BUFFALO, N.Y. —The Pittsburgh Penguins ' prospects team for the 2025 Prospects Challenge in Buffalo was the perfect embodiment of where the organization resides in their effort to rebuild after nearly two decades of unparalleled success on the ice and at the ticket window.
No team has won more Stanley Cups (3) in the last 20 years, as merchandise and tickets were hot commodities. Unfortunately, the business success has faded with the aging superstars who led the team's rebirth, while the next generation is still matriculating elsewhere.
Some of the next generation were in Buffalo this weekend for the Challenge, from Tristan Broz and Avery Hayes, who will most likely play in the NHL at some point this season, to Ben Kindel , who is just beginning his path to the show as the team's first-round pick (11th overall) in June.
NOTE: PHN will update the story following the third period of Game 3 Monday. If the Penguins defeat the Buffalo Sabres prospects team, the Penguins will win the tournament with a 2-0-1 record.
The first note is that the group still lacks centers and depth. Kindel and Broz were the top two centers and played well, but a few prospects didn't make the trip due to injury, notably Rutger McGroarty and Bill Zonnon .
Zonnon might be one of the solutions in the middle for the next-generation crew, and we were quite disappointed not to see him play this weekend.
Fortunately, effort and determination were not lacking.
Overall, several of the players on the prospects team will play in the NHL this season, and the difference between those players and the others was immediately noticeable, especially for the formerly floppy-haired Owen Pickering , who not sports a close-cropped businessman's cut.
The big 21-year-old defenseman who seems to have topped out somewhere near 6-foot-5 has gained weight, and he is obviously trying to project a more mature visage. Make no mistake, he took some internal flak from veterans last year for being a bit happy-go-lucky.
On the ice, he was flawless in Game 1. He didn't play Game 2 likely because there was no need to risk injury. He was head and shoulders above the competition–always in the right spot, made the easy plays, made the right plays, and looked like a top defenseman.
He'll be in the NHL come October, whether he's a first, second, or third-pair defenseman is TBD.
His performance in the tournament is best described as impressive and mistake-filled. Turnovers and bad penalties have offset otherwise spectacular skating and rushes past disposed forecheckers.
Brunicke, 19, has bad habits from playing against inferior juniors competition, and there's no doubt he'll be able to clean up his game, but there is going to be some pain involved. In an interesting twist, his shortcomings almost necessitate that he make a professional roster (NHL, or if the rules change, the AHL) this season to begin that process. Another year with the Kamloops Blazers just won't help.
Beauchesne, 18, was the breakout performer of the Penguins' tournament. He'll head back to juniors (Guelph Storm) in a few weeks, but the 2025 fifth-round pick was scrappy and added energy to the club. He played well, too. He skates better than most fifth-rounders, was fearless, and made the right plays.
Monday, Beauchesne had to wear the fishbowl, which prevented a third fight, but he still got into a cross-checking battle at the end of the first period.
Put him on your watch list.
Daniel Laatsch: Did not play in Game 1, and did not look good in Game 2. The former seventh-round pick will have to up his game to make the AHL roster, or he's Wheeling-bound. Laatsch is 23 years old.
Brady Peddle: He has played in the first two games but was very quiet. It's hard to gauge the 2025 third-round pick–he's obviously a stay-at-home defenseman, but without the benefit of film and replays, he's been non-descript.
Emil Pieniniemi : He'll play with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins this season, but he must be more consistent and confident. He wasn't very good in Game 1, and his Game 2 performance had high points, but also low spots.
When PHN asked Pieniniemi, 20, what he wanted to improve this season, he said, "My defensive game. Clean up little details."
He's got a lot more work to do, and fans who have been on his bandwagon will need to be more patient.
Broz, 22, will be in the NHL this season. He is just a smart player with silky hands. He's still finding parts of his game, but we like him as the Penguins' third-line center before the year is over.
When PHN asked him about what this tournament meant to him, he said, "To demonstrate maturity and good defense."
Broz played a solid few games, scoring a couple of goals, adding a few assists, and killing penalties well. The latter will be a skill he needs to display in training camp.
He's a spark plug. He forced his way into the Penguins organization as an undrafted free agent. He forced his way out of the platoon situation in WBS into full-time work. And he forced his way from an AHL contract to an NHL contract.
Hayes is a try-hard, and we mean that in the best possible sense. Every shift, every game, he's pushing the play, pushing the pace, and his nose is always over the puck.
We'll find out if he has the physical talent and skill to hang in the NHL very soon. If you want to grab an underdog to love, this is your guy.
Kindel wanted to compare himself to the top prospects, and he's done well in this tournament. Sunday's chaotic slobberknocker wasn't the best highlight, but he's been responsible defensively and shown some slick playmaking ability.
WBS coach Kirk MacDonald said his skating "is fine," and noted the separation Kindel has been able to create, but we'll quibble a bit with the separation part. His skating has been fine here, but next week, we will get the true gauge of how much he has improved in the last couple of months.
Kindel has plenty of talent and a next-level offensive acumen. This will be a building year for him back in juniors with the Calgary Hitmen.
Another player to add to your dark horse list. Dach was the Penguins' 2025 seventh-round pick. The Penguins selected him 201st overall.
Dach, 18, flashed top-shelf offensive ability when playing with Kindel and Hayes in Game 1, and was immediately noticeable. The line tilted the ice, and Dach also flashed playmaking skills (he's a natural center playing wing here) and a hockey IQ. In a couple of years, he could be a solid contributor with WBS and begin to knock on the Penguins' door.
"He's really impressive. Coming from playing tier two junior (BCHL) to this environment with guys that played in the NHL last year, I thought he acquitted himself very well," said Wilkes-Barre/Scranton coach Kirk MacDonald, who is coaching the prospects team.
There haven't been other standouts among the forwards crew. Ryan Miller (a fifth-round pick) and Travis Hayes have been involved in the play, but have not made an impact.
The goaltending has been what we thought it would be. Sergie Murashov was pretty good in the first half of Game 1, before the team made a mid-game change to Gabriel D'Aigle.
In fact, in the more structured, orderly Game 1, both goalies were pretty good. Murashove still needs to clean up his rebound control, but his anticipation and puck stopping are pretty good. Murashov started Game 3 and helped the Penguins weather an early push by Buffalo.
D'Aigle was also good in Game 1, but it's obvious he's still raw. As a big goalie, he makes saves by being there, but he was a bit rough in Game 2. On Sunday, he allowed a tying goal by going down to make a tight-angle save, but the rebound caromed to the circle. He was still down as the puck sailed over him. D'Aigle allowed five goals Sunday, and while none were softies, a few were the result of not dominating the net.
There's clearly plenty to work with for D'Aigle, but don't expect him to make a furious charge up the depth chart for a while.
However, Murashov is a tweak or two away.
The post Final Analysis Penguins Prospects Challenge; Good, Bad, & a Breakout Performer appeared first on Pittsburgh Hockey Now .
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