The Olympic break gives a chance to pause and look at the top prospects within the Penguins’ organization. Here’s a quick refresher based off last summer’s rankings for how things are going for the prospects.

We’ll break down some of the notable cases going on based off the tiers established previously.

Tier 7: #22 – honorable mentions; Long-term prospects with some upside

The biggest story in this group is the great season that Lucius is off to at Arizona State. The Penguins have a decision coming up to sign him, being as this is his last year of NCAA eligibility. As of now he’s definitely looking like a player that should be brought in on an AHL PTO and eventually signed to a pro contract. Otherwise this list about is what it is for some longer-term prospects, including honorable mention and 2025 fifth round pick Ryan Miller who is playing as well as anyone in this tier (53 points in 49 games for WHL Portland).

Tier 6: #15 – 21; Slightly more developed prospects still a ways away

This has been one of the more interesting tiers, albeit dogged by injuries. Tanner Howe has made an early splash in his debut in the AHL following a lengthy rehab from a torn ACL in 2025. Unfortunately Joona Vaisanen, one of the top players on last year’s Western Michigan NCAA championship team, was lost for the season early on with an injury. Emil Pieniniemi balked at going to the ECHL, eventually relented and got his season off to a delayed start (with a few AHL callups along the way). Broz and Hayes have been chugging along as some of the team’s best AHL players but still looking for traction at making the leap to the NHL. Hayes with two goals in an almost accidental one-game cameo (that only happened due to an illness, a childbirth and an injury) will put him on the radar for more as it opens.

Tier 5: #12 – 14; Intrigue, but patience required

Patience was required and patience will be tested here. Kettles, a 2025 second round pick, was lost early in the season with a shoulder injury, in what could be a tough obstacle to overcome for a young player and career. Fernstrom struggled in Sweden, getting demoted a league before the Penguins decided they wanted him to work in the minor leagues. To his credit, he’s made the most of the chance with a strong opening impression. Ilyin remains a very productive player in Russia. The picture, overall, in this tier is remains muddled, but still with some hope and promise.

Tier 4: #9 -11; The wildcards

Wildcards indeed. Tomasino quickly went bust, surprising since he had a few very nice moments in Pittsburgh last season before falling out of grace quickly and getting moved on (the Flyers have yet to recall him to the NHL after the trade). Other wildcards have been more promising, Silovs’s play has been a bit all over the map — sometimes it’s worth remembering he technically is an NHL rookie. At time he’s been pretty good for the Penguins, at other times it’s been a struggle. Overall for a first time goalie, he’s having a pretty nice year. The other player in this tier, Sergei Murashov, didn’t have as many skill or pressing age-related questions, and still looks like he’s handling every challenge thrown his way. The future remains bright and promising there.

Tier 3: #7-8; Older, near ready players

Pickering, as a draft+4 first round pick, hasn’t managed a call-up to the NHL this season putting him at risk of going into troubling territory historically for this stage of his career. Blomqvist was unfortunately hurt when Pittsburgh needed an NHL replacement the most earlier in the season but has been strong in the AHL again (8-4-3 record, .916 save%, 2.43 GAA). It can be strange to think of either as ‘older’ as far as anything but for NHL prospect time the clock is starting to tick loudly in both of these cases.

Tier 2: #4-6; Recent first round picks

What a haul the first round the 2025 draft is turning out to be for the Penguins. Zonnon came back from a pair of injuries to recently look like one of the top forwards in the QMJHL, Horcoff exploded to become one of the NCAA’s top goal scorers and Kindel is off to a history-making season for a player to produce in the NHL despite not even being a top-10 pick. There’s still a lot of time to go in all of these cases, so far the Penguins must be thrilled at the talent they’ve gotten out of that draft.

Tier 1: #1 -3; Cream of the crop

Progress not being a straight line is a lesson in all of these cases. Brunicke, especially, had to endure some bumps along the way – but joins a select club of teenaged NHL defensemen. Kouvinen has been unable to gain a lot of traction in the NHL this season but continues to be one of the top players at the AHL level and inspire some hope, though his 0.38 P/60 and skating deficiencies have taken a lot of the wind out of the sails for a possible long-term future. McGroarty has been in and out with injuries and up and down between the NHL and AHL. His NHL boxcars (2G+3A in 20 games, 1.14 P/60) suggest a less impressive impact than he’s been able to make at times with his energy and ability to get to the net.

There could be some questions for all at this midway point between the 2025 T25U25 and 2026 list about the ceilings for all — could Brunicke now come into focus as a more likely a 4/5 defender instead of a 2 or 3? Maybe McGroarty is more bottom-six than mid-six and Koivunen’s end point a lot more variable and troubling in terms of improvements needed to become an NHL regular. The good news is the talent involved makes the targets fluid and potentially prone to positive progressions in the near future with stronger second halves to the season than to this point.

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Overall on this list, Kindel would rise with his showing this season. Impressive doesn’t sound like a strong word, but at this point I’m not sure there is one. There’s good reason to be excited about the futures of Murashov and Hayes, the latter in a smaller role but both getting close to making good on NHL futures. Silovs has become an NHL caliber goalie. Down range, Zonnon, Horcoff, Brunicke and Lucius have done well in their respective leagues and unfortunately injury concerns have popped up for others like Kettles and Vaisanen. The next few months will potentially be big proving grounds for players like McGroarty, Koivunen, Broz, Hayes, Pickering and Blomqvist to pick up momentum heading into next year — all of those players getting into a range where you’d really like to see progress sooner than later given their age and the typical developmental curves.

The best news of all is the team’s system is improving and only getting better. Egor Chinakhov (who turned 25 earlier this month) will not be T25U25 eligible but is still adding youth, speed and skill to the NHL team. The Penguins, as of the moment anyways, still possess three of the first 57 and five of the top 89 picks in the draft and figure to add even more talent by the time the 2026 Pensburgh list comes out over the summer. The 2025 list was incredibly young (only Silovs will age out, though Tomasino and Sam Poulin have departed the organization), making this list something of a starting point and base for the years that follow to build upon.

The movement that the team has underwent in the past two years to stock the system and organization with the next wave of talent is just starting and figures to have the opportunity to swell the talent pool much further in the coming months and years.