Pittsburgh Penguins 2025 NHL Draft: First Round Recap

Last Friday and Saturday, NHL’s Entry draft took place in Los Angeles, California. Here is a list of events that took place for the Pittsburgh Penguins:

Initially, the Penguins held the 11th overall pick in the first round until they officially acquired the 12th overall pick from the New York Rangers. The 12th overall pick was the trade part of two trades, the first made on January 31, 2025, involving J.T. Miller going from the Vancouver Canucks to the Rangers. Then, Vancouver traded that pick to Pittsburgh as part of the Marcus Pettersson/Drew O’Connor trade. The Rangers had the choice, and they exercised their top-13 protected clause to send Pittsburgh the 2025 pick, not 2026.

Once that decision was made, Penguins General Manager, Kyle Dubas, was able to focus on what was next—the draft. What came next, nobody saw coming. 

Draft Night Strategy: Trio of Trades to Assemble Picks

1. No. 11 Overall → Benjamin Kindel

With their original pick, the Penguins selected rising WHL Benjamin “Ben” Kindel, after a 99-point season with the Calgary Hitmen. The move was unexpected considering who was still available. 11th overall seemed high for Kindel, who’d been ranked by many draft outlets as a late first-round target. 

Kindel is 5’10” but can fly and score. Dubas remarked on his consistent progress throughout the last season as the reason why for the selection, and Kindel’s ability to get better and better in every stage of the game. 

2. No. 12 → Traded to Philadelphia → Penguins acquired picks No. 22 & No. 31

Immediately after selecting Kindel, Pittsburgh traded the 12th pick to their division rivals, the Philadelphia Flyers, receiving the 22nd and 31st overall selections in exchange. 

No one expected this move either. First, there was just a handful of high-end talent still on the board, and allowing an improving rival to jump up to draft from that limited pool made for an interesting strategy. It’s not hard to understand the idea of trading down to acquire yet another first-round pick, but this draft class wasn’t the deepest, and perhaps history will bear that out a few years from now. 

3. No. 22 → Bill Zonnon

The Pens used the newly acquired No. 22 pick to select Canadian winger Bill Zonnon, coming off an 83-point season in the QMJHL with Rouyn-Noranda. Zonnen, a big-bodied, bruising forward, scores many of his goals from 15 feet and in. He’s shown the ability to make plays, but will remind Pens fans of former fan-favorite Kevin Stevens if he pans out. Stevens was known as a power forward and made many of his plays from inside the crease. 

4. Move Up seven spots to No. 24

To secure a higher first-round pick, Pittsburgh traded picks No. 31 and 59 to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for the 24th overall pick. The Penguins then used that pick on University of Michigan forward Will Horcoff, a 6′5″ winger with a strong shot and NHL pedigree—son of former NHLer Shawn Horcoff.

Some will complain about this choice as Horcoff was ranked as a high to mid second-rounder, but the Pens didn’t seem to mind. They bought into his size and bloodlines and didn’t wait for the clock to run down to do so. 

First Round Draft Selections – At a Glance

Pick | Player      | Position | Team (Junior or NCAA)    | Notes

-----|-------------------|----------|-----------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------

11  | Benjamin Kindel  | C    | Calgary Hitmen (WHL)    | 99 pts; 5'10", 180 lb; 200-foot game; fast riser, smart, and is a pest to play against.

22  | Bill Zonnon    | RW    | Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (QMJHL)| 83 pts; 6'2", 187 lb; top combine pull-ups, played the center position this year

24  | Will Horcoff   | LW/C   | Univ. of Michigan (NCAA)  | 6'5", 181 lb; NCAA/NTDP experience; strong shot

According to Dubas, “we felt by moving out of the 12th pick, it would give us a chance to potentially add two more high-end players that we had rated high on our board.” The goal was to both acquire quantity and maintain quality, believing all three picks could become NHL talents.

It marked the first time since 1984 that Pittsburgh had selected three players in the first round—all forwards.

Dubas emphasized this was a move to deepen the prospect pool and lay groundwork for future contention. 

“Every ounce of our focus is about getting the team back to contention as urgently as possible,” Dubas said after round one.

What It Means for the Penguins

1. Reshaping the Prospect Pipeline

Pittsburgh addressed the need for top-level forward talent with speed, offensive upside, physicality, and defensive responsibility.

2. Calculated Aggression

The strategy of packaging and re-packaging picks led to three high selections rather than two, indicative of a bold, proactive draft strategy. Will it pay off? That remains to be seen.

3. Support for the Next Era

With veterans aging, this had to happen, and hopefully, these picks feed into the long-term plan to build a sustainable competitive core, post Sidney Crosby.

In a single round, the Penguins executed a multi-step plan that turned two first-round picks into three forward picks: Ben Kindel (11th), Bill Zonnon (22nd), and Will Horcoff (24th). This “draft night maneuvering” included trading the 12th pick for two lower picks and moving back up into the first round yet again. No question, this was the Penguins’ most active and aggressive draft round in over four decades. 

It's way too early to tell how this will all play out for Dubas and the Penguins, but one thing is for sure: this draft is going to impact the organization for years to come, good or bad.