Who’s in, Who’s Left Out Among Penguins Prospects for World Juniors Showcase
Pittsburgh Penguins’ first-round pick Bill Zonnon didn’t get any love from Team Canada for its World Junior Summer Showcase, but fellow franchise prospects Harrison Brunicke and Ben Kindel did. Zonnon was left off the roster, while Brunicke and Kindel were invited.
Meanwhile, two American Penguins prospects have been invited to the Team USA portion of the camp: forwards Will Horcoff and Mac Swanson. Another forward, Melvin Fernstrom, is on Sweden’s roster.
The showcase, with exhibition games starting Tuesday, in Minneapolis, Minn., Â serves as a tryout camp for the IIHF World Junior Championship, with Canada, the U.S., Sweden, and Finland fielding teams at the camp.
The popular international tournament for those under 20 is scheduled for Dec. 26-Jan. 5 in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minn.
Kindel was the Penguins’ top pick in this year’s draft, taken 11th overall. He has skill, but could be considered a little undersized for the international game at this point.
Brunicke, a 2024 second-round pick by the Penguins, had a strong training camp last year and flirted with joining the NHL blue line for the start of the season. He also had a strong development camp earlier this month. He is considered one of the Penguins’ top prospects, and could well be one of the standouts to watch at the Showcase, where next year’s presumed No. 1 overall draft pick, Gavin McKenna, likely will draw a lot of attention for Team Canada.
Zonnon, an outgoing, strong forward with speed and good size (6 feet 2, 192 pounds) for a 2025 draftee, might have seemed like a candidate to make the world junior team, or at least get a shot. The Penguins selected him 22nd overall last month.
Another of the Penguins’ first-round picks last month, Horcoff projects as a power forward.
Swanson could be considered something of a surprise invite to the showcase. He is undersized but had a good freshman season at the University of North Dakota. Swanson registered 18 points (2-16-18) as a freshman. He was the Penguins’ seventh-round pick in 2024.
Fernstrom was acquired from Vancouver in the trade that sent Marcus Pettersson and Drew O’Connor out west and also netted the Penguins the New York Rangers’ first-round draft pick for next year.
Playing in the World Juniors can be a boon for young players, many of whom are touted prospects or even NHL rookies.
Categorized:Penguins Prospects
Always rooting for Mighty Mac Swanson. Really any undersized athlete. They are the best underdog story. Mats Zuccarello, Alex DeBrincat, Brian Gionta, Cole Caufield, and Henri Richard are all niteable 5’7 players. I mean connor sheary is 5’9 as far as shorter pens go. Swanson seems to have all the skill needed to bridge the gap.
What happened to the Tanger extension? That’s no way to treat a five-time Norris Trophy-winner and first-ballot Hall of Famer!
Hilarious, i laughed so hard that i fell off of my dinosaur. 🤣