Penguins defensive prospect Peyton Kettles traded in Western Hockey League

Seth Rorabaugh
Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025 6:51 p.m. | Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025 6:51 p.m.

Chaz Palla | TribLIve

The Penguins selected defenseman Peyton Kettles in the second round (No. 39 overall) in thie NHL Draft this past June.

Pittsburgh Penguins defensive prospect Peyton Kettles was traded at the junior level within the Western Hockey League on Thursday.

The Kelowna Rockets acquired the right-handed Kettles from the Swift Current Broncos in exchange for defenseman Jackson Gillespie and five selections in future WHL drafts:

• 2027 first round

• 2026 second round

• 2029 second round

• 2026 fourth round

• 2029 fourth round

Kettles, 18, attended the Penguins’ training camp last month but an undisclosed injury limited his participation and lingered until this month. As a result, he has been limited to two WHL games this season, scoring one goal.

Peyton Kettles is so back ????@SCBroncos | @Penguins pic.twitter.com/lp9EDRRPx0

— Western Hockey League (@TheWHL) October 23, 2025

This transaction does not affect Kettles’ (6-foot-6, 194 pounds) status with the Penguins, who selected him in the second round (No. 39 overall) of the NHL Draft in June.

Kettles has not yet signed an NHL contract and the Penguins can retain his rights until June 1, 2027.

“Super competitive,” Penguins vice president of player personnel Wes Clark said in June. “Tough. He checks a lot of boxes (as the team is) trying to improve certain qualities on the back end here with the depth we have in the prospects.”

Speaking with Swift Current Online, Broncos general manager Chad Leslie cited newer NCAA eligibility rules that allow junior players to join schools in the United States as motivation for the trade.

This past offseason, forward Clarke Caswell, a Seattle Kraken prospect, left the Broncos to play for the University of North Dakota.

“The landscape changing with the NCAA, and what happened with us with Clarke Caswell comes into play,” Leslie said. “We have to manage our assets properly. I think realistically the timing of it being a Memorial Cup year in the west is really big. Values of those players were high, and for the cycle that we’re in, we had to take advantage of it.

“I’m really proud of Peyton, and we felt it was an opportunity for us as an organization, but a great opportunity for him as well.”

Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.