As summer grinds along it’s time for the long-running, often imitated, never duplicated Pensburgh Top 25 Under 25 series to pick up again.

More than ever, this series is getting good as the Pens start focusing on restocking their team with young talent. It wasn’t so long ago that players like P.O Joseph were in the top 2-3-4 and other long-shot, low-end at best players like Jonathan Gruden, Lukas Svejkovsky and Raivis Ansons were top 10-12. Nothing against those players chasing the dream, but it’s sad times when that’s the better parts of what an organization has to offer.

Not so any longer. Pittsburgh made 13 draft picks and has used trades to acquire quality youngsters as well. The organization still lacks high-end top-line forwards and defensemen within the system but is getting absolutely loaded with potential future players that will help out in the years to come.

For now, we start with the salutes and goodbyes. While there’s excitement for the new prospects making their way into the system, Kyle Dubas is still putting his stamp on the job that he’s been in for two years as things turnover and players leave.

We start with the players on last year’s list who won’t be making return appearances. The Pens have a young system, only Filip Hallander aged out for eligibility (but as a contracted member outside of the organization, he was not ranked last year in our countdown). That applies this year for Vasily Ponomarev, who signed in the KHL. It also applies to the players who were downgraded from NHL contracts to AHL ones this year (Taylor Gauthier, Ansons). Those players are no longer eligible for this ranking of Pittsburgh Penguin prospects, since the Pens no longer officially hold their NHL rights.

Departed players from 2024 T25U25 list

2024 rank

Player

Reason ineligible

Notes

2024 rank

Player

Reason ineligible

Notes

6

Vasily Ponomarev

Signed in KHL

Ponomarev may yet return since the Penguins retain his NHL rights, but for now he’s off our charts

12

John Ludvig

Claimed on waivers

Ludvig appeared in a handful of games for NHL Colorado last season, was in their AHL team for the rest and now is a free agent

15

Jonathan Gruden

Traded

Included in the Cody Glass to NJ trade, Gruden became an unrestricted free agent on July 1

17

Filip Kral

Aged out/signed Europe

Kral would have been ineligible based on age, but signed in Czech league anyways

22

Taylor Gauthier

Signed AHL contract

Remained in Pens’ organization on AHL deal but NHL path is sealed up

23

Isaac Belliveau

Traded

AHL/ECHL player sent to Buffalo organization in Conor Timmins/Connor Clifton trade

25

Raivis Ansons

Signed AHL contract

WBS Pens brought checker back on AHL deal

Overall, no real losses. Ponomarev was ranked high last season in a crucial make-or-break type of age-22 season for his career in the big picture that ended up landing more in the latter category. Dubas was openly disappointed with his pace and play at the NHL level in 2024-25, which could be interpreted as effort considering that a young, high-energy style lower-line center should never be considered playing too slow without reason for that motor to not be pushing him as hard as the organization wanted. Either way, if Ponomarev had stayed he would have dropped to the 15 or even 20th range of players this year considering his NHL future and ability to impact the game (0 points in seven games in 2024-25) was looking less likely until he opted to remove all doubt by jumping back to Russia.

A player like Ludvig exposes the tough decisions needed in T25U25 — here you have a limited player, but one near NHL caliber. The Pens claimed Ludvig on waivers at the start of the 2023-24 season and he survived the whole year on the roster (or, on injured reserve). He was a low ceiling player but could have had a strong camp and figured into the team’s plans for depth. Instead, he was waived, picked up and made no impact in Pittsburgh. (And, very little impact at his next stop either). How to weigh and value older players like that on this list is always a toss up. Some, understandably, won’t give them much time. But the possibility of having an NHL impact does bring some value to rank against players who are currently much further away from being NHL ready.

Gruden’s stint with the Pens wrapped up by being a minor piece in a bigger trade. That’s how Gruden came into Pittsburgh (as part of the Matt Murray trade) so it’s perhaps only fitting that was how it ended (with Gruden going to NJ to help balance contracts as the Pens got a third round pick for Cody Glass). Gruden got 13 NHL games in 2023-24 and was a decent enough replacement-level fourth liner but couldn’t rise into any sort of regular role. So it goes sometimes, Gruden was one of Wilkes’ better forwards from about 2022-24 before falling out of favor and getting passed up a little bit down there, not a bad little run for him.

It ended up being easy come, easy go for Filip Kral and his one-year stint with the Pens resulted in zero NHL games. (Kral was recalled to the NHL in time for the final regular season game but made a healthy scratch, does that mean the Pens’ streak of having a Czech should really continue since he didn’t play? Summer, a time to ponder the questions that matter..) Anyways, Kral took one more year to play in North America in a very transient career: his path has included playing in the Czech league from 2016-17, jumping to Canadian juniors in the WHL from 2017-20, going back to Czech (COVID year), turning pro in Toronto’s organization from 2021-23, signing in Finland in 2023-24, going to Wilkes in 2024-25. Next up is the full circle spot of going back to Czechia.

It’s nice for the Pens that they could get Taylor Gauthier signed, feels unfortunate for him. Gauthier has been great in the ECHL but apparently unable to find a new organization to give him a chance to take a step up. That’s a shame. But it should be the Pens’ game, Gauthier is back in the organization on an AHL contract in 2025-26 and, as of now anyways, figures to slot in as a Wheeling goalie yet again.

Isaac Belliveau ranked as high as No. 13 (in 2023) in this countdown, a poster boy for the weakness of the organization when a fifth round pick who did a minimal amount in juniors could make some waves. Those days are done. Belliveau did have an intriguing skillset but spent more time in the ECHL than AHL during the two years he was with the Pens.

Ansons was also a player a lot of people believed in, or hoped to believe in, as a hard-working type of defensive forward. Injuries didn’t do him any favors (he played 44 total games between ECHL/AHL in 2023-24 and just nine in the AHL in 2024-25) but is coming back as an AHL contract for WBS in 2025-26. That’s nice to see him get one more chance to see what he can do, at very worst he should be a reliable/capable type of lower line AHL forward that can help Wilkes out a little.

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Now that we’ve given our little salutes to the ones that won’t be back, the fun starts for seeing the new faces come in for the most robust Pensburgh T25U25 list in years. It’s getting good from here.