The once beleaguered Pittsburgh Penguins prospect pool now has depth. It has talent. And most importantly, it has a few players ready to claim their spot under the bright lights of NHL arenas.

The first wave is ready to invade the Penguins’ lineup, and the coaching change from Mike Sullivan to Dan Muse, with a bevy of assistants specifically hired for their support of players so young they were born in this century, can only accelerate the franchise’s rebirth.

For the first time, it was not easy setting the list, which is technically a top 26 list because we added goalie Arturs Silovs based on expectations that he will claim an NHL roster spot this season. However, this year we dropped prospects Sam Poulin, Zam Plante, and Mac Swanson, from the list. We listed the latter as an honorable mention, but we sadly no longer view Poulin as an NHL prospect (though we would be quite happy to be proven wrong)

Per annual custom, we will move the prospects list behind the paywall on Thursday and email subscribers the full PDF. You can subscribe here.

Reminder, the rankings are a subjective combination of readiness and potential, and all prospects had to be under 25.

Top 5 Penguins Prospects
5. Will Horcoff

A few weeks ago, Horcoff would have ranked outside the top 10, or at the back of the 10, after being selected 24th overall in the 2025 NHL Draft. However, his Development Camp performance was eye-opening. The amateur scouting services put a second-round grade on Horcoff and projected teams to select him in the 40s or 50s.

And then he hit the ice in Cranberry.

He’s not yet a great skater, but his wheels are better than advertised. He was able to find space and work over professional-level defensemen in the intrasquad scrimmage. He was unmovable in the short ice battle drills. And as some icing on the prospect cake, he showed a nose for the net, as he barged through a defenseman on the left wall, and sliced toward the net, stuffing the puck behind the goalie. He used the move a couple of times, both successfully.

Horcoff, 18, is listed at 6-foot-4, 181 pounds, but based on his physical appearance, we suspect he’s already added 10 pounds since the listed book measurements. He was a mid-season addition to the University of Michigan roster from the US Development Team program in the USHL and was one of the younger players in the draft. He’s still raw, but for those at Camp in early July, it was easy to see the qualities that attracted the Penguins scouts. He will return to Michigan in the fall, and his skating improvement will determine if he’s ready for 2026-27 or 2027-28.

Based on the influx of hockey talent to the Big 10 schools this summer, he will get a good challenge.

4. Sergei Murashov

Sergei Murashov, 21, has the potential to be a legitimate starting NHL goalie. All he does is win games. He set the Wheeling Nailers’ consecutive wins streak. He set the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins’ consecutive wins streak. And, he stops pucks when it matters.

Penguins assistant GM Jason Spezza admitted late in the season that Murashov still had some rough edges to smooth before he would be ready for the big league, but the 6-foot-2, 172-pound goalie has proven to be a quick study.

Even at 6-foot-2, he plays a smaller, more athletic game. As he learns to get bigger in the net, he will only get better … and better.

In 16 AHL appearances, he posted a .913 save percentage with a 12-3-0 record. The Penguins merely burned a 2022 fourth-rounder to select the Russian prospect, and he thus far appears to be on a Matt Murray-esque meteoric rise through the rankings.

3. Harrison Brunicke

The South African-born defenseman was the Penguins’ 2024 second-round pick (44th overall). He nearly kicked open the door to his NHL career last fall. He was one of the final cuts, and if not for a soft performance in his final preseason appearance, he may have made it.

Brunicke, 19, is a decently sized right-handed defenseman who sports a smooth, all-around game. He seemingly glides around the ice effortlessly, quietly moves the puck to the right spot, and has the size to defend the net-front (6-foot-3, 202 pounds).

Until Penguins GM Kyle Dubas stocked up on righty D-men this summer, there was a very good chance that Brunicke was going to make the roster. However, because of the still-in-place CHL transfer rules, it is NHL or WHL for Brunicke.

Even Penguins director of player development Tom Kostopoulus admitted Brunicke has done all he can do at the junior level. He’s easily a reliable second-pair defenseman in waiting, somewhat similar to Alex Pietrangelo, but whether it’s this year or next is to be determined in October.

2. Rutger McGroarty

We resisted the temptation to skip No. 2, replacing it with a 1 and 1A.

McGroarty, 21, is ready to begin his NHL career in earnest after a solid showing toward the end of last season. Unfortunately, an injury ended his NHL run after a handful of games, but he registered three points (1-2-3) in eight NHL games last season, including a few at the beginning of the year.

The important thing to know about the 6-foot-1, 203-pound winger from the University of Michigan is that he is not what you think. The perception of McGroarty was that he’s a scoring winger with a lack of foot speed, much like Jake Guentzel. However, his skating has markedly improved, and he has a complete game. McGroarty was a primary penalty killer with WBS last season, and he has no problem playing physical in the defensive zone.

He’s probably not a 30-goal scorer, but he’s a 20-goal player with very good defensive chops, which can be even better. He can play both wings, and even under heavy cross-examination by PHN (OK, not really), he didn’t have a preference for the right or left wing, but the versatility only adds to his value.

It’s a safe bet to start buying No. 2 jerseys now.

1. Ville Koivunen

Scouts and those close to the WBS Penguins told us to watch him last season, that his hockey smarts and skills were elite. Those attributes were tough to see in the first half of the season, which was also his first season in North America after a few seasons with Karpat in the Finnish Elite League. We wondered what we were missing. However, the former Carolina Hurricanes second-round pick (2021, 51st overall) continued progressing, and by later in the season, it was time for a trip to Pittsburgh.

Koivunen, 22, excelled. The more structured and predictable NHL game unleashed Koivunen, who had seven assists in eight games, though he is still waiting to score his first NHL goal.

One teammate described him thusly to PHN in an off-the-record chat, “Oh, he’s sick.”

That’s the good kind of hockey sick, not the illness kind.

Koivunen is the heir apparent to Guentzel, both in game and size (5-foot-11, 161 pounds). He also looked very good playing beside both Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. He may have passed up a few shots, instead choosing to make plays, but the future is bright.

It’s entirely possible to see both him and McGroarty getting Calder Trophy votes this season.