Penguins add 3 forwards to prospect pool in 1st round of NHL Draft

As the time approached for Kyle Dubas to make the 11th overall selection in the 2025 NHL Draft, pundits identified several prospects whose names appeared likely to be called from the podium in Los Angeles.

One decidedly not on the list was 18-year-old center Ben Kindel.

A 5-foot-10, 181-pound right-handed shot from the Western Hockey League’s Calgary Hitmen, Kindel was ranked as the No. 27 prospect available in both ESPN’s and TSN’s final mock draft.

Ultimately, that mattered little to the Penguins’ president of hockey operations/general manager, and less to Kindel, who hails from Coquitlam, British Columbia.

“I think throughout my life, I’ve always kind of had a little bit of a chip on my shoulder, and I think that’s a good thing,” Kindel said via video conference shortly after the Penguins picked him. “Obviously, I try not to pay attention to the mock drafts too much throughout the year.

“I talked to Pittsburgh a little bit throughout the year, and I knew they were somewhat interested. So I always knew it was possible, and I’m just really excited to move forward with this now.”

If choosing Kindel was unexpected, so was the way Dubas proceeded for the rest of the first round Friday.

Originally scheduled to pick back-to-back at Nos. 11 and 12, Dubas instead traded the Penguins’ 12th pick to the Philadelphia Flyers for a pair of later first-round selections at No. 22 and 31.

The Penguins went on to choose 18-year-old winger Bill Zonnon of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League’s Rouyn-Noranda Huskies with the 22nd pick.

Shortly after Zonnon was picked, Dubas pivoted again, acquiring the Los Angeles Kings’ No. 24 selection in exchange for No. 31 and a second-rounder (No. 59).

With that pick, the Penguins chose 6-foot-5, 203-pound center Will Horcoff from the University of Michigan. The youngest player in college hockey last season, Horcoff had four goals and 10 points in 18 games with the Wolverines.

As for Zonnon, the 6-foot-2, 185-pound Montreal native scored 28 goals with 55 assists in 83 games, ranking fifth in the QMJHL in assists while tying for seventh in scoring.

Kindel, meanwhile, scored 35 goals with 64 assists in 65 games last season, ranking seventh in the WHL in scoring.

“I’d say I’m a complete player, great hockey sense,” Kindel said of his overall game. “Can score as well. Take a lot of pride in my defensive game. Compete hard for pucks and do all the little things.”

Kindel was a teammate and linemate of Penguins 2024 draft pick Tanner Howe (second round, No. 46 overall) last season with the Hitmen.

Zonnon, who shoots left-handed, sees himself as playing center at the next level, which he admitted is still a ways in the future.

“That’s where I played for pretty much the whole season, so I’d like to keep developing there,” he said. “Obviously, I’m still 18 years old, so I’ve got a long ways to go until potentially playing down the middle in the NHL. That would be my goal and my strengths are just my compete and my versatility. I’m very good offensively, but I’m very reliable defensively, as well.

“Like I told Kyle Dubas a couple minutes ago, (the Penguins) are going to get everything that I’ve got. Someone who works hard every day and who always wants to be better.”

As for Horcoff, his father, Shawn, played 1,008 career NHL games from 2000-2016, primarily for the Edmonton Oilers.

Horcoff, another left-handed shot, joined Michigan midseason last year from the U.S. National Development Team, the same route that Penguins winger Rutger McGroarty followed before being chosen in the first round of last year’s draft by Winnipeg.

“I do know Rut,” Horcoff said. “We go way back. I’m pretty thrilled to meet him after this and see what he has to say, but I also work out with him in the summer.”

Zonnon brings an interesting family background to the Penguins organization, as his parents immigrated to Canada in their mid-20s from Togo to attend college.

Growing up in Montreal, Zonnon was a Canadiens fan and idolized P.K. Subban.

But having become a forward, Zonnon found another player whose game he seeks to emulate: the New York Rangers’ Artemi Panarin.

“I think he’s just a really fun player to watch,” Zonnon said. “Every time he has the puck, he finds ways to make plays or just put it in the back of the net. So, I think offensively, he’s someone I like to watch and take something away from his game.”

Horcoff, who impressed at the recent NHL draft combine, setting a new record with a 12.48-inch horizontal jump, is ready to get back to work as a sophomore with Michigan.

“I think my favorite part of my game is just my competitiveness,” said Horcoff, a native of Birmingham. Mich. “I think I have a unique skill set, a high ceiling, and if I’m competitive and work hard, I can reach my full potential. I know I’m going to do that.”

The Penguins’ selection at 11th overall was their highest draft position since 2012 when they chose Derrick Pouliot at No. 8, gaining the pick by trading Jordan Staal to the Carolina Hurricanes.

Not since 1984, when Mario Lemieux was drafted first overall, have the Penguins had three first-round selections. That year, they also chose Doug Bodger ninth and Roger Belanger at No. 16.

Heading into Day 2 of the draft Saturday, pending any further trades or swaps, Dubas and the Penguins are set to have eight remaining selections:

• Third round — No. 73 overall

• Third round — No. 84 overall (from the Minnesota Wild via the Philadelphia Flyers and Nashville Predators)

• Third round — No. 85 overall (from the Ottawa Senators via the St. Louis Blues)

• Fourth round — No. 105 overall

• Fifth round — No. 130 overall (from the Chicago Blackhawks via Toronto Maple Leafs and Capitals)

• Fifth round — No. 148 overall (from the Wild via the Rangers)

• Sixth round — No. 169 overall

• Seventh round — No. 201 overall

Note: Former Penguins assistant coach Fred Hocul died at the age of 93. His death was announced by the NHL Alumni Association on Friday but no specifics were offered. A player throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Hocul became the first assistant coach in Penguins history when he joined head coach Ken Schinkel in 1973-74. He also served as a scout for the club.