Goaltender Chad Johnson plays for the University of Alaska-Fairbanks, but he only had to travel from his hometown of Calgary to attend the Penguins' rookie conditioning camp this week.

"Only" being a relative concept.

"It's still a long trip, a costly trip, for me to come down here, but it's worth it because it's a good opportunity for me," said Johnson, a 2006 fifth-round draft pick by the Penguins who will be a junior with the Nanooks.

Johnson and six others at the conditioning camp still have college eligibility and are beholden to stringent NCAA rules. That means the Penguins can't pay for their trip here.

"You have to be careful, but, as long as you watch the rules and you don't accept anything, you're OK," said Boston University sophomore defenseman Brian Strait, a third-round Penguins pick last year.

The other college players participating in the conditioning camp are defenseman Carl Sneep, a Boston College sophomore who was drafted by the Penguins last year in the second round; right winger Tim Crowder, a Michigan State junior who was a fifth-round pick in 2005; right winger Michael Gergen, a Minnesota-Duluth junior who was a second-round pick in 2005; center Brian Gifford, a Denver sophomore who was a third-round pick in 2003, and right winger Nick Johnson, a Dartmouth senior who was drafted in the third round in 2004.

As much as anyone, the college players will get the benefits Penguins general manager Ray Shero had in mind when he decided to hold the mid-summer conditioning camp.

"It's a great first step," Shero said. "They get to see Pittsburgh. They get to meet each other and start to get acclimated to NHL hockey."

For the college players, this will be their only chance for those things. They will be back in school by the time the Penguins send prospects to a rookie camp in Kitchener in September, so they will not be allowed to participate.

"I think it's important for me to be here, to meet people," Sneep said. "I thought it was important to make a first impression on some people."

The Penguins scout their college prospects -- although, as Chad Johnson said, "Obviously, we're pretty far up there in Alaska, so they don't get a chance to see me play a lot" -- but this gives the players a chance to work with the staff of the Penguins' affiliate in Wilkes-Barre as well as Penguins assistant Mike Yeo, team trainers and other staff.

"You want to come in and show the Pittsburgh Penguins that you're well on your way to, hopefully, a future with them," said Strait, who met Sneep at the draft last season, before they found themselves on opposite sides of the Boston College-Boston University rivalry, one of the strongest in college hockey.

Strait, a physical player who shoots left-handed, had three goals, six points as a freshman last season. Sneep, a right-handed shot who has some power-play experience, had one goal (short-handed) and 10 points as a freshman.

Strait, who captained Team USA to the gold medal at the 2006 International Ice Hockey Federation World Under-18 Championships in 2006 before starting college, hopes he can follow the path of Penguins defenseman Ryan Whitney, who played at Boston University.

Perhaps Sneep will follow in the footsteps of defenseman Brooks Orpik, who played at Boston College.

The Penguins don't have any Alaska-Fairbanks alumni, but that doesn't dampen the optimism of Chad Johnson, a lanky goaltender who isn't flashy but plays the angles and shows patience in waiting for skaters to commit.

"This is my chance to finally come here and see the town and meet some other players," he said. "You just do your best. It's a chance to showcase what I can do and learn what it takes to be a professional goaltender.

"No question I was coming down."

NOTES -- Enforcer Georges Laraque was in town and examined by team doctors for a sore shoulder. An MRI showed no significant damage, and Laraque is expected to be fine by the time training camp starts in September. He got hurt while weightlifting, part of his offseason training. ... Paula Goligoski said her son, Penguins prospect Alex Goligoski, "is close" to making a decision on whether to return to Minnesota for his senior season or turn pro. Goligoski, a defenseman who is not in the conditioning camp, was selected by the Penguins in the second round of the 2004 draft. General manager Ray Shero is hoping for a decision by Sunday. ... A dozen of the conditioning camp prospects helped run drills at the Penguins youth camp at Ice Castle in Castle Shannon, with 2007 first-round draft pick Angelo Esposito getting a lot of attention and signing a lot of autographs. The full group is back on the ice at Southpointe at 3 p.m. today.

PENGUINS ROOKIE MINICAMP