Battalion defenceman Miles Liberati will be joining the Pittsburgh Penguins prospects team at the September 10th to 13th rookie tournament in London, Ontario.
Liberati, who was a 2013 7th round pick of the Vancouver Canucks, became a free agent when the west coast team failed to offer him an entry level contract.
The 20-year-old who grew up in the Pittsburgh area, told Triblive.com that the Penguins called him the day after the 2015 NHL Entry Draft and invited him to the tournament.
Since last week, Liberati, a defenseman, has skated with the Penguins at new UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in the Pittsburgh area.
“It's pretty awesome,” Liberati told Triblive.com.
“We played a 3-on-3 game at the end of practice (Monday), and I happened to be on a line with (Sidney) Crosby and (Evgeni) Malkin, so that was pretty fun. It was definitely a good measuring stick to see where I stand against guys like that.”
Liberati had a tremendous season with the Bay Batallion last year, scoring 11 goals to go along with 27 assists. He was also a plus-21.
Liberati is eligible to return to North Bay this season but he told triblive.com that he hopes to earn a spot in the Penguins' organization.
“If I can make a good impression with the Penguins at camp, maybe I can play for them or in the AHL,” he said.
If Liberati does not stick with the Penguins organization, he is expected to have one of the three overage spots secured with the Battalion this fall.
