As the NHL prepares for a new season scheduled to start in mid-January, the Tribune-Review will offer Penguins A to Z, a player-by-player look at all 48 individuals under NHL contract with the organization, from mid-level prospect Niclas Almari to high-profile trade acquisition Jason Zucker.
Cam Lee
Position: Defenseman
Shoots: Left
Age: 23
Height: 6-foot
Weight: 186 pounds
2019-20 NCAA statistics: 26 games, 21 points (three goals, 18 assists)
2020-21 Slovak Extraliga statistics: 14 games, 11 points (two goals, nine assists)
Contract: First year of a two-year entry-level contract with a salary cap hit of $950,000. Pending restricted free agent in 2022
Acquired: Undrafted free agent signing, March 17, 2020
Last season: Competing on a Western Michigan squad that included five other players who were drafted or signed with other NHL teams, Lee finished sixth in scoring in 2019-20.
Spending four seasons at Western Michigan playing for former NHL coach Andy Murray, Lee racked up 85 points (18 goals, 67 assists) in 137 career games.
Having gotten a look at Lee in the 2019 offseason during a prospect development camp, the Penguins pursued him aggressively when his senior campaign was cut short in mid-March because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Had the American Hockey League’s season not also been canceled, Lee would have probably joined the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins to finish the season on an amateur tryout contract.
This season: Having gone approximately seven months without any game action, Lee was loaned to HC Slovan Bratislava of the Slovakian Extraliga on Oct. 21.
Primarily used on Bratislava’s second defensive pairing as well as the power play, Lee displayed his aggressive skating and offensive flair in a mid-level league.
By the time his loan was terminated Dec. 14, Lee’s 11 points were the second-best total among Bratislava’s defensemen.
The future: Lee is expected to participate in the Penguins’ upcoming training camp and appears to have enamored management enough to merit a legitimate shot at making the NHL roster, albeit in a reserve role with the NHL expanding rosters to included taxi squads given the unique circumstances the 2020-21 season will take on.
Considering how bloated the Penguins are on the left side of the blue line with veterans Brian Dumoulin, Mike Matheson, Marcus Pettersson and Juuso Riikola, as well as top prospect Pierre-Olivier Joseph, it’s difficult to see Lee getting a chance next season.
If the AHL resumes play Feb. 5 as scheduled, Lee would likely be a candidate for an assignment to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to get some playing time.
A creative, dynamic offensive force, his overall game, particularly in his own end of the ice, could use some refinement.
Given how often the Penguins have traded away future assets such as high draft picks or prospects in the pursuit of making immediate improvements to the NHL club, they’ve been fairly aggressive over years in terms of recruiting undrafted college free agents. The Penguins are hopeful he’ll take the same successful path as Zach Aston-Reese or Conor Sheary.
Even in the midst of a pandemic, Lee has taken his first steps in that journey.
