It looks like the Pittsburgh Penguins' injury woes have trickled down to their farm system.
On Tuesday, it was announced by the Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League that Penguins' defensive prospect Peyton Kettles will be out indefinitely after injuring his shouler. He is scheduled to have surgery Friday in Pittsburgh.
Kettles was selected 39th overall by the Penguins in this summer's draft, and the big, 6-foot-5 defenseman has a goal and three points in five games this season split between the Swift Current Broncos and the Kelowna Rockets. He played with fellow defensive prospect Owen Pickering at Swift Current for two seasons from 2022-24.
He was traded from Swift Current to Kelowna on Oct. 30 in CHL blockbuster that included defenseman Jackson Gillespie and five draft picks - one of which is a 2027 first-round pick. Kettles had already missed Penguins' training camp due to injury and recently returned from that injury before sustaining this one.
The Rockets are 8-6-3-1 and are currently ranked eighth in the Western Conference. They will play host to the Calder Memorial Cup Final at the conclusion of the 2025-26 junior season.
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