Penguins Trade UP, Select Big Will Horcoft at No. 24; Full Analysis

Only a few moments after selecting Bill Zonnon with the 22nd overall pick, the Pittsburgh Penguins kept their Draft Day wheeling and dealing going when they traded with the LA Kings to leap forward to the 24th overall pick.

The Penguins gave up picks 31 and 59 in the trade to select University of Michigan forward Will Horcoff, who is listed as both a left-winger and a center. Horcoff could be the third center the Penguins drafted in the first round, after selecting Ben Kindel from the Calgary Hitmen 12th overall, then Zonnon at No. 22.

The 2025 NHL Draft was also the first time since 1984 that the Penguins had three first-round picks.

Horcoff comes to hockey honestly, as his father is a long-time NHL player, Shawn Horcoff.

“I think my favorite part of my game is just my competitiveness,” said Horcoff from the Draft in Los Angeles, speaking to reporters in Pittsburgh. “I think I have a unique skill set and a high ceiling, and I think if I’m competitive and work hard, I can maximize my potential, and I know I’m going to do that.”

It was an interesting first round for the Penguins and general manager Kyle Dubas, as the team began with picks 11 and 12, but reached for Kindel, who was generally rated as a lower first round talent, traded down, selected Zonnon at No. 22, then traded up to get Horcoff at No. 24. Like the players before him, Horcoff was rated much lower by scouting services, where he generally had a high to mid-second round grade.

However, the Penguins were high on Horcoff and felt he would be gone by the time they were back on the clock at No. 31.

For those concerned about the organization’s lack of size or physicality, the Penguins got a big boy at No. 24. Horcoff is already 6-foot-5, 203 pounds, and plays with a physical dimension. The defensive part of his game also stands out as he takes away time and space from opponents in the D-zone. Specifically, he likes to take away the middle. Though his footwork is not slow, his downside is his skating, which will need some work.

Like others before him, Horcoff went through the Team USA National Team Development Program before Michigan. Last season, he played in 18 games for Big Blue, with four goals and six assists. As a side note, his father went to arch rival Michigan State.

In addition to coming from a hockey family, Horcoff is also familiar with Penguins winger Rutger McGroarty, who also played at the University of Michigan, but a year removed. The pair played youth travel hockey together in Oakland (a Detroit suburb) and work out together in the summers.