When Kyle Dubas took over as president of hockey operations – and, eventually, general manager – of the Pittsburgh Penguins in the summer of 2023, the prospect pool looked quite different than it does now.
In 2022-23, the organization’s top prospects consisted of names such as Owen Pickering, Joel Blomqvist, Sam Poulin, Valtteri Puustinen, and Filip Hallander. Fast forward two years, and all of thise names remain – but, arguably, not one of them is a top-five prospect in the pipeline.
The truth is that – in two short years – Dubas has done quite a lot of work to rebuild that pipeline. And that much is certainly evident if you’ve been taking in any of the 2025 pre-season action.
Through two pre-season games and four full practice days, there are several guys beginning to separate themselves from the rest of the pack – and most of them aren’t among the group of aforementioned players. In fact, Pickering and Hallander are the only ones with, presumably, a likely shot at the NHL roster come puck drop on Oct. 7 against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.
The others with a good shot at the roster? That would include guys like Ville Koivunen, acquired by Dubas prior to the 2024 trade deadline from the Carolina Hurricanes as part of the package for Jake Guentzel. Guys like Harrison Brunicke – also part of the package in the form of the conditional first-round pick that turned out to be a second – who was selected 44th overall by the Penguins in 2024. And Rutger McGroarty – currently out indefinitely with an upper-body injury – who was acquired from the Winnipeg Jets for then-top prospect Brayden Yager.
There’s also Avery Hayes, who – undrafted – was brought into the organization on an AHL contract prior to the 2023-24 season and has done nothing but raise his stock ever since. Even 2025 11th overall pick Ben Kindel has made a strong impression in camp up to this point, and he just turned 18 in April.
For Penguins’ Prospect, Training Camp Is A Family Reunion – And An Opportunity
On Jun. 28, something pretty special happened for Pittsburgh Penguins’ forward prospect Avery Hayes.
There are some pre-Dubas remnants in the mix, too. Forward Tristan Broz – selected 58th overall in 2022 – is making a strong case for himself, as his two-way play and ability to put the puck in the net are earning him more and more opportunities within camp. And goaltender Sergei Murashov, 21 – also drafted in 2022 (118th overall) dominated the ECHL and the AHL last season and continues to put up strong performances in the pre-season.
Even in that case, though, it’s not just about the drafting side of things. It’s also about the development side of things. It’s been widely chronicled how much the Penguins’ scouting and development staff has expanded both under Fenway Sports Group (FSG) and under Dubas. The Penguins’ organization has broadened its reach by sheer numbers from increased investment, and it has allowed them to become more individualized in their approach to prospect development.
And it has certainly paid off, because even if the Penguins still lack that superstar, franchise-altering center or bona fide No. 1 defenseman in their organization, they seem to have a lot of potential in terms of the complementary pieces.
Koivunen and Kindel have point-per-game potential at the NHL level, and they – along with McGroarty – certainly project to be top-six forwards. Broz, Hayes, and Filip Hallander could have ceilings as middle-six forwards and are probably, at worst, effective bottom-six players. Pickering should be a top-four defenseman in the NHL, and Brunicke certainly has the talent and potential to be a top-pairing blueliner. There are also other promising defensive prospects – Emil Pieniniemi, in particular, comes to mind – who should be NHL regulars.
And Murashov, with all of his quickness, athleticism, cool confidence, and calm demeanor, seems to be the real deal and certainly has the best potential out of their pool of goaltenders to be a franchise guy for the Penguins in the future, however volatile the goaltending position can be at times. Dubas and the Penguins still very much believe in Blomqvist’s potential, too.
Pre-season Offers Sneak Peek At Potential Future Defensive Pairing
When in the early stages of NHL training camp, it’s not often wise to read into too much.
Perhaps the most intriguing part is that the pipeline doesn’t end there. It still has guys like Poulin and Puustinen, and there are some players – such as 2025 picks Bill Zonnon (22nd overall), Will Horcoff (24th overall), and Quinn Beachesne – who are farther away from making an impact but certainly have the potential to.
The Penguins’ organization is proving that effective drafting and development matters. Of course, all of these players need to play regularly at the NHL level before any kind of final say can be had on what the future could look like. But, at the very least, the Penguins have a whole lot more “potential” impact players than they did two years ago.
This group of players – all near-NHL-ready – are giving fans in Pittsburgh some hope for the future, and for good reason. If the Penguins can draft or acquire that franchise-altering center in the summer of 2026, maybe the “hopeful future” isn’t as far away as it seems.
And Dubas and his staff deserve a little bit of credit for that even becoming a possibility in the first place.
Penguins Send Promising Defensive Prospect Back To OHL
The Pittsburgh Penguins made another cut on Thursday, assigning defensive prospect Quinn Beauchesne to the OHL’s Guelph Storm.
Bookmark THN – Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!
Read the full article here
