Eric Tangradi is easy to pick out among those attending the Penguins' rookie and prospects camp this week.

Although some other participants have good size, Tangradi's 6-foot-4, 221-pound frame separates him from most. But it is the easy smile and a relaxed, outgoing demeanor that gives him the aura of a veteran.

Not that the budding power forward has played in the NHL yet. Tangradi, 20, is preparing for his first pro season after finishing eighth in scoring in the junior Ontario Hockey League with Belleville last season.

But despite his maturity, Tangradi hasn't necessarily stood out in the two on-ice practices this week at Southpointe.

There's a good reason for that: Before this camp, Tangradi had been on the ice only a couple times since he had surgery in the spring to repair a severed tendon at the base of his left thumb.

"My hands felt great," he said this week. "But my shot is something I'm a little concerned about. My accuracy is not really there, and the velocity is not where I'd like it to be. That's only natural."

Penguins officials have assured Tangradi that they understand his limitations.

After practicing Tuesday and Wednesday, the campers were off the ice yesterday. They'll be back at Southpointe today for on-ice testing and a practice, and things wrap up tomorrow with a scrimmage.

Then Tangradi faces what is expected to be minor surgery next week to clean out scar tissue to allow for better movement of his left thumb. It's an outpatient procedure, much different from the operation he had initially after the injury, which occurred on a fluky play in the OHL playoffs in April. He was knocked to the ice on his way to the net and a goaltender's skate sliced through his glove, causing a laceration at the base of his thumb that bled profusely.

"I've been cut plenty of times, all over my face and in different spots," Tangradi said. "This one was a different feeling. There were chills that went down my spine a little bit. When I saw my hand, it kind of scared me. The only thing I knew to do was skate as hard as I could off the ice. I was almost passed out when I got to the dressing room."

During the operation, surgeons discovered that a tendon had been fully severed and had recoiled up his arm. They had to make an extra incision in his wrist to find the end of the tendon and reattach it.

"They had to actually dig down with some kind of device," Tangradi said. "Luckily, I was asleep the entire time. Even though [the tendon] did sling back, I actually got a little lucky because if it went back a little farther, I would have needed a carpal tunnel [procedure], which would have held me out even longer. It's a little freaky to talk about, but I actually got a little lucky that way."

Tangradi had 88 points, including 38 goals, in 55 games in the regular season for Belleville and 21 points, including eight goals, in 16 OHL playoff games before the injury. He missed, potentially, a chance to join the Penguins' American Hockey League affiliate, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, for its playoffs, but he expects to be ready for the opening of Penguins training camp in September.

The Penguins are intrigued about Tangradi's future impact since obtaining him in February along with winger Chris Kunitz in a trade that sent defenseman Ryan Whitney to Anaheim. The Penguins have not had a net-crashing hulk of a winger since they lost Ryan Malone through free agency last summer.

Indications are that Tangradi, a second-round draft pick by the Ducks in 2007, won't be rushed into an NHL role. He will likely spend at least most of 2009-10 at Wilkes-Barre.

He's preparing for anything, though, including extra work to strengthen his left hand at a new hockey training facility in New Jersey outside his hometown of Philadelphia.

He has been told that after his follow-up procedure next week, he should have full or close to full movement in his thumb immediately and only will have to let the incision heal.

"I should be 100 percent," he said of his status for training camp. "It's really up to me to have an awesome rehab and an awesome August to set me up for camp."