Pittsburgh Penguins Bring Prospect Tristan Broz Into the Fold

The Pittsburgh Penguins have brought one of their top prospects into the fold. General Manager Kyle Dubas announced that Forward Tristan Broz has agreed to a three year Entry Level Contract (ELC). The contract will begin in the 2024-2025 season. The ELC will carry an Average Annual Value (AAV) of $950,000 while he is in the NHL. Broz will spend the remainder of 2024 with the Pens’ AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. It remains to be seen how much, if any, playing time he will see with the Baby Penguins, or if his time will be spent acclimating to the pro game.

Broz, their #5 prospect, according to The Hockey News, joins the Pens from the recently crowned NCAA Hockey Champion University of Denver Pioneers. Before matriculating to Denver, he spent his freshman season at the University of Minnesota. During the recently concluded hockey tournament, Broz scored two overtime game winning goals. His performance for the Pioneers earned him a spot on the All-Tournament team. Those two goals were the only points he scored in the postseason. He was a +1. He has 26 goals and 42 assists for 68 points in 83 games for Denver.

He played primarily left wing for the first season and a half for the Pioneers. Injuries necessitated his shift to center. After the position change, Broz became the team’s top center. He was a member of the top power play unit and saw action on the penalty kill. He has developed an accurate and powerful shot and is a good skater. He will need to improve his face off skills to remain at center and will need to be more diligent in the defensive zone.

He will attend the Penguins’ training camp this fall. He will be a strong candidate to be sent to the AHL. If he displays enough skill in camp, he will have the opportunity to center one of the WBS top two lines in 2024-2025. In all likelihood, he will serve at least a one year stint in the AHL before receiving serious consideration to be added to the NHL roster. Draft Nation projection – middle six forward.