Pittsburgh Penguins 2026 NHL Draft Preview: Targets At Picks 22 And 39

The Pittsburgh Penguins currently hold the 22nd and 39th overall selections in the 2026 NHL Draft. After adding significant quantity to the prospect pool last year–and taking three forwards in the first round–expect the organization to focus on finding players to fill out a talented emerging core.

The Arnold Slick from Turtle Creek 2026 NHL Draft Preview preview focuses on the first two picks held by the Penguins, the current state of the team’s U25 depth chart and several possible draft scenarios, including players with connections to current prospects, the unique opportunity to potentially draft a dynamic set of twins, two “Dubas-coded” players and official predictions for picks 22 and 39.

2026 NHL Draft Class Overview

Gavin McKenna remains the projected first overall selection across most draft boards. Despite a slow start in the NCAA, McKenna finished fifth in scoring with 15 goals and 51 points in 35 games. Some draft boards rank Swedish forward Ivar Stenberg ahead of McKenna and almost certainly the second to off the board. Stenberg recoreded 33 points in 43 games with Frolunda HC in the top professional league in Sweden.

The rest of the projected top 10 features up to five defenseman, including Chase Reid, Carson Carels, Keaton Verhoeff, Alberts Smits, and Ryan Lin and several centers in Caleb Malhotra, Viggo Bjork, and Tynan Lawrence.

With a defense-heavy draft board, expect some teams picking ahead of the Penguins to potentially reach for available forwards, pushing some high-end blueliners late into the first round–a good scenario for the Penguins.

Pittsburgh Penguins U25 Depth Chart and Draft Needs

The Penguins U25 depth chart looks significantly stronger compared to only a season ago. Ben Kindel emerged as a significant part of the future. Rutger McGroarty, Ville Koivunen, Bill Zonnon, Will Horcoff, Tristan Broz and others provide Pittsburgh with several forwards poised to compete for NHL roles as early as next season. The organization also boasts solid depth and potential in net. Arturs Silovs, Sergei Murashov, and Joel Blomqvist give the team several possible options in net.

Though the organization bolstered center depth, particularly in the 2025 draft, the majority of current prospects project as wingers at the NHL level or as a middle six potential. Unfortunately, legitimate first line center prospects typically go early in the first round, meaning the Penguins likely want to address other needs at 22nd and 39th overall.

On the right side of the blue line, Harrison Brunicke looks to be a legitimate top four prospect, and the team signed 21-year-old undrafted free agent Jake Livanavage out of North Dakota. Chase Pietila, Finn Harding, Charlie Trethewey, and Quinn Beauchesne all showed decent progress in 2025-26, while Joona Vaisanen missed the majority of the season with injury after a promising freshman season with Western Michigan in 2024-25 and Peyton Kettles missed the majority of the year after being taken in the second round in 2025.

On the left side of the blue line, despite remaining on the right trajectory, Owen Pickering continues to be a bit of a question mark. The team offloaded former third round pick Emil Pieniniemi despite a decent rookie season at the professional ranks after initially refusing to report to the ECHL out of training camp. Former seventh round picks Daniel Laatsch and Kalle Kangas no longer project as legitimate NHL prospects and Brady Peddle, a 2025 third round pick, played okay with the Charlottetown Islanders last season but needs a lot of development.

The obvious need: defensemen, particularly on the left side, and centers with top six potential. Regardless, the organization needs to take the best player available and figure out the moving parts later–but a talented defenseman falling out of the top 20 or a center with the potential to be a late bloomer make the most sense at 22nd overall.

Penguins Draft Targets With Ties to Current Prospects

The Penguins almost certainly took a close look at Ben Kindel while keeping tabs on 2024 second round pick Tanner Howe and the Calgary Hitmen during the 2024-25 season. Despite a mostly consensus late first round projection, the Penguins took Kindel with the 11th overall pick last year, and the rookie spent the entire season with Pittsburgh.

In 2026, several players with ties to current Penguins prospects project to be available at 22nd and 39th overall.

Pick No. 22: J.P. Hurlbert

RW, Kamloops Blazers, WHL
68 GP | 42 G | 55 A | 97 P

J.P. Hurlbert won the WHL Rookie of the Year award after leading WHL rookies with 97 points in 68 games as a teammate of current Penguins prospect Harrison Brunicke with the Kamloops Blazers in the WHL. Hurlbert finished fourth in the entire WHL with 42 goals.

Hurlbert projects as a top six scoring winger but, according to some scouting reports, needs to develop better habits away from the puck. A somewhat optimistic player comparison likens Hurlbert to Brandon Hagel–a competitive winger with solid offensive instincts. Hurlbert projects to go right around 22nd overall pick.

Pick No. 22: Egor Shilov

C, Victoriaville Tigres, QMJHL
63 GP | 32 G | 50 A | 82 P

Egor Shilov, a teammate of 2025 third round pick Gabriel D’Aigle on the Victoriaville Tigres, ranks as high as 18 on one draft board but as a slight reach at 22 for most others. The 6’1” center led Victoriaville with 82 points in 63 games and boasted a 54.8% faceoff win percentage.

Offensively gifted, some scouting reports note a lack of speed and inconsistent defensive zone play. If the Penguins see something in Shilov, perhaps the opportunity to trade down a few spots and gain some additional draft capital exists. Or, perhaps the organization bets on Shilov slipping into the second round and maybe using the 39th and a later round pick to move up a few slots. The team needs a dynamic center prospect. Shilov compares to Nick Schmaltz–a talented, playmaking pivot without a lot of grit or physicality–making Shilov a potentially worthy gamble in the late first round or early second round.

Pick No. 39: Adam Valentini

F, University of Michigan, NCAA
40 GP | 11 G | 16 A | 27 P

Adam Valentini turned 18 only two months ago and played with Will Horcoff and the Michigan Wolverines in the NCAA last season, producing 27 points in 40 games. Projections range from a late first round pick to a third round pick, making 39th overall a viable spot for the winger to land. Despite being slightly undersized at 5’10”, Valentini plays with tenacity and physicality while still being able to produce. The Penguins already carry several wingers with similar qualities, but if Dubas views Valentini as the best pick at the time, taking Valentini potentially frees up other prospects for future trades.

Could The Penguins Land The Ruck Twins?

For probably the first time since the Sedins, Liam and Markus Ruck project to be a set of twins with legitimate potential to develop into solid NHL players and both possibly line up with the 22nd and 39th overall selection.

Liam and Markus played together for the Medicine Hat Tigers in the WHL last season, finishing first and second on the team–and in the league–with 108 points for Markus and 104 points for Liam. Markus led the league with 87 assists, while Liam finished fourth in the league with 42 goals.

The Penguins likely need each twin to fall a few spots to keep the twins together at the next level, but the possibility of landing both absolutely exists.

Pick No. 22: Liam Ruck

Some draft boards project Liam to go in the top 20, while others project the winger to drop out of the first round entirely.

With 42 goals, Liam showed a legitimate finishing ability, but some scouting reports question skating ability and note possibly inflated production due to being on a talented Medicine Hat team. A favorable player comparison likens Liam to Seth Jarvis–a competitive and opportunistic winger with the ability to get open and finish plays.

Pick No. 39: Markus Ruck

Markus appears as a first round projection on only three draft boards–making the playmaker a legitimate possibility to still be on the board early in the second round. With 87 assists, Markus projects as a distributor, but maybe not quite with a top six ceiling.

Think Robert Thomas as a player comparison–a pass-first playmaker with good offensive instincts and vision. Several teams, including the Calgary Flames, St. Louis Blues, and the Vancouver Canucks, hold picks in a similar range. If a team wants to try to keep the Ruck twins together, start paying attention late in the first round.

Dark Horse Draft Targets

Kyle Dubas seemingly values age-adjusted production and smart, two-way players. Enter Ilia Morozov and Jack Hextall. Morozov quietly moved up draft boards after a strong NCAA season at only 17 years old, while Hextall led draft-eligible players in the USHL with 58 points in 59 games.

If Morozov lasts until 22nd overall or Hextall until 39th, expect the Penguins to heavily consider either player.

Pick No. 22: Ilia Morozov

C/W, Miami University, NCAA
36 GP | 8 G | 12 A | 20 P

Morozov began the season as the youngest player in the NCAA with the Miami (Ohio) RedHawks and managed 20 points in 36 games. While not dominant by any means, the 6’3” center boasts a very attractive development profile and showed good two-way ability against significantly older competition. Some draft boards put Morozov inside the top 20, with others predicting a slide into the second round.

Anton Lundell makes up a reasonable player comparison–a defensively sound middle six center with the ability to produce in part due to favorable matchups. The Penguins likely only take Morozov if the scouting department sees significant room for improvement offensively or to use some other prospects as trade assets.

Pick No. 39: Jack Hextall

C, Youngstown Phantoms, USHL
59 GP | 20 G | 38 A | 58 P

Jack Hextall projects as a bottom six center. Not the flashiest player by any stretch, but a predictable trajectory and the ability to make other prospects expendable. Hextall finished fourth on the Youngstown Phantoms with 58 points in 59 games and plays a strong two-way and possession game.

Potentially a low ceiling, high floor prospect, Hextall plays a similar style to Dylan Strome albeit with less proven–so far–offensive ability. If the Penguins want a dependable center with easy projections instead of taking a bigger swing with the 39th overall pick, Hextall makes a lot of sense.

Pittsburgh Penguins 2026 NHL Draft Predictions

The Penguins depth chart needs a few more quality defensemen. Outside of trades to move up or down the draft board, taking Malte Gustafsson, a big, two-way defenseman at 22nd overall and Tommy Bleyl, a slightly undersized but offensively gifted blueliner at 39th overall immediately balance the U25 depth chart and give the organization legitimate defensive depth in the prospect pool and likely jump ahead of some current borderline prospects.

Official Prediction at No. 22: Malte Gustafsson

With a lot of flashy options available higher in the draft, Gustafsson projects as high as the top 10 and as late as the end of the first round, meaning the big Swede potentially remains on the board at 22. Gustafsson skates well and plays solid defensively but struggled at times in two-way play and only managed three assist in 27 SHL games albeit against significantly older and stronger competition.

Think K’Andre Miller with slightly more defensive tendencies. A big body with the ability to lead transitional play and good enough offensive instincts.

Official Prediction at No. 39: Tommy Bleyl

Tommy Bleyl gives the Penguins a true offensive defenseman prospect to develop after moving on from Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang. The right-handed blueliner led QMJHL defensemen with 81 points in 63 games. A 6’0”, 170 lbs. frame and a need to prove defensive ability against bigger, stronger competition potentially keeps Bleyl out of the first round and into a viable option at 39th overall. Bleyl compares nicely to Sean Durzi–a talented offensive defenseman with some defensive shortcomings.

Final Thoughts on the Penguins’ 2026 NHL Draft

The Penguins should enter the draft without committing themselves to one position.

Defense and center remain the clearest organizational needs, but the uncertainty surrounding the middle of the first round could create unexpected value. Pittsburgh should be prepared to take advantage if a highly ranked player—particularly Malte Gustafsson—falls out of the top 20.

Gustafsson and Bleyl, two defensemen with very different profiles, give the Penguins needed depth in the prospect pool.

Regardless, the Penguins need to leave the first two rounds with at least one player capable of becoming a meaningful part of the next core.

The 2026 NHL Draft begins Friday, June 26 in Buffalo.