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It’s time for Daily Faceoff’s third annual NHL Prospect Pool Breakdown, looking at the best all 32 teams have to offer. We’re highlighting the top 10 prospects for every franchise, their biggest strengths and weaknesses and so much more.

The criteria for being labeled a “prospect” are simple: players generally have to have played in 50 or fewer NHL games or spent more time outside of the NHL than in it last year. Players over 23 years old are not included. Goaltenders are a bit more subjective, but they need to be 25 or under, have played under 15 games in the past season or have not spent significant time in the NHL as a whole over a three-year period.

Today, we’re breaking down the Pittsburgh Penguins.

I’ll give the Penguins’ scouting department some love – they transformed this pipeline very, very quickly.

After adding Rutger McGroarty via a trade last summer, GM Kyle Dubas and Co. managed to make seven picks in the top 100 back in June, including three picks in the first round. That boosted Pittsburgh’s prospect pool to levels I have never seen since starting this series.

Based on the criteria above, Joel Blomqvist graduated to NHLer status, making him ineligible for this list this year. Most of the other top youngsters from 2024-25 remain eligible, but the influx of quality talent taken in Los Angeles has given this group a serious shot in the arm.

Pittsburgh’s rebuild is going to be a slow one, but they’re starting to actually make true progress for the first time since the team’s last Stanley Cup in 2017.

Biggest Strength

The Penguins have added some serious size over the past two years. McGroarty is a strong forward who can knock guys down and use his frame to generate scoring chances. Bill Zonnon and Will Horcoff love to bring their energy to every shift, and I can see them becoming valuable bottom-six options. Peyton Kettles, meanwhile, is 6-foot-5 and makes it hard to get around him. I can see them all becoming NHLers, and that alone should make them a bit more scary to play against.

Biggest Weakness

I truly wonder how many centers in this system will play in the NHL down the middle. Benjamin Kindel is the most notable option, but he’s undersized. Will Horcoff has the size, but I wonder if he’ll be better as a winger. Beyond that, most of the other forwards with center depth have a bit of flexibility to play on the wing, but I’m not sure there’s a real difference-maker down the middle.

Fast Facts:
NHL GM: Kyle Dubas
Dir. of Scouting: Wes Clark
Dir. of Player Development: Tom Kostopoulos
AHL Affiliate: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
ECHL Affiliate: Wheeling Nailers

*Benjamin Kindel (Steven Ellis/The Nation Network)*

1. Rutger McGroarty, C/LW, 21 (Pittsburgh Penguins)

Acquired: Traded by Winnipeg Jets in 2024

It was a mixed bag for McGroarty this year, who started the year in the NHL but was sent down to get more opportunities with WBS. He finished just shy of 40 points in the AHL, but continued to improve as the season wore on. He also looked a lot more confident as a shooter in his season-ending stint with the Penguins, registering all three of his points in a three-game span. The high-end offensive threat plays a heavy game, and I liked his two-way awareness as he started to get more comfortable last year. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him go back to the Baby Penguins to start but I want to see what he can do with quality linemates in the NHL on a more consistent basis.

2. Benjamin Kindel, C/RW, 18 (Calgary Hitmen, WHL)

Acquired: Drafted 11th overall, first round in 2025

Kindel was one of the WHL’s hottest prospects last season, and the Penguins are betting high on his upside. He’s equally good as a shooter and a playmaker and is the driving force of Calgary’s attack. Kindel does a great job of finding open space and exploiting it, and he has a shot he can unleash from just about anywhere. Below-average skating and a lack of a physical edge knock him down a few pegs, but that’s where he is right now. Give him time with some pro hockey coaches and I’ll be much less concerned. I don’t think he’s a future first-liner, but he could be a solid second-liner.

3. Harrison Brunicke, RHD, 19 (Kamloops Blazers, AHL)

Acquired: Drafted 44th overall, second round in 2024

Brunicke is quite smart with the puck, and I feel like his offensive abilities are better than his numbers suggest. With a 6-foot-3 frame, projectable traits, and some budding offensive potential, there’s a lot to like here. Brunicke saw a slight offensive jump this past season, improving from 21 points in 2023-24 to 30 this past year. He also remained a solid defensive force while keeping his physicality in check. I thought he looked great in the AHL, showing great two-way abilities there. Brunicke will look to make Canada’s world junior team this fall, and while the competition will be difficult, his size could be useful. After that, look for Brunicke to join the WBS Penguins next year.

4. Ville Koivunen, LW, 22 (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, AHL)

Acquired: Traded by Carolina Hurricanes in 2024

*Ville Koivunen (Steven Ellis/Daily Faceoff)*

Koivunen’s first season in North America was a big success. He had 56 points in 63 AHL games, but he also had seven assists in eight NHL games with Pittsburgh. Koivunen is extremely skill, beating players in 1-on-1 situations frequently and without much issue. I could see him in the NHL as soon as this year, giving the team a nice skill boost in the middle six. The Jake Guentzel trade might not have worked out completely like the Penguins would have wanted, but they got a real talent in Koivunen. At this point, I don’t have much to worry about here. Give him the right support out there and he’ll be in good shape.

5. Owen Pickering, LHD, 21 (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, AHL)

Acquired: Drafted 21st overall, first round in 2022

Pickering played 25 games in the NHL and another 47 in the AHL. It was a busy year for him, and it was good to see him putting in some consistent performances. At 6-foot-5, Pickering takes up a lot of space, but he’s also competent with the puck. He played a lot of minutes this year and I expect him to do the same in 2025-26 before pushing for a full-time NHL gig. I think his offensive output will be limited in the NHL, which doesn’t help him. But his D-zone coverage is probably the best in this crop, and that’ll be his bread and butter.

6. Bill Zonnon, LW, 18 (Blainville-Boisbriand Armada, QMJHL)

Acquired: Drafted first round, 22nd overall in 2025

*Bill Zonnon (Steven Ellis/The Nation Network)*

I like Zonnon. He’s very energetic, a tremendous playmaker and is looking more comfortable as a shooter, too. He’s physical, smart and is an excellent passer who can do some dangerous things with the puck. When he has the puck, he makes things happen in open space. Without it, he creates space for his teammates and he gets himself to the net. It feels like Zonnon has been underappreciated and that he deserves more attention for his work ethic and tremendous vision. He’s the type of player you can stick with other high-end talents and find success.

7. Will Horcoff, C/LW, 18 (University of Michigan, NCAA)

Acquired: Drafted 24th overall, first round in 2025

Horcoff plays a big, strong game, and he’s an immovable object in front of the crease. By all accounts, he’s a prototypical power forward. Horcoff isn’t just a big forward who plays a hard-hitting game, and that’s partly why scouts think he could go as early as the top 40. Horcoff can shoot, make plays and hit. But while he’s a good passer, he can be caught trying to slow games down too much and not making the right moves to take advantage. If he could figure out how to play with pace, watch out, because he’s got the intensity element locked in already. I fully believe he’ll be an effective NHLer, but I wonder just how high the lineup he can go.

8. Sergei Murashov, G, 20 (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins)

*Sergei Murashov (Steven Ellis/Daily Faceoff)*

Penguins fans were hard on me last summer for not including Murashov in the top 10 – and, hey, fair enough. I was worried that we hadn’t seen him play enough meaningful hockey, given he was in the Russian junior league in 2023-24. With all due respect to the MHL, goatlenders don’t have to be too busy too often (his .930 save percentage was 12th). But I was happy to see how comfortable he looked in both the AHL and ECHL, showing that he can handle the pressure and quality shooters. He shared the net with a handful of goaltenders last year, but I hope we can see him play 30-plus games this year to get some consistency in. I liked his development last year and I think he could be a backup if everything works out in the long run.

9. Melvin Fernström, RW, 19 (Örebro HK, SHL)

Acquired: Traded by Vancouver Canucks in 2025

Fernström had an excellent season with Örebro’s U-20 team in the Swedish league and he was the most productive U-19 player in the top Swedish league, as well. At 6-foot-2, Fernström has solid size and I like that he can shoot from everywhere. There’s still work to be done to improve his foot speed and overall pace, but he has always been productive at the international level with Sweden. I want to see more consistency in the SHL this season before he comes over to North America, but I still see a decent, under-the-radar offensive threat in Fernström.

10. Peyton Kettles, RHD, 18 (Swift Current Broncos, WHL)

Acquired: Drafted 39th overall, second round in 2025

Kettles didn’t put up many points in Swift Current, but he wasn’t afraid to absolutely blast someone. The 6-foot-5 defender takes up a ton of space, defends well and is decently mobile for his size. He can kill penalties, and I actually think he’s better offensively than his 14 points suggest. Kettles also plays a ton of minutes, which is never a bad thing. If he makes it to the NHL, it’s for his shutdown qualities. But, hey, anything else he can improve with on the puck is a positive in my eyes.

Tristan Broz, C (22), Mikhail Ilyin, RW (20), Tanner Howe, LW (19), Avery Hayes, RW (22), Travis Hayes, RW (17), Ryan Miller, LW (18), Jordan Charron, RW (18), Carter Sanderson, C (17), Kale Dach, C (18), Max Graham, C (21), Mac Swanson, C (19), Emil Jarventie, LW (20), Luke Devlin, C (21), Cruz Lucius, RW (21), Zam Plante, C (20), Kirill Tankov, C (23), Chase Pietila, RHD (21), Daniel Laatsch, LHD (23), Finn Harding, RHD (20), Emil Pieniniemi, LHD (20), Brady Peddle, LHD (18), Quinn Beauchesne, LHD (18), Joona Vaisanen, RHD (21), Kalle Kangas, LHD (20), Gabe D’Aigle, G (18)

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