Top 10 Pittsburgh Penguins Prospects: No. 1-5 (PHN+)

Today is the conclusion of our look at the top Pittsburgh Penguins prospects. Our list last year included players such as Jan Drozg, Linus Ohlund, Thomas Di Pauli, and Anthony Angelo. In total, there were seven names bumped from the 2018 list, and former top prospect Tristan Jarry is now on an NHL contract. The Penguins have added a much deeper prospect pool, and our list includes 11 players. The Penguins have done their job.

See our rankings six through 10 here.

Our top five may have a couple of surprises which are not ranked as high by amateur scouting sites. Pittsburgh Hockey Now based the top five (plus one), one the criteria of ability to make it to the NHL and ability to contribute at that level. We based rankings on our scouting work from camps and tournaments, conversations with (professional and amateur) scouts and other folks around the organization. Our top-five list includes a pair of dark horses who are galloping towards the NHL faster than anyone expected.

The final list is PHN+. We hope you’ll subscribe for a full season of in-depth coverage, fun and balanced insights from professional hockey writers. And we’re proud to say we donate 5% of all new subscriptions to charity.

5. Sam Miletic, 22, LW

The Michigan native raced from the starting gate with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins last season. In his rookie season, Miletic was the team’s leading scorer in October, before he suffered an upper-body injury. He played 49 games last season and scored 35 points (12g, 23a).

The rap on Miletic has been his skating. On film, it looked to be improved, and our WBS Penguins sources said it was good enough. One can presume Miletic will continue working on that phase of his game. This summer, he worked out in Toronto with Andy O’Brien and a bevy of NHL players, including Zach Aston-Reese.