Top 25 Penguins Prospects, 15-11; Scrappers & Physicality with NHL Expectations

Just one year ago, the Pittsburgh Penguins prospect pool beyond the top 10 was a smattering of potentials who were longshots, but in 2025, the list includes a pair of players who played large roles for their teams at the World Junior Championships and a former long shot who earned an NHL entry level contact after proving himself at the AHL level.

PHN has already detailed the top prospects from 25 to 16:

• Prospects 25 to 21
• Prospects 20 to 16

You can also visit the Penguins Prospects page to view all prospects coverage and rankings. The list is somewhat preliminary, as trades this summer could add prospects to the list as Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas makes a few of his veterans available to teams who need scoring wingers or a three-time Norris Trophy-winning defender.

Now it is time to start digging into players who are not only hopeful of climbing all the way to the NHL, but some of whom are expected to arrive within the next couple of years.

As the deepening pool stands, one or all of the prospects from 11 to 15 could very well get at least one shot in the NHL this season. A pair of scrappers bookend this part of the list.

Penguins Prospects 15-11

15. Avery Hayes

A little spark plug who didn’t take no for an answer. Hayes is not a big winger, and is just 5-foot-10, 179 pounds. He’s not an elite skater, nor a sniper. However, the undrafted free agent from the OHL forced his way into the Penguins organization with tenacious, scrappy play with a good amount of offense.

Last season, Hayes was part of the roster rotation in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. The right wing was on an AHL contract and was necessarily behind the Penguins’ prospects on the depth chart. By midseason, coach Kirk MacDonald admitted the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins coaches had a conversation with WBS general manager (and Penguins AGM) Jason Spezza to advocate for Hayes being in the lineup every night.

“Eventually it got to the point where we were all just talking–we were both like, this guy can’t come out of the lineup, like this is crazy,” said MacDonald. “He was outstanding again for us in the second half of the year. All our young guys really were, but (the young guys) did such a great job carrying the load for us a lot of the time and scoring big goals, and Hazy was a big part of that.”

Hayes, 22, continues to exceed expectations, and an NHL shot, probably at some point this season, is the next step. Last season, he had 23 goals with 42 points in 60 games.

14. Emil Pieniniemi

Pieniniemi, 20, is on a unique journey to the NHL. After being drafted in the third round (91st overall) in 2023, he played one full season in the top Finnish league in 2023-24 before moving to the OHL’s Kingston Frontenacs to adjust to the North American game.

Pieniniemi divided amateur scouts. Some wouldn’t have drafted him until the late rounds, while others had a higher grade than the third round, which speaks to Pieniniemi’s inconsistency.

He had a lackluster development camp in 2023, but earned spots on Team Finland in the 2024 and 2025 World Junior Championships. He was pointless in his first WJC, but had three points (1-2-3) in six games during his second outing.

The left-handed defenseman stands out on the ice. He’s 6-foot-3, 177 pounds and has offensive skills, but has thus far shown he picks his spots. He had some good moments in the development camp, but doesn’t consistently assert himself in the play.

He could be a top-four defenseman in two years or never arrive. He is turning pro this season, and it will be a big deal if he sticks in the AHL or is sent to Wheeling of the ECHL. If he arrives, the 2027-28 season seems appropriate.

13. Peyton Kettles

Kettles was selected 39th overall in the 2025 draft, and it would seem the chance to select him was part of the Penguins’ motivation for trading Conor Timmins to Buffalo for Connor Clifton and that selection.

Kettles, 17, is a big boy and may not be done growing. He’s already 6-foot-5 and 190 pounds, and as he fills out, he projects to be a middle-pairing, physical defensive defenseman at the NHL level.

His size is the selling point because his skating is currently mediocre as he lacks that quick hop forward, and scouts report that he can get caught flat-footed. We saw the same in the development camp. Such things can be overcome in junior hockey with a long reach, but he will need to get on his toes at the next level and be more active and mobile.

Kettles was 2022 Penguins’ first-round pick Owen Pickering’s defensive partner with the Swift Current Broncos, and one of the youngest players in the 2025 NHL Draft. He’s obviously a few years away from the NHL conversation, but a shutdown defender is always a welcome addition. Given his age, arriving within four years would be an achievement. Two more years of junior hockey and two years of work in the AHL place him in the 2029-30 season.

12. Mikhail Ilyin

Ilyin might be one of the most talented prospects in the Penguins’ system. He’s got a traditional Russian high skill game, and is scheduled to come to North America for the 2026-27 season. He will spend one more season in the KHL. Last season was his second in the KHL, and he had 30 points, including seven goals, in 64 games.

Ilyin, 20, was the Penguins’ fifth-round pick (142nd overall) in 2023, and he had a drop in goal production from 12 to seven. Still, the Penguins organization appears to be quite excited by his potential–far more eagerness than most fifth-round picks generate.

Ilyin came to the Penguins development camp earlier this month, but an arduous travel with long delays postponed his arrival, and director of player development Tom Kostopoulus shrugged off his camp performance because of being physically drained by the trip.

Ilyin has a projectable frame (6-foot, 180 pounds) and plays the right wing in Russia despite a left-handed shot. He’s slick and has a high ceiling, but there will be plenty of work, including getting a bit quicker and learning that the North American game is played between the dots and not the perimeter.

His NHL projection is sometime in the 2027-28 season.

11. Tanner Howe

Howe, 19, begins the crop of expected NHL contributors in the PHN prospect list. The Penguins’ second-round pick in 2024 (46th overall) is a gritty, agitating, net-front winger who leaped ahead of top draft picks to make the 2025 Team Canada WJC roster.

He lacks the size for his spunky game (5-foot-11, 182 pounds), so he’ll need to be a little beefier at the NHL level or injuries will continue to be a problem.

The LW will eventually turn pro this season after he recovers from a torn ACL suffered in the WHL playoffs with the Calgary Hitmen. He figures to stick with the WBS Penguins, but he has missed big opportunities both for Canada and the Penguins due to being unavailable.

It’s hard to extrapolate his current standing because of injuries in both the 2024 and 25 seasons, but his 39 points (12-27-39) in 37 games for Calgary speaks well.

Howe’s style of game could place him anywhere in the lineup, from the top to the bottom. Its hard to project Howe’s arrival since we haven’t seen much, or any of him in the last couple of seasons, but if things go well, he could be in line for that call next season.