge," Lucius told me at the Penguins' development camp last week on returning from his injury. "But throughout the season I was going over video, talking to the staff, so I knew how everything was set up going into it. And the team that we had was super close, and even though I wasn't out on the ice, I still felt just as much part of it as everybody else."
Lucius was limited to 19 games, during which he scored two goals and eight assists. While the numbers on paper would seem to be a step back from his time at Wisconsin, he thinks he grew from the tougher competition he faced.
"Going into the NCHC, I would say it's harder to play against those guys than the Big Ten for some components" he explained. "You're not going to get as many opportunities in the game, and you have to create your own, whether it's like odd man rushes and stuff."
Lucius will be going back to Arizona for his senior season, after which the Penguins will need to make a decision on whether to sign him. Jason Spezza admitted that it was "not the best year" for Lucius just given his time spent injured, and said that they're looking forward to see what Lucius can do after a full offseason of being healthy.
"You know, he's worked really hard," Spezza said. "He stayed in Arizona at school there, putting in the time. He's going to have more of a leadership role, bigger role there."
Lucius, whose biggest strengths are his shot and his playmaking abilities, told me that he thinks working on his skating will be the "most beneficial" thing he can do over the next year, and cited the Penguins' development staff and Arizona State's staff as having the tools to help him accomplish that.
The development camp tournament on Monday wasn't exactly a great environment conducive to evaluating anyone's skating, given the pace being way below that of a "real game." But Lucius' strengths still managed to stand out, scoring a goal off a rush and then capitalizing in a shootout, as well as making a play to set up a goal from Will Horcoff.
"He's got a high-end skill set," director of player development Tom Kostopoulos observed after the tournament. "His shot, his puck skills are elite. I thought the one play that I was most impressed with in the games is on Horcoff's goal. He set it up by tracking back and forcing it over and and then he scored the nice goal after that. So it was good to see him get rewarded offensively. I think he knows this is a huge year for him. He has to prove what kind of player he can become."
The Penguins already have two of their top prospects in Ville Koivunen and Harrison Brunicke to show for the Guentzel trade. If Lucius can pan out after another year in college, it would be a huge plus for a trade that has already paid significant dividends.
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THE ASYLUM
Lucius has 'huge year' ahead
When the Penguins acquired wing prospect Cruz Lucius in the Jake Guentzel trade two seasons ago, he wasn't quite sure yet which path he would take for his future. At the time, he was coming off a strong sophomore season at the University of Wisconsin, a 34 point (13 goals, 21 assists) season in 36 games.
Lucius could have turned pro last season, something Kyle Dubas said at the time that they would have those conversations with Lucius about soon. Lucius opted to go back to school, but not back to Wisconsin -- he transferred to Arizona State, a move he thinks benefitted him in his development.
Injury prevented Lucius from getting acclimated with his new team right away. He underwent surgery in August after a shoulder labrum injury, and the recovery kept him sidelined until January.
"It was definitely a little bit of a challenge," Lucius told me at the Penguins' development camp last week on returning from his injury. "But throughout the season I was going over video, talking to the staff, so I knew how everything was set up going into it. And the team that we had was super close, and even though I wasn't out on the ice, I still felt just as much part of it as everybody else."
Lucius was limited to 19 games, during which he scored two goals and eight assists. While the numbers on paper would seem to be a step back from his time at Wisconsin, he thinks he grew from the tougher competition he faced.
"Going into the NCHC, I would say it's harder to play against those guys than the Big Ten for some components" he explained. "You're not going to get as many opportunities in the game, and you have to create your own, whether it's like odd man rushes and stuff."
Lucius will be going back to Arizona for his senior season, after which the Penguins will need to make a decision on whether to sign him. Jason Spezza admitted that it was "not the best year" for Lucius just given his time spent injured, and said that they're looking forward to see what Lucius can do after a full offseason of being healthy.
"You know, he's worked really hard," Spezza said. "He stayed in Arizona at school there, putting in the time. He's going to have more of a leadership role, bigger role there."
Lucius, whose biggest strengths are his shot and his playmaking abilities, told me that he thinks working on his skating will be the "most beneficial" thing he can do over the next year, and cited the Penguins' development staff and Arizona State's staff as having the tools to help him accomplish that.
The development camp tournament on Monday wasn't exactly a great environment conducive to evaluating anyone's skating, given the pace being way below that of a "real game." But Lucius' strengths still managed to stand out, scoring a goal off a rush and then capitalizing in a shootout, as well as making a play to set up a goal from Will Horcoff.
"He's got a high-end skill set," director of player development Tom Kostopoulos observed after the tournament. "His shot, his puck skills are elite. I thought the one play that I was most impressed with in the games is on Horcoff's goal. He set it up by tracking back and forcing it over and and then he scored the nice goal after that. So it was good to see him get rewarded offensively. I think he knows this is a huge year for him. He has to prove what kind of player he can become."
The Penguins already have two of their top prospects in Ville Koivunen and Harrison Brunicke to show for the Guentzel trade. If Lucius can pan out after another year in college, it would be a huge plus for a trade that has already paid significant dividends.
Want to participate in our comments?
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Become a member, and enjoy premium benefits! Make your voice heard on the Steelers, Penguins and Pirates, and hear right back from tens of thousands of fellow Pittsburgh sports fans worldwide! Plus, access all our premium content, including Dejan Kovacevic columns, Friday Insider, daily Live Qs with the staff, more! And yeah, that's right, no ads at all!
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