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[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Penguins add forward and defenseman in Round 5 of 2025 NHL Draft

Photo by Dennis Pajot/Getty Images

Recapping the fifth round picks of the Penguins

The Pittsburgh Penguins made two draft picks in the fifth round of the 2025 NHL Entry draft. With their first pick of the round (130th) overall the Pens added forward Ryan Miller out of Portland of the WHL. On their next turn (148th) Pittsburgh selected defender Quinn Beauchesne from Guelph of the OH.

Miller projects as a hard-working center/left wing.

Welcome to Pittsburgh, Ryan Miller! pic.twitter.com/PiYOlqxz7A

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) June 28, 2025​

Ryan Miller is the newest member of the Pittsburgh Penguins! pic.twitter.com/ojS7yS56Pv

— Elite Prospects (@eliteprospects) June 28, 2025​

Miller was ranked 60th by Central Scouting among North American skaters

EliteProspects 2025 NHL Draft Guide

Along the walls, Miller is one of the best. He gets low to absorb contact, throws reverse hits, and intercepts opponents with his back. Never deterred, he sticks with every play and completes some incredible moves to pull the puck off the wall while fighting an opponent or two. After that, he goes hard to the net, wins positioning, and creates traffic, and he’s always involved defensively.

Dobber Hockey really liked Miller, they ranked him as their 66th best overall prospect. (Ironically one of Pittsburgh’s first round picks, Will Horcoff checked in at 67). That’s one of those funny quirks unique to the NHL draft process where one source’s 66th overall prospect gets taken 130th overall in the real draft and their 67th prospect gets picked 24th overall. That type of discrepancy happens all the time in hockey where players are drafted so long and observers have different ideas of upside and value certain attributes more or less than others.

An industrious forward who skates and handles the puck very well, Miller’s shift-to-shift consistency demonstrated that he can be a dependable playoff performer.—Luke Sweeney

Beauchesne was highly thought of by Dobber too, checking in at 68. NHL Central Scouting had him ranked 75th among North American skaters and the Pens stepped up and took him off the board at 148th overall to put yet another right shot defender in their organization.

Beauchesne is an elite skater with aggressive, high-tempo play who excels at closing gaps, disrupting rushes, and setting the game’s pace. While he needs physical growth and could use some polish in his shift-to-shift execution, his mindset, mobility, and two-way upside make him a potential late steal with breakout potential.—David Saad

The Pittsburgh Penguins draft Quinn Beauchesne 148th overall! pic.twitter.com/c56FuKBEW8

— Elite Prospects (@eliteprospects) June 28, 2025​

EliteProspects 2025 NHL Draft Guide

A high-end skater, Beauchesne jumps from spot to spot in the offensive zone. He catches passes at the point, rifles them on net, pinches on loose pucks on the walls, prevents breakouts, moves passes to teammates in the slot, reclaims space across the ice, goes down for a backdoor play, and climbs back up. His feet never stop moving.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/6/28...f-2025-nhl-draft-quinn-beauchesne-ryan-miller

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

2025 NHL Draft: Penguins add two forwards in last two rounds

Photo by Juan Ocampo/NHLI via Getty Images

Wrapping up the tail end of the draft

The Penguins closed out a very active 2025 NHL draft with one pick in each of the sixth and seventh rounds to make up the 12th and 13th players that they selected over the weekend.

The choices ended up being a pair of forwards, Pittsburgh drafted Carter Sanderson out of the USHL at 169th overall and then grabbed Kale Dach out of the BCHL with their final pick at 201.

Sanderson made history as the first person from South Dakota to be drafted in the NHL. He’ll go across state lines to play at the University of North Dakota for the 2026-27 season.

F Carter Sanderson, 6th round (169th overall):

"Our area scout Brandon Dennis was super passionate about him. Super, super competitive. Type of kid that may not show up on the stat sheet just yet. Extremely young, too, for the draft class. First year in the USHL, wins the…

— Pens Inside Scoop (@PensInsideScoop) June 28, 2025​

Dach is also a NCAA commit at nearby Penn State for 2026-27. Dach was very productive in the BCHL, which gives him a fairly nice profile for a seventh round pick. Pittsburgh will sure to be keeping a close eye on Dach next season he’s set to join first round pick Ben Kindel with the Calgary Hitmen of the WHL before Dach makes it over to Happy Valley in 2026.

Pittsburgh selected Kale Dach 201st overall. I ranked him 61st.

The BCHL is not a very good hcokey league, but even still, scoring over 1.5 points per game is decent. For a player drafted in the 7th round, you could do a whole lot worse. https://t.co/asD26S0oC6 pic.twitter.com/i8HtCU2eWD

— Patrick Bacon (@TopDownHockey) June 28, 2025​

The Pittsburgh Penguins have selected Kale Dach at 201st overall. I ranked him #28.

Out of the BCHL guys who produced crazy this year, Dach was the one that scouts liked the most. I really like this pick for the Pens.#LetsGoPens pic.twitter.com/YbF2eUn2pf

— Nick (@nickiacoban) June 28, 2025​

F Kale Dach, 7th round (201st overall):

"He played in Sherwood Park, BCHL. He's actually going to join Calgary, we believe, next year. Play with Ben (Kindel), and then go to Penn State. Area scouts had a lot of time for him where he was. I think he had 87 points this past year.…

— Pens Inside Scoop (@PensInsideScoop) June 28, 2025​

Despite hailing from Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta — just like Kirby Dach and Colton Dach, they are of no relation to Kale Dach, believe it or not. But Kale hopes to join them in the NHL one day just the same.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/6/28...-penguins-add-two-forwards-in-last-two-rounds

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

2025 NHL Draft: Reactions to the Penguins stocking up the cabinets in a big way

Photo by Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images

How did the Penguins do?

The 2025 NHL draft is done, and what a 24 hours it was for the Penguins! Pittsburgh ended up making three first round picks, a handful of trades and 13 selections. It was a flurry of activity for the team and stocks them up for the future.

Some Sunday thoughts on the event, in fast-paced bullet form.

• The sheer number of picks was a doozy for the Pens. Pittsburgh had only made between 4-6 picks each year from 2013-24. Taking 13 players this year more than doubles the typical yield. The Pens hadn’t drafted 10+ players since 1994.
• The quality was high too, the Pens had four picks in the top-40 and seven in the top-100. Pittsburgh made four top-40 picks in 2013-24 - combined! Matching the quality (via pick area, at least) of the last 12 drafts in totality is mind boggling. That’s a crazy swing towards building through draft picks once again.
• Dubas definitely did things his way with this draft. All three first round picks in Ben Kindel, Bill Zonnon and Will Horcoff were picked by the Pens at least a few spots earlier than expected. Time will tell if the Pens’ were right in valuing the players that they went with.
• The “what could have been” factor will be highly-tracked in the years to come, being as the New York Islanders ended up with both Kashawn Aitcheson and Victor Eklund. Not many would have blinked if the Pens had made those two their own first round picks. The fact those two players ended up on the same team — and a division rival at that — is going to be fascinating to monitor how it goes. That could have been the Pens!
• But it wasn’t them, since Dubas decided to trade out of pick No. 12 and get two late first round picks. It was a curious move being as the conventional wisdom coming into this draft was that there was a very real talent shelf in the middle of the first round. Again, these are the things that only time will tell — the conventional wisdom doesn’t always hold up in the long run.
• Still an interesting idea to trade there, and not just trade but trade to the FLYERS! Did we mention crazy times?
• Much like the NYI situation with Aitcheson/Eklund, the unavoidable comparisons with Philadelphia will be a juicy story to follow. As mentioned, it’s even better since the player the Flyers drafted with the Pens’ pick at 12 (Jack Nesbitt) is a very similar prospect to the one that the Pens got later on in William Horcoff. Both are very big centers that have work to do. Which one pans out, or how both pan out will be incredibly fascinating. (Of course, Pittsburgh also got Bill Zonnon out of that trade, so all their eggs aren’t in this basket...But for the Flyers, they are more committed with Nesbitt, at least for the purposes of this trade).
• Dubas has shared a vision for the Pens being bigger and harder to play against in the future. Every GM is going to say something to that effect, but Dubas wasn’t just paying lip service. Zonnon (6’2”, 185 pounds) and Horcoff (6’5”, 203 pounds) fit that bill. Peyton Kettles (6’6”, 194 pounds) and Brady Peddle (6’3”, 203) are monstrous defenders with an edge that aren’t around for their puck skills. Charlie Trethewey (6’2”, 201) isn’t far behind. Even the goalie (Gabriel D’Aigle) checks in at 6’4” and 211 pounds. That’s a lot of beef.
• But is it odd to be more enamored with some of the later picks? Fourth rounder Travis Hayes and fifth rounder Quinn Beauchesne could well have higher upside and more skills/quality than many of the team’s second/third round picks. A lot of defenders in the Kettles/Peddle/Trethewey range on draft day look like third pair NHL guys. Maybe they can develop further and exceed expectations, but more toolsy prospects like Hayes and Beauchesne arguably have that “lower floor but possibly higher ceiling if they hit” type of quality.
• It’s also interesting the split went three forwards in the first round, then the next four picks across Rounds 2-3 included three defensemen (and a goalie). That might have been somewhat circumstantial for how the draft broke but stood out that Dubas was able to address the forward group early and often at the top of the draft and then ended up switching gears to focus on the blueline.
• As far as Dubas draft tendencies go, will dig in more on this later but there were no major surprises. WHL, OHL and American players dominated, with multiple connections to the Soo. There were some alterations from past plans, it wasn’t a great year for Finns and that was reflected. In fact, Pittsburgh didn’t take any Europeans at all. No overage players either, surprisingly enough.
• On that last point though, it’s been reported the Pens were close to drafting Penn State center Charlie Cerrato, an overage player high on their list. They got outmanuevered by Carolina in this instance, who draft Cerrato 49th overall. There’s gotta be a million stories like that of teams angling for certain players and watching them get plucked ahead of them, but so it happens.
• On those lines. the Pens had four real chances from pick 73 - 105 to step up and take LJ Mooney, and went different directions. That’s not completely shocking since going with a 5’7” all skill player doesn’t exactly fit the mold or tone of this year’s draft in Pittsburgh but it makes you wonder how or when Pittsburgh would have ever had Mooney on their list.
• The thing about the NHL draft is whether it looks good or not the day after it’s over doesn’t really matter, unless a team walks out with like Sidney Crosby or Connor McDavid or something. That wasn’t the case so patience and time is the only thing that will truly tell just how well or poorly the Penguins did. From the surface, if they can turn their 13 picks into a handful of decent NHL players then they will have done their part to stock the organization. This draft looks like a “building block” type of compilation for the Pens. They didn’t get any surefire All-Stars or high-end talent — maybe that will come next year. They might have started on a good foundation for that future stars with a healthy amount of a supporting cast, if all goes well.

The only thing sure and certain for now is that the upcoming development camp on July 3-7 is going to be as important and interesting of a summer week of hockey that the UPMC Lemieux building has ever hosted. There sure will be a ton of new faces as the Pens shift gears into starting to develop the players that they just brought into the organization.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/6/29...enguins-stocking-up-the-cabinets-in-a-big-way

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Shifting Focus

Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images

With the draft now in the rearview, Kyle Dubas and his staff can shift their focus to the NHL free agency period.

After a long two days that saw the Pittsburgh Penguins add 13 new players to the organization, the front office will shift its focus from the NHL Draft right to free agency which is scheduled to begin on Tuesday, July 1st at noon ET.

There was a time, not all that long ago, where the beginning of the NHL free agency period was almost a high holiday for Penguins fans. Everyone waited anxiously to see who the Penguins were going to add from the free agent market in an attempt to build the roster from another run at a Stanley Cup.

Now those times are in the past as the Penguins enter a new rebuilding era that will see them employ a new strategy in free agency, one that sees them forgo offering big contracts to big name players, instead, focusing on the future by acquiring assets to hopefully reopen the competitive window in a few years rather than this upcoming season.

Although the Penguins will not be in the running for any of the big fish set to hit the market on Tuesday, there is still plenty for Penguins fans to keep their eyes on in the coming week.

Kyle Dubas will still be working the phones and poking around the market to see what’s out there in terms of moves to be made because even though they might not be reeling in a big name come Tuesday, additions will still need to be made to fill out the roster.

Two big names to keep in mind for Penguins fans entering this week are Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust. Going back to the trade deadline, Rakell was thought to be highly sought after but no trade materialized. That could all change now with teams looking to build for next season and a weak free agent market could drive up his price.

As for Rust, the no movement clause that came with the first three seasons of his current deal expires on Tuesday, meaning the Penguins can move him without needing his preapproval. His name already circulated in trade talks prior to the first round of the NHL Draft on Friday night, so don’t be surprised if that happens again once the NMC is gone.

One more name to watch is Erik Karlsson. It makes sense for the Penguins to try an move Karlsson, but his contract may throw a wrench into those plans. Even with a rising salary cap, teams may balk at taking on an additional $10 million over the next two seasons. While it’s very possible that the Penguins do move Karlsson, it may require salary retention on the Penguins part and it may even be a deal that gets done further into the summer rather than early July.

With the draft now in the rearview mirror and free agency just a day away, the Penguins rebuild is officially underway. Friday and Saturday saw over a dozen new faces added to the Penguins organization that will help make up the future. Free agency and the coming weeks will be another step in the process, though how it all plays out and what it does to the overall rebuild remains to be seen.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/6/30...nguins-dubas-stanley-cup-rakell-rust-karlsson

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Pens opt to not qualify Tomasino, Dewar, Joseph, Bemstrom, Gauthier

Photo by Jeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Changes ahead on the brink of free agency

Kyle Dubas spoke today at an introductory press conference with members of the Penguins’ 2025 draft class today.

The Penguins are holding an introductory press conference with the 2025 Draft Class beginning at 12 PM.

Stream: https://t.co/sl8AnlqxqC

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) June 30, 2025​

In addition to the platitudes and introduction of the newest, youngest Penguins, Dubas mentioned that Pittsburgh chose to not qualify three players ahead of today’s 5:00pm deadline. Pierre-Olivier Joseph, Emil Bemstrom and Taylor Gauthier will become unrestricted free agents tomorrow after not getting a QO from the Pens.

Dubas indicated the team is still in talks with Phil Tomasino and Connor Dewar. The Pens will qualify Russian-signed Vasily Ponomarev to retain his NHL rights.

#Pens PoHO/GM Kyle Dubas: Still having conversations with Tomasino & Dewar. The rest of our RFAs will not be qualified. pic.twitter.com/iCfLZRnFBS

— Josh Getzoff (@JG_PxP) June 30, 2025​

This will mark the second year in a row that Joseph was not qualified by Pittsburgh. Last summer he signed with St. Louis, only to be traded back to the Pens by mid-season.

Bemstrom, acquired from Columbus in 2024 for Alex Nylander, split time between the AHL and NHL last season, recording no goals and only one assist in 14 games in Pittsburgh.

Gauthier, 24, was an undrafted free agent that mostly toiled in the ECHL due to the organization’s depth at the goalie position.

Dubas also indicated that the Pens would turn loose their unrestricted free agents that included Matt Grzelcyk, Matt Nieto and several minor leaguers to at least venture into the open market tomorrow when their contracts expire.

Will the pending UFAs be free to hit the market on Tuesday?

Kyle Dubas: “Yeah. With our current strategy, we’re going to see what’s out there and see where we’re at.”

— Pens Inside Scoop (@PensInsideScoop) June 30, 2025​

The NHL’s free agency period opens tomorrow at 12 noon eastern time. The Pens have upwards of $20 million in cap space (once dropping Joona Koppanen and Boko Imama from the Puck Pedia NHL roster outlook) but are not expected to be aggressive in signing players toward long-term or big money contracts in the free agent market.

Update: Looks like talks did not go well with Tomasino and Dewar, the team did not like the salary number both were seeking and opted to not qualify either. The door is still open for either or both to be signed by Pittsburgh at any time, however they both are set to become unrestricted free agents at 12 noon tomorrow.

The Penguins have extended a qualifying offer to restricted free agent forward Vasily Ponomarev.

The following players will not receive qualifying offers:
Raivis Ansons
Emil Bemstrom
Connor Dewar
Taylor Gauthier
P.O Joseph
Philip Tomasino

Details: https://t.co/micP5WalpS pic.twitter.com/3PMO9Q1sO2

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) June 30, 2025​

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/6/30...-bemstrom-gauthier-phil-tomasino-connor-dewar

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Penguins sign forward Justin Brazeau to two-year deal

Photo by Bruce Kluckhohn/NHLI via Getty Images

Big forward has ties to Kyle Dubas

The Penguins announced a few more depth signings on Tuesday night.

Triples is best...

The Penguins have signed forward Justin Brazeau as well as defensemen Parker Wotherspoon and Caleb Jones to two-year contracts.

Details: https://t.co/LF5UvmxyUQ pic.twitter.com/Z4mdxVhBHl

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) July 1, 2025​

The Wotherspoon news was out of the bag, and similarly the team added fellow depth defenseman Caleb Jones to a two-year deal worth a $900,000 cap hit to the club.

The big surprise might be adding a 6’6” physical, right-handed winger known for his net-front presence and ability to hold onto pucks, Justin Brazeau.

From the Pens:

Brazeau, 27, is signed through the 2026-27 season and his contract carries an average annual value of $1.5 million. Wotherspoon, 27, is signed through the 2026-27 season and his contract carries an average annual value of $1 million. Jones, 28, is signed through the 2026-27 season and his contract carries an average annual value of $900,000.

The 6-foot-6, 227-pound Brazeau split the 2024-25 season between the Minnesota Wild and Boston Bruins. In 76 games last season, Brazeau recorded 11 goals, 11 assists and 22 points. The forward has played in parts of two NHL seasons with Minnesota and Boston, tallying 16 goals, 13 assists and 29 points in 95 career games.

Brazeau began his professional career by playing in parts of five seasons in the American Hockey League from 2019-24 with Toronto and Providence, recording 118 points (53G-65A) in 189 career AHL games.

Prior to turning professional, Brazeau skated in four seasons in the Ontario Hockey League with the North Bay Battalion from 2015-19. In 268 career junior games, the forward registered 128 goals, 110 assists and 238 points. As captain during the 2018-19 season, the forward led all OHL players with 61 goals and was named to the First All-Star Team while being recognized as the OHL’s Overage Player of the Year.

As mentioned in the blurb above, there is a Kyle Dubas connection from the past since Dubas signed Brazeau as an undrafted free agent in 2019 when both were with Toronto. It would take several years of minor league action before Brazeau, since moved onto the Boston organization, made it to the NHL.

Brazeau has 16 goals and 13 assists over 95 career NHL games, including 11G+11A over 76 games with the Bruins and Minnesota Wild last season. Boston was able to flip the impending free agent to the Wild in exchange for Marat Khusnutdinov, Jakub Lauko, and a 2026 sixth-round draft pick near the trade deadline.

Brazau, at a $1.5 million cap hit, is an interesting addition. The Penguins are flush with middle-six and bottom-six forwards, given that the team was also able to sign Philip Tomasino and Connor Dewar today. Those three FA additions join a crowded depth chart that includes Kevin Hayes, Danton Heinen, Noel Acciari, Blake Lizotte that will be competing for limited spaces within the NHL lineup.

It’s always possible, and perhaps likely, that more roster movement is to come with future trades sending out some players previously with the team out to clear room for these signings.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/7/1/24460091/penguins-sign-forward-justin-brazeau-to-two-year-deal

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Penguins sign Alexander Alexeyev to one-year contract

Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images

Former Capitals draft pick joins Pittsburgh

In their quest to add every marginal NHL left handed defenseman around, the Pittsburgh Penguins have reportedly picked up former Washington Capitals Alexander Alexeyev on a one-year free agent signing.

The #LetsGoPens signed 25 y/o LD Alexeyev to 1 year $775K 1-way deal.

Was a UFA after not being qualified by WSH

Rep'd by Craig Oster @TheHockeyAgency https://t.co/0jpCfSI3k5

— PuckPedia (@PuckPedia) July 2, 2025​

Alexeyev, 25, is a very interesting case. He was stuck in Washington as a depth defender last season, as he had been for most of his career. Alexeyev only appeared in eight NHL regular season games and was a healthy scratch for the rest, save a short AHL conditioning stint. An injury opening got him into 10 playoff games to ironically give him a bigger role on the team at the most important time of the year. Then he ran afoul of the law shortly after the season ended (didn’t look too worse for wear, though). The Caps opted to cut him loose by not extending a qualifying offer.

Back on the ice, trying to find a niche has been an issue for Alexeyev. He played sporadically for the Capitals in the past few seasons, before barely being able to scratch the lineup last season. CapFriendly (RIP) provided a scouting report from 2023 that still largely applies as accurate as an introduction:

Third pairing ‘D’ who takes the majority of his shifts at even strength.

Big body. Not physical. In the way. Absorbs contact to move pucks out of dangers. Long reach is an asset.

Adequate distributor. Can’t afford to hold onto the puck too long / doesn’t have the creativity or escape ability to get too cute.

Good feet for his stature.

Competes. Recognizes his role. Keeps his game mostly simple. Averages around 11:30 TOI

As pointed out on Japers Rink before last season, Alexeyev could post some decent numbers when he actually got the opportunity to stay in the lineup for an extended time.

...when playing consistently with more minutes, Alexeyev seems to thrive. Note that these are not relative to his teammates, as that is much harder to manually calculate, but we can look at the Caps’ overall numbers during the same stretch of “good” for Alexeyev:

45.71 CF% (+1.71)

47.26 xGF% (+3.17)

47.6 SCF% (+3.34)

46.66 HDCF% (+4.67)

Those numbers make Alexeyev’s numbers on the Good Run look even better, even more impressive when considering that he started in the offensive zone only about 30% of the time – so his shifts weren’t exactly easy over that run.

The easy answer for getting the best out of Alexeyev, then, seems to be simply play him more…and that’s where the bad news comes in, because Alexeyev is going up against yet another crowded blueline [in Washington in 2024-25]

The end part proved to be prophetic, Alexeyev barely got his name into the playing lineup in the regular season. He’s got size at 6’4” and 214 pounds and can skate well for a big guy. But he’s never been able to make an impression.

That brings him to an interesting place moving forward in Pittsburgh. Alexeyev signed for league minimum (albeit at a rate that pays him full freight if assigned to the AHL) so the Pens could cut him and suffer minimal consquences.

However the LD depth chart as of now is: Ryan Graves, Ryan Shea, Owen Pickering, Parker Wortherspoon and Caleb Jones. Nary a top-four defender in the mix. Alexeyev isn’t coming in as one either, but stacked up against the rest there’s a case to make that he might be able to provide the best (or second best) level of play compared to that weak competition.

Of course, Pittsburgh could always trade one of their many forwards to bolster the blueline and help balance the lineup, but as of now Alexeyev looks as good of a bet as anyone within the organization to be an NHL capable left handed defender. This looks more like a “low reward, no risk” move than trying to assign any sort of huge upside or pay off to Alexeyev, but he could be a player that could help the Pens in the NHL next season.

Dan Muse won’t be hurting for candidates to round out his blueline, though he rightfully could complain about the general quality right now. Time will tell how much a part of the story that Alexeyev could be for next year but it at least adds yet another option to the growing supply of left shot defenders for the Pens.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/7/2/24460623/penguins-sign-alexander-alexeyev-to-one-year-contract

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

NHL Trade Rumors: Market to clear up now that Ehlers has signed?

Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images

There hasn’t been much happening lately on the trade front, but that could change soon..

There haven’t been many big times trades, but that could be a function of the biggest winger free agent still mulling his decision. Chris Johnston talked about how Nikolaj Ehlers could be holding up the trade market as teams waited for his decision that took 50 hours into free agency to sign with Carolina.

Something to keep an eye on: Once Nikolaj Ehlers makes his free-agent decision, there's a sense it could spur trade activity among the team(s) who fall short in their pursuit of the talented winger.

— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) July 3, 2025​

It’s believed that many teams are either in the running or have made strong offers to Ehlers, which puts them in a bind with cap flexibility until they figured out whether or not he is going to sign with them.

For a team like the Penguins, they’re not going to be adding Ehlers but the waiting game for them is about shoppers lining up if they have to fall back to their Plan B.

Kyle Dubas said he would be active in trade talks. And from what I hear, this is very much the case today.

— Josh Yohe (@JoshYohe_PGH) July 3, 2025​

The Penguins are overstocked right now with 15 NHL caliber forwards after the signings of Anthony Mantha, Justin Brazeau, Philip Tomasino and Connor Dewar to contracts earlier this week.

Add in the young players of Rutger McGroarty and Ville Koivunen who are knocking on the door for decent-sized NHL roles and the Pens are crowded right now up front. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin will be in the top-six, add in potentially Mantha and Tommy Novak and some young players and suddenly a team is forming without the presence of Rickard Rakell and/or Bryan Rust.

Lots can change in the course of a phone call by Dubas, so we’ll have to see. Early in free agency he’s added enough quantity to the ranks to have the flexibility to sell off a piece or two. The only question now is when it happens, for how much and what team will step up to the plate with an offer that the Penguins like for the future.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/7/3/...market-to-clear-up-now-that-ehlers-has-signed

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Happy 4th of July!

Photo by Jeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Happy 4th! Hope you celebrate the day responsibly and fun, here’s some good ol’ Phil Kessel highlights to hold us over for the day!

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/7/4/24461188/happy-4th-of-july

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Penguins Development Camp: What to watch for

Summer hockey is about to kick off for the Pens

The Penguins open their summer development camp today through July 7th. Prospects will gather at UPMC Lemieux up in Cranberry and get some instruction and the team will be able to gauge progress and see how the future is coming together.

Here’s what to know:

Schedule

Thursday, July 3:

9:00 AM – Goalie On-Ice Session (Covestro Rink)
10:00 AM – Group 1 Skating (FedEx Rink)
11:00 AM – Group 1 Skills (Covestro Rink)
11:00 AM – Group 2 Skating (FedEx Rink)
12:00 PM – Group 2 Skills (Covestro Rink)
12:00 PM – Group 3 Skating (FedEx Rink)
1:00 PM – Group 3 Skills (Covestro Rink)

Friday, July 4:

9:00 AM – Goalie On-Ice Session (Covestro Rink)
10:00 AM – Group 2 Skating (FedEx Rink)
11:00 AM – Group 2 Skills (Covestro Rink)
11:00 AM – Group 3 Skating (FedEx Rink)
12:00 PM – Group 3 Skills (Covestro Rink)
12:00 PM – Group 1 Skating (FedEx Rink)
1:00 PM – Group 1 Skills (Covestro Rink)

Saturday, July 5:

10:00 AM – Group 3 Skating/Skills (Both Rinks)
11:45 AM – Group 1 Skating/Skills (Both Rinks)
1:30 PM – Group 2 Skating/Skills (Both Rinks)

Sunday, July 6:

10:00 AM – Group 1/Group 2 Practice (FedEx Rink)
10:00 AM – Group 3 Skills (Covestro Rink)
10:30 AM – Group 1/Group 3 Practice (FedEx Rink)
10:30 AM – Group 2 Skills (Covestro Rink)
11:20 AM – Group 2/Group 3 Practice (FedEx Rink)
11:20 AM – Group 1 Skills (Covestro Rink)

Monday, July 7:

12:00 PM – Tournament (FedEx Rink)

The only thing less fun than participating in hockey practices might be watching hockey practices, and there’s plenty of that early on. The joint practices on Sunday and the annual tournament on Monday are probably the best days to circle for most worthwhile attendance.

2025 Penguins Development Camp Roster

The camp is highlighted by all of the players drafted last weekend. That’s a big deal this time around, the Pens drafted 13 players — including three in the first round and seven within the first 91 picks.

Ben Kindel will be a focus point, at 11th overall he’s the highest draft pick Pittsburgh has made at forward since Jordan Staal. Kindel wasn’t expected to be selected as high as he was so it’ll be an interesting first impression to see if it’s obvious what the Pens liked so much from him.

Down the line, the camp will be important for other new faces as well. Fellow first rounders Bill Zonnon and Will Horcoff are considered developmental players that have a good amount of work and growth in their games needed in the coming years. There’s no better place to start than the relatively low-key NHL summer camp to start learning the ropes from pro coaches and NHL development experts.

Beyond those top picks, the focus will shift to the three defensemen drafted in the second and third rounds; Peyton Kettles, Charlie Trethewey and Brady Peddle. They will be easy to notice since the average size there is about 6’4” and over 200 pounds. Fifth rounder defender Quinn Beachesne is more dynamic as a skater and puck handler than all of those players and figures to look impressive in this setting as well.

How those new defenders stack up compared to teenaged standout Harrison Brunicke will be worth keeping an eye on too. Brunicke will be the measuring stick for a lot of the prospects in this camp, including for Emil Pieniniemi the Finnish import who performed well in the OHL last season and starts his journey to the pros this fall with this summer camp.

Brunicke, 19, isn’t old but is already one of the more experienced players at this camp with 10 games of AHL experience under his belt. Defender Chase Pietila (who played three games with Wilkes and 14 games with Wheeling at the end of last season) is the only other participant of this summer’s camp with an NHL contract that has North American pro game experience under his belt.

Beyond that, there’s some fun first timers in the mix. Mikhail Ilyin. drafted in 2023, has signed his NHL contract and will be participating in his first action on an NHL rink. Melvin Fernstrom, Sweden’s rookie of the year last season, came over in the Marcus Pettersson/Drew O’Connor trade and will show his stuff in a Pens jersey for the first time. Max Graham may be a somewhat forgotten prospect, acquired in the Cody Glass to NJ trade. Graham has great size but is coming off an injury.

One injured forward who won’t be active on the ice is Tanner Howe, rehabbing from ACL surgery. That’s a shame since Howe played on a line in Calgary with Kindel and Oliver Tulk. Tulk, 20, scored 100 points in the WHL last season and is at Pens camp as an undrafted invite. He’s only 5’8” and 176 pounds but his familiarity with Kindel should only help this week.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/7/3/24460936/penguins-development-camp-what-to-watch-for

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

San Jose with a Dubas-familiar name on the trade block?

Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

Checking in on the Sharks

Post-July 1, the Penguins forward group makes a lot of sense. It’s overstocked with bodies at the moment but that “problem” could be easily solved by moving a veteran like Bryan Rust and/or Rickard Rakell to clear some room and set themselves up for the future. The depth chart more or less lines up.

The same can’t be said about this look of blueliners, there’s a lot more to resolve still this summer on the backend when checking the PuckPedia depth chart:

This list doesn’t include Owen Pickering or Vladislav Kolyachonok, but does that really matter? There’s not a lot going on there, and Erik Karlsson’s lasting presence may or may not be something to count on. Say what you will about Karlsson’s impact or ability to live up to expectations but removing him and his skills to move the puck from this defense group is a scary sight to see. This isn’t the Kris Letang of the 2010’s as one of the best defenders in the league, Ryan Graves has proven to be barely functional in a sheltered role. Clifton is limited as a veteran and the rest of the players mentioned are replacement quality on a good day. It’s not like the Pens have been making actual moves to overly urgent to “compete” in the immediate term, as Kyle Dubas likes to put it, but the defense remains an area to address and improve.

Arguably the moves so far (trading Conor Timmins, waving bye-bye to Matt Grzelcyk in free agency vs adding Clifton in a trade and Alex Alexeyev/Parker Wotherspoon in FA) have only downgraded what already was a terrible group, Karlsson resolution looming.

Enter..San Jose?

David Pagnotta: The Sharks are looking to move out at least one defenseman, with both Timothy Liljegren and Henry Thrun available - The Fourth Period

— NHL Rumour Report (@NHLRumourReport) July 5, 2025​

The Sharks have gone somewhat wild this summer, signing Dmitri Orlov and John Klingberg and adding Nick Leddy off waivers. That revamp could push someone else out.

Pittsburgh/San Jose aligns, since the Pens have too many forwards and the Sharks could use some more in the Danton Heinen/Blake Lizotte/Tommy Novak type of range. If SJ takes a longer view of assets, grabbing a Noel Acciari now to flip to a contender next spring might line up too.

Timothy Liljegren stands out as a former Maple Leaf, and Dubas has time and again brought people with Toronto ties back. Right defense isn’t as pressing of a need for the Pens right now, but at this point they could use all the capable defenders they can get without being picky. (And, there’s also the Karlsson matter still hanging out there that could create a large hole at the RD spot sooner than later..)

Thrun, 23, is young and hasn’t had much NHL success yet, but he might stand to benefit a change of scenery and getting out of San Jose to show a higher level of play.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/7/5/...-nhl-trade-a-dubas-familiar-name-on-the-block

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Examining the Penguins’ growing prospect pool as of July 2025

Photo by Juan Ocampo/NHLI via Getty Images

Kyle Dubas and company have been busy adding

The Penguins have made significant efforts to boost the amount of young talent that has entered the organization lately. They just made 13 draft picks and have traded some older NHL talent for prospects along the way as well.

It can be hard to wrap your head around it all, so think of this as a Top 25 Under 25 primer.

We’ll set the stage for the upcoming list of the top talent in the organization by first looking at exactly which young players are around the Pittsburgh pipeline these days, in no specific order and based off players who either have NHL contracts or appear on the Pens’ reserve list.

NHL level​

Ville Koivunen
Rutger McGroarty
Joel Blomqvist
Owen Pickering
Phil Tomasino
Vladislav Kolyachonok

—It’s possible the Pens could bring in another goal or quality defender to bump Blomqvist and Pickering temporarily off the NHL roster. But these players should all be at the NHL level at some point in 2025-26, potentially in major roles in a few of their cases.

AHL level​

Sergei Murashov
Avery Hayes
Tristan Broz
Tanner Howe
Emil Pieniniemi
Sam Poulin
Chase Pietila
Finn Harding
Daniel Laatsch
Chase Stillman

—The AHL might need to reload a little before many of these players go up to the NHL for anything other than injury-necessitated short-term cameos. The future could be bright for a few of these players, with the key words being “future” and “could”, there’s still a lot of developmental time to go for most on this list.

Lower non-pro levels (Canadian Junior, NCAA)​

Harrison Brunicke
Ben Kindel
Bill Zonnon
William Horcoff
Peyton Kettles
Brady Peddle
Charlie Trethewey
Joona Vaisanen
Quinn Beauchesne
Travis Hayes
Carter Sanderson
Gabriel D’Aigle
Max Graham
Ryan Miller
Jordan Charron
Luke Devlin
Mac Swanson
Cruz Lucius
Kale Dach
Zam Plante

This segment is where the bulk of the efforts to improve the pipeline are currently at right now, including all the names from the 2025 NHL draft and promising teenager Harrison Brunicke. It’s still Juniors or NHL for Brunicke for one more season before he will be AHL eligible. For now, this list is mostly back-burner players where the Pens will hope for a lot of development to start paying off 2-3-4 years down the road. If you subscribe to the “NHL prospects as lottery tickets” theory, Pittsburgh is loaded up with chances to see results somewhere, the difference between success and failure coming down to just how many end up paying off. The raw material on hand is as nice as it’s been for the Pens in going on 20 years, without any exaggeration as they look to reset by building up via young players.

Europe​

Melvin Fernstrom
Mikhail Ilyin
Kalle Kangas
Emil Jarventie
Kirill Tankov
Vasily Ponomarev

Fernstrom and Ilyin are under NHL contract but it’s already been confirmed both will be playing in their native homelands of Sweden and Russia, respectively in 2025-26. Their contracts will slide and not start ticking away until they start with the Pens’ organization. This is a wise move, both of these players are super-young and can benefit from another year at home, where both are in somewhat similar situations of getting good roles for mid/lower-level clubs.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/7/6/...enguins-growing-prospect-pool-as-of-july-2025

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Penguins Development Camp Thoughts

Summer prospect camp is in full swing

A week out from the NHL draft and the Penguins are holding their annual summer development camp. Sunday’s penultimate practice featured the three groups of prospects interacting with one another in a spirited, battle-drill filled morning.

The internet being the internet, there’s always a rush for a standout player or star to find, but at the risk of sounding like Kenny Powers, summer camp is the closest the NHL gets to celebrating being good at exercising. There’s a risk of reading too much into drills that in the big picture won’t add up to that much.

But hockey is hockey and development is important and that doesn’t mean there can be some useful takeaways. Here’s some that stood out today:

• Naturally, the focus on the three first round picks from last week is a key takeaway. I thought Bill Zonnon was fine but didn’t stand out in good or bad ways. It was just a Sunday in the summer for him, nothing wrong with that. Ben Kindel had some ups and downs, at times looking a little lost near the net and getting swallowed up by the physical play. But Kindel had some good moments too, including scoring from in tight. Seeing him and knowing he’s a first round pick makes sense.
• Will Horcoff was in the spotlight. With his size, frame and being a first round pick of Pittsburgh it’s difficult not to compare Horcoff to Jordan Staal in some ways. They’re not the same player, Horcoff showcased hands from in tight and a little bit of touch that wouldn’t draw a comparison to Staal. But Staal’s compete, two-way game and general standout play has some areas where it doesn’t look like the light has gone off for Horcoff yet at times. Which is fine, he’s young and it was a summer practice. Horcoff is a beast down low and in this venue it’s a guaranteed goal when he gets the puck near to the net. Doesn’t have much of a shot from distance, but he could deke around players and was pretty impressive. For being a controversial type of pick at 24 (and added that the Pens traded out from a better pick, not that he could control it) a lot of spotlight will be on Horcoff. He’s got a ways to go but again looking at him and knowing he’s barely 18 and it makes complete sense for this viewing that he was a first round pick.
• Speaking of what stands out to see why some players are more advanced or higher end, towards the end of the day the team was working on battling by the net and sending in point shots. Most the defensemen were getting their shots blocked down. Harrison Brunicke smoothly fired from the left side through traffic to the far bottom corner of the net. Brunicke doesn’t look like he belongs at a prospect camp (in a good way).
• In general, the chippiness was something to watch. Lots of board battles, little cross-checks in small area drills and full on wiping opponents out at the blueline. They weren’t full on trying to kill each other like it was the Stanley Cup Final but it was a spirited day.
• To that end, free agent invitee Thomas Budnik might have been the most entertaining player of the day. He was just flying around looking to get a piece out of anyone in the other color jersey. I don’t know what that means for his future or even if there is one, but he was fun to watch.
• Melvin Fernstrom kinda looks like what everyone wanted Nathan Legare to be. Dynamite shot when he has the space. Skating is a little iffy as advertised but Fernstrom has the touch and shot that looks very natural.
• Cruz Lucius plays like it’s a video game and he doesn’t remember the button to pass. Holds the puck for days. Great dekes. Can finish in tight. Did not like to give it up, even to his own teammates. Had a great hit on Emil Jarventie near the blueline too.
• The Pens’ most underrated prospect might be Joona Vaisanen. He’s just solid, doesn’t get a lot of press but I liked him out there today.
• Good day for Finn Harding too. He kinda looks like a Calen Addison out there, very small relative to all the 6’4”+ monsters the team has added recently but Harding has his head up and makes good plays with the puck.
• Newcomer Mikhail Ilyin looked like a stranger in a strange land sometimes, understandably enough since his English is nonexistent at this point. To be expected, but he flashed a few times, including a deke between his legs in close and scoring. At other times he was getting wiped out along the boards, looks very small. And also was staying to the perimeter at times, surely a big first taste of a different style of hockey but should do him well in the longer term. It’s not hard to see his vision, puckhandling ability and passing and see that he is one of the most skilled players on this rink.

Overall the size of the prospects and the amount of right handed shots was a stand out too. The Pens are early in the process of building back with youth, but a day like today showed what they are trying to develop in terms of compete level and size for the future.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/7/6/...camp-thoughts-2025-will-horcoff-mikhail-ilyin