Penguins select 4 Europeans on 2nd day of NHL Draft

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — After plucking forward Brayden Yager from the Moose Jaw Warriors of the Western Hockey League in the first round (No. 14 overall) of the NHL Draft on Wednesday, the Pittsburgh Penguins turned to the east for most of their remaining selections in the final six rounds Thursday at Bridgestone Arena.

That’s to say they went heavy on Europeans, including three from Finland and one from Russia.

“There was obviously a lot of players that we were interested in from Europe,” Penguins director of amateur scouting Nick Pryor said. “Sometimes, that’s just the way the list shakes out. That’s how it went. I don’t know if that was the plan, per se, going into it, to go to Europe that much. But we really liked the players we were able to get in Europe. That’s just the way the list shakes out sometimes.”

This was the Penguins’ first draft under president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas, who was hired June 1. The previous two were under recently fired general manager Ron Hextall and assistant general manager Chris Pryor, the father of Nick Pryor.

“There wasn’t a ton of time before the draft (when Dubas was hired),” Pryor said. “I’m sure there’s going to be some things to be discussed after the draft in terms of how we want to approach going into next year with the draft. But Kyle was really, really good to us in the short amount of time that we’ve been able to spend with him. Encouraging us. One thing is taking swings. Trying to hit a home run. He’s the first one to tell us, ‘I understand how difficult the draft is.’ He knows how difficult this process is. When he encourages you to take some swings and to take some chances on some players that have a high offensive ceiling, that’s good advice for us because kind of helps us make decisions on our list.

“Really excited to continue to learn from Kyle.”

Here’s a look at the five players the Penguins selected Thursday:

3rd round (No. 91 overall): Emil Pieniniemi, defenseman

Primary 2022-23 team, league: Karpat, U20 SM-sarja (Translation: Under-20 Finnish Championship Series)

Statistics: 31 games, 13 points (one goal, 12 assists).

Height: 6-foot-2

Weight: 175 pounds

Shoots: Left

Pryor’s scouting report: “Good size, range, moves well. Really good with the puck, smart, gets you out of your end clean, transition game is very good. The size to go with that, we were really excited where we got him.”

5th round (No. 142): Mikhail Ilyin, center

Primary 2022-23 team, league: Almaz Cherepovets, Molodyozhnaya Hokkeinaya Liga (Translation from Russian: Junior Hockey League)

Statistics: 28 games, 26 points (four goals, 22 assists).

Height: 6-foot

Weight: 181 pounds

Shoots: Left

Pryor’s scouting report: “Mikhail, we view as a really smart, 200-foot center. Makes a lot of plays, a pass-first mindset. But he’s really diligent without the puck. He’s one of those guys that makes those around him better, makes his wingers better. Just a really smart player.”

6th round (No. 174): Cooper Foster, center

Primary 2022-23 team, league: Ottawa 67s, Ontario Hockey League (OHL)

Statistics: 63 games, 36 points (19 goals, 17 assists).

Height: 5-foot-11

Weight: 172 pounds

Shoots: Left

Pryor’s scouting report: “Kind of a guy that was maybe lower in the lineup for the Ottawa 67s but we feel as he turned into his 18-year-old year, and his 19-year-old year, there was more opportunity presented to him. We really liked his sense on both sides of the puck. We feel that there’s skill and offensive production that are untapped at this time. As more opportunity comes his way, he’ll be able to take advantage of it.”

7th round (No. 217): Emil Jarventie, left winger

Primary 2022-23 team, league: Ilves, U20 SM-sarja

Statistics: 21 games, 19 points (eight goals, 11 assists).

Height: 5-foot-10

Weight: 167

Shoots: Left

Pryor’s scouting report: “Undersized winger. Offensive minded. Can really shoot the puck and really good in the offensive zone. I think for him, it’s going to be about rounding out the other parts of his game. We felt that at the point that we got him, it was good to take a chance on a guy that had offensive instincts and an offensive part to his game that we were really attracted to.”

7th round (No. 223): Kalle Kangas, defenseman

Kalle Kangas 7. kierroksella Pittsburgh Penguinsiin tämän vuoden NHL Draftissa???? Onnittelut, Kanki????????????#Jokerit #nhldraft pic.twitter.com/8xACDPQh2p

— Helsingin Jokerit (@jokerithc) June 29, 2023

Primary 2022-23 team, league: Jokerit, U20 SM-sarja

Statistics: 42 games, nine points (one goal, eight assists).

Height: 6-foot-4

Weight: 205 pounds

Shoots: Left

Pryor’s scouting report: “Big defenseman. Extremely hard to play against. Skating is going to need to improve. He can move the puck. He’s hard to play against, so he’s one of those guys that makes it hard on the other team.”