PITTSBURGH \u2014 For the first time in a generation, the Pittsburgh Penguins\u2019 prospect pool isn\u2019t an organizational afterthought.<\/p>\n
Real players with real talent are on their way to Pittsburgh as the team\u2019s rebuild is fully underway.<\/p>\n
The organization is excited about its direction for the first time in several years and about individual prospects who could someday make a profound impact in the NHL.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve had the opportunity to speak with many people within the organization since the NHL Draft and the team\u2019s recently completed rookie camp.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s what I\u2019ve learned about a handful of players.<\/p>\n
Harrison Brunicke: Future captain?<\/p>\n
While the Penguins now have a boatload of first-round picks in their prospect pool, I\u2019m not sure a player has elevated his profile more than Harrison Brunicke.<\/p>\n
Expecting the 19-year-old to make the team out of training camp seems unreasonable because the Penguins also employ Erik Karlsson, Kris Letang, Matt Dumba<\/a> and Connor Clifton. Those four right-handed defensemen, despite their limitations, figure to make it very difficult for Brunicke to make the team.<\/p>\n Of course, the roster can change. More to the point: The Penguins are in love with Brunicke, and it\u2019s easy to see why.<\/p>\n Brunicke \u2014 at 18 \u2014 was probably their best defenseman in training camp last season. A couple of days before the season, former Penguins coach Mike Sullivan\u2019s eyes grew huge at the mere mention of Brunicke\u2019s name. Sullivan didn\u2019t say a word, but his facial expression illustrated his opinion that Brunicke will become a big-time NHL player.<\/p>\n Sullivan isn\u2019t alone on that.<\/p>\n The Penguins front office is unified in that belief, and not just because of his significant physical ability. Brunicke might have the personality to wear a letter on his chest someday.<\/p>\n \u201cHis greatest strength might be his competitiveness. \u201cHe wants to make the team out of camp,\u201d said a high-ranking member of the organization who was granted anonymity so they could speak freely about personnel matters.<\/p>\n Brunicke played only 12 games for AHL Wilkes-Barre\/Scranton last season, but people in the organization say he was the best player on the ice in many of them.<\/p>\n He\u2019ll likely land in Pittsburgh at the start of the 2026-27 season. It\u2019s typically unwise to rush defensemen to the NHL, and the Penguins know they\u2019re likely to lose a lot next season anyway. But make no mistake, the Penguins are exceptionally enthusiastic about Brunicke. They believe they got a steal in the second round.<\/p>\n Belief in Benjamin Kindel<\/p>\n There\u2019s a sentiment around the NHL that the Penguins reached for Benjamin Kindel with the draft\u2019s 11th pick.<\/p>\n Kindel is undersized, yes, but the Penguins \u2014 notably vice president of player personnel Wes Clark, whose power during the draft is unmatched in the organization \u2014 believe they made the right choice.<\/p>\n Kindel didn\u2019t blow anyone away with his performance at rookie camp, but the Penguins aren\u2019t the least bit concerned. They believe Kindel will become an NHL standout. Why? More than anything, his hockey mind. His brain is his greatest strength, and that\u2019s not always going to be on display in something like a rookie camp.<\/p>\n A team source recently compared him to a younger version of Jake Guentzel. He\u2019s not the biggest, or the fastest, and probably won\u2019t be ready for the NHL for two or three years. But his hockey IQ is so exceptionally high that the Penguins believe he will prove their selection to be correct.<\/p>\n Why Bill Zonnon could be a draft steal<\/p>\n Don\u2019t be shocked if Bill Zonnon, the 22nd pick in the draft, makes it to the NHL before Kindel.<\/p>\n The Penguins think they landed a steal. Zonnon did nothing to disappoint them in rookie camp. Quite the opposite.<\/p>\n Scouts have said that his floor is very high, and everyone I\u2019ve spoken with in the NHL agrees. He\u2019s big, he\u2019s physically mature, and he plays a very simple game that NHL coaches love. There\u2019s not much East-West in his game, and there aren\u2019t many bad habits, either.<\/p>\n The Penguins love him.<\/p>\n Will Horcoff comparisons<\/p>\n Speaking of players the Penguins are pleased with, Will Horcoff, the third of the first-round picks last month, also impressed at rookie camp.<\/p>\n While his skill doesn\u2019t blow anyone away, his size and hockey IQ do. The Penguins love him. One longtime member of the organization said Horcoff reminds him, in some ways, of Jordan Staal.<\/p>\n Horcoff won\u2019t make the team at 18 like Staal did, but there are indeed similarities in size, puck handling and clogging up passing lanes with their long reach.<\/p>\n Emil Pieniniemi\u2019s rise<\/p>\n One player to watch when training camp arrives is defenseman Emil Pieniniemi, the Penguins\u2019 third-round selection in the 2023 NHL Draft.<\/p>\n His stock rose as he produced 60 points in 60 games with the Kingston Frontenacs (OHL) last season.<\/p>\n The Penguins think his skating and overall defensive work must improve before he is NHL-ready. However, they love his decisions with the puck and believe he will mature into a good, puck-moving NHL defenseman.<\/p>\n What the \u0160ilovs signing means for prospects<\/p>\n Just because the Penguins acquired goaltender Art\u016brs \u0160ilovs doesn\u2019t mean they are down on the other young goaltenders in their system. Far from it.<\/p>\n \u0160ilovs is young and talented, and, given his talent and small acquisition cost<\/a>, the trade was a no-brainer for the Penguins. Still, they remain very high on prospects Sergei Murashov and Joel Blomqvist.<\/p>\n In particular, Murashov\u2019s ceiling is especially high, and the Penguins are eager to gauge his progress in training camp. It would be something of a surprise if Murashov makes the NHL roster out of training camp, but his trajectory is impressive. Many people across the organization expect him to make his NHL debut by the 2026-27 season at the latest.<\/p>\n All eyes on McKenna<\/p>\n