Pittsburgh Penguins Draft Recap

Story by Yinzer Crazy Contributor Kuljit Parmar

As most of North America watched the 2023 NHL Draft unfold this past Wednesday, we observed a spectacle of draft picks chosen throughout the night, with the audience and those at home watching anxiously to learn their team's new players.

The most important aspect of this draft for the Pittsburgh Penguins management was that they would have to go in with a solid game plan to complement their farm league, but also keeping the short-term in mind with aging stars. 

What will the roles be of these future players? And how long could it take them to get to the NHL?

For the first pick, 14th overall.

By selecting 18-year old forward Brayden Yager, the team feels well-equipped for the future because of his attitude towards the game and the well-maintained skill level he can achieve with the right mix of forwards.

Yager can score goals and most importantly make plays for his teammates, having the ability to impact the game in many areas. His ability to handle the puck defensively was the main reason he was selected by the Penguins, reiterating the point of drafting defensive assets.

In my opinion, with the right set of forwards, he can achieve more of a dramatically balanced game. Depending on the draft picks in the future, maybe another combo of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and defenseman Kris Letang-type era, once again, is burgeoning.

There were three defensemen taken by management in this draft, and four forwards with defensive assets to their resume who will have a top percentile size and grit of the majority of players when they play at an NHL level.

With the third-round selection, 91st overall, the Penguins took defenseman Emil Pieniniemi. 

His defensive-to-offensive game description sounds promising for the team, as he will be considered to be a depth player.

With the fifth-round pick, number 142 overall, the Penguins selected Russian forward Mikhail Liyin. 

There is not much of a profile for this young man, as he is only eighteen years of age. However, he is known to excel amongst his teammates and knows how to play the game, as he’s quite savvy.

His frame needs a little work toward playing in the NHL, but he could someday be that young, refreshing speedster the team will rely on.

In the sixth round of the 2023 NHL Draft, 174th overall, the Penguins choose forward Cooper Foster. This young man is a speedster with a nifty goal-scoring ability to his game, and nice playmaking techniques. Foster lacks the size and grit to play at the NHL level but with his feistiness, he will be able to produce and compete with respectability on a nightly basis.

The last two picks in the seventh round, the first being Emil Jarventie, going 217th overall. Emil is a tall winger, with roots in Finland – and he’s a pup, at just under the age of twenty. He is a wonderful skater and puck handler, with the ability to set up plays that will result in goals.

And last, but not least, Defenseman Kalle Kangas was taken at pick 223. His weight and size give him a favorable opportunity to bring the added grit the team needs in the farm league. Most importantly allowing him to develop and play to potentially carve out a niche as a role player down the line.