Top 10 Penguins Prospects Show Promise for Future

Who are the top prospects in the Penguins’ organization?

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Penguins are finally starting to build up their depleted prospect pool under Kyle Dubas. The process is slow-going, but over the last year and a half, the team has added more quality prospects than they have in years. 

The organization still possesses a weak group of prospects relative to the rest of the league, but the progress is notable. Here’s a look at the top 10 prospects currently in the Penguins system. 

There’s no debate surrounding who the top prospect is in the system. Brayden Yager is the first highly touted youngster to enter the Penguins’ ranks in over a decade. 

He has real top-six forward potential and could stick as a center or winger in the NHL. 

He’s also not far from being ready for the NHL. At only 19, he may not be fully there, but if he doesn’t make the team out of camp this fall, he should be good to go for the 2025 roster. 

This is where the debate begins. The next player in this ranking could justifiably hold the number two spot, but Koivunen gets the edge here.

In Ville Koivunen, the Pens have another future top-six winger. This past season, he was electric in the top Finnish professional league, his second playing amongst much older players. He’s a dynamic playmaker who could be a future linemate for Yager. 

He will report to the AHL this season and could see time in the NHL if injuries occur.

Not only do the Penguins have two legitimate forward prospects, but they also have one of the most talented goaltenders outside of the NHL.

Joel Blomqvist was a force in his first North American season, dominating the AHL with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

The big question for Blomqvist is whether he needs more time in the AHL or if he’s ready to start at the NHL level. Nonetheless, he has future Penguins’ starter written all over him.

Defensemen are always tricky to evaluate, and Owen Pickering is no exception. After increasing his offensive output in his post-draft season, he replicated those numbers in his second post-draft campaign. The Penguins wanted him to add more offensive push to his game, but that didn’t happen. 

Because of this, the term “plateaued” has been thrown around. Offensively, that may be true, but all-around, his game shows signs of evolving. He filled out his frame and played a much stronger defensive game this past season. If he can continue that trend, he will excel in his first professional season and earn an NHL shot soon. 

Of all the players on this list, Ponomarev will likely play the most NHL games this upcoming season. After two impressive seasons in the AHL, he looks ready to graduate to a full-time NHL role. 

With bottom-six roles up for grabs in Pittsburgh, Ponomarev could snatch a lineup spot next season. He has the skating and two-way awareness to earn the trust of Mike Sullivan while also adding a skillset that could spark depth scoring. Expect him to be on the opening night roster or one of the final training camp cuts.  

Tristan Broz deserves a lot of credit. After transferring to the University of Denver, he completely reinvented his game. He parlayed that into signing his entry-level contract with Pittsburgh and will report to the AHL this upcoming season. 

Between Broz and Ponomarev, the Pens have two viable candidates for a future third-line center. Broz projects as a middle-six forward with 15-20 goal capabilities, something the Pens are desperate for more of.

The last player acquired in the Jake Guentzel trade is another player to be excited about. Cruz Lucius is a slick playmaker who has been a leading scorer at the University of Wisconsin for the past two seasons. 

He’s a long-term project for the Penguins with some deficiencies in his defensive game and skating. Still, the skill he possesses is undeniable and will propel him forward. If the Pens round out his game, they could have a diamond in the rough. 

It’s time for Sam Poulin to get off this list and impact the NHL roster. He had his best professional season this past year but was limited by injuries. 

If he can stay healthy, this could be his last shot to be an everyday NHL player. He has the skill and the skating, and his defensive play is adequate. He should begin the season in Pittsburgh, and hopefully, he will stick. 

The only other goaltender on this list is Sergei Murashov. The 2022 fourth-round pick is a diamond in the rough for the Penguins. 

He’s currently playing in Russia, where he’s dominated the second-highest professional league the past two seasons. This past year, he earned a six-game promotion and posted a sub 2.00 goals against average. 

Still unsigned, Murashov won’t be in North America, let alone Pittsburgh, for a few more seasons. However, if he does come over, he could become a breakout goaltender for the Penguins.  

The 2023 draft class could be one of the Penguins’ best in recent memory, as even their later-round picks have potential. Take Mikhail Ilyin as the perfect example. The Russian forward had success playing in the KHL as a 19-year-old, scoring 12 goals. 

Ilyin isn’t an elite skater, but his creativity certainly is. Like most of the forwards on this list, he projects to be a middle-six forward if he pans out in the NHL. 

While it doesn't propel their system into an upper echelon, the Penguins prospects are in a much better place than they were before Kyle Dubas' arrival. At the very least, there is reason to be optimistic that the Penguins will be getting an infusion of younger talent sooner than later. 

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