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Its interesting nobody has commented on him being cut early in Pittsburgh's training camp. If he was this "sure thing" why did he not make the Penguins roster? Remember, he is 22 years old. He should have stayed at least through this year. After this year, if he wanted to leave, I would have understood it better. He will sure be missed.

There's no guarantee that he was going to have another top-5 or 10 point season. He got offered a contract and jumped at it. At 22, you can't do anything else. You certainly don't wait until you're 23 or 24.

He signed a minor league deal, so I'm not sure how many people thought he was a "sure thing."

bronconick Wrote:There's no guarantee that he was going to have another top-5 or 10 point season. He got offered a contract and jumped at it. At 22, you can't do anything else. You certainly don't wait until you're 23 or 24.

Add to that the fact that he was very unhappy playing here and he had every reason to leave and no reason to stay. Besides, no one expected him to make the NHL club out of camp this year, especially with the talent Pitt has signed recently. He is where he was expected to be, and he will have every opportunity to make the big club if he has a couple big seasons in the AHL.

Moe, two years of seasoning in the AHL! Once again, I'm not in his shoes, however, I would have stayed at Western and been the gun of the team. How could he not have been happy here? What more did he want? He was the star of the team. He could have been the star of the team for the next three years. He was a great student from what I've heard. I just don't understand kids today. Man I could never coach today. Maybe this is a middle aged man talking, who has a little more experience in life than a 20 something kid. I don't know. I hope he makes it. By the way, how is Vince Bellissimo doing? Didn't he blow off his senior year, to play minor league hockey? Moe, that is basically what your telling me. Mark blew off one to two years or perhaps all three years at Western to play minor league hockey. Good Luck Mark, I hope you make it.

I don't know what specifically made him unhappy but the fact is he was, and he got offered a ton of money to leave. Was it the best decision for his career? Time will only tell, and as much as all of us would have loved to see him stay (both as a player and to finish his education) it is unfair to sit here on the outside and judge his career decisions. And I too hope Mark makes it.

As for Bellissimo he was trying out for a team in Europe and i have no idea if he made a roster over there. He tried to leave mid-season last year, but was convinced by teammates to stay at least until the end of the season. And yes, he would have been a senior this year.

Ben, for better or worse, it doesn't seem like the players we have that are NHL caliber or borderline really improve a lot when they're here, and they take the contract money and the AHL schedule that gives them twice as many games per season to improve and to fully concentrate on hockey.

He's still playing the sport he (presumably) loves and it's not like he can't come back to college in a dozen years if it doesn't work out and get a degree. He'll likely still have enough money to pay his own way.

If someone was studying to be an engineer, and got offered a fat contract after two years of college to do just that, I'd expect them to jump at it to, despite how fun college can be.

UPDATE-Mark has been sent down to Wheeling,WV. A minor league team that Pittsburgh and Philadelphia share "prospects".

^ That was 2 weeks ago. FWIW, that's the same league that former Bronco Jeff Campbell has been lighting up for the last couple of years.

Letestu got his first two goal night in the AHL last night. He's on a team deep in prospects and all but 3 of the forwards on the team play center as their "natural" position. After a couple transactions this week he is up centering the second line and seeing power play time, and proving he belongs there too.

Letestu's stock would probably never have been higher than it was at the end of last season. Plus, he was already a 21 year old freshman.

Not to mention what playing on this year's Bronco team would do to him. Heck, he might quit hockey altogether