The Penguins have been one of hockey's most successful teams in recent history, but that success has come at the cost of star-quality young talent, writes Tony Ferrari.
The Penguins have been one of hockey's most successful teams in recent history, but that success has come at the cost of star-quality young talent, writes Tony Ferrari.
As the NHL off-season ticks on, Tony Ferrari continues to analyze each team’s prospect pool, with the Pittsburgh Penguins next up.
In this series, Tony Ferrari digs into each team’s strengths and weaknesses, their latest draft class, where their positional depth chart stands, and who could be next in line for a shot at the NHL. Note that a player who no longer holds rookie eligibility in the NHL is considered graduated and no longer considered a prospect for the purposes of these exercises unless mentioned otherwise.
Introduction
The state of the Pittsburgh Penguins prospect pool is bleak, but it took a turn for the better at the 2023 NHL draft. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a great deal of talent bubbling under the surface prior to that. The Penguins have rightfully mortgaged away the future routinely to continue extending their contending window while Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang are still productive players in the NHL. The recent Erik Karlsson trade, where Pittsburgh sent away a protected first-round pick and Nathan Legare, was just another move in that direction.
Just because the outlook is bleak, it doesn’t mean that they have absolutely no talent in their pipeline. Tristan Broz took a step this season in the NCAA. While his development hasn’t gone exactly as the Pens had hoped, he seems to have found a comfort level in college that didn’t exist in his freshman year. He has a good shot and is a solid off-puck scoring threat, finding pockets of space to score but he will need to continue getting quicker and more confident with the puck on his stick.
Samuel Poulin took a leave from hockey last year to deal with his mental health but returned toward the end of the season. The 22-year-old has been one of the few promising prospects in the system, even earning a few NHL games last year before his leave. He plays a power game and does an excellent job of drawing pressure and attention and then dishing it to his teammates. His mental health being in the right space is the primary focus for Poulin, but if he is playing hockey, he could find his way into NHL games this upcoming season.
Filip Hallander and Jon Gruden are both 23 years old and have seemingly settled in as AHL scorers but they haven’t really pushed for much extended AHL time. They could be interesting depth pieces if they take a step up this upcoming season.
Owen Pickering is the best defenseman in the system. When the Pens picked him 21st overall in the 2022 NHL draft, it was a bet that he would be able to turn his incredible tools into something. At 6-foot-4, Pickering skates like the wind and shows confidence with the puck. He had a late growth spurt which has allowed him to play the game like an undersized defender, with shifty moves and head fakes. If he hits his ultimate ceiling, the Pens may have found gold.
The Penguins took a chance on Isaac Belliveau after his disappointing draft year and he rewarded them by improving his game and getting back on track in some regards. He has always had the ability to pass the puck up ice, utilizing his skilled forwards in transition to generate offense, but he needs to get more efficient at moving the puck when he isn’t presented with an easy passing option. He will be making the jump to the AHL next season which should give the Pens a sense of where he is at.
There is also the curious case of Ty Smith. After being acquired from the Devils for John Marino, Smith spent the majority of his first season with the organization buried in the AHL. His puck-moving ability and skill are valuable assets and he could have held his own in the NHL last year, especially with the way some of the Penguins’ backend played last year. Now with both Letang and Karlsson on the roster, there likely won’t be powerplay time available for Smith, putting him in no man’s land as a player. He has too much NHL experience and is too old to be a true prospect but is due to zero opportunity in the NHL to play the role he should be in.
Joel Blomqvist is a solid goalie prospect but he has had his fair share of ups and downs so far in his development. From the lows of falling out of favor with the national team at the junior level to the highs of posting a .940 save percentage in the Liiga in 2021-22, Blomqvist has been on a bit of a roller coaster ride thus far. He plays a very calm, cool, and collected game in net, rarely looking rattled. He made the trek to North America and got into one AHL contest last year, but should be a fixture between the pipes for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the upcoming season.
2023 NHL Draft Class
Round 1, 14th overall - Brayden Yager, C, Moose Jaw (WHL)
Round 3, 91st overall - Emil Pieniniemi, LD, Karpat U20 (Finland Jr.)
Round 5, 142nd overall - Mikhail Ilyin, RW, Severstal Cherepovets (KHL)
Round 6, 174th overall - Cooper Foster, C, Ottawa (OHL)
Round 7, 217th overall - Emil Jarventie, LW, Ilves U20 (Finland Jr.)
Round 7, 223rd overall - Kalle Kangas, LD, Jokerit U20 (Finland Jr.)
The Penguins needed to add some talent to the prospect pool and getting Brayden Yager with their first pick was a solid start. Although Yager’s best trait is his shot and he scored less than he did in his draft-1 season, he remains a dangerous shooter. He developed as a playmaker, using his teammates far more effectively last season. He has good straight-line speed, attacking north-south in transition.
Emil Pieniniemi is a strong defensive presence, stepping up in the neutral zone to thwart chances early. He uses all of his 6-foot-2 frame to pin opponents along the boards and in the corners, and impose his will physically. He isn’t the most dynamic puck mover but he is a capable breakout passer. Pieniniemi plays a steady, honest game that isn’t going to blow anyone away but could be effective in the right situation.
Taking a swing on a player like Mikhail Ilyin in the fifth round makes a lot of sense. He has a good motor, plays on the inside with the puck fairly consistently, and does a good job of applying pressure on the backcheck. He is a good skater who outworks his tools in most cases. He split his season between the KHL and Russian junior leagues and looked good at both levels, playing a particularly sound game in the KHL.
The Pens’ sixth-round pick looks like an NHL player, plays like an NHL player, and has all of the tools required to be at least a bottom-six NHL player. The problem is that Cooper Foster hasn’t produced at the rate a player with NHL potential typically does. He played on a deep Ottawa 67s team which could be a reason for his production not looking quite as good as other OHL draft-eligible players. It seems like Pittsburgh has an inkling that Foster has the ability to do more when he’s eventually given more of a role.
Snagging Emil Jarventie late in the draft is solid value as there have been flashes of north-south speed and skill that made him a highly touted player coming into last year. Including the Finnish under-18 team, Jarventie played for five different teams last season, and that could explain why he never quite looked settled. He excels on the rush, carrying the puck up-ice in transition and generating chances on the move. He has very little interest in playing any sort of physical game and is hesitant when going into a corner, but with some physical development and maturity, some of those things can be worked out.
Kalle Kangas was the second last pick of the draft, but he could be a usable asset once fully developed. He stands 6-foot-4 and plays physically in his own end. He can deal with forechecks well by just holding his ground and rolling off the opposing player. His puck skill is very simple, and he can make simple breakout passes, but he lacks the ability to play in a dynamic way.
Strengths
Implying the Penguins' prospect pool has a major strength of any kind is jumping the gun a bit, but they have a few solid wingers. Yager could wind up on the wing based on his skill set as well. Broz and Poulin bring some physicality and off-puck scoring ability. Hallander and Jarventie possess some intriguing skills. Even 24-year-old Valtteri Puustinen could be an asset on the NHL roster if they need to add some skill. It’s not an elite group, but it’s the only area of any sort of depth within the system.
Weaknesses
To put it kindly, the Pens' prospect pool is a weakness. Keeping the dream of a fourth Stanley Cup alive for Crosby, Malkin, and Letang has been costly for the Pens. It’s understandable and more than justified of the Pens to keep chasing Cups, but it’s come at the cost of having a prospect pool with any sort of depth.
Next Man Up: Samuel Poulin, RW
The Pens don’t have players who are necessarily ready to step in and play big roles for the big club as they look to compete once again in the upcoming season, but Poulin could find his way into the lineup as a bottom-six contributor and depth scorer. If he plays well in a lower role, he could find his way to a spot on the wing of Crosby or Malkin at some point, and we could see the full potential of Poulin finally realized.
Prospect Depth Chart Notables
LW: Tristan Broz, Samuel Poulin, Filip Hallander, Emil Jarventie, Mikhail Ilyin
C: Brayden Yager, Jordan Frasca, Lukas Svejkovsky, Zam Plante
RW: Valtteri Puustinen, Raivis Ansons
LD: Owen Pickering, Isaac Belliveau, Emil Pieniniemi, Kalle Kangas
RD: Josh Maniscalco
G: Joel Blomqvist, Taylor Gauthier, Filip Lindberg, Sergey Murashov
For a deeper dive into the prospect pool with player rankings, check out the Yearbook, Prospects Unlimited and Future Watch editions of The Hockey News.