Penguins’ First-Round Pick May Be Diamond In The Rough

At this year’s NHL Draft, the Pittsburgh Penguins took the stage three different times in the first round.

The first time was when Penguins’ defenseman Kris Letang called center Ben Kindel’s name at 11th overall, which was followed by center Bill Zonnon at 22nd overall. While both players figure to be a huge part of the Penguins’ future plans, they may just have drafted another huge part of it at 24th overall.

Will Horcoff was the youngest player in college hockey last season, as he joined the University of Michigan as a 17-year-old. He put up four goals and 10 points in 18 games with Michigan, and he didn’t turn 18 until Jan. 23.

The 6-foot-4, 190-pound center has already made pretty significant strides in a short time. He turned some heads at prospect development camp back in early July, as he scored a pair of goals during exhibition games, looked better than expected in terms of skating, and showed off his hockey smarts and ability to evade and push through defenders en route to the net front.

Now, he is representing Team USA at the World Junior Summer Showcase - along with fellow Penguins’ prospect Mac Swanson as well as Kindel (Canada), Harrison Brunicke (Canada), and Melvin Fernstrom (Sweden) - in hopes of receiving an invite to camp ahead of next year’s World Junior Championship.

Already known as a pretty solid all-around player - his defensive acumen is also a strength of his game - Horcoff’s game will only continue to trend upward. He figures to elevate himself even further in his first full season at Michigan in 2025-26. 

Five Penguins' Prospects Participating In World Junior Summer ShowcaseFive

And he took a few notes from the Penguins’ captain at development camp.

“Definitely [wanted to] just see how the pros train,” Horcoff said. “I got to see Sid, he was out on the ice by himself, and he was in the workout room by himself. So, just seeing how hard he works, I can take something away from that to bring back to Michigan.”

There were some who thought Horcoff may have been a reach at 24th overall. The Penguins actually traded back up in the draft to grab Horcoff in that spot, as they were originally slated to select 30th overall instead. 

In all fairness, that may have been a fair assessment at the time, and it very well might hold a lot of water as things shake out. Most draft boards didn’t have Horcoff going until well into the second round, and the Penguins took a gamble by snatching him at 24. He was a largely unproven player heading into the draft, even if the potential was there.

But it’s clear early on that Horcoff just has a natural disposition for learning and growth. He’s well-spoken and eager to keep getting better, and development camp was a great first step in getting to know how the organization that drafted him -n and the players he’s competing with and against in it - will help him along the way.

“Everyone here is competing for a spot,” Horcoff said at the time. “Everyone’s super competitive, so it’s making everyone better. If everyone gives 100 percent effort - which they are - things will get a little chippy. That’s great. Without that, you aren’t getting any better, so I think it’s great that everyone’s competing hard.”

Like his peers in the Penguins' organization, Horcoff is a hard worker. He’s a high-IQ player, and he’s got some skill up his sleeve, as he has shown in a short sample size. He will have to continue to harness those traits and grow his game even further in order to separate himself.

If all goes right with his development, he could very well turn out to be a diamond in the rough for the Penguins as they look ahead to the future.

Dubas May Have Sought Quantity In This Year's Draft. But That Doesn't Mean He Missed On Quality.In the aftermath of every NHL Draft, the analysis always comes due.

Bookmark THN - Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab  to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!      

Feature image credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images