Who could the Penguins select this year?
The Pittsburgh Penguins will have three picks in the first three rounds of this year's NHL Entry Draft. This is because they not only have their first-round pick and second-round pick, but also the Winnipeg Jets' second-round pick.
Due to this, the Penguins selected three players in The Athletic's latest mock draft, which had writers Corey Pronman and Scott Wheeler predict the first two rounds of this year's draft.
With the Penguins' first-round pick, Pronman had the Metropolitan Division club selected center Ilia Morozov. Morozov would be a fascinating prospect for the Penguins to add to their system, as he is a 6-foot-3 center with plenty of skill. In 36 games this season as a freshman with Ohio University, he posted eight goals and 20 points.
With the Jets' second-round pick, Wheeler had the Penguins taking defenseman Juho Piiparinen. The 6-foot-3 right-shot defenseman would be a nice addition to the Penguins' prospect, especially when noting that the right side of their blueline is up there in age. In 29 games this season with Tappara of Finland's Liiga, he posted three assists. He also had 13 points in 15 games with Tappara's U20 team.
With the Penguins' second-round pick, Pronman predicted that Pittsburgh would select goaltender Filip Ruzicka. The 6-foot-7 netminder is an intriguing prospect who could be worth taking a flier on. In 42 games this season in the WHL with the Brandon Wheat Kings, he had a 26-14-1 record, a .906 save percentage, and a 3.19 goals-against average.