Vasily Ponomarev is a unique individual.

It didn't take long into Ponomarev's tenure with the Penguins' organization to realize that he's one of the more interesting guys in the locker room. Interviewing him is always a treat. His English is great, to be clear. But he's pretty high-energy, and has this habit to turning every answer into a tangent that ends with something that had been in the back of his mind. A question about Rutger McGroarty at the Prospects Challenge? He artfully segues that into his take on Igor Larionov's coaching career over in Russia. A question about Sergei Murashov? He's explaining how much depth there is to the Russian language by the end of his answer, and his take on why he doesn't like to read books in English. A softball "how did it feel" question after making his Penguins debut in November? He's talking about former Carolina teammate Brent Burns.

He's the best. I wanted to know what he was like in dealing with the coaching staff, so I asked Mike Sullivan this morning what he's just like a person, saying in my question that "he seems like an interesting personality."

"Very," Sullivan said, cracking a smile.

"He's a great kid," he continued. "He's an enthusiastic learner. He loves hockey. He's passionate about the sport, wants to be around it, asks lots of questions. An inquisitive guy. That's kind of his personality, that's been my observation. He's really passionate about the game, and he wants to improve. He wants to get better. He's eager to engage in conversation about his shifts, or the penalty kill or whatever it may be. He loves hockey. You can tell through the conversations."

That shows through Ponomarev's work ethic, too. He's always one of the first players on the ice for practice, always one of the first ones out there for an optional morning skate.