Penn State is well represented as NHL teams begin their respective development camps, with four current Nittany Lions — along with two former players — joining NHL clubs to train and sharpen their skills, while taking home invaluable knowledge from the best in the sport. Prospect development camps aren’t just beneficial to the player, as they also give front office members a chance to scout and evaluate player talent, allowing young prospects to embed themselves on NHL radars.

Redshirt senior forward Eric Scheid joined the Anaheim Ducks, along with dismissed former teammate Scott Conway, at the team’s prospect camp that began on July 1. This will be Scheid’s second go-around with NHL development camps, after training with the Minnesota Wild last year. The Ducks’ camp is a great opportunity for Conway — who joined the Penticton Vees of the BCHL in June after his dismissal — as the young talent looks to turn some heads as he pursues an opportunity in the NHL.

Much to the delight of NHL fans in the Penn State community — specifically those hailing from Pittsburgh — senior goalie Matthew Skoff will be attending the Penguins’ prospect development camp beginning the second week of July. Skoff, a Pittsburgh native, is a seasoned veteran when it comes to NHL development camps, having participated with the Philadelphia Flyers in 2013 and the San Jose Sharks in 2014, gaining essential information after working with NHL coaches that he looks to apply to the upcoming season for the Nittany Lions.

Junior goalie Eamon McAdam will head to Brooklyn for camp with the New York Islanders, his third-straight development camp with the team. McAdam was drafted in the third round (No. 70 overall) by the Islanders in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, and figures to be an important piece of New York’s future as the young goaltender develops in Happy Valley with Penn State. McAdam gets the unique opportunity of christening the Barclays Center — the new home of the Islanders — as the team moves from Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, where the Islanders played for 43 years.

Junior forward Zach Saar will meet up with former teammate Casey Bailey in Toronto for the Maple Leafs’ prospect development camp, beginning today in Collingwood, Ontario. Bailey, who opted to play professionally rather than spend his senior year at Penn State, joined the Maple Leafs late last season, recording one goal in six games of action. Saar, who is best known for his double-overtime goal against Michigan in the 2014 Big Ten Tournament, will further fine-tune his game while working with a familiar face who has NHL experience. Saar spent the last offseason training with the Washington Capitals during the team’s prospect development camp.

It’s no coincidence that Penn State is a team on the rise, as it routinely sees a handful of its players invited to various NHL development camps around the country. The Nittany Lions boast a number of talented players, and the knowledge they receive from working with the best in the business is sure to translate onto the ice once the 2015-16 season begins.