Ben Hanowski is the leading scorer in Minnesota high school hockey history.

Take that at face value and it's pretty impressive.

Stop to consider what it really means, and his feat is nothing shy of remarkable.

High school hockey in Minnesota is like football in Pennsylvania, or basketball in Indiana. It attracts the finest athletes, and is something in which entire towns and regions become immersed.

So for Hanowski, the Penguins' third-round choice in the NHL entry draft, to have put up more points -- 405 of them, to be precise -- than the likes of Neal Broten, Dave Christian, Henry Boucha, T.J. Oshie and Phil Housley, among countless others, is an epic accomplishment.

That doesn't guarantee he'll have success in the NHL someday, of course, or even that he'll be productive at St. Cloud State, but Hanowski's hand skills and instincts make him an intriguing prospect.

Especially when fused with what Chuck Grillo, the Penguins' Minnesota-based scout, considers an exceptional commitment to making the most of his ability.

Hanowski has been a regular at Grillo's conditioning camp in Brainerd, Minn., in recent summers, which has given Grillo a good insight on his mental makeup.

"It's easy to get to know kids when they go into a setting like that, whether it's ours or anyone else's," he said. "How many kids his age are going two-a-days in June, pushing to get better and better and better? He's not satisfied being who he is right now."

Not that there's much wrong with what Hanowski is at this stage of his development. He is 6 feet 2, 198 pounds and while his skating is lackluster, the Penguins don't seem terribly concerned.

"He needs to smooth out his stride a little bit, but he's got the work ethic that I think that's going to happen," said Jay Heinbuck, their director of amateur scouting.

While Hanowski's legs have to improve, there doesn't seem to be much wrong with his hands: He had 57 goals and 53 assists in 25 games with Little Falls High School last season. Even though his school competed in the lower of Minnesota's two classifications, a 4.4 point-per-game average leaves little room for interpretation.

"I'm definitely a goal-scorer," he said. "That's part of my game. ... Obviously, I'm not going to score 70 goals in the NHL someday, but [scoring] is definitely my game."

Not the only part, though. It's no accident that Hanowski ended up with nearly as many assists as goals.

"He runs these numbers, but he's very unselfish," Grillo said. "He's just as likely to share the puck as he is to shoot it."

Just as important, he usually doesn't need much time to figure out what he should do with the puck.

"How quickly he processes the play is really good," Heinbuck said. "And you can tell by his numbers that he knows how to finish."

Hanowski said he opted to attend St. Cloud State because of its offensive style of play, and being able to have him spend three or four years in college, if necessary, is a plus for the Penguins.

"You can bank him in college a bit to help his development," Heinbuck said.

It's understandable for the Penguins to have a best-case perspective on what Hanowski can become by the time he's ready to turn pro, but they're not the only ones who believe he has outstanding promise. Consider this assessment from Jack Barzee of NHL Central Scouting:

"Ben needs to improve his overall skating, but his unselfishness, his hands and above all his ability to score goals sets him apart. His knack for scoring goals is similar to [Buffalo winger] Thomas Vanek -- his extra dimension is scoring goals."

That talent probably is what got the Penguins' attention in the first place, but it's not the only thing that convinced them to invest a third-round draft choice in him.

"This kid has a lot of assets," Grillo said. "He's a special player."

NOTE -- Former Penguins general manager Ed Johnston, who has been serving as a senior advisor, will move into a new role, with less emphasis on hockey operations and more on community and alumni relations, although he will continue to serve as a consultant, when needed. Johnston's title has not been determined.