The 2025 version of our Pensburgh Top 25 Under 25 countdown list continues with another of the Penguins’ three first-round draft picks from the 2025 NHL Draft class.
Catch up on the previous entries for this year:
Acquired Via: First-round pick (No. 24 overall) in 2025 NHL Draft
Height/Weight: 6-foot-5, 203 pounds
The Pittsburgh Penguins did not get a lot 2025 NHL Draft lottery luck, but they still managed to significantly reshape their farm system and prospect pool thanks to three picks in the first round of the 2025 class. All three of those prospects crack the top-six of the PensBurgh top-25 under 25, including forward Will Horcoff, the No. 24 overall pick (and the third of their three selections).
The Penguins were in a position to pick Horcoff after a series of trades, beginning with the deal that sent Marcus Pettersson and Drew O’Connor to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for a package of picks and players that included the New York Rangers’ first-round pick. When that pick ended up being No. 12 overall, the Rangers sent it to Pittsburgh so they could keep their 2026 first-round pick, either as Gavin McKenna insurance or so they could use for a trade deadline trade chip.
The Penguins then traded that pick to the Philadelphia Flyers for picks 22 and 31, before eventually trading picks 31 and 59 to the Los Angeles Kings for pick No. 24. That is where the Penguins selected Horcoff.
He is the son of long-time Edmonton Oilers forward Shawn Horcoff, and spent the 2024-25 season split between the U.S. National Development team and the University of Michigan.
In seven games with the development team he scored two goals with one assist in three games, and then saw his production really take off at Michigan where he scored four goals with six assists (10 total points) in 18 games.
He was a little bit of a surprise as a first-round pick, but definitely has a lot of attributes that NHL teams value, including incredible size, strength and a lot of offensive instincts for a big man. The EliteProspects draft guide also absolutely loved his defensive game.
Horcoff’s defensive dimension stands out as a separator. His game is fueled by physical skill and proactive reads, and his range, strength, and subsequent lane clogging further enhance his disruption qualities. Off the backcheck, he’s a goliath, pressuring puck carriers to the outside, swinging into inside positioning, and leveraging positioning and processing to create stops. Furthermore, he’s a skilled playmaker who leverages time and space to break down defenders into overreactions.
Corey Pronman shared a similar view of him after the draft, while having some concerns about his ability to keep pace with NHL speed. Even so, he still sees a potential middle-six forward given his size, skillset and style of play.
Horcoff, the son of former NHLer Shawn Horcoff, was doing just OK to start the year at the U.S. NTDP. He left midseason to join Michigan where his game took off from that point, making a real difference for his team at the college level as a U18 player. He’s a very skilled big man who can make small-man-type plays in tight areas. He sees the ice at a high level and has a creative offensive mind. Horcoff is also good enough in the hard areas and can play the body when he needs to. The issues in his game at the top level will all come down to pace. I’ve seen slower 6-foot-5 guys, but his first few steps are going to be a struggle in the NHL. The rest of his game is good enough, though, that I see a projected middle-six winger.
Wes Clark was also impressed with Horcoff’s improvement after he got to Michigan (via Pittsburgh Hockey Now).
The progression in his game from the start of the year to the end of the year, from going to the program in Michigan, was immense. He’s super athletic at 6-foot-5. Still very early in his development curve, and the mentorship and guidance that obviously he’s gotten from his old man (former NHL player Shawn Horcoff) is a big benefit. I think that will only go leaps and bounds for Billy there as he continues to develop. I love the upside there.
Horcoff is an interesting prospect, because he clearly has some upside to him and a lot of people like his style of play.
He just may not have an extremely high ceiling.
His chances of being an All-Star or top-line player seem low. But while his ceiling might be low, his floor is probably relatively high. He seems like the type of prospect and player that has a chance to stick in the NHL for a long time and carve out a role for himself as a complementary player. Even if that is as a second-line or third-line player, that would be a strong return on the investment of a No. 24 overall pick.
Not every first-round pick has to turn into a star to be effective or useful (and most of them won’t). But every contending team needs to have a pipeline of productive players that can roll through the system and contribute at the NHL level. Those players are not only productive, they tend to be extremely cost-effective. That is always important in a salary cap league, and especially when those middle-six forwards can tend to be some of the most overprice and overpaid in free agency.
The Penguins farm system is still lacking a potential superstar and franchise-changing player, and until they find that player their rebuild is still going to be missing something. Even so, the improvement in the farm system today, versus where it was one or two years ago, is extremely encouraging and the 2025 NHL Draft class is going to play a huge role in that.