No Penguins Prospects in Top 50 Ranking
There were no Pittsburgh Penguins prospects to be found in a recent NHL-wide ranking.
The Pittsburgh Penguins have struggled to build a stout prospect pool over the last half decade or so, but things don’t seem to be looking up with their pipeline just yet.
NHL Network recently released their rankings of the top 50 prospects and there were no young Penguins to be found.
Despite Kyle Dubas’ best efforts to add a top level prospect at the 2023 Draft, Brayden Yager misses this list.
The Penguins have been set on win-now mode ever since players like Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin hit their primes.
Now, as those guys are 35 and 36-years-old respectively, almost all of the focus has been turned to acquiring NHL-ready talent that can bring one more Stanley Cup to Pittsburgh during their careers.
The Penguins have a handful of prospects they are proud of and could make noise in the NHL some day, they just don’t have high expectations from outsiders.
The previously mentioned Yager might top the list of Penguins prospects, followed by Sam Poulin and Valtteri Puustinen who could see regular NHL time this year.
Owen Pickering is still a few years out, but has great upside and a ton of potential in the system.
Joel Blomqvist is a goalie prospect that will be worth keeping an eye on over the next few years as he gets acclimated with North American ice.
The pipeline in Pittsburgh might not be as fruitful as other teams around the NHL, but that means those that are there have a ton to prove when they get their chances.
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