The Pittsburgh Penguins are getting a group of fresh prospects in the return for Jake Guentzel.

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Penguins made the splashiest move of the trade deadline when they shipped Jake Guentzel to the Carolina Hurricanes for Michael Bunting and a bevy of futures. The fanbase and hockey world seem disappointed in the return. However, the group of prospects brought back for Guentzel is plenty to be excited about.

With a bare cupboard, the Penguins have instantly upgraded their top five prospects. So before overreacting and painting this return in the same light as the Jaromir Jagr trade in 2001, let’s look at what these youngsters can eventually bring to the Penguins.

Vasili Ponomarev

Ponomarev is the closest to NHL-ready among these three prospects. A second-round selection in the 2020 draft, there’s been one consistent trait used to describe the 21-year-old forward: determined. He doesn’t possess the flashiest offensive skillset and isn’t a future Selke Trophy candidate, but he has a Hall of Fame work ethic. His determination has gotten him to where he is, which is on the precipice of being a full-time NHLer. Last season, he scored 24 goals and 46 points in the AHL to put himself on the NHL club's radar. 

Heading into this season, Ponomarev had climbed the top tier of Hurricane's prospects. The Hockey News ranked him as the fifth center in the organization's depth chart. After starting strong in the AHL, Carolina gave him his first big league action. In just two games, he impressed, registering a goal and an assist. For the rest of this season, he’s been a leading scorer for the Chicago Wolves of the AHL with eight goals and 29 points in 39 games.

Projecting exactly where he will fit in the NHL is a difficult task, but currently he has the makings of a scoring third line center. A position the Penguins are desperate to find a solution for long-term.

Ville Koivunen

Ville Koivunen may be the crown jewel of this return, at least in the eyes of the Penguins management. Dubas seemed especially excited about this forward, believing he may have been overlooked in the loaded Carolina system. The Hockey News ranked him as the seventh-best prospect heading into the 2023-24 season. 

Despite his lower ranking, the Penguins believe they are getting a future top-six winger in Koivunen. Selected in the second round of the 2021 NHL Draft, the European forward has spent the past three seasons playing in the top Finnish professional league.

This campaign has been his breakout playing with Karpat. In 57 games, he has 21 goals and 55 points. Playing in Europe has undoubtedly been beneficial for Koivunen. He's getting plenty of opportunities to play with tough competition in a top hockey league. Koivunen has made a name for himself, sitting just below a point-per-game pace the past two years.

When you watch Koivunen play, what stands out immediately is his desire and demand for the puck. He wants to make plays every shift with absolute determination. Whether it’s setting up passes or shooting, he has this non-stop drive every time he steps onto the ice.

Koivunen's shot is impressive, and when he can get his entire body into it, he can blow it by goaltenders. His vision is even more impressive as he finds soft spots between the forwards and defense in the offensive zone with ease.

The biggest knock against Koivunen is his skating. There isn’t anything visibly wrong with his stride or mechanics, but he doesn’t wow you in any way with his edgework or speed. He still needs another two years before he can challenge for a top-six position, but he certainly has the highest ceiling of the players coming to Pittsburgh.

Cruz Lucius

While he certainly wins the contest for the coolest name, Cruz Lucius is also a prospect with plenty to be excited about. A fourth-round selection in 2022, Lucius is currently unsigned as he develops in the NCAA. This season, he is the leading scorer for the fifth-ranked Wisconsin Badgers.

The 19-year-old sophomore is a product of the United States National Team Development Program but has gone mostly overlooked amongst a crop of incredibly talented young players. He led the Badgers in scoring last season as a freshman and figures to finish atop the team scoring race again this season.

Not physically imposing with room to grow in stature, Lucius makes up for it with an inherent ability to slow the game down. He also understands how to position himself on the ice to create chances. He has incredible on-ice vision, consistently finding soft spots and putting pucks in ideal shooting positions for his teammates. If his game continues to progress, he has the makings of a second line winger with 15-20 goal and 60-point potential. 

Like Koivunen, Lucius’ biggest impediment to the NHL is his skating ability. His offensive awareness and passing should progress enough to be impactful professionally, but his speed remains a huge question mark. Since he is unsigned, he will likely stay in school for another year or two to develop his game. 

The biggest takeaway from the Guentzel trade is that this was a move intended to strengthen their core prospects. For years, the Penguins had had no NHL-worthy players developing in their system. Now they have Brayden Yager, Owen Pickering, Joel Blomqvist, and these three newest additions.

There is still loads of work left to set the Penguins up for future success, but this is an excellent step in the right direction for the post-Sidney Crosby era in Pittsburgh. 

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