Penn State goaltender Skoff gets chance to impress the Penguins

To abide by NCAA eligibility rules, college hockey players must pay their own way when they attend an NHL team's summer development camp.

That won't be a burden for Penn State goalie Matt Skoff at Penguins camp next week at Consol Energy Center.

“There won't be any plane tickets to pay for, so that's kind of nice,” said Skoff, a McKees Rocks native who led Montour High School to the Penguins Cup finals in 2009. “And wearing that Penguins jersey for a week will be pretty cool, too.”

Skoff is one of 37 players on the development camp roster the team released Tuesday. Many are Penguins draft picks who have yet to sign a pro contract. Some, like defenseman Derrick Pouliot and winger Bryan Rust, already have played NHL games for the team.

For Skoff and six other undrafted free agents, the camp is like a high-intensity summer internship. He'll get a chance to learn about the pro game, face high-level shooters and impress potential employers.

“It can only benefit me when I go back to school,” Skoff said.

Skoff is a strong candidate to play professionally after his senior year at Penn State, which begins in the fall. He has started 57 of the team's 100 games the past three seasons, authoring a respectable stat line (24-27-2, 2.76 goals-against average, .911 save percentage).

Still, it doesn't hurt to get his name out there as much as possible. He has attended development camps with San Jose and Philadelphia the past two summers, although Penguins camp will mean a little more to him.

“Growing up in Pittsburgh, you're always going to see the Penguins play,” he said. “Being on the other side of the glass is pretty cool.”

Notes: Camp starts Tuesday and ends with a controlled scrimmage that is open to the public at 3 p.m. July 18. … Left wing Scott Wilson, who played three playoff games with the Penguins last spring, and right wing Tyler Biggs, who was acquired from Toronto in the Phil Kessel trade, won't skate. Wilson is recovering from wrist surgery, and Biggs is coming off a partially severed Achilles tendon. … Wilkes-Barre/Scranton hired longtime NHL and AHL defenseman Jay Leach to be an assistant coach.

Jonathan Bombulie is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at jbombulie@tribweb.com or on Twitter at @BombulieTrib.