Steve Oleksy fits a slightly different mold than most of the Penguins defensemen. Reid Gardiner and James McEwan found that out the hard way.
Oleksy (6 feet, 190 pounds) laid a couple of big hits on the two young prospects in an otherwise ho-hum scrimmage Saturday at Penguins training camp. While the Penguins, and NHL in general, are trending toward more skillful, puck-moving defensemen, Oleksy is confident there’s still a place for his physical style.
“Obviously there’s an incredible amount of talent on the back end here,” Oleksy said. “The grit is something I have to do to kind of stand out.