2025 Draft Class Speaks to the Media (06.30.25) | Pittsburgh Penguins
i don’t want to Heat heat hey hey hey heat heat heat heat heat heat hey hey hey heat heat n heat heat heat heat heat heat heat heat heat heat heat heat heat heat heat heat heat heat n heat heat heat heat hey hey hey heat heat heat heat n heat heat heat heat heat heat heat heat feel hey Heat heat we’re going to have two sessions of the draft picks coming out to speak with you guys but we’re going to introduce them as a full class if you will for a quick team photo and then they will break off into two groups so it is my pleasure to introduce to you the 2025 Pittsburgh Penguins draft class let’s start with Ben Kendall up next bill Zanin Will Horoff i didn’t get the memo on the shorts how about Payton Kettles you know your way around here Charlie don’t you charlie Trethay welcome back gabriel Dagel Brady Pedal Travis Hayes Ryan Miller Quinn Boschain Jordan Chiron Carter Sanderson and Kale Doc the Penguins 2025 draft class all good okay so the first group of guys I know I think you’re aware of who’s staying out there uh stay out there and take a seat the first group that’s going to be doing the set of interviews the rest of you guys can come off this is an interesting format this work Dan good can you hear me perfect um so we’re just excited today to actually introduce um you know obviously this this draft class of 2025 uh to Pittsburgh and to the media uh in Pittsburgh and and to the whole city they’ve got a bunch of events planned here uh in the coming uh coming day and days which will begin to get uh the group integrated into the city um and obviously on on stage with me now we’ve got Ben Kindle Will Horov Bill Z and Kale Doc Ryan Miller Jordan Shiron and Quinn Bushain from G so um at at this time we’ll turn it over to uh to the media for any questions they have of the group i’ll just knock this out with one question for all three of the first rounders uh normally the first round pick gets all the hype all the attention all the scrutiny what’s it like for you guys to kind of be a group of three and autom automatically like a set of triplets from day one joining the Penguins organization can you speak to that does that sort of alleviate some of the pressure for you guys and what’s it like to have two brothers in arms right away right off the hop here to enter your Penguins careers if I can get a thought from each of you on that i mean yeah I don’t know if it uh alleviates the pressure i think it’s pretty cool um we’re already really close and I’m starting to get to know these guys as well um we got drafted that was the main thing that’s just the first step in a long process so we’re just going to focus on um getting better in the future and focus on that uh yeah honestly I think it’s a lot of fun to be uh with these guys we get to to grow together and just be around each other so that’s great and you know I feel like pressure pressure is a privilege so um you know I’m going to work as hard as I can and I don’t think it’s going to get to me yeah it’s uh it’s really cool to get drafted alongside these two guys they’re seem to be great guys already and um I’m really excited to move forward uh in our development together i guess for the crew that wasn’t in LA Quinn Ryan Jordan and Cal just wanted to ask uh where you were and how you found out that you were drafted by the Penguins and just what your emotions are upon joining this organization yeah um uh I was at home with my family i was watching with my brothers and my mom and dad um yeah when my name got shown up on the TV my mom started screaming so it was pretty cool moments um obviously dream come true but like he said over there uh it’s just a step in the process and there’s a lot of work to be done to get to where I want to be so yeah yeah I was lucky enough just to be home with a great group of family close group of friends and my girlfriend as well so it was a great time being able to see your name on the the TV is just really a dream come true u but like everyone said you know it’s it’s just the start so I’m really looking forward to getting started here with such a great organization yeah um just had some family and friends over um same with my girlfriend too um yeah it was a fun time uh really exciting um kind of hearing your name call it’s kind of a surreal moment so just really exciting and I just can’t wait to get started this dev camp coming up here so yeah at home as well in Sher Park uh grandparents aunts uh friends really exciting my agent called me basically raised the pick was happening uh so kind of figured it was happening uh it was exciting yeah really excited to get going uh question question for Ryan Miller please uh Ryan you spent some time in Portland with Mike Johnson who spent time here in Pittsburgh he has a pretty good history of guiding guys to the NHL just what did you learn there uh working with Mike and you’re committed to the University of Denver what made that the right school for you
yeah uh obviously playing for Mike he’s a great coach he’s obviously coached here in Pittsburgh and um so he knows what he’s talking about it was good to play play in front of them and I learned a lot from them um yeah so I was just super excited to hear my name get called by this great organization and um yeah and then uh the commitment to Denver um yeah they were talking to me and obviously they’re a great school and um yeah they they they they tend to win games and I like to win games too so yeah it was kind of my thought process behind that uh for the four of you who weren’t in LA could you just describe yourself as players what are your strengths are and then are there any NHL players you try to emulate model your game after uh I think I’m a skilled power forward um someone uses their size and strength to hold on to pucks and play that hard physical game and get to the net um but also has good hockey sense makes good plays in the wall in the D zone and um finds players in the offensive zone but also has a good shot that’s dangerous from anywhere yeah I think I’m a two two-way power forward uh that competes very hard um I’m versatile as well i feel like I can play anywhere in the lineup and you know in any situation um you know I feel like offensively I have a lot of tools but I’m very very reliable defensively as well yeah I think uh my two two biggest strengths are my hockey sense and my vision um I can score as well um take a lot of pride in my defensive game um and compete hard i think we wanted the other guys to answer that question as well too if you guys don’t mind
just like take it on down the line for this same question everyone yeah um I I’d like to think that I’m a two-way forward i can play on both sides of the puck um very competitive like I said I like to win so um yeah I like getting to four checks stripping pucks and getting to the net and um kind of banging away like that so yeah yeah I’d say I’m a two-way defenseman um you know some would say undersized but I I think I play bigger than my size um two-way guy i can be counted upon in in different scenarios um got a good toolbox so just really really looking forward to being able to show uh this organization what I have and lots to prove in the future so I’m really grateful um I think I’m a great uh power forward um I got my speed and size to help with that for sure um kind of play that bottom six role to lay the body um kind of a playoff player so uh I want to say my agility and speed kind of my biggest asset so uh I’m more of a playmaker i use my IQ and playmaking ability to uh create scoring chances and then uh make sure defensively on the right side of the puck before the puck’s getting out of the zone hey this is for uh Will Horov um Will on Friday you talked a bit about how you know you grew up around NHL rinks because of your dad um does this entire situation being here in this capacity feel comfortable for you because of that or is it still just kind of surreal for you to be here in in kind of your own way not because of because of your dad
i mean no it’s definitely super surreal like it’s something I’ve dreamed of my whole life and you know I was really lucky to grow up around it and um I was really lucky to see all the players and how bad they wanted it and how much work they put in so that really inspired me so now that I’m at that point I’m really excited and can’t wait to get started uh this question is for Ben i’m curious about your time with team Canada and in those camps and maybe what you’ve learned or taken from those and for Will if you’re with Team USA and you see Ben you going to play a little harder against him yeah um being at those uh two team Canada camps and those two tournaments were a great honor a great opportunity i learned a lot uh played for a lot of good coaches and um a lot played with a lot of good teammates um so they uh two great experiences for me yeah same answer incredible experience it’s always an absolute honor to represent your country um I enjoyed playing against them usa versus Canada those games are the most competitive games those are my favorite ones to play in so I had a great time this one’s honestly for any of you whoever wants to answer but the Penguins organization’s kind of in a period of transition just how exciting is it to come in at a time where there’s such a focus on youth and development in the system in the organization i mean I’ll be first it’s uh it’s really exciting um all these players here they were drafted for a reason they have really high potential so to come into an organization that um does as good with development as the Penguins do it’s really exciting so I think I can speak for all of us here in terms of that and how excited we are yeah so pretty much uh similar for me uh seems like a great place to develop and I feel like the standards here are super high um obviously over the years they’ve built a reputation and um they have great leadership so for us to be a part of that is going to be special and um I mean we’re just getting started so we we still have long ways to go and I think it’s a perfect spot yeah just to touch on that like I think it’s such a great organization i think it’s all uh all pretty surreal for us but this organization’s won so much in the past and I think uh it’s going to get right back to winning real soon i think you know this draft class everybody here wants to win um even just in the the ping pong games we were just playing everybody was really pretty pretty competitive so everybody hates to lose and I think that’s a great start uh for this organization so really excited to get started i think it’s pretty good this is for Kale uh you’re eventually going the college route you’re not going to be far away at Penn State just why is that the path you’re taking and what attracted you to Penn State specifically yeah I toured there about a year and a half ago uh great experience thought I saw a really cool game um the facility and the coaching staff there were just amazing so that was a pretty easy decision to commit there and it’s really cool that you know it’s in the same state so yeah really close really cool thanks guys appreciate it you guys are all good up there all right we got line change and we have Payton Kettles Charlie Trethaway Gabriel DG um Brady Pedal Travis Hayes and Carter Sanderson now uh up for uh introduction and and questions so we’ll turn it over and uh let everybody take it away travis I did want to start with you um your brother said how awesome it would be if you got drafted to the Penguins and you know for for that to happen just um how awesome was that for your entire family and just what are your emotions upon coming to Pittsburgh
yeah it’s obviously uh pretty special him being here and uh yeah I don’t there’s I don’t really know but yeah kind of blacking out right now so fair enough but yeah it’s uh it’s pretty cool obviously having him there and obviously he plays in Wilk so he’s kind of told me a lot about like be being a pro and just little stuff like that so yeah he’s super excited uh for Brady and Carter you guys recently met in the uh the Clark Cup i’m wondering just from that best of five series what you guys might remember from each other from the series and for both of you uh what do you feel like that deep playoff run did for both of your uh developments this past season yeah I feel like going into game five of a Clark Cup final the last three games ending in overtime was a really good thing for the both of us i mean we both competed hard against each other and now we’re going to be teammates here and so uh it’s good to get to know each other now and it’s been great battling against each other so far uh yeah he summed it up pretty well uh just basically what he said it was fun playing against each other um he plays hard um it was it was a good series but yeah this is for each of you just how would you describe yourself as players what do you think your strengths are yeah I’d say I’m a heavy and hard uh 200 foot player that competes uh to the best of his potential and willing to outwork anybody and got the ability to put the puck in the net when needed just for me I’d say shifty shifty winger that likes to throw the body around obviously kind of a smaller guy so I’d say like to kind of put my body on the line and kind of strip pucks away from D and play below the the dots and kind of fight for net front and I like to score goals so yeah yeah um I’d say kind of like a big physical um simple smart uh puck movement D man that’s that’s hard to play against um so yeah I would say I’m a uh two-way defenseman love getting on the offensive side of the puck and great at shut down plays and a puck moving defenseman so I’m a big goalie who’s good to move left left right yeah I’d say that I’m a defensive defenseman uh guy that shuts down top players and a guy that uses his stick well against the rush uh a guy that likes to play really physical and like to get in guys faces uh my question is for Gabriel please gabriel my understanding you have a relationship with Mark with Mark Andre Flurry just how did that relationship come into being and just what kind of advice has he given you over the years uh he gave me a lot of advice like uh always have fun when during the game and uh he’s a you know I I have a good relationship with him and he’s a really good guy and uh he uh I learned a lot about him uh for for Travis I’m curious if you had any experience uh going to Wilsberry and if you’ve uh hung out there at all and gotten to spend some time with your brother uh no I’ve never never been to Wilks yet so hopefully uh hopefully be there soon hey Charlie um obviously you are familiar with the with the facility uh just for you how does it how does it feel to be back here uh now after being drafted by the Penguins and also you’re one of uh five kids that came from uh the Penguins elite program that got drafted in this in this draft what do you think from your perspective as a player who was with the program uh it is about that uh program that has started to produce high-end talent on a pretty regular rate yeah I mean obviously coming back to Pittsburgh it’s a dream come true you know uh playing two years here with the Penn State it was awesome and I really enjoyed my time here um as for the program you know it’s it’s a great place for the top players in the country to go develop you know and over the two years it’s a really tight knit of guys and we become brothers over the two years through all the adversity and stuff we go through there and I’m just super happy for all the guys that got drafted from the NTDP and I’m super grateful that I got to come to Pittsburgh this one’s for Brady um obviously everyone here thinks so highly of Sydney Crosby but with you having that Nova Scotia connection is it maybe on another another level for you sorry what was that about Crosby oh oh yeah it’s pretty cool um actually growing up I mean obviously my favorite player was was Sydney Crosby um so it was kind of surreal um I actually have a a signed Sydney Crosby jersey that I had when I was like 10 years old uh sitting in my basement so yeah thanks guys you’re all good heat heat heat heat heat heat n heat heat
The Pittsburgh Penguins will hold an introductory press conference with the 2025 Draft Class, June 30 beginning at 12:00 PM at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex.
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