My ranking of the top 10 prospects in the Pittsburgh Penguins pool is complete, the link to which is below. The top player on this list is goaltender Sergei Murashov (118th overall in 2022), and is followed closely by d-man Harrison Brunicke (44th overall in 2024). Befitting of their top billings, these players are widely considered the pillars of Pittsburgh’s prospect pool. Another player still labeled a prospect by many is forward Ville Koivunen. The reason I did not include him in this ranking is two-fold. First, he spent more than half of his 2025-26 season in Pittsburgh. Second, he signed an eight-year, one-way contract (where he gets paid his NHL salary even if he is in the minors) this summer at an AAV of $4 million, virtually guaranteeing his stay in Pittsburgh for the foreseeable future.
Projected to join Koivunen in Pittsburgh this season is a plethora of young talent poised to contribute immediately to the Pens’ success. These players not only include Murashov and Brunicke, but also consist of budding long-term contributors in forwards Rutger McGroarty (14th overall in 2022), Tristan Broz (58th overall in 2021) & Avery Hayes (2025 Free Agent Signee), all of whom have been consistent producers at the AHL level. Also, d-man Owen Pickering (21st overall in 2022) will team with Brunicke to further deepen the Pens’ blue-line. This infusion of youth comes at a time when they will benefit on a daily basis from the knowledge and experience of fellow superstars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.
https://thehockeylawyer.net/team-stats/pittsburgh-penguins/
