Penguins roster hopeful Tristan Broz has goals in mind (like preventing them)

On the surface, there was nothing surprising about Tristan Broz scoring the Pittsburgh Penguins’ lone regulation goal in a 2-1 road loss to the Montreal Canadiens to open the preseason Monday.

The visitors deployed a very limited lineup full of prospects as well as minor leaguers, and Broz was one of the more offensively talented players among the group.

But the method by which he scored was certainly eye-catching.

As the Penguins moved the puck around the offensive zone via hiccup-quick precision passing during a power-play sequence, the left-handed Broz sizzled a wrister from the right dot by the glove of goaltender Sam Montembeault on the near side.

FIRST GOAL OF THE PRESEASON! ???? pic.twitter.com/Uw3DfuV9In

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) September 22, 2025

“It’s gotten better every year. The more pucks I shoot, the more reps I have,” Broz said Wednesday in Cranberry. “I feel like I’ve always had a good shot. It’s something that’s gotten better with time and with a lot of reps in the garage in the summer. Also in the weight room, getting stronger.”

That type of shot will give Broz a strong chance at an NHL roster spot this season.

A dollop of defense won’t hurt his case either.

Penguins management has encouraged Broz to adopt a more defined defensive game as he enters his second full professional season. And he has a pretty clear idea of how to define what he needs to do defensively as a center.

Spending the 2024-25 season with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League, Broz took on some penalty killing duties as the campaign progressed.

“I showed a little bit my penalty-killing ability,” Broz said. “I’m a good skater, and that allows me to get into spots that you need to be in. Naturally, I think I’m more of an offensive person, but I think that gives me a good ability to read what the (opposing attackers) on the power play want to do. Obviously, being able to produce is really important, and it’s hopefully something I’ll be able to do. But at the end of the day, you need to be able to stop the guys you’re playing against first.

“Especially as a center, it’s really reflective of your game how often you’re in the defensive zone. As a center, versus as a wing, you’re the one that’s playing low, being able to kill the (opposing) plays. Being able to leave the ice in a better spot than I found it for the next line, whether that’s with the puck on a controlled breakout or going on a forecheck. Then for my linemates, winning faceoffs, getting the puck out of our (defensive) zone and playing more offense is where being good defensively is going to lead to, not only more offense for me, but just more opportunity and trust from the coaching staff.”

Broz, a second-round draft pick (No. 58 overall) in 2021, has been a steady scorer at just about every level of hockey he’s played. While competent in a defensive capacity, it wasn’t exactly his leading characteristic.

And considering the Penguins’ top two center positions are occupied by a pair of future members of the Hockey Hall of Fame in Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, a bottom-six center on this club needs to offer a stout defensive presence.

What is the challenge for players who have generated offense at lower levels in trying to add a more defensive approach?

“A lot of times with players that have a little bit of an offensive mindset, it’s more the ‘in between’ that you’ve got to figure out,” coach Dan Muse said. “It’s helping players define those lines. For offensive players, we want them to keep their instincts. We want them to be able to think the game from an offensive standpoint. But you still have to know when to toe that line in that gray area of the game in transition.

“With players that think the game a little bit more offensively, it’s just trying to find that balance. And it’s doing it while you’re not losing the offensive part of the game.”

There is little to suggest Broz, who turns 23 on Oct. 10, will misplace the offensive components of his play. In 59 AHL games last season, he scored 37 points (19 goals, 18 assists). Had it not been for a bout with mononucleosis in January, he might have led Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in scoring or earned a recall to the NHL roster.

At the moment, he doesn’t want a recall. He’d rather start and remain in the NHL.

“Being (with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton) for an entire year is pretty motivating in itself,” Broz said. “It was a big learning experience last year. I definitely want to take everything that I’ve gone through in my career and my life and even just last year as a pro into this camp. More than anything, that hunger in not wanting to go back (to the AHL).”

Notes: Defensive prospect Quinn Beauchesne was returned to the Guelph Storm of the Ontario Hockey League. Beauchesne was a fifth-round selection (No. 148 overall) during the NHL Draft in June. … The Penguins had a scheduled day off Thursday.