2025 NHL Draft
2025 Penguins Draft Class: Grading the Steals & Reaches
Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas seemed rather pleased with his first-round picks, even trading up for their third pick of the first round.
Fans, scouting services, and consensus rankings disagreed.
Comparatively, the New York Islanders’ rebuild seemed to take about 24 hours as they traded away No. 1 defenseman Noah Dobson Friday, selected Matthew Schaefer first overall, then used the 16th and 17th overall picks acquired in the Dobson trade to select feisty and talented winger Victor Eklund, and physical defenseman Kashawn Aitcheson.
It was a home run for the Penguins’ Metro Division rivals. Conversely, the Penguins did … OK. Maybe?
Penguins Overall Grade: C.
The Reaches
Ben Kindel: First round, 11th overall
The team selected Ben Kindel with the 11th pick because Dubas had intel that he wouldn’t last to No. 21. After the top centers were off the board, it seems Dubas leaned on vice president of player personnel Wes Clark, who had been closely following and pushing Kindel’s name into the conversation.
However, of the top 12 scouts/scouting services and rankings, he was ranked better than 20th by only three, and no higher than 17th.
Does that really matter? Not really, but Kindel’s size (5-foot-10, 176 pounds) and NHL-readiness are concerns. He’s probably a couple of years away. At least. In all probability, he will not be part of the immediate rebuild. With any luck, he’ll reach Pittsburgh before rent prices graduate from rising to ridiculous.
Read More: Penguins’ Draft Guru Wes Clark Breaks Down Top Picks, Strategy
Make no mistake, Clark has a great track record, so he gets some measure of the benefit of the doubt. However, Kindel will need to prove everyone right, or this pick will echo amongst the fan base for a long time.
“His extreme characteristic is his intelligence. His hockey sense relative to this class is elite,” said Clark. “(He scored) 99 points (this season). He understands the game at a super high level. We have just big belief in Ben in terms of the upside. He influences the game on both sides of the puck.”
If he’s as good as Clark believes, there will be a lot of people who conveniently forget their snap reaction. However, fairly or not, Kindel will be judged against the players who could have been selected instead. Hindsight will offer no in between here.
Grade A or F.
Will Horcoff: First round, 24th overall.
Clark touted Horcoff’s talent and progression this season as the reason they made the pick. It might work out for the Penguins because Horcoff has something which cannot be taught or bought: size.
However, they selected a player who some had a deep second-round grade, and who would have almost certainly been available with the 31st overall pick. He’s raw and has not proven much. In 18 games with Michigan, Horcoff had 10 points, including scoring four goals.
Read More: Penguins Trade UP, Select Big Will Horcoft at No. 24; Full Analysis
One would expect more accomplishment for a 24th overall pick. It cost the Penguins the 59th overall pick to move up, because, ironically, the Penguins felt they would have to reach at 59.
Grade: D
Peyton Kettles: 2nd round, 39th overall.
It isn’t often that a television analyst openly pans a pick, but that happened Saturday on ESPN when the Penguins selected the 6-foot-6, 194-pound Kettles.
“I mean, he’s a seventh defenseman,” said Sam Cosentino with a reluctant dismissal.
Yet the Penguins took the projected third-rounder early in the second. Kettles has size, though it’s debatable if he’s physical, despite his assertion that he prefers a physical game. Predominantly, scouts saw him as a shutdown defender with good size, but sometimes a pedestrian game.
Like Kindel, the player might work out well, but the pick was a big reach regardless.
Grade: F
The Steals & Intrigues
Bill Zonnon; First round, 22nd overall
There was good news. There is no question that the Penguins may have gotten a steal at No. 22 when they reached just a little to select forward Bill Zonnon of the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. Zonnon isn’t necessarily big, at 6-foot-2, 190 pounds, but he’s strong on the wall and a horse with the puck.
The encouraging thing about Zonnon’s negatives is that they are easily fixable. His hockey sense is quite good, and his speed is good–in a straight line. Zonnon needs to work on his edges and lateral skating. He’ll also need some time on the practice sheets with Nick Bonino to work on face-offs, too, but the Penguins got an underrated, strapping center who can score.
You might note that one thing the Penguins brass often mentions when they evaluate prospects is playoff performance. Zonnon had 16 points, including eight goals in 13 playoff games. Beyond the points, reports indicated Zonnon was a monster during Rouyn-Noranda’s playoff run, and the Penguins could certainly use a few of those.
Grade: A
Gabriel D’Aigle: Third round, 84th overall.
With one of their three third-round picks, the Penguins snagged the big, athletic goalie who spent summers working out with Marc-Andre Fleury. The pair is from the same hometown and kept in touch after their workouts.
The 6-foot-4, 212-pound goalie played on a bad team, but observers report he was the difference between losing badly and being competitive. The advanced stats show that he faced a large number of high-danger scoring chances but made a higher-than-average number of saves.
Clark humorously referred to organizational goaltending coach Jon Elkin as “Sir Jon Elkin,” and said Penguins director of goaltending had D’Aigle at the top of his list.
It’s impossible to predict a goaltender’s progression, but the Penguins have an attractive lump of clay that can move well and covers a lot of net.
Grade: A
Charlie Trethewey: 3rd round, 73rd overall.
He slipped from a first-round grade to be a third-round pick, but he could make the jump to the NHL sooner rather than later. He’s got the build at 6-foot-2, 201 pounds. His skating is dynamic. He loves to play physical, but can also move the puck well.
The drawbacks are his transition game and the penalty minutes that follow undisciplined physicality. Perhaps maturity and playing college hockey will help.
The Penguins got a solidly built defenseman who can skate with a third-round pick. Perhaps he will need to strip his game down if he can’t put the pieces together, but it’s a great starting point.
This could be a Kris Letang-type pick. Letang was also a third-rounder with a lot of skills, but took a few years to get to the NHL lineup, and even then, he struggled. Those shortcomings are forgotten in light of his subsequent success, but they were real.
Trethewey gives off similar vibes that he has all the tools in the toolkit. He will attend Boston University next season, and when PHN asked specifically what he wanted to work on at the next level, he gave a confident answer.
“I would say there’s not really one thing I need to work on right now. It’s kind of just fine-tuning a lot of things in my game and just trying to get to the next level,” Trethewey said.
Hey, his Pittsburgh roots don’t hurt, either.
Grade: A
Entire Penguins Draft Class:
| Round | Overall | Name | Pos. | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 | Ben Kindel | C | Calgary Hitmen [WHL] |
| 1 | 22 | Bill Zonnon | C/F | Rouyn-Noranda Huskies [QMJHL] |
| 1 | 24 | Will Horcoff | C/F | University of Michigan |
| 2 | 39 | Peyton Kettles | D | Swift Current |
| 3 | 73 | Charlie Trethewey | D | U.S. National Development Team [USHL] |
| 3 | 84 | Gabriel D'Aigle | G | Victoriaville Tigres [QMJHL] |
| 3 | 91 | Brady Peddle | D | Waterloo Black Hawks [USHL] |
| 4 | 105 | Travis Hayes | RW | Soo Greyhounds [OHL] |
| 5 | 130 | Ryan Miller | C | Portland Winterhawks [WHL] |
| 5 | 148 | Quinn Beauchesne | D | Guelph Storm [OHL] |
| 5 | 154 | Jordan Charron | RW | Soo Greyhounds [OHL] |
| 6 | 169 | Carter Sanderson | F | Muskegon Lumberjacks [USHL] |
| 7 | 201 | Kale Dach | C | Sherwood Park Crusaders [BCHL] |
Dan, it is important to note that many of the independent scouting services never lay eyes on the prospects. Only certain scouts in certain regions actually watch the players in person. They are reading analysis and draft guides to form their opinions. Wes Clark and others related to the Pens organization were not only watching the players, they were working with them or had people close to them working with them. Even Dubas scouted some of these players. In this draft especially, once you got past the top 11 (top 10 picks + Eklund) and I believe there are a… Read more »
Danor Dean or anyone:
What is the rationale for making age 18 (by September) the age for eligibility.
In view of the $ and value attributed to the draft it would seem to me that raising the age by at least a year or maybe more would make the process more reliable and thus of greater value to both players and owners.
Thoughts?
They used to draft 20-year-olds . But competition from the WHA force them to drop the aged 18. Racing the age might trigger antitrust problems, for example, excluding two years of generational, talent like Crosby or Lemieux.
The benefit of drafting 18-year-olds is it adds a lot of randomness that distributes talent.
TartanBill, ( a CMU grad I presume) your point about increasing randomness and thus more evenly distributing talent is both fascinating and valid. From my perspective what you did is rationalized the key problem I saw with drafting 17-18 year olds and stood it on its head. However, to the extent that there is intrinsic value in increasing the randomness of the draft (see NY Islanders) resulting from drafting 17-18 year olds then it reduces the value of the entire NHL scouting industrial complex that has evolved over recent decades. You don’t need to fly to Moose Jaw or Key… Read more »
Scott, until recently, very few hockey prospects went to college, they primarily played in a junior league. The answer is that if it is more of a historical approach. It does take most of the players 4+ years to develop. Dan may have a better answer.
For the loser that game you a minus for the question, doesn’t belong in forums like this.
Man, did you really just try to explain the amateur scouting industry to me? Do ya think I’m some blogger who works a 9-5 and does this on the side? Since I noted scouts and scouting agencies–those folks are trained pros with boots on the ground. I don’t cite untrained magazines or web watchers.
Dan, so touchy. In your article you referred back to the ametuer scouting industry as your justification for grading. Just pointing out for others that may not understand that those rankings are far inferior to Pens approach, especially after the top tier players are gone, just like other sports.
Didn’t mean it as a slight to you.
Watching the draft this year Dean gave me the same impression. I’ve never really focused on the NHL draft before because frankly we were never really a big part of it after trading picks away. I watched intently this year and noticed that the prospect rankings and best available lists (after the first 7 or 8 picks) were no where close to what the teams were doing. The talking heads for the NFL draft get much closer on their lists but they are scouting older kids and only have to scout the top NCAA programs. In hockey they have to… Read more »
I don’t like what they did in the first round, those three won’t make any impact , all three skate funny,not worth 1st round selection, at best 3rd liners, should have stayed at 11 and 12 , taken Aitcheson and Nesbitt.
But I like the rest of the picks in rounds 2-7, some good prospects to develop.
I thought the idea of this rebuild or retool was too have a somewhat quick turn around for Sidneys last year, these guys are at least 4 years away.
Really can’t believe we didn’t take Aitcheson. Going to the islanders, he’ll be beating up our small forwards for the next 15 years….
LD and goalie are the lesser needs. Centers, RD, and wingers. Exactly what they picked.
Same as last year. Just less picks.
I thought Eklund should have been the pick without questions. There are a few, skilled brothers combos in the NHL and I feel that kid is gonna be really good. We missed.
Knowing that the draft this year and next will not bring much help in the next 2 to 4 years, makes the next week critical if the Pens want to rebuild quickly. The Pens have 3 assets, plus teams with limited caps space, to reshape this team for a run within 3 years. They have to use those assets to take a chance, in the next few weeks, on what Dubas calls young players that are “out of favor”. Out of favor to me also can mean that the player doesn’t want to play for the team (Howard), the team… Read more »
Tampa is up against the cap, Novak costs too much, Tomasino(probably sign for 2.0 or less) and a 2nd, add a 5th(?) to seal the deal. Muse coached him before and he played with McGroarty. I would also recommend Hague from Vegas instead of Holtz(but I don’t hate Holtz-maybe both??). Rakell is too much for Dach and Boeser is not worth what he will ask. I like Rakell for Byram. Struble also a good target. I like EK(Pietrangelo going on LTIR) and Heinen(fairly cheap middle six) for Hague and W. Karlsson(I know he is 31, but can be 2C and… Read more »
Novak at $1.75M is exactly what Tampa needs and last time I checked $1.75m is less than $2M. Exactly why I recommended retaining salary. Howard is a critical piece. Sounds like Toronto has Hauge and Roy locked up in the Marner sign and trade. Dach as stated is a grand slam swing. We need to take on of those too. Plus he is a coveted right shot center. Boeser at $8 or even $8.5M is a big power forward that is both a sniper and will go to the dirty area infront of the net. Just imagining a line of… Read more »
Sorry I missed the retain part. I think either would work fine.
I also like Dach just think Rakell is giving away too much and I do not mind Boeser the more I think about it. Well done. Also we only have 3 retention spots and I think we will need 1 for EK if we can move him, so hate to use one for just 1.75 million.
That is a concern for me too, knowing we are limited to 3. However, this is the year to clean up the roster. Karlsson and Novak will leave us 1 more for someone in their final year of their contract. Of those the only one that makes sense to me is Hayes, however, I do not see him really as tradable. If it was me, I would buy out Accari, buy out is less than his AAV, to get his contract off the book. I would rather use that contract spot for someone like Veleno. Maybe we could get more… Read more »
I also like Tomasino more than Novak. He reminds me of a young Rust in many ways. Including the streaks.
I just love how people crap all over these kids before they even get a chance. Sad, really.
These rankings don’t deserve the respect you are giving them. The typical amateur scout logs thousands of miles each year, often in the boonies, watching full games and talking to their coaches and other local contacts within the kid’s community. So many of these rankings you’re worried about are looking at film clips and stat sheets and word of mouth. Apples and oranges. I’ll trust Wes Clark all day long based on his track record.
I’m pretty ambivalent on this draft class. There seemed to be some reaches and some steals. As far as Kindle, this team needs point producers for the future. I would had gone with Bear, but this team is trying to load up their center depth. Horcoff and Kittles were reaches, but with Horcoff we will get an idea with how he plays in college. I do think his father is impactful in development. For everyone saying Aitchinson, Trethewey looks awfully talented. They also drafted another right handed defenseman who looks like he has some potential. In 2-4 years, we shall… Read more »
Dan,
You sure are a tough grader. Many of the prospects won’t work out but giving them an F before you see them hit the ice is pretty tough..
You misunderstand. I don’t give them an F. I give the pick an F.
how is it any different?
you didn’t get an F, you’re math test did!
I’m certainly fine with grouping them into different categories and I get the message behind the ‘grade’. However, I’m not sure it’s so necessary, tbh. From here, if the grade is based on who else they could have picked at that slot, there’s variability (unknowns) in the other players they could have selected as well. So assigning a grade is an attempt to compare what you know about the pick they made against what you (think you) know about the players they could have picked. (Never mind you’re comparing picks made by the organization by employees hand picked to make… Read more »
I’d love to see this article and the comments 5 years from now. Even then we still may not know who was right.
If the scouting services were always right, the draft would be easy. Judging what 17 and 18 year old players will become 2 or 3 years down the road is voodoo. Many players get overlooked, drafted in later rounds, and turn into stars. Others players drafted earlier never take the next step in their development and become a draft bust. I’m going to watch and wait and HOPE Wes Clark has the magic finder power.
Would of loved for them to have got Malone but oh well
They should have taken Eklund 11th and Aitcheson 12th and been done.Dufas flubbed this draft.Just like he’s most likely going to get taken to the wood shed if he deals away Rakell or Rust..
I would have loved to see him do that. I don’t know (yet) that he “flubbed” the draft, but he definitely missed out on a quicker fix.
The Islanders are getting rave reviews for their first rounders. What could have been for the Penguins…
I thought this was a great article and spot on. It made sense and I understand what you meant. The players are fine, just not where they should have been picked per se. I get it.
Dan – I think these are fairly objective assessments of the draft results. In my estimation, when you are “rolling the dice” on 1st & 2nd round pick players in the draft after YEARS of no 1st or 2nd round picks, it demonstrates that you are horribly immature about massively ignorant on how to re-build a program. You must go with rock-solid talent that is obvious. As you pointed out, the NYI, and I might add, the Flyers beat the tar out of Dubas in their picks. They had ROCK SOLID drafts. Dubas must think he is some kind of… Read more »
I really struggle to understand why it affects the grading of the pick that a player is “years away.” The current team isn’t close to contention. Guys like Rust and Guentzel and Dumoulin weren’t selected as instant impact guys either – but they were pretty dang integral to winning Stanley Cups. Sometimes it almost reads like the NHL is expected to shut down in 2026 or something so no players who will be arriving after that point really count. The Penguins need to establish a pipeline of effective players, of all roles and on all timelines, and they appear to… Read more »
The obvious litmus test for evaluating any draft is how many players go on to be impactful NHL players. For example, look at the drafting history of the Florida Panthers and the drafting positions of players they traded for. For the most part with some exceptions there were no “reaches” on that roster who were determinative. How many of the key determinative players (Conn-Smyth winners) on the last 10-15 Cup winning teams were “reaches”? The most recent Conn-Smythe winner was a 4th overall pick. Dubas & Clark may love to “reach” but the object of the sport is to win… Read more »
The Conn Smythe winners this century have been superstars or late bloomers who became key contributors. McDavid, Makar, Vasilevsky, Hedman, Ovi, Sid (x2), Patty Kane, Jonathan Quick, Tim Thomas, Toews, Malkin, Zetterberg are the superstars, the players who were the best on the ice. On the contrary.. Bennett wasn’t going to win in Calgary, Marchessault was undrafted, Ryan O’Reilly became great with STL, Duncan Keith/Justin Williams grew even further and blossomed into playoff stars. It seems by your logic, the only way the Pens would’ve made a good pick and “not reached” is if they traded up to grab Misa,… Read more »
I enjoyed the article, but I have to take issue with the TV analyst’s comment on Kettles. Flatly declaring a 17 year-old to be “a seventh defenseman” at the NHL level requires heavy-duty psychic ability or more likely just self-important idiocy. No one truly knows where this kid will be as a player in a year, much less the four or five it will take him to play for the Pens.
I’m a fan, so of course I’m optimistic even when optimism might be stupid. I do think, though, that in his lust for quantity, Dubas left some quality on the table. Seems like a resolutely long-term draft, when his professed aim was to give Crosby some tools to work with before he retires. Eklund/Aitcheson might well have been on the squad in 2026-2027. I don’t see anyone making that squad here except MAYBE Zonnon…
Draft grades right after the draft are all subjective, up to individual opinions. This draft cannot be fully graded until 2030 at least. We’ve seen highly touted guys like Yakupov, Puljujarvi, and Daigle be massive busts. In more recent memory Shane Wright, Olli Juolevi, Dylan McIlrath, and Griffin Reinhart. Draft day, especially in the NHL (similar to the MLB), doesn’t mean that much. We’ve seen guys get drafted late and have stellar careers (Datsyuk, Hasek, Pavelski, Lundqvist). We’ve also seen guys slip to round 2 and still be HOFs (Lidstrom, Messier, Roy, Kurri). Welcome these young bucks into the organization… Read more »