Pittsburgh Penguins defensive prospect Peyton Kettles was traded at the junior level within the Western Hockey League on Thursday.<\/p>\n
The Kelowna Rockets acquired the right-handed Kettles from the Swift Current Broncos in exchange for defenseman Jackson Gillespie and five selections in future WHL drafts:<\/p>\n
\u2022 2027 first round<\/p>\n
\u2022 2026 second round<\/p>\n
\u2022 2029 second round<\/p>\n
\u2022 2026 fourth round<\/p>\n
\u2022 2029 fourth round<\/p>\n
Kettles, 18, attended the Penguins\u2019 training camp last month but an undisclosed injury limited his participation and lingered until this month. As a result, he has been limited to two WHL games this season, scoring one goal.<\/p>\n
Peyton Kettles is so back ????@SCBroncos<\/a> | @Penguins<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/lp9EDRRPx0<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Western Hockey League (@TheWHL) October 23, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n This transaction does not affect Kettles\u2019 (6-foot-6, 194 pounds) status with the Penguins, who selected him in the second round (No. 39 overall) of the NHL Draft in June.<\/p>\n Kettles has not yet signed an NHL contract and the Penguins can retain his rights until June 1, 2027.<\/p>\n \u201cSuper competitive,\u201d Penguins vice president of player personnel Wes Clark said in June. \u201cTough. He checks a lot of boxes (as the team is) trying to improve certain qualities on the back end here with the depth we have in the prospects.\u201d<\/p>\n Speaking with Swift Current Online<\/a>, Broncos general manager Chad Leslie cited newer NCAA eligibility rules that allow junior players to join schools in the United States as motivation for the trade.<\/p>\n This past offseason, forward Clarke Caswell, a Seattle Kraken prospect, left the Broncos to play for the University of North Dakota.<\/p>\n \u201cThe landscape changing with the NCAA, and what happened with us with Clarke Caswell comes into play,\u201d Leslie said. \u201cWe have to manage our assets properly. I think realistically the timing of it being a Memorial Cup year in the west is really big. Values of those players were high, and for the cycle that we\u2019re in, we had to take advantage of it.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m really proud of Peyton, and we felt it was an opportunity for us as an organization, but a great opportunity for him as well.\u201d<\/p>\n Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com<\/a>. <\/p>\n