The Pittsburgh Penguins stocked up on two-way, right-handed defensemen at the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, added a dynamic forward in the second round with a nice combination of skill and sandpaper, and a potential steal in the seventh round with a skilled but undersized player with a proven ability to produce.
• Harrison Brunicke projects as a reliable shutdown defenseman with some offensive upside, ranking second on the Kamloops Blazers with 21 points in 49 games last season. Already at 6’3”, 196 lbs., the Pittsburgh Penguins likely hope Brunicke joins 2021 first round pick Owen Pickering to create a formidable tandem in the future.
• Blending skill, speed, and grit, the Pittsburgh Penguins took Regina Pats captain Tanner Howe two picks after Brunicke, adding the dynamic forward with decent upside to a slowly recovering prospect pipeline. Howe led the team with 77 points and 77 PIMs last season.
• Chase Pietila joins older brother Logan in the Pittsburgh Penguins system after being selected by the team in the fourth round and looks to build off a strong freshman season at Michigan Tech–22 points in 40 games–and ready to make the jump to the professional level after only another season or two in the NCAA.
• Committed to Western Michigan University in the fall, Joona Vaisanen led Dubuque Fighting Saints blueliners with 40 points and the team with a +31 rating in 53 games last season.
• A potential steal in the seventh round–despite being undersized at 5’7”, 165 lbs., Mac Swanson finished third in the USHL with 77 points last season and hopes to add some size and continue developing with the University of North Dakota in the NCAA over the next few seasons.
• Finn Harding managed 34 points in 68 games with the Mississauga Steelheads in the OHL last season and led the team with a +39 plus/minus rating–nothing flashy, but a decent addition to the system late in the seventh round.
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