Pittsburgh Penguins: Top 10 Prospects 2018
3. Jordy Bellerive, C [19] (UDFA)
Stats (Lethbridge Hurricanes, WHL): 71 gp, 46 g, 46 a, 92 p, 16 PPG (23 A), 1 SHG (2 A), 322 SOG, 1.30 pts/g (16 pgp, 9 g, 16 a, 25 p, 5 PPG (7 A), 1 SHA, 1 GWG, 81 SOG, 1.56 pts/g).
Signing a player as a 19-year-old undrafted free agent means one of two things: you didn’t believe enough in that player to draft them, or you saw more than enough and pounced on them as soon as you saw they were available.
For the Pittsburgh Penguins and Jordy Bellerive, it’s likely the second one. Think of Bellerive as the Penguins’ first-round pick this year – he brings that much to the table. He was tied for 12th in scoring in the WHL (yes, below Almeida) and eighth in goals.
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He followed up that impressive regular season performance with an even better one in the playoffs. That’s the difference between Bellerive and Almeida – Bellerive improved when the pressure increased.
Also, he was ninth in playoff scoring, 11th in points per game, and tied for eighth in assists. He was beyond excellent on the man advantage all season, and he had wonderful shot metrics (4.54 shots per game in the regular season, 5.06 in the playoffs). With the old parable “shooters shoot” holding true now more than ever, Bellerive is a shooter.
This is someone who could end up as the second wing for Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin as they age. He could benefit from a center of their stature, but at the same time, he could help improve their performance as well. Bellerive is the modern NHL winger, and he’ll get a better look in next year’s preseason camp with another year fully removed from his traumatic injury.