Goalie Alex D’Orio had a conversation last week that put things into perspective. It actually occurred with Matt Murray, the goaltender atop the Penguins’ organizational depth chart. Because he’s moving, Murray is spending part of his summer in Pittsburgh.
A year ago at this time, D’Orio wasn’t on the depth chart. In fact, he wasn’t even part of the organization.
The Penguins invited D’Orio to development camp at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex, and he parlayed that and a strong performance at the team’s annual rookie tournament to a three-year, entry-level contract.
“I came here as an 18-year-old free agent and didn’t know what to expect,” D’Orio said.