The Pittsburgh Penguins have the 11th overall pick in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft and will certainly be looking to land a good prospect with it. It is no secret that the Penguins need to strengthen their prospect pool, and picking early in the first round will give them an opportunity to do just that.
When looking at this year's draft class, one player who could make a lot of sense for the Penguins to select if he is still available when they are on the clock is defenseman Jackson Smith.
With the Penguins needing to strengthen the left side of their defense, Smith could very well grab their attention. The Calgary native is one of the top blueliners in this year's draft class and has all the tools to become a legitimate top-four NHL defenseman later down the road.
Smith, 18, impressed big time this season in the Western Hockey League (WHL) with the Tri-City Americans. In 68 games, the 6-foot-3 defenseman recorded new OHL career highs with 11 goals, 43 assists, and 54 points. With numbers like these, Smith demonstrated that he not only is impactful with his strong defensive play and physicality but is also talented offensively.
If the Penguins selected Smith with their first-round pick, he would instantly become one of their best prospects. The youngster's future is very bright, and it will be interesting to see if he ends up being who the Penguins select from here.
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