Pittsburgh Penguins are No. 20 in 2025 NHL prospect pool rankings

Welcome to Scott Wheelers 2025 rankings of every NHL organizations prospects .

You can find the complete ranking and more information on the project and its criteria here , as we count down daily from No.

32 to No.

1.

The series, which includes in-depth evaluations and insight from sources on nearly 500 prospects, runs from Jan.

8 to Feb.

7.

Advertisement The Penguins have finally started to prioritize their system, hiring a bevy of new staff in scouting and player development and making moves designed to add to the system instead.

They didnt add a premium piece in the Jake Guentzel trade but they added quantity to a pool that needed it.

And while they didnt draft in the first round yet again in the 2024 NHL Draft, they did make two second-round choices.

Mix in swapping Brayden Yager for Rutger McGroarty and the Penguins pool looks completely different today than it did a year ago.

And while they still lack a truly high-end piece, their pool is deeper and stronger today than it has been in a while I actually had to leave players off it instead of searching for guys to include! 2024 prospect pool rank: No.

27 (change: +7) GO DEEPER NHL prospect pool rankings 2025: Scott Wheeler evaluates all 32 farm systems 1.

Rutger McGroarty, LW, 20 (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins) The pace of the pro game was clearly an adjustment for McGroarty early but he has been much better of late.

McGroartys one of those kids who just looks like a pro hockey player in all of the areas other than his speed/pace at times.

He stands strong.

Hes fit.

Then you add in the charisma that made him the natural choice for the captaincy at the U.S.

NTDP and with last years gold medal-winning World Junior team, and the light and energy that oozes out of him, and you have to be careful not to put too much stock into the off-ice pieces of the puzzle he already appears to have.

But I think hes a darn good hockey player and the pieces of the puzzle fit together nicely on the ice as well because of his smarts.

His skating doesnt look the prettiest through his first few steps but theres some power when he gets going nonetheless.

And his spatial awareness, reads and effort level help him avoid losing short races and being behind the play.

Hes got great hands and feel on the puck as a passer.

His finishing touch around the net is there, with a hard one-touch shot that leverages his strong frame to power through when he gets open in the slot.

He has always been a sneaky-good facilitator who passes the puck really well and can hold it.

Advertisement He has particularly mastered the net drive into a high rotation away from coverage that brings him back to around the net.

And then when he gets there, hes got the strength to shoot from bad postures/off balance.

He always seems to put his shots into good locations (along the ice, low blocker, high short side), too.

Hes dexterous.

Hes a tone-setter who will track and finish his checks even if he doesnt have the speed.

The ice normally tilts in his favor: hes such a smart player, he can score, he works and he just understands where to be out there and how to put himself in positions to create offense.

He reinforced his strong statistical profile from the NTDP at Michigan, where he was a point-per-game freshman and one of the top-scoring players in college as a sophomore despite a pretty severe injury in the fall (a broken rib and punctured lung).

If he can get a little quicker from the jump, hes got all of the other makings of a legitimate top-nine forward who can play up and down a lineup with a variety of player types.

The only question is the pace for me.

2.

Harrison Brunicke, RHD, 18 (Kamloops Blazers) Brunicke blew me away with his play at the Penguins rookie tournament in September and was going to be on Canadas World Juniors team as an 18-year-old before he broke his wrist blocking a shot in practice.

Before that, hed registered 12 points in 15 games with Kamloops, playing his smooth-skating two-way transition game.

Brunicke garnered increased attention from NHL clubs as last season progressed, too, before hurting his shoulder on a late hit in late February which effectively ended his WHL season just as his momentum was really building.

He returned to play at U18 worlds for Canada, though, and performed really well as an important top-six defender and particularly prominent penalty killer who was counted upon in defensive situations throughout the tournament.

His statistical profile doesnt pop but hes got good size, a pro build, phenomenal skating and good sense.

He has shown a real willingness to join the rush and look for opportunities off the offensive-zone blue line in the last year or so, playing a very active two-way style and recovering when hes down ice with his skating.

I think hes got another level to find offensively he has shown some skill on the puck even if its not dynamic and the skating is truly high-end.

He makes good reads around the ice, can defend with any of his active stick, length, feet or physicality, can lead exits and entries with his skating or an outlet and has progressed very quickly since playing a depth role for the Memorial Cup hosts in his 16-year-old season.

He has a developing cerebral quality to his game, makes a great first pass and moves so, so well.

Advertisement Brunickes by all accounts a very smart kid off the ice and has learned to play with some more hardness hell stand up for his teammates, block shots, etc.

He also didnt play on PP1 with Kamloops last year because they chose to give their older guys that opportunity, so there was always going to be room for the points to come given his athleticism/skating.

The Penguins drafted him 44th but he was looking like a first-rounder pre-injury, and I expect him to be a big part of next years Canadian World Junior team in Minnesota and then a transitional, two-way No.

3-5 in the NHL for a long time.

3.

Ville Koivunen, RW/LW, 21 (Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins) Koivunens an entertaining and gifted winger who was one of the more productive young players in Liiga (especially considering his June birthday) over the last three seasons though after he impressed in the first two games of the canceled World Juniors in Edmonton, he disappointed me in Halifax and has immediately become a top young producer in the AHL, pushing a point per game.

He can be a delight to watch with the puck on his stick when hes playing confidently.

Hes a crafty problem-solver whose game tilts toward offense; hes got work to do to become a more reliable player defensively, although he can hang.

He can manufacture offense in a lot of ways off the perimeter, whether thats playing pucks into space with the perfect weight or baiting defenders into reaches so that he can cut past them.

He can carve the offensive zone up as a dual-threat scorer and passer, and is comfortable with the puck even with guys on him and can play in small areas with his quick hands in tight.

Ive also seen him look quite effective taking pucks off the cycle to the interior (though not consistently), even though hes more dangerous in open ice.

Ive seen him twist and turn away from good defenders.

He has also had a bit of a growth spurt: he was listed at 5-foot-11 and 161 pounds in his draft year and hes now 6 feet and 172 pounds.

I see potential top-nine upside with the right development plan.

Ill be interested to see if he gets his first call-up in the second half here (maybe post-deadline) but if not, I expect him to be in the mix in next years training camp.

4.

Owen Pickering , LHD, 20 (Pittsburgh Penguins/Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins) Pickerings puck play doesnt jump out at you, and I felt (and feel) that No.

21 was a little too high for him, but there are plenty of things about him and his game that do jump out at you.

Hes extremely intelligent and has a long, effortless skating stride atypical of a 6-foot-5 defenseman.

Hes got an extremely smooth glide to his stride and through his pivots and backward crossovers, moving forward to backward with ease for a player his size.

His point shot is hard enough to occasionally chip in.

Hes still really lean and has struggled to add muscle to his frame, but his north-south game works because of his first pass and skating ability.

Theres some work to do to add elements to an unremarkable game inside the offensive zone.

Last year he had a tough stretch, first with a difficult adjustment to the AHL level and then in return from an injury which caused him to miss part of Pittsburghs camps.

I didnt love him in the Pens rookie tournament to start this year, either, but he has slowly found his footing in time split between the NHL and AHL.

His length, skating and character should carry him to an NHL career, but hes probably a No.

5-6 at his ceiling and a No.

7-8 at his floor now.

Hes not going to be a point producer and might not have the jam to be a true lockdown type, but he should be able to hold his own at five-on-five in the NHL long-term while providing the length-skating combination coveted in todays D.

Advertisement 5.

Cruz Lucius, RW, 20 (Arizona State University) After battling a wrist injury in his draft year, Lucius came on strong late with 12 points in his final 10 games at the program on a dominant third line with McGroarty.

He then built on that with back-to-back seasons as the Badgers leading scorer (about a point per game) as a freshman and sophomore.

After a transfer to Arizona State for his junior year this season, though, Lucius missed the first few months of the season due to injury and just returned last weekend, slotting into the top six and registering two points in his first two games of the season.

Lucius is a patient playmaker who slows the game down and uses delays, lightly weighted passes and the attention he pulls into himself to create through layers for his linemates.

Like his older brother Chaz, his skating, which pitchforks, is the primary concern with his projection.

But he plays within the pace of play so well, problem-solves really effectively and has a sneaky quick and accurate release that I wrote in his draft year I believed was going to produce greater goal totals than wed seen to date (which weve seen more of in college).

Hell ultimately be defined, though, by his ability to continue to wait for plays to develop and stay cerebral as the speed of the level around him ramps up.

If he can, hell be a complementary playmaking winger.

He has never lacked confidence and decisiveness in his game.

There are some who wonder if hell just be an AHL playmaker, but I think theres some NHL upside.

6.

Tanner Howe, LW, 19 ( Calgary Hitmen) Howe was an interesting case study for folks last year.

It was his third full season in the WHL and his fourth in part.

And despite having been very productive in the league even before his draft year 69 points in 64 games as the leagues second-most productive under-17 player, and then 85 in 67 as the leagues fifth-most productive under-18 player he still had to prove to people that he could do it as the guy because the player at the top of both of those lists was Connor Bedard , his frequent linemate.

He was also largely unnoticeable in front of the NHLs brain trust in Germany at the 2022 U18 worlds despite playing alongside Bedard (a combination Team Canada probably was a little too reluctant to move off), and again at a second U18 worlds in Switzerland, where he was given more of an opportunity as one of three returnees and was fine but unspectacular, eventually getting banged up and falling out of the top six.

He did play away from Bedard more than I think most people realize (including for stretches as the teams second-line center behind him) and showed he could be successful in driving his own line in the WHL when he did, though.

Last season, replacing Bedard as the Pats captain, he led a poor team in scoring by a hefty margin (his 77 points were 25 more than his nearest teammate) to demonstrate that he could create offense for himself and make his linemates better even when not surrounded by talent and missing the playoffs.

This season, after an injury and a bit of a slow start, he made Canadas World Junior team and was fine in a go-getter/PK role without generating much offensively.

And now he has been traded from Regina to Calgary, a team pushing for a WHL title.

Because of his average size and good but not standout skill/skating, he was viewed as a second-rounder pre-draft and the Penguins took him in that range.

I have some questions about whether he has enough skill/offense to become a full-time NHLer, but theres a path for him to get there because of his competitiveness.

Theres a lot to like about his approach and style.

Hes by all accounts a good leader.

You can see that competitiveness (and at times scrappiness) on the ice.

He doesnt wow you with his skill level for a player with his size but he makes a lot of small-area plays of little five-to-10-foot passes through feet and sticks under pressure.

He always seems to be around the puck inside the offensive zone, hes tenacious off the puck, he finishes his checks and hes got well-rounded skill and decent skating which he hasnt always been given credit for but demonstrated in testing last year.

I like him but I dont love him.

Hes a hardworking player with fine skill and that can take you a long way.

Advertisement 7.

Joel Blomqvist , G, 23 (Pittsburgh Penguins/Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins) After two strong seasons in Liiga (including one stellar one), Blomqvist became Wilkes-Barres starter and an All-Star as a rookie in the AHL last year, playing 45 games and posting a .921 save percentage.

He has followed that up by taking another natural step and splitting time between the AHL and NHL this year, where he has been good enough to warrant an extended look in the second half .

Hes not a big goalie (6-foot-2, a little more than 180 pounds) but he plays aggressive, challenging lines on shooters and has a real foundation of reads, tracking and technique to support it.

And while I wouldnt necessarily call him explosive as an athlete, he goes post to post and low to high quickly, tracks the play well and moves well within the net to stay with pucks or get to his spots before passes do so that hes in control of his stance when the shot comes.

There are times when that can break down and he can look a little scrambled, or hell let a routine shot squeak through his body, but his game is pretty controlled/technically refined by and large.

On the whole, Id qualify him as a technically sound goalie who does a good job squaring up on shots, making easy and difficult saves and anticipating play, even if there isnt a singular quality that defines his game.

Hes an NHL-quality goalie and reminds me a little of Ducks goalie Lukas Dostal .

He might be more of a No.

2 than a 1B type, though.

8.

Sergei Murashov, G, 20 (Wheeling Nailers/Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins) After impressing me at the Penguins rookie tournament in Buffalo, Murashov has split time between the ECHL and AHL in his first pro season in North America and has been lights out in Wheeling, playing to a level above the competition of the ECHL in my viewings for this project which are supported by his stellar record and numbers.

Murashov wasnt one of the goalies on my 2022 draft board but he was among the goalies I would have considered drafting and has played really well (thats an understatement) in the three years since.

Before his successful jump to North America this season, he established himself as one of the best goalies in the MHL and impressed in spot starts in the KHL.

He also played on the Russian Hlinka Gretzky Cup team that won the 2021 gold medal.

Murashov isnt a big goalie (though he has grown a couple of inches and a few pounds to get to 6-foot-2, 172 pounds) but hes quick and nimble on his feet, he gets to a lot of pucks, he stays with shooters one-on-one and hes got great hands.

I like the movement, the skill, the way he anticipates plays and his tracking.

When hes dialed in, hes tough to beat.

Had Russia played at the last couple of World Juniors, he would have garnered more notoriety.

With the right patience, the Penguins might really have something there.

I think hes legit and thought about ranking him and Blomqvist closer to 4-5 than 7-8 here.

9.

Emil Pieniniemi, LHD, 19 (Kingston Frontenacs) After playing almost exclusively at the pro level and making Finlands World Juniors team as an 18-year-old last year, Pieniniemi got signed and made the jump to North America with the Fronts this season, immediately becoming one of the top offensive defensemen in the OHL, running their power play, and then playing big minutes on the Finns first pairing in their run to silver at his second World Juniors.

Advertisement Ive watched him live in Switzerland at the U18 worlds, in Gothenburg and Ottawa at the World Juniors (where I thought he was asked to do too much the first time around but rose to the role in his second appearance) and twice in Plymouth at the World Junior Summer Showcase as well as on tape and now live in the OHL.

Ive felt at times that while hes a talented player in his age group, he wouldnt be the power play, offensive type further up levels that he has been against his peers.

Hes a 6-foot-2 defenseman who has shown me he can handle the puck well, skate well enough (I would say its average and could use another step at times), defend with detail and positioning and play a heady game.

He has been a top player in the 2005 age group for sure, and there are some smarts to work with there.

He feels like a high-floor guy to me who should be a serviceable AHL defenseman with some offense.

I enjoy watching him play, but Im not sure hes dynamic enough to project into an offensive role or hard enough/fast enough defensively to project into that role at the NHL level.

As a result, he probably tops out as a third-pairing five-on-five type who can move and manage pucks and/or a call-up option.

Hes a good player, though.

10.

Vasili Ponomaryov, C, 22 (Pittsburgh Penguins/Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins) After becoming a likable player who many believed was a better pro prospect than his good-but-not-great production in the QMJHL indicated, Ponomaryov has impressed in the AHL over the last few seasons to outperform prospects of greater prior pedigree.

That earned him some NHL games with the Canes and he has now done the same with the Penguins.

Ive watched him play a lot over the years and hes a hard player to dislike.

Hes always on the puck, hes got great hands, he passes the puck well and he opens up to make himself available offensively.

While hes not the biggest, strongest, fastest or most talented kid, he understands how to play from A to B.

Hes also stronger than you might think at a cursory glance and uses his body positioning to come up with his fair share of pucks.

And then he also has skill enough to deceive, pick apart schemes with the puck and make plays off all of the retrievals he wins.

Im a fan.

He has some intriguing qualities, hes versatile and he plays the same way regardless of how much hes playing or who hes playing with.

Im not sure if hell be a full-time NHLer as opposed to a tweener, because its a little hard to decipher what his role will be, but he has shown well enough in the AHL and briefly NHL that he may eventually stick and he has always been a well-liked player wherever he has gone.

His ability to penalty kill and really apply pressure and work/press gives him some added utility as well.

11.

Mikhail Ilyin, LW/RW, 19 (Severstal Cherepovets) Ilyin has quickly become a really positive story for the Penguins.

Hes a fifth-round pick who went from scoring four goals in 28 MHL games two years ago to a full-time KHLer the last couple of seasons with Cherepovets.

He led the leagues under-19 skaters last year in scoring and this year sits fourth in the under-20 category.

He has also played to positive on-ice results on a middle-of-the-pack team.

It has been fun to watch him put it together because I didnt think he had this in him.

Hes an average-sized, average-skilled player who just thinks the game at a high level.

Over the last two seasons, he has begun to use that brain to find soft spots in coverage, play and read off his linemates and work his way from limited minutes to a regular role.

He also works off the puck.

His on-ice know-how, timing and understanding of spacing take over from there.

Suddenly he profiles more like a player with short-to-medium odds of becoming a complementary winger than the long shot I thought he was a couple of years ago.

I do still want to see him score and generate more for himself in the guts of the ice, though.

Advertisement 12.

Mac Swanson, C, 19 (University of North Dakota) Swansons a tiny but highly skilled center who was named USHL Clark Cup playoff MVP and USHL forward of the year last season, a year after he was named to the leagues First All-Rookie Team.

He finished third in the USHL in scoring (77 in 55) and first in assists (51) last season and then stepped up big for Fargo in the playoffs, leading them in scoring with 17 points in 12 games.

This year, as a freshman at UND, he got off to a decent start but has at times played limited minutes.

Hes not a physical or hard player, but hell go to the net front, hes got extremely high-end hands and touch on the puck as a passer and he can just flat-out make plays with his small-area skill and vision inside the offensive zone.

Those whove watched him closely or worked with him over the years all believe hes going to be a highly productive college player as an upperclassman.

But there are also questions about whether hell become more of an AHL playmaker than an actual NHL player.

I fully expect him to put up big offensive numbers at North Dakota as a junior and senior, and Id bet that he eventually gets signed, but Ill be interested to see where he can take it from there.

He might actually be talented/smart enough to make it, but its going to take the right coach/development plan/organization to recognize that.

Time will tell.

13.

Chase Pietila, RHD, 20 (Michigan Tech) Pietila plays huge minutes for Michigan Tech (26-plus per game), wears a letter and contributes at both ends as a 6-foot-2 righty.

That, in and of itself, makes him a relevant prospect.

He was a big part of a USHL title in Youngstown, helped Michigan Tech to a CCHA title as a freshman, and is now a go-to guy in all situations.

Pietila is an ultimate competitor who plays and defends hard, makes his reads early and firmly both on and off the puck and plays the game with intention.

His boots can look a little heavy at times but he wins battles and engagements, hes got a good stick and a hard point shot, he moves pucks quickly and he has shown more and more poise on the puck this year.

Theres a lot of pro quality and a lot of what teams look for in depth defensemen in his game.

I thought about ranking him a couple of spots higher here.

A couple of years ago, I think he throws this puck on net as soon as he gets it, which has been an important bit of progress: 14.

Tristan Broz, C/LW, 22 (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins) After a freshman year that didnt go well on a deep University of Minnesota team, raising questions some had about his upside after good-but-not-great USHL production as one of the older players in the 2021 draft class, Broz transferred to Denver where he had a decent year for a sophomore before stepping up in a more offensive role last season as a junior and really coming back into his own.

This season, his first as a pro, he has been a pleasant surprise as well.

I thought he showed some real soft skill in the Pens rookie tournament and he has been a solid contributor in the AHL, though his defensive results havent been great.

His biggest issue over the years has been with the pace of play and his skating.

He has, in the past, looked a step behind without the puck and rushed with it as if he wasnt confident he could make a play.

I think we often imagine a lack of pace as someone who is too slow to react and waits too long to make a choice with the puck, but rushing plays is just as indicative of the same problem.

When Broz was at his best, in the USHL playoffs in his draft year and his junior year at Denver, he was looking to be involved, attacking players and over the toes of his boots constantly looking to make something happen.

But when he doesnt engage physically like hes capable of and timidity creeps into his game, hes hard to send over the boards offensively, where his game is better suited than it is defensively.

Hes capable of being a creator and using space to find openings.

He understands how to pull defenders in so that he can make a play through them into the gaps in coverage theyve left behind.

And he has started to do that more in the last year and a half, with good offensive results coming out of it.

Hes also getting off the perimeter more.

The difficulty is that while hes got skill (the Penguins werent the only team that had him as a second-round talent) and while I like his one-timer from the flank on the power play, hes not likely going to get those kinds of opportunities up levels in which case, what is he? Advertisement 15.

Joona Vaisanen, RHD, 20 (Western Michigan University) Vaisanen was my fifth-ranked overager in last years draft after he made the jump from Finlands U20 level to the USHL and was one of the best defensemen in the league in his first year in North America, earning a job on the Finnish blue line at the World Juniors and a nod on the USHLs First All-Star Team.

He has followed that up with a really respectable freshman year at Western Michigan as well, often playing 19-plus minutes to positive two-way results.

His game is driven by his on-ice intellect.

He reads it at a high level one which was at times even too advanced for his teammates this year and makes smart plays all over the ice, steering his ice time with his efficiency.

His team usually wins his minutes handily and hes the type of player who will be better with better players as he progresses.

He moves pucks with good timing and anticipation.

He defends well and breaks up a lot of plays.

His tools arent dynamic and hes average-sized (though hes up to 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds now), but I think theres a path for him to become organizational depth because of the way he understands the game.

The Tiers As always, each prospect pool ranking is broken down into team-specific tiers in order to give you a better sense of the proximity from one player or group of players to the next.

The Penguins pool is divided into three tiers: 1-2, 3-14, 15+.

Also considered but not ranked were Brampton defenseman Finn Harding, Minnesota -Duluth forward Zam Plante, depth goaltender Taylor Gauthier and Wilkes-Barre defenseman Isaac Belliveau (the final cut).

(Photo of Rutger McGroarty: Nick Turchiaro / Imagn Images).

This article has been shared from the original article on theathleticuk, here is the link to the original article.