PHN Penguins Prospect Rankings: The Next Core, No. 1-5 (+)

There is a new top of the heap amongst the quickly expanding list of Pittsburgh Penguins prospects.

In 2023, top goalie prospect Joel Blomqvist was No. 2, and defenseman Owen Pickering was the new top prospect. Blomqvist is still in the top five, but PHN no longer projects Pickering as the top dog. Because of his plateaued development and the influx of talent, Pickering fell to seventh this year.

READ MORE: 2023 Penguins Prospect Rankings, a New Top of the Heap

The unique part of the 2024 rankings, compared to every previous season, is the depth. As we have ranked the top 15, even our list of five prospects outside the top 10 could include players who play NHL games.

Blomqvist, 23, could have punched his ticket to the NHL this season with a stellar playoff performance for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, but he’ll need a little more time to marinate with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Make no mistake, the clock to his NHL debut is counting down, but there is a player who projects to be more impactful.

READ MORE: 2024 PHN Prospect Rankings 6-10: Real Talent, Exiting Long Shot

The Penguins’ quest to add more prospects received an upgrade earlier this month when president of hockey operations/GM Kyle Dubas was able to lure Wes Clark from the Toronto Maple Leafs to be the vice president of player personnel. In the process, director of amateur scouting Nick Pryor moved on, making a lateral move to accept a position with the Colorado Avalanche.

Clark’s pedigree of finding and selecting prospects at the draft over the last several years has been superior.

Our prospect list was different this season. In addition to estimating a prospect’s countdown to their NHL debut, we equally weighted their potential impact. By this formula, a fourth liner who is ready to play in the NHL would not rank as highly as a talented 18-year-old who might be three years away.

The list had a few rankings that surprised even me. 2022 first-round pick Owen Pickering was ranked seventh, and the top-five list includes one player who might not see a Pittsburgh Penguins sweater until 2027 or later.

2024 Top 5 Penguins Prospects