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2011 NHL Mock Draft: Penguins Take Rocco Grimaldi In SB Nation Mock

The Penguins have selected center Rocco Grimaldi in SB Nation's NHL Mock Draft. This isn't the first time that a mock draft has connected Grimaldi to the Penguins. That doesn't mean that the Penguins actually want him, necessarily (we don't know who they want), just that writers think he's a good match for the Penguins' draft position in terms of talent.

Grimaldi is a very small player, at 5-foot-6, but he's hard-nosed and is extremely fast, with good stickhandling ability. When you're picking at No. 23, you can't get a perfect player, and Grimaldi's size won't necessarily prevent him from having a good NHL career.

In the NHL today, some of the best offensive players include Martin St. Louis, Brian Gionta, Daniel Briere and Tyler Ennis- all players who look like they couldn't get on roller-coasters compared to their contemporaries.

But all of those little players, to a degree, have an edge, are excellent skaters and think the game well, all combined with having great hands and skill. Grimaldi seems to have that pedigree.

For more on the Penguins, check out PensBurgh.

Photographs by dizfunk used in background montage under Creative Commons. Thank you.