Observations:

January 2016 – Hartzell's NHL aspirations seem to be dead at age 26. Not re-signed after his contract with the Penguins expired, he couldn't catch on in the NHL or AHL. Signed by the Idaho Steelhead of the ECHL in October 2015, he  appeared in five games before being loaned on a pro tryout contract to the Stockton Heat of the AHL. That lasted for one game, and he's moved on the Heinbronn Falcons of the German second division. Mark Allan

March 2015 – Ranked 10th among Pittsburgh hopefuls in the 2014 Hockey News Future Watch, the lanky netminder is nonetheless below Tristan Jarry, Matt Murray and Jeff Zatkoff in the Penguins’ puck-stopper pipeline. Playing in 25 AHL games and 14 ECHL contests in 2013-14, the graduate of Connecticut’s Quinnipiac University actually had better peripheral numbers in the AHL. That isn’t helping Hartzell this season, as he has managed only two AHL appearances while not being able to crack the formidable Wilkes-Barre/Scranton tandem of Murray and Zatkoff. Although his stats with the ECHL’s Wheeling Nailers (12-10-1, 2.74 GGA and .909 save percentage) are superior to those of Frank Palazzese, Hartzell has played in nine fewer games than his teammate. It’s not like Hartzell is without skill. He uses his size well, has an excellent glove and possesses good reflexes, although his lateral movement could be better. Mark Allan

Fantasy Outlook: D-

He's with a second-division German squad, and his North American pro career might be done.

Footage:

Eric Hartzell thwarts a three-on-none breakaway:

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