Most years, we haven\u2019t had to put in the effort for an honorable mention article prior to the Top 25 countdown of young players in the Pittsburgh Penguins\u2019 organization. A lot of the time the bottom-half of the list has been longshots at best, let alone those who didn\u2019t make the cut in the first place.<\/p>\n
After making 13 draft picks this year and acquiring some others via trade, that\u2019s changing now. In the past, the stance was to defer to the hope of newly drafted players, out of necessity since the Pens had little else in their system. We don\u2019t have to do that any longer either \u2014 young players who have a lot of development or some proving things to go can now be left off the list to see how they fare over time.<\/p>\n
So in many cases the list below isn\u2019t an indictment on the outlook of the player\u2019s future, it\u2019s just too early in their journeys to accurately give them a spot just quite yet. In hockey, patience with development is key \u2014 the draft pick of today could require three or four years before truly getting a sense of where they might end up.<\/p>\n
There will be some 2025 draftees making the list of the top players in the organization at this snapshot in time, but it can be the ones with projectable skills and\/or carrying organizational value as high picks. It\u2019s just no longer a necessity to be automatically included any longer, which is a pretty positive development for the health of the list and prospect pool alike.<\/p>\n
Indeed, for once, there is some honor in being mentioned in this prospect pool that the Pens have been building. Some young players won\u2019t be this year at all. Our \u201cbest of the rest\u201d for this year, in no specific order<\/p>\n
Daniel Laatsch \u2014 Unlike many on this list, Laatsch (23) is not young. He\u2019s untested just the same, having finished up a four-year career at the University of Wisconsin and going through a hip surgery. \u201cLove the size, love the kid,\u201d Penguins director of player development Tom Kostopoulos said on July 3rd in the midst of development camp. \u201cHe\u2019s ready to dive in and work, his reach and his stick detail is something special. His willingness to kill penalties, block shots, defend in the corners [it\u2019s] something that we really like.\u201d <\/p>\n
Laatsch is finally turning pro and it\u2019s a huge season for him to show how he handles the AHL speed and competition. He\u2019s got a big hill to climb to defend his way into rising up the ranks, having almost no offensive skills or ability at all. That\u2019s a long-shot but there\u2019s something about his 6\u20195\u201d frame and having a really good stick that gives him a glimmer of a chance. He also looked good skating with his pivots and turns at development camp for a big guy. Laatsch will be basic and limited with the puck, but he\u2019ll be trying to \u201cRob Scuderi it\u201d up the ranks as a reliable, sound, defender. 2025-26 is a huge season for him that will tell us a lot about any potential to do just that.<\/p>\n
Ryan Miller \u2014 A fifth round pick in 2025 (130th overall), Miller was another player that showed Kostopolous what he wanted to see at this month\u2019s development camp. \u201cHe made an impact out there almost every shift he was on the ice,\u201d Kostopoulos said. \u201cHe was involved and on the puck. You see when players keep getting the puck, you can tell they\u2019re into the game, and he was all over it. It was nice to see his compete level, I think there\u2019s a lot to work with. I think there\u2019s intelligence and puck skills, and he\u2019s not scared to get to the inside of the ice\u201d. <\/p>\n
Miller was ranked as high as 66th by Dobber Prospects<\/a> ahead of the draft, Luke Sweeney wrote of him: \u201can industrious forward who skates and handles the puck very well, Miller\u2019s shift-to-shift consistency demonstrated that he can be a dependable playoff performer.\u201d <\/p>\n The Portland Winterhawks<\/a> pointed out Miller was the first 17-year old alternate captain for the team in 20 years, and he played in all situations (PK, ES, PP) and will have a huge role next year as he looks to build on his success. Miller isn\u2019t the most eye-catching prospect right now that pops off the page with raw skill or offensive ability, but as a hard-worker and well-rounded player that\u2019s always involved in the action he is one to keep an eye on as time goes on. If all goes right, he\u2019s the type of lower-line player that makes the right plays and has the versatility to help teams win games.<\/p>\n Gabriel D\u2019Aigle \u2014 There\u2019s raw material to work with, and then there\u2019s a young goalie who got shelled with by far the most shots in his league last year, that just happens to be a wide open, goal-hungry league in the best of times. The stats aren\u2019t pretty, but the Penguins didn\u2019t seem to mind by taking the once heralded goalie prospect 84th overall in the 2025 draft.<\/p>\n \u201cWith Gabe, what I\u2019d say he got thrust into a situation where he played a ton, played it basically every night on a bad team, and got faced with a lot of shots,\u201d Penguins assistant GM Jason Spezza said during development camp<\/a>. \u201cI think now that we have him in the roost, we\u2019re going to try to really help him with his technical game. The athleticism and size is there, and now it\u2019s just kind of building his game up with some structure. I think the team will probably take a step next year, which will help him, and we\u2019ll just keep chipping away.\u201d<\/p>\n There\u2019s a lot to work on, but there\u2019s seemingly a lot of natural talent and athleticism as a base to build upon. You never really know with goalies, and Pittsburgh has all the time in the world to let D\u2019Aigle develop and see how advanced he can end up in a couple of years. This one is a big question mark for now, D\u2019Aigle has some things going for him, but it\u2019s going to take a lot of work and a good shake developmentally for him to make the strides needed to get on the NHL radar one day.<\/p>\n Kalle Kangas \u2014 Kangas, 20, a seventh round pick in 2023 has popped up just enough to intrigue. He performed pretty well the last two years for Finland at the U-20 World Junior Championships. In 2024-25 Kangas stepped up to the top league in Finland, skating 41 games for HPK. He\u2019s unsigned to the NHL (rights lasting with Pittsburgh until June 2027, per Puck Pedia<\/a>) and his future is probably a little up in the air since the Pens have a metric TON of defensive prospects moving up to the pro ranks in the coming years. Not sure where this leaves Kangas, but he showed at prospect camp to have the size and growing experience to be in the picture. His skating is somewhat lurch like, when it comes to turns or pivots he\u2019s slow like the good ol\u2019 USS Hal Gill. <\/p>\n Charlie Trethewey \u2014 It\u2019ll be a great story<\/a> if a product of the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite program and kid with Western PA roots can make it to the NHL. Trethewey, who still doesn\u2019t turn 18 until next month was the 73rd overall pick in 2025 will be looking to finish it, but has a long time to do so.<\/p>\n