News Penguins Team Notes

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Pensburgh Top 25 Under 25: No. 16 – Tristan Broz

The 2025 version of our Pensburgh Top 25 Under 25 countdown list rolls on with a look at a Ron Hextall-era draft pick, 2021 second-rounder, Tristan Broz.

Catch up on the previous entries for this year:

Pensburgh Top 25 Under 25: Graduates and Departed players in 2025
Top 25 Under 25: The best of the rest
No. 25: Quinn Beauchense
No. 24: Cruz Lucius
No. 23: Travis Hayes
No. 22: Brady Peddle
No. 21: Finn Harding
No. 20: Sam Poulin
No. 19: Joona Vaisanen
No. 18: Avery Hayes
No. 17: Tanner Howe

#16: Tristan Broz, C​

2024 Ranking: No. 9​

Age: 22 (Oct. 10, 2002)​

Acquired Via: 2021 NHL Draft (Round 2, Pick 58)​

Height/Weight: 6-foot, 205 pounds​

Elite Prospects resume:

The highest draft pick from the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 2021 draft class, Tristan Broz got his first real taste of professional hockey last season with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins after appearing in two playoff games for the club at the tail end of the 2023-24 season.

Broz’s acceleration in his development can be traced back to his transfer from the University of Minnesota to the University of Denver in 2022.

After putting up only 11 points in 36 games with the Golden Gophers, Broz found a renewed role with the Pioneers. By his junior year, he had career highs with 16 goals and 24 assists over 43 games while helping Denver capture its 10th NCAA championship.

Broz was front and center for that championship-winning Pioneers squad, also netting two overtime goals in the NCAA tournament.

Fast forward to the 2024 Prospects Challenge, and Kirk MacDonald, the Penguins’ AHL coach, singled out Broz for the improvements to his game.

“He attacked with a lot of pace and speed,” coach MacDonald said at the time. [He] and Koivu were great together and made a lot of plays. Great job finding some space, like on that first goal, finding that weak‑side dot for that seam.”

This time last year, PensBurgh was also profiling Broz’s ascent from lowly freshman to key contributor on a championship team. We didn’t know then what we know now about Broz’s first professional season (more on that below), but Broz has continued to ride an upward wave of momentum to this very day.

Described as a fierce competitor, Broz’s 200-foot game and leadership, traits that earned him acclaim with the Pioneers, almost immediately carried over when Broz joined the AHL.

Broz’s start to last season saw him record 12 goals in his first 27 games, along with seven assists. For his play, he also found himself in a top-six role, often sharing the ice with fellow prospect Rutger McGroarty.

However, entering 2025, Broz was shut down with a rough case of mononucleosis (commonly shorthanded to mono), causing him to miss nearly six weeks of game action.

WELCOME BACK TRISTAN BROZ pic.twitter.com/FVzsQNF0JL

— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) February 8, 2025

Speaking last season about the adjustment he had to make from college to the professional ranks, Broz, like many young players, noticed how big a change it was to play games on a more frequent basis, while also discussing the changes in styles of play.

“The schedule, for one, you, obviously, play a lot more games than you do in college,” Broz said. “Then I would say the style of play is a lot more possession-based. In college, you rarely see teams take (the puck) back and organize controlled breakouts.”

Broz ended up as one of the Penguins’ leading goal-scorers, notching 19 goals in 59 regular-season games played. He was also second on the team with six power-play goals, second to Valterri Puustinen’s seven power-play tallies.

GOAL. Tristan Broz. 4-2 #WBSPens.

Sam Poulin & Rutger McGroarty with a relentless forecheck, and it leads to a clearout by Belleville and quick passing to get the puck right back on the attack.

Poulin centers for Broz for his 16th of the season. @InsideAHLHockey pic.twitter.com/FsGbnhp5RV

— Tony Androckitis* (@TonyAndrock) March 9, 2025

In the postseason, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton was eliminated by the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, the AHL affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers, 2-0, in a best-of-three first-round playoff series. Broz led the team in scoring during that brief appearance, with one goal and two assists in the two games that were played.

Tristan Broz might have had his season interrupted by Mono, but he still finished his rookie year as one of the most productive members of the Penguins pic.twitter.com/Br9X26bq7T

— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) July 24, 2025

Speaking during the 2025 Prospects Challenge, Coach MacDonald was impressed with how Broz battled through adversity last season and completed his first pro season on such a high note.

“I thought he did a great job. He was playing outstanding there, and then he got mono, and it just obviously derailed him a little bit. It’s just tough. Sometimes you get an injury or something, and at least you can do something, like you can do some sort of training, and for basically three weeks, I don’t think he could do any physical activity. So, he basically started from square one again. I thought he did a good job getting himself back and going by the end of the year. He actually did play really well in the playoffs; I thought competed hard, scored a big full goal for us. I think he’s going to be a huge year for us. I think, like, a big thing to remember, is he only played center, basically, for a year and a half. And he’s done a great job with it. His reads are really good. I think he’s going to take a bigger role in our penalty kill, assuming he’s with us. I know he’s coming here with the goal to play [in Pittsburgh], but from that standpoint, I think like there’s opportunity for him to have a big role this year and then knock on the door, ’cause I really thought, before he got mono, he was he was gonna play [in Pittsburgh].”

It’s been a quick, if unexpected, ascent for the Minnesota native. Perhaps everything has “clicked” for the 22-year-old forward.

In any case, Broz figures to see more ice time at the AHL level this season to perhaps put the finishing touches on his development. A call-up to the NHL club can’t be ruled out during the upcoming season, either.

Broz may turn out to be another example to show that a player’s development is never a straight line.

If the goal-scoring ability translates to the NHL level, we may have a conversation down the road about him entrenching himself in a top-six role.

However, suppose he makes it to the NHL on a more permanent basis. In that case, envisioning Broz as a middle‑six forward with two‑way responsibility and secondary scoring upside may be the safer bet to make.

Given the trajectory of Broz’s development from 2021 to August 2025, we may look back at Tristan Broz as one of the few success stories of the otherwise forgettable Ron Hextall era.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/top-25-un...der-25-no-16-tristan-broz-penguins-nhl-hockey

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

PensBurgh Top-25 under 25: No. 14 Mikhail Ilyin

The 2025 version of our Pensburgh Top-25 Under 25 countdown list rolls on with a look at a prospect from Kyle Dubas’ first draft class with the Pittsburgh Penguins, defenseman Emil Pieniniemi.

Catch up on the previous entries for this year:

Pensburgh Top 25 Under 25: Graduates and Departed players in 2025
Top 25 Under 25: The best of the rest
No. 25: Quinn Beauchense
No. 24: Cruz Lucius
No. 23: Travis Hayes
No. 22: Brady Peddle
No. 21: Finn Harding
No. 20: Sam Poulin
No. 19: Joona Vaisanen
No. 18: Avery Hayes
No. 17: Tanner Howe
No. 16: Tristan Broz
No. 15: Emil Pieniniemi

#14: Mikhail Ilyin, LW/RW​

2024 Ranking: No. 11
Age: 20 (Feb. 15, 2005)
Acquired Via: 2023 NHL Draft (Round 5, Pick 142)​

Height/Weight: 6-foot-0, 181 pounds​

Elite Prospects resume:

Mikhail Ilyin is one of the more intriguing prospects that the Penguins have, and most importantly they now have him under contract.

Ilyin signed with Pittsburgh — though he is expected to be loaned back to the KHL for 2025-26.

Ilyin has seen a great role with Severstal, which isn’t always the case for young players in the KHL that often are relegated to extreme fringes of the lineup. He was able to improve his assists (23) and points (30) totals from last season as an extremely young player in the league. He’s one of a very select number of players to manage 50+ career KHL points as a teenager (having turned 20 in February of last season).

It’s easy and fun to see why on the highlights; Ilyin is a forward dripping with skill and a heady approach to the game. Everyone looks good on a highlight reel but Ilyin is a highlight reel creator. His playmaking ability and preference to pass is evident from his raw scoresheet and also reflected in most of the highlights. As you’ll see in the last one, even when falling and going out of the play he’s still got the wherewithal to keep at.

Mikhail Ilyin scored a goal this morning in the win over Yekaterinburg.

This is a typical Ilyin goal, smart decision with the puck, look for the extra pass, and puts it in the net when he needs to.

He has 4 pts (2G,2A) in his last 5 games.#LetsGoPens pic.twitter.com/2njM0m99Qv

— Pens Prospects (@pensprospects_) February 22, 2025

Mikhail Ilyin hits 30 points on the season! He wins a battle on the forecheck, uses his body, and delivers a perfect pass to set up the goal. Hard work pays off. pic.twitter.com/sZn7paRHj7

— Pens Prospects (@pensprospects_) March 20, 2025

Mikhail Ilyin makes it look easy! Controls the puck with his skate, uses his long reach to slip around the goalie, and slides it in for his 7th of the year. #LetsGoPens pic.twitter.com/wwIFviCDlM

— Pens Prospects (@pensprospects_) March 13, 2025

BEST ASSIST OF THE SEASON — #99 MIKHAIL ILYIN pic.twitter.com/ui0ctiSipL

— KHL (@khl_eng) September 14, 2024

“He had took a bit of a step last year, which is great” Pens assistant GM Jason Spezza said at last month’s prospect camp. “He’s going to go back to the KHL again next year, but we have him under contract now so we anticipate the year following that he’ll come. I think with Mikhail just to get him here, and for him to kind of feel the environment is really important. So it’s great that he’s been able to make it and he’s playing pro over there, so I think he’ll learn from what he has here and then go over there and have another good year and get him over [here].”

Pittsburgh’s Director of Player Development Tom Kostopolous largely echoed Spezza’s comments at the same venue.

“It was great to get to know him and I think it was really good for him to be around the other players and the players were great with him. So you can see he makes some really head plays out there, just like a couple plays where he didn’t touch the puck and left it for someone and some really nice passes. The skating is the biggest area that needs to come. I think he can get stronger and really work on that skating. He has habits of slowing, plays down because he’s so intelligent and we want him to play a bit faster.“

Ilyin wasn’t completely satisfied with his season, as he relayed to the Tribune Review:

“It wasn’t a bad season,” Ilyin said. “But (there’s) always something to grow (on). I can see myself with something to grow and have a better season.”

Ilyin was also on board with Kostopolous’s assessment of where he needs to improve.

“My best (attribute) is I.Q,” Ilyin said. “I can see the ice. The (area) that I’ve got to definitely work on is speed. Skating.”

The pace of the game in the smaller North American rinks will definitely present a learning curve for Ilyin in the years to come. He got a sample of that earlier this summer, his first time in Pittsburgh and being able to participate in drills and scrimmages with his fellow Penguin prospects.

It was an eye opening experience, at times Ilyin was limited to the perimeter. There were occasions where the physicality and brand of hockey that is played on NHL rinks was new to him and wiped him out of plays.

But the puck skills were also there. Whether it was the subtle passes, or finishing a shot between his legs when he was too tight to the goal to do anything else — this is something of a daring player who has a lot of ability and also knows how to use it with the puck in the offensive zone.

For now, the waiting and patience will be in store for Ilyin and the Pens. He’ll be back in Russia again next season for one more year and able to take the lessons he’s learned and garner personal improvements with his speed and skating now that he’s seen firsthand what it’s going to take to compete.

From there, Ilyin should be coming to America for good full time for the 2026-27 season as a 21-year old. Like most players that young he will likely need some AHL seasoning to fully gain the experience necessary to challenge for an NHL job.

Ilyin could be a boom or bust type of prospect — he’s not likely to help out defensively or fill a lower line role in the NHL. But the Penguins don’t have many players in their system who could credibly be seen in the future as featuring on an NHL power play. Ilyin breaks the mold there, he has the skills and ability in the slower 5v4 setting to potentially be a player with a future as a point-producing specialist.

Therein lies the intrigue, it’s not too often that fifth round picks have legitimate high-end puck skills and real promise to potentially make the impact that Ilyin could offer. There’s a lot of work still to come and an awful lot needed to learn and grow in the years ahead, but this is certainly a prospect worth following in his journey here at the very beginning of it.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/pittsburg...pensburgh-top-25-under-25-no-14-mikhail-ilyin

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Rumor round up for what little is going on

The dog days of summer are in full effect, where apparently all the NHL managers decided to all cut out to their cottages way before normal this time around. There hasn’t been a trade made across the whole league in almost a month.

Let’s make some chicken salad and touch base on what little has been out there semi-recently. It’s probably a fool’s errand to attempt to keep up with the rumor mill now anyways — Kyle Dubas trades have had the tendency to come out of left field and be worked with teams that weren’t always expected or foreshadowed by media reports, but at this time of year you can’t be too choosy for NHL news and notes.

Josh Yohe: Re Rust and Rakell: I wonder what you can get in return; Kyle Dubas wants NHL ready players more than anything; what he wants are 22 year old guys that can play right now – Athletic Hockey Show (8/6)

— NHL Rumour Report (@NHLRumourReport) August 7, 2025

Resolution in the cases of Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell is still being sought. The team probably won’t want to have the veterans feeling like they’re waiting for the other shoe to drop all year with a trade, it would be best for all to get things sorted out. The return will be a key sticking point. Getting a couple of late first round picks doesn’t always work out — seriously, San Jose has nothing to show in their lineup for trading Tomas Hertl, Nashville has nothing currently to show for dealing Mattias Ekholm more than two years ago. Even Chicago now 3+ years after trading Brandon Hagel away are still waiting for any part of that return to permanently settle into their lineup. It usually takes somewhere around forever (and sometimes never) for picks received for players to turn into NHL help.

Getting a young, talented player for Rust or Rakell would be the best case scenario for Dubas and the Pens. There isn’t as much uncertainty, and obviously the timeline of getting an impact made in the NHL is so much quicker. On the flip side of the coin, the other team involved in trade talks aren’t going to be eager to send away top young players that should be able to crack the big leagues soon. That’s probably a lot of the current impasse that exists, as Pittsburgh looks to see if one of the suitors will blink and offer up the type of package with the kind of assets that they want.

Josh Yohe: Re Tristan Jarry: I'd still say there's a 75%-80% chance he's on this team on opening night; they're certainly willing to move him; I haven't heard of any teams being interested – Athletic Hockey Show (8/6

— NHL Rumour Report (@NHLRumourReport) August 6, 2025

It can be dangerous to speak in absolutes, but I’m honestly surprised that’s not even higher. Gotta be like 85-90% odds that Jarry is with the Penguins to start next season. All the goaltending chairs have been filled around the league. If you’re a team like Edmonton that needs consistency and steady play, getting a guy who had the opposite of those traits last year and carries a big-for-a-goalie contract for three years isn’t going to be the play. At least coming into the year.

Josh Yohe: Even though it's not official, this is Evgeni Malkin's farewell tour – Athletic Hockey Show (8/6)

— NHL Rumour Report (@NHLRumourReport) August 6, 2025

Probably to be expected and a needless reminder to enjoy the ride this year. Here’s to hoping that Malkin can stay healthy, have fun and provide a few more moments. That game against Buffalo last year was one of the more fun games in perhaps the whole Crosby/Malkin era.

Elliotte Friedman: Re Lemieux ownership group interest in Penguins: They're well below what Fenway would want to be the number; the Lightning sold for $1.8B, I gotta think that's where the Penguins would wanna be – 32 Thoughts Podcast (8/3)

— NHL Rumour Report (@NHLRumourReport) August 6, 2025

Somewhat older of a nugget at this point for a one week old piece of news, but some may not have seen it and we can close the loop on this. Even though it’ll probably pop up in the media at some point — since news or reports or mentioning of Mario Lemieux making yet another one of his classic comebacks will always draw attention.

But the tl’dr version of the story, if you haven’t kept up or think you might have missed some twist or turn seems to be:

1. news comes out that Fenway Sports is interested in selling a small minority percentage of the Penguins to raise capital (common ownership strategy)
2. rumblings exist that Lemieux, Ron Burkle and David Morehouse want to talk about buying back a majority stake in the Penguins
3. FSG comes out and says they aren’t interested in selling a majority stake
4. Turns out the Lemieux offer or proposal is close to what they received for selling (slightly over that$900m), but franchise values make the Pens worth about double of that

Could there be some sort of middle ground? First of all, the NHL reportedly wants $2 billion for the next expansion franchise — which means there is no way they can allow an existing franchise (especially one with a little bit of prestige, and a good arena situation like the Penguins) to sell for about half of that.

Just spitballing here, but what about a middle ground where the Lemieux Group spends that billy but gets a 51-60% stake in the Pens. FSG wins because they get all their money back, and still have a huge chunk of equity in an NHL team where franchise values are going up, up, up. It might not be the best arrangement for someone like Burkle (who would be buying back a partial amount of an asset for a much increased price than what he literally just sold the same property for — usually not a winning strategy or how billionaires operate) but hey, if they want in it’s going to take a lot more than what’s out there so far.

Of course, a deal so complex isn’t going to be solved in a short paragraph and the status quo will likely remain for a while longer. But until FSG is able to go through with completing a partial sale, the specter of Lemieux will always be out there somewhere in the minds of many..

Josh Yohe: Re Rust and Rakell: Are they even on this team when Oct 7 rolls around? I'm not so sure they will be; I think there's a real chance at least one of them is gone before then – Athletic Hockey Show (8/6)

— NHL Rumour Report (@NHLRumourReport) August 9, 2025

Motion to have it happen soon then? We could all use the activity at this point of the summer.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/news/66361/rumor-round-up-for-what-little-is-going-on

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

PensBurgh Top-25 Under 25: No. 13 Peyton Kettles

Size was a priority for the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2025 NHL Draft and they will be getting that in abundance with second round selection Peyton Kettles who makes his debut in our countdown.

Catch up on the previous entries for this year:

Pensburgh Top 25 Under 25: Graduates and Departed players in 2025
Top 25 Under 25: The best of the rest
No. 25: Quinn Beauchense
No. 24: Cruz Lucius
No. 23: Travis Hayes
No. 22: Brady Peddle
No. 21: Finn Harding
No. 20: Sam Poulin
No. 19: Joona Vaisanen
No. 18: Avery Hayes
No. 17: Tanner Howe
No. 16: Tristan Broz
No. 15: Emil Pieniniemi
No. 14: Mikhail Ilyin

#13: Peyton Kettles, D​

2024 Ranking: NR​

Age: 17 (September 1, 2007)​

Acquired Via: 2025 NHL Draft. 2nd Round, 39th Overall​

Height/Weight: 6-foot-6, 194 pounds​

Elite Prospects resume:

When Kyle Dubas stated that his goal for the Pittsburgh Penguins was to help them get bigger, you have to imagine a player like Peyton Kettles is who he was envisioning. Standing at 6’ 6” and 194 pounds, Kettles is a monster who could be roaming the Penguins blue line for seasons to come if he pans out in the long run. Still only 17 years old when his name was called at the draft, Kettles has a long road to the NHL, but his size and skills make for the type of player who can pay off in a big way.

Following the selection of Kettles at No. 39 in the 2025 NHL Draft, Vice President of Player Personnel Wes Clark gave a quick summation of what they saw in Kettles and what led them to selecting him in the second round.

Per the Penguins:

Wes Clark’s take: “Extremely young for the draft class. 6-6. Right shot. Elite defensive stick. Super competitive. Tough. He checks a lot of boxes [as we are] trying to improve certain qualities on the back end here with the depth we have in the prospects.”

Kettles was one of nine skaters the Penguins took in this year’s draft that measured in at over six feet, but at just 194 pounds, the Penguins will be hoping the big defenseman starts adding some weight to help him better measure up against some of the other prospects taken alongside him in this class.

One particular note to point out regarding Kettles is something Clark mentioned as well, Kettles is very young for his draft class, not turning 18 until September 1st, over two months after he was drafted back in June. That difference in age may make his development curve look a bit different than others in this class.

His young age clearly wasn’t a turn off for the Penguins, who made a trade with the Buffalo Sabres to acquire the pick used to take Kettles. In the deal, the Penguins shipped out Conor Timmins and Isaac Belliveau and had to eat the contract of Connor Clifton to make the deal happen.

Per Trib Live:

“It’s obviously a big thing when you trade up for a pick in the draft,” Kettles said. “I’m just trying to work as hard as I can to live up to that and see where that takes me. Happy that they traded for that pick.”

“Don’t want anybody to come to my corner,” Kettles said. “Want (them) to be scared to play against me. … Just always be physical, always be in guys’ faces.

“I try to be as physical as I can during games on other top players.”

Last week, Jesse Marshall penned a detailed scouting report of Kettles over at his personal website Faceoff-Factor. Marshall went deep on the Penguins new blue line prospect, highlighting his strengths while touching on the areas Kettles will need to improve through his development process. Jesse included an extensive highlight package in the report which you can watch below.

From Jesse Marshall at Faceoff-Factor:

The first thing that jumps out about Peyton Kettles is his imposing figure. At 6’5” and almost 200 pounds, Kettles commands a large swath of the ice in front of him courtesy of his wingspan and long reach. I think defensive-minded is the correct category for Kettles, but this isn’t your prototypical “stay-at-home and don’t touch the puck” style of defensive defenseman. Kettles can skate well in both directions, exhibits a lot of raw talent, is comfortable with the puck on his stick, and was one of the youngest defensemen in the WHL last year, courtesy of his late birthday.

We should probably begin with that rawness. For me, it sort of defines the Kettles’ viewing experience. This is a player with a professional future, but he’s so young and so raw that it’s hard to predict what route that’s going to take and what it’ll look like two to three years from now. You’re often left wanting a bit more from him. I’d use the word initiative; I think he’s becoming more comfortable in his minutes and role designation, and you’re starting to see that in the form of increased confidence in his first decision as well as an uptick in physicality.

…

I’ve said his skating is sound, and I’ll stand by that. He’s arguably better backwards than he is forwards as far as agility is concerned. What he lacks is a discernible sense of “pop,” or explosiveness, in his stride. He’s agile, can cut and edge well for how big he is, and his top speed is probably a touch underrated. You’d almost expect him to look a little bit clumsy given his size, but I never see that from him; he’s excellent on his feet. Where the explosiveness affects him most is in tight spaces. He lacks that explosive edgework needed to make effective transitions or recoveries after he stops moving.

…

The one thing I want to see from Kettles is initiative. When he is engaged and playing proactively rather than passively, he can tip the game over on its head. This involves using his size, which is something I find myself yearning for him to do more of when watching his performances. His gap control and physical engagement wax and wane throughout a game, and I chalk that up to how young he is right now. As he matures, I expect we’ll see more proactive attacks from him in all three zones.

…

Overall, it’s tough for me to watch Kettles and not think of Brian Dumoulin. That’s a real stretch goal here, and while I don’t believe Kettles has a ceiling that’s relatively as high as the top pairing guy, Dumoulin was, the play styles have a lot of similarities. I look at Kettles as a defense-first guy who isn’t afraid to carry the puck and doesn’t handle it like a grenade. I do think there’s upside to his point contribution totals, given how comfortable he is with the puck and his still-developing game sense.

Overall, I like Kettles a good bit. I do think there’s a value discussion to be had here. Kettles is quite obviously someone the Penguins coveted highly, but his consensus rankings had him in the 50+ range for most outlets. I think he’s going to grow into a strong bottom-pairing, jack-of-all-trades type of defenseman.

Here is the aforementioned highlight tape Jesse put together for this piece.

This season, Kettles will return to the Swift Current Broncos for his third go around in the Western Hockey League. Kettles will only turn 18 on September 1st so he has plenty of growth and development left while the Penguins have his rights secured.

With every passing season we will get a better understanding of the type of player Kettles will become as he advances through his development. The WHL lends itself to the kind of hockey where Kettles should be able to use his big frame to establish himself as a shutdown defenseman that is tested on a nightly basis by other good NHL prospect talent.

As with every prospect, it will be a wait and see approach with Kettles as he matures. His frame his big but he still needs to fill it out with a bit more weight. His young age puts him a little farther back on the development curve than many others in his draft class, but the Penguins clearly see something they like in the big blueliner.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/top-25-under-25/66330/pensburgh-top-25-under-25-no-13-peyton-kettles

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

The Penguins might fall back under .500 all-time next season

Missed this last week, but huge shoutout to reddit user Ugluk4242 for this outlook of the Penguins’ all-time performance. Inspired by the Buccos getting to (and eventually falling under) .500 on July 19th, they scoped out the Pens all-time performance.

This chart does well to visualize that it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows from the moment the team drafted Mario Lemieux in 1984. Pittsburgh was still outright bad for each of Lemieux’s first four seasons from 1984-88, before finally making the playoffs in 1989. Even that progress was not linear, the team missed the playoffs again in 1990 and weren’t considered an overwhelming favorite to win the Stanley Cup when they first did.

The 1990’s were a period of good times for the Pens, but then they gave just about it all back up in the early 2000’s. Of course, everything changed with the addition of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, sending the team on a rocketship, the team has an 862-531-174 record since Crosby joined the team in 2005).

However, that was barely enough to undo all the cumulative damage suffered to the record in the first 30ish years of the franchise. The Pens peaked with on 34 games above .500 in 2022, and since 2022 the team has been in decline. They will enter 2025-26 only six games above .500 for their cumulative franchise record.

Then again, each and every of the five times the Pens have won a Stanley Cup, they have had a record under .500. It looks like in the future that could sure be the case again, as the team is likely looking at slipping back under .500 and could be staying there for a bit.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/general/66375/the-penguins-might-fall-back-under-500-all-time-next-season

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Pensburgh Top 25 Under 25: No. 11 – Arturs Silovs

The 2025 version of our Pensburgh Top 25 Under 25 countdown list rolls on with a look at one of the newest and most intriguing acquisitions in goalie Arturs Silovs.

Catch up on the previous entries for this year:

Pensburgh Top 25 Under 25: Graduates and Departed players in 2025
Top 25 Under 25: The best of the rest
No. 25: Quinn Beauchense
No. 24: Cruz Lucius
No. 23: Travis Hayes
No. 22: Brady Peddle
No. 21: Finn Harding
No. 20: Sam Poulin
No. 19: Joona Vaisanen
No. 18: Avery Hayes
No. 17: Tanner Howe
No. 16: Tristan Broz
No. 15: Emil Pieniniemi
No. 14: Mikhail Ilyin
No. 13: Peyton Kettles
No. 12: Melvin Fernström

#11: Arturs Silovs, G​

2024 Ranking: N/A​

Age: 24 (March 22, 2001)​

Acquired Via: Trade with Vancouver Canucks on July 13, 2025​

Height/Weight: 6-foot-4, 203 pounds​

Elite Prospects resume:

Some will argue that the term ‘prospect’ can’t be used to describe a 24-year-old with 19 NHL regular-season games under his belt. However, with the parameters set forth by the rigorous testing we do here at PensBurgh to determine Top 25 Under 25 eligibility, the Latvian-born Arturs Silovs qualifies for this extensive list.

When the Pittsburgh Penguins acquired Silovs from the Vancouver Canucks last month, an eyebrow or two were raised.

First and foremost, it appeared on paper that the Penguins acquired Alex Nedeljkovic’s replacement after they traded him to the San Jose Sharks on July 1.

However, at just 24 with somehwat impressive—if shaky—stats at the NHL level, many began and still are wondering if Silovs will prove to be more of a replacement for the now-presumed starter, Tristan Jarry, whose on-ice struggles were well documented last season.

Silovs, coming off a dominant playoff run with the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks where he earned Calder Cup MVP honors, arrives in Pittsburgh with the arrow pointed up and perhaps untapped potential.

In 21 regular-season games with the Abbotsford Canucks last season, the goaltender went 14-5-2 with a .908 save percentage and 2.41 goals-against average. In the postseason, he compiled a 16-7 record with a 2.01 goals-against average and .931 save percentage.

His five shutouts in the playoffs were one shy of the AHL record in one playoff run, and he became just the fourth goaltender to be named the Playoff MVP, per a media release from the Penguins.

This pic of Arturs Silovs goes so hard

(via IG/arturssilovs1) pic.twitter.com/nZE0dSHIgI

— BarDown (@BarDown) June 24, 2025

Silovs was thrust into the spotlight during the first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs when injuries to Thatcher Demko and Casey DeSmith forced the then-23-year-old rookie into the net. He went on to earn a 4-3 win in Game 4, then made 28 saves to earn his first NHL shutout in a 1-0 series-clinching victory against the Nashville Predators in Game 6.

ARTURS SILOVS WITH ANOTHER RIDICULOUS SAVE pic.twitter.com/rVL9fEBwMm

— ESPN (@espn) May 21, 2024

His playoff shutout to clinch the series for Vancouver made him the youngest in franchise history to do so.

ARTURS SILOVS!!!

He makes a stop on a PENALTY SHOT with 35 seconds remaining in the game.

Good lord. #Canucks pic.twitter.com/3uiaK7HsDS

— Dave Hall (@davehall1289) April 24, 2025

His recent AHL statistics, combined with his penchant for raising his game, as seen in international play, including a notable performance for Latvia at the 2023 IIHF World Championship, understandably might have intrigued general manager Kyle Dubas, knowing Silvos might have been the odd man out given the Canucks’ goalie room.

“Arty is a young and extremely good goalie. He was just the MVP in the American League playoffs, outstanding. He’s played at the highest stage for Latvia and will be on their Olympic roster,” said Vancouver general manager Patrik Allvin before the trade. “We’ll see over the next couple of weeks if we carry the goalies to camp or if a decision is made prior to it.”

He brings athleticism and maturity, and at 6-foot-4, Silovs can use his hefty frame to his advantage. Several scouts believe he has the ceiling of a reliable NHL starter.

“You can tell [Director of Goaltending Ian Clark] has been working with him,” said then-head coach Rick Tocchet in a 2024 interview. “He’s not sliding all over the place. He’s not flopping; he is there for the second shot. You can tell. That is when you know the goalie is listening and you’ve got a mature goalie – when he is there for the second shot and he’s not out of the net.”

That’s not to say there aren’t kinks to work out, though.

As he spent more time in the NHL last season, his numbers dipped, earning a 3.65 GAA and .861 save percentage in 10 appearances, compiling a 2-6-1 record.

He had lost his previous four outings before a March 16 victory against the Blackhawks, during which he allowed 15 goals in that four-game stretch.

Silovs addressed how he’s had to adapt to the NHL game in that same 2024 feature.

“Shots are more accurate, have more speed, and overall, everything is more demanding. I am finding that extra depth, which I probably would not achieve without adding pressure.”

Arturs Silovs stopped 23 of 25 shots to collect the 4-2 victory in his AHL season debut. #Canucks pic.twitter.com/p45NIQw5vN

— Dave Hall (@davehall1289) November 11, 2024

“Your work ethic is important, but you have to understand what you’re working on because work ethic can’t really improve you if you aren’t led where to go,” Silvos said last year. The biggest thing is having a goal of what you are trying to achieve, and we call that an ideal goal or a picture of yourself.“

Since his acquisition, the Penguins’ brass has not outright said what the plans are for the goaltender, but with training camp a month away, we will soon get a clearer picture of how new head coach Dan Muse will deploy his netminders.

Pittsburgh now has a trio of promising young goalies in Silovs, Joel Blomqvist, and Sergei Murashov, and with the retool underway, if he plays his cards right, Silovs could find himself in a prominent position sooner than expected.

The tantalizing upside is there. Can Silovs put it all together with his new team?

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/top-25-un...er-25-no-11-arturs-silovs-penguins-nhl-hockey

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Catching up with the remaining active Penguin Stanley Cup champions

Chad Ruhwedel announced his retirement yesterday, sunsetting another career from the Stanley Cup era for the Penguins. Ruhwedel, 35, played 34 regular season games and six playoff games in 2016-17 — sadly just below the qualifications required to have his name etched on the Cup of 41 regular season games or one Stanley Cup Final game.

Despite not being etched on the Cup, many rightfully consider Ruhwedel a part of the Pens’ 2017 team. Anytime a champ retires it’s a sad thing and now going on a decade out from the last 2016 and 2017 championships in franchise history it’s time to take stock of who is left.

This article sticks out as one of the more fun to write, when I went and documented all the names on the Cup with the Penguins over the years.

A lot of those names have moved on, as is bound to happen with the passage of time. It’s been almost a decade, so a lot of change has to be expected, but boy the Pens today are almost a completely different organization from the top down. We can start at the top, the biggest off ice change for the team since 2017, of course, is the Lemieux Group ownership selling their stake to Fenway Sports.

The general manager, Jim Rutherford, is gone. The coach, Mike Sullivan, is now gone too. Two assistant GMs for the Pens in 2017 (Bill Guerin, Jason Botterill) are now running their own teams. One assistant coach (Rick Tocchet) has gone on to win the Jack Adams as a head coach. One player (Nick Bonino) is now an assistant coach. Several others like Matt Cullen, Trevor Daley, Chris Kunitz and Patric Hornqvist moved into post-playing development jobs with NHL teams.

Equipment manager Dana Heinze took a well-earned retirement in 2022. Fellow Penguin three-time, head trainer Chris Stewart stepped down after the 2023-24 season, ending an 18-year run with the Pens. Those two staff roles were key parts in what gives an organization a heart and soul in the day-to-day support to the players on the ground, their importance can’t be understated.

The key word being “almost”. Continuity remains in place with Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang being the constants. That might not last for much longer, but it’s already been a record-setting run for the trio as teammates as far as longevity.

Beyond the obvious Big Three, let’s check on the players listed on the Cup for where they’re at today:

Ian Cole, 36, has signed a one-year $2.8 million contract with Utah for 2025-26. Cole played for Utah last season, and this will be the first time since 2018-21 (Colorado) that he has been on the same team for two seasons in a row after bouncing around from Minnesota to Carolina to Tampa to Vancouver in the past few years.

Brian Dumoulin, 33, signed a three-year, $12 million ($4m cap hit) with Los Angeles this summer. Dumoulin left Pittsburgh following the 2022-23 season and signed a two-year contract with Seattle that saw him get traded twice during it (to Anaheim and later New Jersey).

Jake Guentzel, 30, cashed in with a massive seven-year, $63 million ($9m cap hit) with Tampa in 2024. Guentzel did exactly as expected and to his typical standards in his first year with the Lightning, scoring 41 goals and recording 80 points in 80 games last year.

Phil Kessel, 37, has not officially retired yet. Just sayin’. The NHL’s all-time leader in consecutive games played (iron man streak), Kessel hasn’t played in the NHL since the 2022-23 season. In true Phil fashion it would be hilarious if he never files the paperwork to admit his career is over.

Olli Maatta, 30, signed a three-year $10.5 million contract ($3.5m cap hit) with Utah. The lasting general perception among Pens’ fans seems to be that Maatta was washed at the end of his time with Pittsburgh in 2019, but he’s gotten his career quietly back on track after a successful run with the Red Wings from 2022-24. Detroit traded Maatta to Utah early last season, and they liked him well enough to re-sign for a while. With 761 career NHL games already, Maatta could be looking at a 1,000 game career.

Matt Murray, 31, signed a one-year contract worth $1.0 million with Seattle this summer. He’s likely third on their organizational depth chart but the Kraken have had to dig deep into their depth due to struggles – so as I’ve written before it’s not a bad spot for him. Murray’s career was stuck in neutral when he was traded by the Pens to Ottawa from 2020-22, but he was able to get back on track the past three seasons in the Toronto organization. It’s a far cry from being one of the better goalies in the league from 2016 to 2019 but it’s nice to see him still grinding.

Bryan Rust, 33, just set a career-high in goals (31) and points (65) last season. Few players have accomplished what he has for steady and quality play — and though he’s in the trade rumor mill he still has three years left on his contract and the Pens probably aren’t in too much of a hurry to send him out of the organization for as much as he’s meant to Crosby and the team at large.

Conor Sheary, 33, signed a PTO with the New York Rangers for the upcoming training camp. This could be a “last stand” type situation for Sheary, whose game has diminished greatly over the past few seasons. He terminated his lucrative contract with the Lightning for a better shot at the NHL and might not be looking to stay in the AHL at this point of his life and career.

That wraps up the remaining active players from the 2017 Cup team, now that Marc-Andre Fleury has retired. Going way back to 2009, Jordan Staal is the only other player who is still kicking around as a player.

With that, a congrats and best wishes to Ruhwedel in his future.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/10-years-...emaining-active-penguin-stanley-cup-champions

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Ryan Papaioannou named new head coach of the Wheeling Nailers

The Penguins have announced that Ryan Papaioannou has been named the new head coach of the Wheeling Nailers.

Papaioannou will be the 21st coach in Nailers history and comes to Pittsburgh after spending the last 17 seasons in the Alberta Junior Hockey League.

Ryan Papaioannou has been named the head coach of the @WheelingNailers.

Papaioannou will be the 21st head coach in Nailers history, joining the Penguins’ ECHL affiliate from the Brooks Bandits, where he has spent the last 17 seasons in the Alberta Junior Hockey League.

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) August 14, 2025

Papaioannou, 41, joined the Brooks Bandits organization in 2008 and was the team’s general manager and coach for 16 seasons.

During his time with the Bandits, Papaioannou led the team to nine league championships and during his 17 years with the organization, more than 150 players went on to play for NCAA programs, including Cale Maker.

Assistant coach Mitch Giguere and goaltending coach Karel Popper are expected to be part of Papaioannou’s coaching staff with the Nailers.

The Penguins say the Nailers’ full coaching staff will be announced prior to the start of the team’s training camp this fall.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/general/6...-named-new-head-coach-of-the-wheeling-nailers

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

What can the Penguins unlock with Justin Brazeau?

Justin Brazeau was the latest Penguin free agent signee to talk to the media in the summer, and this could be an interesting one to dive into a little bit.

6'6''. 227 pounds. Net-front menace.

Justin Brazeau is ready to make the Penguins harder to play against. Read more https://t.co/72rX2cwPhv

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) August 13, 2025

Brazeau commands attention with his 6’6”, 227 pound frame. There aren’t many human beings that large on skates.

Brazeau’s story to make it to this point is an interesting one of a path less traveled:

• Started out as a nothing NHL prospect in his draft years
• Blossomed with a 61 goal in 68 game season in his over-age season in the OHL in 2018-19
• Signed by Kyle Dubas to an AHL contract, scored 55 points in 57 games with ECHL Newfoundland in 2019-20
• Took a step back in his second pro year, advanced to AHL Toronto but only scored 4G+1A in 21 games
• Signed with AHL Providence to a contract in 2021, started off in ECHL and again did well (20 points in 18 games), promoted in-season to AHL and performed better with 31 points in 51 games
• Solid third pro season for AHL Providence in 2022-23 with 45 points in 67 games
• Great fourth pro season in 2023-24 that saw him score 37 points in 49 AHL games then sign an NHL contract and make NHL debut with Boston scoring seven points (5G+2A) in 19 games
• Full-time NHLer in 2024-25 for the first time, scored 10G+10A in 57 games with Boston, traded at deadline to Minnesota where things didn’t go as well
• Signed $3 million contract for two years ($1.5m annual) with Penguins in summer 2025

That’s quite the journey of growth and perseverance. You don’t see too many players out there make their NHL debut at age-26 like Brazeau did. He started from the bottom of the heap being undrafted and having to prove himself at each progressive level going up the ranks and found a way to do just that.

As always, confidence is key.

“With every game, every day in the NHL, I think my confidence has kind of started to build and grow, getting adjusted to the speed of the game and the timings and stuff like that,” Brazeau said. “So, I don’t think it’s any one thing in particular. I think it’s just kind of that confidence and knowing that you belong in this league and you can be a good player.”

He also gave a fairly accurate and honest self-scout on his game:

“I’m a really good player at establishing that net-front,” Brazeau said. “I’m not going to be flying through the neutral zone, making a ton of plays off the rush and stuff like that. I think I’m more of a simple player in that sense.

“But once we get in that zone, (it’s about) extending possessions off rebounds or winning battles off that initial forecheck and stuff. So, I think that’s something in my game that I do really well.”

That rings true for his Advanced Hockey Stats player cards:

As Brazeau says, he will use his body to forecheck and hit opponents. Speed and playing off the rush isn’t in his arsenal, given his skating limitations. But he can be effective down low and in front of the net. Surprisingly, Brazeau has demonstrated the ability to create some chance assists and high danger passes in his small sample too, which might be worth looking out for if he adds a little more playmaking than might be expected.

It’s been less than 100 games but Brazeau has had a nice impact on his team’s offense and defense so far. It’s interesting for a player that battles a lot, taking penalties has not been a big problem for Brazeau – he’s got only 20 PIMs in his 97 career games, which is another good sign that his temper won’t get out of check to unnecessarily put his team on the penalty kill.

Another important thread in the story is that Brazeau got his first pro opportunity from Kyle Dubas back in 2019, and now six years later Dubas has given him a nice payday and two-year contract. It’s certainly no surprise that Dubas would reach back to the past to re-acquaint himself with a past connection, but it is notable that Brazeau didn’t take off with Toronto’s organization and really only shifted into the next gear once he left as a free agent to join Boston. Dubas never stopped noticing, and surely this time around will be hoping things go a little better for the two while together the second time around.

Brazeau’s addition to the Penguins creates an interesting challenge for new coach Dan Muse. Brazeau can struggle keeping up with the pace of play, which can also be said at this point about fellow fourth line candidates Kevin Hayes and Noel Acciari. Can the Pens afford to have even two of those players on the same line? Or even in the lineup at all, since they could bring down the overall team speed on multiple lines if split? That’s an interesting quandary.

The Pens have a hodgepodge of lower line options at the moment; Blake Lizotte figures to continue on as a capable and competent fourth line. Can Brazeau fit with Lizotte and someone like Connor Dewar or even Philip Tomasino on the fourth line? Does a veteran like Hayes, Acciari or Danton Heinen get shoehorned into the mix to see how it goes? There are no shortage of options, even if the team does end up making a trade to clear out a skilled forward from the top of the lineup that decision isn’t going to impact these players too much. Of course, the fact of adding Brazeau could also be a bad omen for the future of players like Hayes, Acciari and Heinen in Pittsburgh in terms of pure roster space. There’s only so many slots to fill.

Another possibility might be trying Brazeau up a line to open up space for someone like Tommy Novak to work with. Add in a youngster with some skill like Tomasino, Rutger McGroarty or Ville Koivunen and there could be a fun experiment to tinker with there for a lower line that probably won’t be seeing much in the way of the top caliber defensive opponents who will be resting on the bench to matchup against the Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin lines.

Where and how Brazeau fits within the Penguins will be an interesting little storyline to follow. His impact won’t be as massive as his 6’6” stature, but this is a player coming of an 11-goal season who has shown an ability to make incremental gains and improvements in his game just about every season. The Pens, probably by design, haven’t swung for the fences for drastic upgrades but a lowkey add of Brazeau will be one that could shape their season.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/news/66527/what-can-the-penguins-unlock-with-justin-brazeau