39 Players Named To Team Canada Under-17 And Hlinka Gretzky Camps
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Top 25 Penguins Prospects, 6-10: Big Hopes, Big Needs, & Bigger Expectations
Where once there were none, now three first-round draft picks fill the top 10 Penguins prospects list, and the extraordinary realization that this is only Nos. 10 through six, not even the top five. This is the fourth of five stories in the series of the Top 25 Penguins list is a far cry from the blunders and miscalculations of top-round choices that highlighted the Penguins' most successful decade in franchise history from 2009 through 2019. The team had seven first-round picks from 2008 through 2014, promptly traded one (Kasperi Kapanen) for Phil Kessel a year later, and had five of the six fail to make an impact at the NHL level, and the prospect pool dried up after 2017. The only first-rounder from that period to stick around was Olli Maatta, who was selected 22nd overall in 2012 and helped the team to the back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2016 and 2017. The other names are a painful reminder of the cost of injuries and bad selections, such as Derrick Pouliot, Beau Bennett, and Simon Despres, none of whom made an impact with the NHL club. However, president of hockey operations/general manager Kyle Dubas has invested heavily in player development and performance. New techniques and technology were on display at the most recent Development Camp. According to Dubas on a recent podcast, the team also believes it has identified ways to discern players who can greatly improve their skating vs. those who are limited, thus the team was not afraid to take a few players they felt had other attributes, such as hockey IQ. And so the prospect list also becomes much more important as the new era is on the horizon. Soon, the core three will dwindle, the veterans who have posted big numbers will be elsewhere, and the team will be in the hands of several players who are currently not even on the top-five list yet. PHN will note our selection criteria for the Top 25 Penguins prospects is a subjective mixture of measuring a player's ceiling against how soon they will arrive with the Penguins. Top Penguins Prospects, Nos. 10-6 The Penguins' goalie had a golden opportunity to seize an NHL spot following a stellar 2023-24 season in the AHL. Dubas specifically cited him as a player ready to push for his NHL sweater, and wanted to see Blomqvist perform well in the AHL playoffs as a means of proving he was ready. However, Blomqvist, 23, had a bad couple of games in those AHL playoffs, and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins' season was quickly over. The team re-signed Alex Nedeljkovic a month later, but Blomqvist forced the issue in training camp, pushing the team to carry three goalies. However, Blomqvist was increasingly shaky, allowing four goals in three of his last five starts and getting pulled in the first period of another. In November, he was sent down for a couple of months to reset and retrench. His next big chance was in mid-January when the team waived Tristan Jarry. However, Blomqvist's performances didn't greatly improve, and he again looked like a shaky rookie. Blomqvist is a nice mixture of athletic and big goalie. When he's on point, he's calm, steady, if not a bit of Matt Murray-type steely. When he's off his game, the rebounds pop to the circles and stoppable shots slip past. Blomqvist is only 23, but he is reaching that awkward stage of being too good for the AHL but not yet good enough for the NHL. With the recent addition of Arturs Silovs, Blomqvist's situation would appear to be complicated unless the team moves Jarry. He is still waiver-exempt, which might work against his immediate NHL future. Broz may not have the same top-six upside, but then again–he might. Since being moved to center in his final season at the University of Denver, Broz has blossomed. He was on track to play in the NHL last season until catching mono put him back to square one. Broz, 22, was the team's second-round pick in 2021, so it seems like he's been on the board forever, but as a winger, he didn't necessarily project as an NHL'er. His growth over the last two seasons has been fantastic, including leading Denver to a National Championship and the WBS Penguins to near the top of the AHL standings. With a less crowded roster, he would seem to be guaranteed an NHL spot in October, but instead, he may be an unwilling casualty of the crowded house. Hey, don't dream it's over? We like his game and his build (6-foot, 205 pounds) as a third-line center with some offensive upside, but he has thus far exceeded expectations over the past year. Broz's first professional campaign had somewhat misleading statistics because he spent the first part of his season adjusting to the league, and then later in the season, recovering from a difficult illness. In 59 AHL games, he had 19 goals and 18 assists. Broz has filthy mitts when he gets the space to use them, and we're not putting a limit on his potential. The ninth spot on this list seems too low, but the list is packed. We debated his inclusion because he was a sixth-round pick in 2019, but ultimately, he meets the rules of a prospect. He's under 25, still qualifies as an NHL rookie, and is yet unproved at the NHL level. Silovs, 24, is a big goalie who has sparkled in the biggest moments, first for Latvia in the 2023 World Championships, leading the undermanned team to the Bronze Medal game. He relieved injured Vancouver Canucks goalies Thatcher Demko and Casey DeSmith in the 2024 playoffs and led the team to a comeback series win over the Nashville Predators. Then, he pushed the vaunted Edmonton Oilers to seven games. To buttress his big game resume, he led the Abbotsford Canucks to the Calder Trophy championship last season and was the MVP. Silovs is 6-foot-4, 202 pounds and still full of potential, though some problems. His consistency has been the biggest problem, and in 10 NHL games last season, he posted only a .861 save percentage. He's still raw and needs some work, but Dubas said the Penguins can give him the 'runway' to figure it out. The Penguins traded back from the 12th overall draft slot to acquire the 22nd and 31st (before flipping the 31st spot and a second-round pick to get the 24th pick). With the 22nd pick, they nabbed strapping Zonnon from Rouyn-Noranda of the QMJHL. Zonnon, 18, is 6-foot-3, 190 pounds. He has some work to do on his skating, though his straight-line speed does not appear to be an issue. He's a strapping forward who doesn't mind going through defensemen if he can't go around them. He uses his size to win puck battles but also keep the puck; his strength on the puck was immediately obvious and confirmed scouting reports. There was a lot to like about his performance in the recent Penguins Development Camp. In fact, we project him to the NHL sooner than his two other first-round compadres. Last season, the Q couldn't stop him. He had 28 goals and 83 points in 64 games. Zonnon might be a center. He might be a power forward. With any luck, he could be the rarest combination of a power center. It's not out of the question that he's in the NHL by 2026-27. If the NHL roster wasn't already overcrowded, we wonder how close he would be to making it this year. While we like Zonnon to reach the NHL faster than Kindel, we're expecting bigger things from the Penguins' first-round pick, 11th overall, who projects as a second-line center. Kindel, 18, was not as highly ranked by the amateur scouting services. He was closer to 20, so we're giving the Penguins' staff the benefit of the doubt with this ranking. Kindel will need to improve his skating as well as continue to get stronger. His strengths are his hockey IQ and his shot. In 65 games with the Calgary Hitmen of the physical WHL, Kindel notched 99 points with 35 goals. The 5-foot-10, 176-pounder has a couple of years before his feet and body are ready for the NHL. He didn't have a good Development Camp, especially the scrimmage, but centers who can put up those numbers in the WHL should not be ignored. After all, what's a Development Camp? Kindel is a raw prospect with a bit more work to do than others selected around him, but the organization believes he has a higher ceiling. Given the physical growth necessary, sometime in the 2027-28 season seems to be the right projection. It has been a lightyear since we traveled to WBS and witnessed probably the worst game of his life in April of 2023. Pickering was an inch or two shorter then and probably 15 pounds lighter too. That night, he was the direct culprit for four goals against. That brutal game highlighted just how much work and how far the prospect had to go. Pickering, 21, was the Penguins' first-round pick in 2022 (21st overall) and got off to a rough start. Still growing like a weed, the team put him on an extensive diet and weight program, which probably contributed to a couple of summer injuries in the two years immediately after being drafted. However, the now 6-foot-5 (maybe 6), 200-pound defenseman should be ready for full-time duty in the NHL this season. In fact, he IS ready. He played 25 games with the club last season in his first professional campaign, but the organization sent him down to WBS after his play began to dip in January. The demotion was another acquiescence to winning at the NHL level rather than building, as Pickering was far from a significant problem on the otherwise porous blue line. In his NHL stint which included some top pairing time with Kris Letang, Pickering had three points (1-2-3). In 47 AHL games, he had 13 points (2-11-13). Offense won't be his game, but the interesting thing about Pickering is that he's a thinker. He absorbs information and is able to apply it quickly. His growth curve has been rapid, and how much better he is today than in April of 2023 is stunning. He's elevated his projections from a good third-pairing defenseman to a solid second-pair guy, perhaps even a shutdown defender with good skating and adequate puck moving. A bigger, heavier Marcus Pettersson-type willing to do some of the dirty work by the net and capable in all facets would be just fine. Pickering is a builder in the locker room. He builds community and brings the room together. Perhaps some of the veterans were a little taken aback by his floppy hair or jovial demeanor, but he very well might be the internal center point of the Penguins' next era. The post Top 25 Penguins Prospects, 6-10: Big Hopes, Big Needs, & Bigger Expectations appeared first on Pittsburgh Hockey Now.
Yahoo
20 minutes ago
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Top 25 Penguins Prospects, 16-20; A Big Goalie and Serious Depth
For the first time in Pittsburgh Penguins' recent history, there are enough prospects to fill an entire Prospects Tournament roster without calling upon college depth players, minor leaguers, and deep long shots. In fact, the PHN Top 25 Penguins prospect list started at No. 25 and has a handful of honorable mentions. Read No. 20-25 and honorable mention prospects here. As we get into the top 20 prospects, there are immediately a few names who are already on the NHL radar. In regard to building depth, Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas has done an extraordinary job of piling up the prospects. Whether or not he and his team, led by vice president of player personnel Wes Clark, have selected the right players in trade and draft is another matter. And sadly, hindsight and 'I told you so's' will be prevalent. However, the Penguins don't need 25 prospects to hit. They need a few handfuls to reach premium potential and a handful to reach their expected ceiling. Of course, 13 draft picks in the 2025 NHL Draft are a good start. From a sheer mathematics perspective, the team should hit on one or two surprises to offset the flops. Penguins Prospect Rankings, Nos. 16-20 D'Aigle, 18, is a large, athletic goalie working his way with a terrible team in the QMJHL. Even he admitted to PHN, 'When we win, I have to play a great game.' He has worked and trained with Penguins legend Marc-Andre Fleury, and he shares some traits, good and bad. His athleticism was immediately noticeable in the Development Camp. For a 6-foot-4, 202-pound goalie, he moves like a cat. Clark told the assembled media following the draft that 'Sir Jon Elkin,' the Penguins' organizational goalie coach, was very high on D'Aigle and no one argued. The Penguins selected D'Aigle in the third round. However, the left-catching goalie's game is a bit of a mess. His angles were well off during camp, and he gave up goals in drills and scrimmage that should have been easy saves had he been in position. Instead, he was too often a foot wide or a foot to the center, in both examples, leaving too much net for shooters. Yet he also made some highlight reel saves, too. If he puts it together, the Penguins have something special. He's this far down on the list because he has so much work to do, and it will take a few years, at least. The brief product of the Pens Elite program when he was 14 is back home. With family populating the Mt. Lebanon area, he's almost a hometown boy. Trethewey was with the Team USA National Development Team and will go to Boston University in the fall. He's an all-around defenseman whose stockiness will serve him well. At 6-foot-1, 200 pounds, he doesn't lack for size, but he will need to sharpen his skating and, as all young defensemen, get better at anticipation. He did not have a standout camp and played far too tentatively in the scrimmage. Perhaps he will evolve into a stay-home defender at the next level, or he just needs a bit more confidence to let both ends of his two-way game fly. It's not always easy coming home. Avery Hayes's younger brother, Hayes, 18, has spunk and tenacity, as well as a rough game that works in his favor. The Penguins' 2025 fifth-round pick has a good relationship with the puck. He controls it well from the middle of the ice, and it finds him when he doesn't have it. He had numerous pokes and chances near the net-front in the 4v4 Development Camp scrimmage. Despite the crowded low zone, the puck had eyes for him, and he knew how to find space. Perhaps the professional scouts will have better verbiage, but he showed that he could be a solid organization depth piece. He's a center now, but in the long run, he could potentially show up at PPG Paints Arena as a bottom-six winger. Peddle, 18, was one of the Penguins' 2025 third-round picks (91st overall). He's a 6-foot-3, 203-pound angry defenseman who isn't afraid to inflict a bruise … or three. Peddle isn't a standout performer, so his performance at the recent Development Camp was somewhat muted. He's a defensive zone defenseman who will play one more season at Waterloo of the USHL before heading to Michigan State for the 2026-27 season. Already the third right-handed defenseman on our list, Vaisanen is the quintessential under-the-radar, long-term project. He's 20 years old from Espoo, Finland, but has played only one season of junior hockey (in the USHL), followed by one season with the Penguins Central HQ: Michigan Tech. Vaisanen was the Penguins' sixth-round pick in 2024 and put up a healthy 26 points (4-22-26) in 42 games as a freshman. He seems to have a knack for being in the middle of the play–at Development Camp, when there was a nice little pass or a big play, Vaisanen was at the center of the action. There are a fair number of scouting reports on him, but they all report the same as we saw: He's got a unique game because he does so many things well, including jumping into the play offensively and taking away passing lanes in the defensive zone. If he weren't a sixth-rounder, he'd be pushing the Top 10. There's just a little something about Vaisanen that you should watch. The post Top 25 Penguins Prospects, 16-20; A Big Goalie and Serious Depth appeared first on Pittsburgh Hockey Now.
Yahoo
21 minutes ago
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SURPRISE! Penguins Go Off Board, Take Benjamin Kindel; Full Analysis
The Pittsburgh Penguins didn't appear to be in line to get a center with the 11th overall pick. Jake O'Brien and Roger McQueen were snagged in the picks preceding the Penguins' selection. And then the Penguins pulled off the first surprise of the 2025 NHL Draft when they went off board and selected spunky two-way center Benjamin Kindel, who plays junior hockey with the Calgary Hitmen of the WHL. The word most scouts use regarding Kindel is 'competitive,' but also undersized. Kindell is 5-foot-10, 176 pounds. Strength is something he needs to improve, as well as puck managment, as he averaged nearly six turnovers per game. However, skating is a strength. Kindel is a two-way center who filled the net this season, scoring 35 goals and 99 points. In addition to a high-intensity game, scouts also liked his hockey sense, speed, and anticipation. The analytics crowd quickly lauded the pick, including ESPN commentator Megan Chayka, who said analytics showed it 'was the right pick.' To wit, Kindel has a high ratio of passes that create Grade A scoring chances (1.91) according to Neutral Zone Scouting. However, he was not rated above 20 by most scouting services. The Penguins also traded out of the 12th overall pick, swapping picks 22 and 31 with the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for the 12th overall. The story is breaking, and PHN will update the story with quotes and reaction from the Penguins and Kindel. Below is the scouting and analysis video from Matt Meagher for Pittsburgh Hockey Now: The post SURPRISE! Penguins Go Off Board, Take Benjamin Kindel; Full Analysis appeared first on Pittsburgh Hockey Now.
