Heading into the 2025-26 season, the Pittsburgh Penguins have shifted the focus to youth and development.
With more talent in the system than Pittsburgh has had in years - and 13 picks in the 2025 NHL Draft - top prospects lists are becoming more competitive and more difficult to discern. Since the prospect pool is deepening, The Hockey News - Pittsburgh Penguins takes a look at the top-20 prospects in the organization.
At this point, we have reached the top-five on our list. And right at No. 5 is a young netminder who continues to garner the attention of many and has pretty much done nothing but dominate up to this point: Sergei Murashov.
#5 G Sergei Murashov
For any goaltender anywhere, it is extremely difficult to not only have a save percentage of .913 or higher at every level of professional hockey so far, but also to show signs of dominance almost effortlessly.
Yet, this is something that 21-year-old Penguins' goaltending prospect Sergei Murashov has managed to accomplish.
To be clear, the one and only season Murashov has had a sub-.913 save percentage was for Loko Yaraslovl of the MHL as a 16-year-old, when he posted a .909 save percentage in eight games. Since then, he has been nothing short of spectacular.
From 2021-24 between the MHL and KHL, Murashov never posted a save percentage below .925. In fact, during the 2022-23 season with Loko Yaroslavl, Murashov went 24-7-5 with 11 shutouts, a 1.53 goals-against average, and a .948 save percentage. And that was the season following his draft year in 2022 (118th overall).
Who Will Be The Starting Goaltender In WBS This Season?The NHL goaltending situation for the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2025-26 already figures to be an interesting one.
The 6-foot-2, 175-pound goaltender's impressive numbers in Russia preceded his move to North America for the 2024-25 season - and he did not miss a beat with the move.
In 26 games ECHL games with the Wheeling Nailers last season, Murashov posted a 17-7-1 record to go along with a .922 save percentage and a 2.40 goals-against average. Because of injuries at the AHL level, Murashov was called up to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) during the second half of the season, and he made franchise history.
He won his first 11 starts at the AHL level, setting a new franchise rookie record and tying the general franchise record for consecutive wins. In 16 total starts at the AHL level last season for WBS, Murashov went 12-3-0 with a .913 save percentage and a 2.64 goals-against average.
In other words, there is no doubt that this kid has talent. His quickness and athleticism is unmatched by any other netminder in the Penguins' system, and Murashov carries himself with a certain confidence and calm that isn't typical of goaltenders his age.
On Hershey's first goal, Sergei Murashov came up with a RIDICULOUS rebound save seconds prior to the 3rd attempt going in. @InsideAHLHockeypic.twitter.com/96Sfwao58i
— Tony Androckitis* (@TonyAndrock) April 12, 2025
He is still raw, and he needs to work on his rebound control and refining the sharp edges in his game. He also had a tough three games in the ECHL playoffs, even if it was largely the result of the team in front of him failing to execute.
But it's hard to deny the upside of a guy who has proven he can get it done at every level of hockey up to this point. Goaltending has been a problem area for the Penguins since their back-to-back Stanley Cup runs in 2016 and 2017, and they have an abundance of goaltenders in their system. Murashov will be competing with the likes of Joel Blomqvist, Filip Larsson, and Taylor Gauthier for the AHL starting job this season, which will be a fascinating battle to keep an eye on in training camp.
Murashov has put a little bit of distance between himself and the rest of them, and it would probably be best for his development to be full-time in the AHL this season. But - regardless of where he laces them up this season - this is certainly a prospect Penguins' fans and NHL fans should be keeping an eye on.
Top-20 Penguins' Prospects 2025: Defenseman Should Be Full-Time In The NHL This SeasonHeading into the 2025-26 season, the Pittsburgh Penguins have shifted the focus to youth and development.
The list so far:
- No. 6: D Owen Pickering
- No. 7: F Tanner Howe
- No. 8: G Arturs Silovs
- No. 9: G Joel Blomqvist
- No. 10: F Tristan Broz
- No. 11: F Will Horcoff
- No. 12: F Mikhail Ilyin
- No. 13 F Filip Hallander
- No. 14: F Bill Zonnon
- No. 15: F Melvin Fernstrom
- No. 16: D Emil Pieniniemi
- No. 17: F Avery Hayes
- No. 18: F Cruz Lucius
- No. 19: D Finn Harding
- No. 20: D Peyton Kettles
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