It seems so long ago, I don’t remember when, but the Pittsburgh Penguins prospect rankings were an exercise in denial and false hope. That is no longer the case as the Penguins’ top prospects are now potential NHL impact players.
The cataclysmic change from barren wasteland to flush talent pool began before current Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas arrived in June 2023. Now, the organization is ready to begin reaping the rewards, although Dubas has overstocked the current roster with low-range veterans as a final hurdle for the ripening mid-range prospects to achieve their NHL dreams.
Even as the prospect pool deepens, greatly aided by the massive 13-player 2025 draft class, the team is still dealing with the results of trading away first-round picks, which cost former GM Ron Hextall his 2021 first-rounder, traded away by Jim Rutherford in the Jason Zucker deal, and Dubas dealt away the 2024 top pick in the Erik Karlsson acquisition.
The prospect pool is missing a few key ingredients, such as centers, but rebuilding is a lengthy process, and the turnaround is quite remarkable.
Officially, we scored the prospects on a three-criterion system, awarding up to five points on their fullest potential, their chances to play in the NHL this season, and a combined score of their likelihood to reach the NHL and their probable impact when they do.
Based on that three-tiered score, some prospects that might have a big impact at the NHL level slotted behind others who will reach the show this season. Despite some small criticisms about that specific part of the ranking process, it’s a feature, not a flaw, because a player who is several years away from the NHL has a lot of growing to do, and the projections will change with their growth. The rose-colored glasses of potential come off quickly, or they can get even rosier as the player develops.
On Friday, we will do an in-depth examination of the prospect pool as a whole and examine two honorable mentions that even this writer/analyst admits were snubbed, but for various reasons lost tiebreakers to be in the top 20. To the Penguins’ credit, both of the honorable mentions have NHL potential, too.
If you missed the lists, here are the previous rankings in increments of five:
The names to know, Nos. 20-16.
Feast or Famine, Nos. 15-11.
New blood rising, Nos. 10-6.
Without further ado…
Top 5 Penguins Prospects, 2026
5. Owen Pickering (3-5-3)
No player in the Penguins organization has had a greater roller coaster ride than 2022 first-round pick Owen Pickering, who was selected by the former Hextall regime.
Pickering, 22, was very obviously out of favor with Penguins management at the end of the 2024-25 season, as Dubas’s comments about his progress and station were less than encouraging. Those comments followed a strong NHL debut in ’24-’25, and a 25-game stretch in which he played on all three pairings and played well, until tapering toward the end of his run, and former coach Mike Sullivan took away ice time.
However, Pickering made a loud statement in the latter half of last season and in the Calder Cup playoffs. After Pickering’s brief four-game stint in the NHL at mid-season, he returned to WBS with a little bit of hate, and something clicked. The 6-foot-5, 206-pound defender began playing a shutdown game, and doing so with controlled aggression.
Unfortunately for him and the team, just as his game reached the next level, he suffered a lower-body injury that he soldiered through, earning high praise from teammates, coaches, and the organization. Pickering didn’t look great later in the playoffs, but that was because he tried to play on a broken foot.
That fortitude, combined with elevated play, was the magic formula to change a lot of perceptions. From Dubas to AGM Jason Spezza to manager of minor league hockey operations, Amanda Kessel, they all praised Pickering’s work in the second half of the season and his effort to play through the injury. More importantly, they have all wrapped their praise with expressed patience–a stark contrast to just a year ago.
“I thought that for those who followed Owen, he took a big step throughout the second half of the year. There’s definitely still work to be done, but I think Owen is maturing into his game,” said Spezza. “With young players, we always want to be in a rush and make sure that they’re up and ready, but especially with a big defenseman, having patience, allowing him to really mature into what he is–and Owen will show us where he’s at.
“After another healthy summer and another summer to train and come to training camp, we’ll have a good look at whether he’s taking another step from where he was at, but it was encouraging to see his play on the back half of the season and the playoffs.”
Pickering was still in a walking boot during the WBS exit interviews in June, but he will be healthy by training camp.
Pickering is a left-handed defenseman with size, a long stick that can take away passing lanes, and adequate speed. Now that he’s maturing, his hockey identity is coming to him. It’s iffy if he’ll win the third-pairing left-side spot in training camp, but if his progression holds, he will be in the NHL this season as a regular contributor. His potential is very much in the Marcus Pettersson mold.
4. Will Horcoff (5-2-4)
One of three first-round picks in the 2025 draft class, Will Horcoff is a 6-foot-5, 201-pound potential power forward with a bright future when he’s done matriculating at the University of Michigan.
Horcoff, 19, got an early start to his collegiate career, playing a half-season before his draft eligibility, so he will be a junior at UM this season. He had an explosive start to last season and was among the NCAA goal-scoring leaders, but a second-half drop cooled expectations.
However, Horcoff admitted during the Penguins’ July development camp that he suffered a significant shoulder injury in December, but he put off surgery until the offseason. In other words, he gutted through the second half of the season with one good arm.
Horcoff still posted nearly a point per game, scoring 25 goals with 39 points in 40 games. Horcoff will be a winger at the next level, not a center, and easily projects as a middle-six winger with 20-goal potential. Of course, he could be more, too.
Horcoff is young for a college junior, so physical improvements, specifically his skating, are still very much possible. It’s also possible that he could get a short stint in the NHL late this season after his Michigan season ends.
3. Bill Zonnon (5-2-5)
Zonnon will turn 20 years old in October, so he is fully eligible, as well as physically ready, to begin his professional career with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
Zonnon finished last season with WBS on an ATO for the playoff run and promptly scored three goals in his first three games. The forward primarily lined up as a fourth-line center on the playoff run and flashed his potential, even as it was obvious that he has more work to do both off the ice and in learning the pro game.
Zonnon is 6-foot-2, 190 pounds, and a full summer in the Penguins organization will likely bring his weight up to about 200 pounds. He’s got very good speed, vision, and a hockey IQ. If he had to, Dubas admitted Zonnon could slot into an NHL fourth line role very soon, but everyone has much … much higher expectations.
In 11 playoff games and a bottom-line spot, Zonnon still posted seven points (4-3-7) and was notable in those games. A cup of coffee later this season is possible, but when he finally arrives, perhaps in the middle of next season, he very well might be a second-line center for years to come.
2. Harrison Brunicke (5-5-5)
Brunicke not only survived a tumultuous development year last season but also managed to thrive.
After making the NHL roster out of training camp, his play fell off after a few games, and he began a journey that saw him in the NHL press box until late November, then a two-week conditioning assignment with WBS, a few weeks with Team Canada in the World Junior Championships, and then being returned to the Kamloops Blazers of the WHL.
He returned to WBS for the end of the regular season and the playoff run and was in beast mode. Not only did Brunicke look like a different player than he was in October, but he had clearly been hitting the gym. In 15 playoff games, Brunicke had seven points (2-5-7), but was a standout on the ice and drove the play.
The biggest differences from October to May were Brunicke’s patience with the puck, his improved ability to read the plays both offensively and defensively, and his larger physical status. He’s listed at 6-foot-3, 202 pounds.
On the ice, Brunicke looked like a man amongst boys.
Unfortunately for Brunicke, Dubas has overloaded the blue line for training camp, and there are four right-handed defensemen vying for three spots. Brunicke makes five righties.
Based on what PHN saw during the playoff run, Brunicke is no longer ticketed for third-pairing sheltered duty, but could be an assertive top-four defenseman capable of above-average production.
1. Sergei Murashov (5-5-5)
Only the third Hextall pick in our top 20, Sergei Murashov was the Penguins’ fourth-round pick (118th overall) in 2022. All he has done since being drafted–and before that–is stop pucks.
His potential is a true No. 1 goalie.
Murashov’s path has been quick and linear, straight up the ladder. In the year before his draft and one after, he posted .932 and .930 save percentages, respectively, in the MHL. In 2023-24, he earned six games with Yaroslavl Lokomotiv of the KHL and promptly posted a .925 save percentage.
Murashov, 22, made his North American pro debut in 2024-25 and spent most of the season with the Wheeling Nailers, setting a franchise record for consecutive wins. In his first season, he played 26 ECHL games with a .922 save percentage and 16 AHL games with a solid .913 rate.
Last season, Murashov shone with WBS, posting a 24-9-4 record and a .919 save percentage. He also played five NHL games with mixed results, a 1-1-2 record, and an .897 save percentage.
But the stats don’t tell the story for the athletic 6-foot-2 goalie. Murashov has the ability to make highlight reel saves, but also make all of the necessary saves. Soft goals are not a problem, but in order to be a top-flight No. 1 goalie, he’s got some work to do on rebound control. Barring a bad training camp, he will be on the NHL roster in the fall.
And his NHL journey will begin.
Tags: bill zonnon harrison brunicke Owen Pickering sergei murashov will horcoff
Categorized:Penguins Prospects