Pittsburgh Penguins Prospects Challenge, Quinn Beauchesne Fights Ryder Boulton: Photo By Dan Kingerski. All Rights Reserved
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Ryder Boulton is a free agent prospect on the Columbus Blue Jackets rookie team roster at the 2025 Prospects Challenge. He’s also the son of former NHL enforcer Eric Boulton, and as the Pittsburgh Penguins prospects faced the Columbus team, it was more than abundantly obvious the Boulton apple did not fall far from the knuckles tree.
The teams combined for 84 penalty minutes and three fights as Columbus beat the Penguins 5-4 in overtime at the LECOM Harborcenter in Game 2 of the three-game tournament.
The Penguins will finish the tournament Monday at noon against the Buffalo Sabres’ prospect team.
The scraps were many, and the taunts were audible to the entire arena.
Boulton fought Penguins prospect Max Graham twice, buttressing a slew of challenges to the Penguins’ bench. Eventually, referees calmed the situation by delivering Boulton a message in the form of an instigator penalty and a 10-minute misconduct late in the second period after his second go-round with Graham.
We’d love to tell you that the game was otherwise a clean exposition of prospects fighting for sunlight in their respective organizations, and plenty of skill was on display.
We’d like to tell you that, but we cannot. Game 2 of the Prospects Challenge was a sloppy, irresponsible, undisciplined, wood chipper with too many penalties, mistakes, and choppy play.
“A penalty fest. The toughest part is just trying to get in the game. You’re aware guys are getting lost. We went a while with a bunch of power plays, and then the top group scored. So then those guys in the other group don’t get reps, and then we get a penalty,” coach Kirk MacDonald said. “Then, we took a penalty, and then guys are sitting and sitting and it’s just … it’s not fair, but it is what it is.
“It was too bad, too, because when we played five-on-five in the third period, we completely controlled every aspect of the game. Everybody was into it, contributing, feeling good about themselves. And then it’s a couple more penalties, and we’re back to it.”
Each team had a 5v3 power play because of terrible penalties. The Penguins were shorthanded by two when the Penguins’ prized defenseman prospect, Harrison Brunicke, lost his cool and cross-checked an opponent face-first into the wall midway through the second period.
The penalty cost the Penguins a goal, and it was the type of Gong Show penalty that will hinder his hopes to make the NHL roster out of training camp if they continue.
However, that doesn’t mean his skills weren’t on full display. He is blazingly fast.
“I had a broken foot for much of the summer, but once I got back on the ice, I worked with a power skating coach as much as I could,” Brunicke said.
His skating is top-tier, even by NHL standards.
In a game that had few highlight performances, except for Avery Hayes, who seems to be the annual star of the show, scored what could have been the game-winning goal later in the third period. However, the Penguins were unable to hold the lead when goalie Gabriel D’Aigle kicked a rebound to the left circle but couldn’t recover his position, leaving the net wide open for Charlie Elcik’s quick snap tying goal.
Columbus won in overtime.
Penguins Prospects Analysis
Harrison Brunicke
We praised his work despite a couple of puck management errors Friday, but he’s under the bright lights this fall as he very well could crack the NHL roster.
And so his penalty was ghastly, and he wasn’t as engaged with the puck Sunday. In fact, Brunicke had a pair of minor penalties Sunday. Brunicke will need to learn the hard lesson not to let a nasty opponent take away his game.
Grade: C+
Emil Pieniniemi
We continue to wait for more from the big Finnish defenseman. Pieniniemi made the jump to North America last season and played for the Kingston Frontenacs of the OHL, putting up 60 points in 60 games.
“I feel more comfortable after one full season here. It’s a lot easier, and maybe I can talk a little bit better English, too.”
After a couple of tournaments and camps, we don’t yet know where he will find his niche. The Penguins have put him at the top of the power play. In Game 1, he was rough. In Game 2, he was better, but we noticed a lack of feel for open ice–he had opportunities to step forward to claim a shot from the high slot, but didn’t, staying in line with the penalty killer, thus removing himself as an option from the midwall.
“My first game was not that good, but today was better,” he said.
In the final analysis, coach Kirk MacDonald was pleased, though we’re still wondering.
“I thought (Pininiemi’s performance) was night and day today, compared to the first game. I thought he was way more assertive in all aspects of the game,” said MacDonald. “He did a really good job … Obviously, the steering at the top of the power play, but I thought five-on-five, he was much better. He’s felt more comfortable.”
We always factor the coach’s comments against our own, especially MacDonald, who is a straight shooter.
Grade: B
Daniel Laatsch
The 2021 seventh-rounder, who matriculated at Wisconsin, playing elite talent in the Big 10, didn’t play in Game 1 and had some rough moments in Game 2. There was an ill-advised pinch that yielded an odd-man break (He’s already Penguins material, eh?), a turnover, and a pair of minor penalties.
He was also beaten to the net for a goal.
Despite being 6-foot-5 and at least 190 pounds, it seems this seventh-rounder will be organizational depth. Laatsch didn’t show well Sunday.
Quinn Beauchesne
The 2025 fifth-round pick from the Guelph Storm has played very well in this tournament. He’s a noticeable figure in the defensive zone. He’s certainly not afraid to be physical on the puck or at the net front, and he threw down in the first period as tempers got too heated.
In fact, he’s a 200-foot aggressive defenseman.
Unfortunately, Beauchesne didn’t tie down his jersey and got a game misconduct with the first.
However, he has already staked a claim to be a dark-horse prospect to watch.
Tags: daniel laatsch emil pieniniemi harrison brunicke Penguins Prospects Pittsburgh Penguins Quinn Beauchesne
Categorized:Penguins Prospects