Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh Penguins

Team Depth Chart of NHL Prospects
Strengths
  • Forwards with top-nine potential
  • Many NHL ready prospects
  • Size and depth on defense
Weaknesses
  • Lack of depth on wing
  • Many top prospects are projects

About Prospect Scores and Probability

Prospect Criteria

Legend of Players' Leagues
Pro
Playing in N.A. Pro (NHL, AHL, ECHL, etc.)
CHL
Playing in CHL (OHL, QMJHL, WHL)
NCAA
Playing in NCAA
Europe
Playing in Europe
Junior
Playing in Junior 'A' (USHL, BCHL, AJHL, etc.)
N/A
Not Categorized Yet

Goaltenders

 League Prosp. talent Prob. of success
1. Matt Murray CHL 7.5 D
2. Eric Hartzell Pro 7.0 C
3. Sean Maguire NCAA 7.0 D

Right Wing

 League Prosp. talent Prob. of success
1. Beau Bennett Pro 7.5 C
2. Josh Archibald NCAA 7.0 C
3. Tom Kühnhackl Pro 7.0 D
4. Anton Zlobin CHL 7.0 D
5. Bryan Rust NCAA 6.5 C
6. Dominik Uher Pro 6.0 C
7. Matia Marcantuoni CHL 6.0 C

Left Wing

 League Prosp. talent Prob. of success
1. Scott Wilson NCAA 7.0 D
2. Paul Thompson Pro 6.5 C

Centers

 League Prosp. talent Prob. of success
1. Teddy Blueger NCAA 7.5 D
2. Oskar Sundqvist Europe 7.5 D
3. Brian Gibbons Pro 6.5 C
4. Jayson Megna Pro 6.5 C
5. Adam Payerl Pro 5.5 C
6. Keven Veilleux Pro 5.0 D

Defensemen

 League Prosp. talent Prob. of success
1. Derrick Pouliot CHL 8.0 C
2. Simon Despres Pro 7.5 B
3. Olli Maatta CHL 7.5 C
4. Scott Harrington CHL 7.0 B
5. Brian Dumoulin Pro 7.0 B
6. Nick D'Agostino Pro 6.5 C
7. Robert Bortuzzo Pro 6.0 A
8. Harrison Ruopp CHL 6.0 C
9. Philip Samuelsson Pro 6.0 C
10. Alex Velischek Pro 6.0 C
11. Reid McNeill Pro 6.0 C
12. Clark Seymour CHL 6.0 D
13. Alex Grant Pro 5.5 C

Pittsburgh Penguins 2013 draft preview

by Ian Altenbaugh
on

Olli Maatta - Pittsburgh Penguins

Photo: Selected 22nd overall, Olli Maatta was one of two defensemen the Pittsburgh Penguins selected in the 1st round of the 2012 NHL Draft. (courtesy of Claus Andersen/Getty Images)

Following a disappointing exit in the third round of the NHL playoffs, the Pittsburgh Penguins head into the 2013 NHL Draft as a team in need of minor roster re-tooling. The franchise traded their first, second, and fifth round picks in order to acquire rental players Jarome Iginla, Doug Murray, and Brendan Morrow, and consequentially will not have a selection until the third round.

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Pittsburgh Penguins well represented at all levels of post-season play

by Ian Altenbaugh
on

Scott Harrington - Pittsburgh Penguins

Photo: Selected in the 2nd round of the 2011 NHL Draft, defenseman Scott Harrington has quickly developed into one of the Penguins most promising defensive prospects. (courtesy of Terry Wilson/OHL)

If the old adage that says success breeds more success is correct, then the future for the Pittsburgh Penguins appears quite bright. The organization has many players who went the distance in their respective post-seasons, including three who competed for a Memorial Cup, two who played in the NCAA Frozen Four, and roughly a dozen more currently competing in the NHL and AHL playoffs.

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Bennett, Despres among those featured in Pittsburgh Penguins prospect awards

by Ian Altenbaugh
on

Beau Bennett - Pittsburgh Penguins

Photo: Winger Beau Bennett has been impressive in his rookie season with the Pittsburgh Penguins. The 21-year-old was drafted 20th overall in 2010. (courtesy of Rich Graessle/Icon SMI)

The Pittsburgh Penguins had numerous prospects with standout seasons this year, but few if any rivaled the performances of NHL rookies Simon Despres and Beau Bennett. Drafted in 2009 and 2010 respectively, Bennett and Despres were instrumental in helping the team to a 36-12 record.

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Team Rankings: Detroit Red Wings deep prospect pool leads the middle group

by HF Staff
on

Dan DeKeyser - Detroit Red Wings

Photo: Detroit’s signing of Western Michigan defenseman Dan DeKeyser has improved the team’s breakout and transition game (courtesy of Steven King/Icon SMI)

Below is the middle section of the Hockey's Future Spring NHL Team Rankings, the staff's ranking of each NHL team's system based on the strength of the entire prospect pool. For reference, just the top five prospects are listed. To be eligible, a prospect must meet HF's prospect criteria. The ranking is done twice a year, with this edition being an update to the Fall ranking.

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Pittsburgh Penguins show preference for NCAA talent

by Ian Altenbaugh
on

Oskar Sundqvist - Pittsburgh Penguins

Photo: Forward Oskar Sundqvist is the only European trained prospect currently in the Penguins system. Sundqvist was selected in the third round of the 2012 NHL Draft. (courtesy of Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

With a front office and coaching staff made up almost entirely of former NCAA hockey players, it should come as no surprise that the Pittsburgh Penguins love to draft and develop collegiate level talent. However, there are also pragmatic reasons as to why Penguins draft collegiate bound players. The biggest reason is because NHL teams are afforded two more years with NCAA players before they have to make a decision regarding whether or not they will sign the player to an entry-level contract. That extra development time is crucial for a team like the Penguins, who rely heavily on mid-to-late round draft picks to keep their cupboard stocked.

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Top Prospects

  1. Derrick Pouliot
  2. Simon Despres
  3. Beau Bennett
  4. Olli Maatta
  5. Brian Dumoulin
  6. Scott Harrington
  7. Robert Bortuzzo
  8. Teddy Blueger
  1. Josh Archibald
  2. Oskar Sundqvist
  3. Bryan Rust
  4. Paul Thompson
  5. Matt Murray
  6. Scott Wilson
  7. Nick D'Agostino
  8. Sean Maguire
  9. Jayson Megna

Notable Prospects

  1. Alex Grant
  2. Brian Gibbons
  3. Eric Hartzell
  4. Tom Kühnhackl
  5. Matia Marcantuoni
  6. Reid McNeill
  7. Adam Payerl
  1. Harrison Ruopp
  2. Philip Samuelsson
  3. Clark Seymour
  4. Dominik Uher
  5. Keven Veilleux
  6. Alex Velischek
  7. Anton Zlobin
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