The NHL Draft is just seven weeks away.
The Penguins are locked in at the 14th overall pick in the first round of the draft, which is set to be held June 28 and 29 in Nashville, Tenn. If the new general manager doesn't trade the pick, then this will be their highest selection since taking Derrick Pouliot eighth overall in 2012 with the pick acquired from the Hurricanes in the Jordan Staal trade. The last time the Penguins' own pick was better than 14th was in 2006, when they took Staal second overall.
Who are some of the intriguing options expected to be selected around the time the Penguins make their pick? Let's take a look.
AXEL SANDIN PELLIKKA
Position: Defenseman
Team: Skelleftea AIK (SHL)
Size: 5-11, 176
Shoots: Right
Central scouting rank: No. 7 European skater
It's good for a player's development when he can get experience playing with grown men in Europe, and Sandin Pellikka got that this year in Sweden,
Sandin Pellikka split the season between Skelleftea's U20 junior team and its main team in the Swedish Hockey League, the country's top professional league. Sandin Pellikka recorded 16 goals, 20 assists and a plus-15 rating in 31 games with the junior team, and then two goals, three assists and a plus-2 rating in 22 games in the SHL as a rookie.
Sandin Pellikka represented Sweden in both the U18 and U20 World Junior Championship this year as well, recording two goals, nine assists and a plus-8 rating in seven games in the U18 tournament, and one assist and a minus-4 rating in seven games in the U20 tournament.
The prospects site Dobber Prospects describes Sandin Pellikka as a "mobile, offensive-minded blueliner who likes to activate into the offensive zone. Plays with energy on both sides of the puck and has the potential to become a top-four defenseman in the NHL."
Sandin Pellikka has the speed and mobility to make him a strong power play quarterback, with a one-timer that allows him to chip in offensively himself.
If there's a knock on Sandin Pellikka's game, it's his need to improve on the defensive side of the puck, but that's not uncommon for defensemen his age.
Sandin Pellikka's contract with Skelleftea in the SHL runs through the 2024-25 season, so that would be a downside if the goal is to bring him to North America as soon as possible.
BRAYDEN YAGER
Position: Center
Team: Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL)
Size: 5-11, 166
Shoots: Right
Central scouting rank: No. 11 North American skater
Teams generally don't (and shouldn't) draft by positional need in the draft -- you always take the best player available. But it sure would help the Penguins' prospect pool regardless to get a quality center.
Yager has the potential to develop into a solid, two-way center with the ability to play on a power play and penalty kill.
Yager is coming off of his second full season in the WHL, a year in which he recorded 28 goals and 50 assists in 67 games, finishing No. 2 in scoring on Moose Jaw behind only 2022 second-round pick Jagger Firkus. Yager continued that pace in the postseason, with six goals and 10 assists in 10 games.
In Yager's 2021-22 rookie season he scored 34 goals and 25 assists in 63 games, an effort that earned him the title of WHL Rookie of the Year. He later won CHL Rookie of the Year, awarded to the best rookie among the WHL, OHL and QMJHL Rookies of the Year. It's a pretty prestigious award, and the last four CHL Rookie of the Year winners are Shane Wright, Quinton Byfield, Alexis Lafreniere and Nico Hischier.
The independent scouting website Smaht Scouting points to Yager's shot as his greatest asset, and is a "reliable puck-mover" with "great mobility and handling," and said that a weakness of Yager's is his ability to create space for himself in tight areas.
Another scouting website, Recruit Scouting, adds that Yager is "one of the most dynamic skaters in the draft class this year" with his speed and lateral movement.
Yager also obviously needs to put on some weight, as most 18-year-old draft-eligible prospects do.
Yager won the WHL's award for the most sportsmanlike player this season, as voted on by WHL general managers and media. He recorded 14 penalty minutes in his 67 games.
"It's great to be seen as playing the right way but also playing hard, keeping it between the whistles and being disciplined while playing well offensively," Yager told NHL.com of the award. "I like playing that 200-foot game as well."
NATE DANIELSON
Position: Center
Team: Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)
Size: 6-2, 185
Shoots: Right
Central scouting rank: No. 7 North American skater
Danielson is another strong two-way center out of the WHL.
Danielson is captain of his Brandon Wheat Kings, and led the team in scoring this season with 33 goals and 45 assists in 68 games.
Dobber Prospects says that Danielson "possesses a strong shot and some goal scoring upside but will have to diversify his offensive attack to reach his full potential," and is someone who can "can set up his teammates with slick feeds through traffic or finish scoring plays on his own with his heavy release, but he is more efficient than he is flashy in the way that he generates offense."
Danielson's skating -- both in terms of pure speed and his mobility -- is one of his bigger strengths. At 6 foot 2 and 185 pounds already, he also has pretty good size and strength for a prospect his age.
DAVID REINBACHER
Position: Defenseman
Team: EHC Kloten (NL)
Size: 6-2, 185
Shoots: Right
Central scouting rank: No. 5 European skater
Reinbacher is the top Austrian player in this year's draft. He's another prospect who has the privilege of playing with grown men, playing in the National League this season -- the top professional league in Switzerland. He's playing top minutes and excelling.
Reinbacher scored three goals and 19 assists in 46 games to finish No. 2 on Kloten in scoring among defensemen and finished No. 2 on the team overall with a plus-7 rating. He played for Austria in the U20 World Junior Championship and recorded two assists and a minus-7 rating in five games. He will play for Austria in this month's World Championship.
The prospect scouting website Elite Prospects says that Reinbacher is "a force in transition, active in all three zones, and proficient at generating defensive stops. He's a powerful, agile skater, but where he stands out is his commitment and ability to read the play and then react as a quality defensive defenseman."
Reinbacher is the kind of defenseman that could be paired with an offensive defenseman as a steady supporting presence. He's not overly physical, but he has a physical dimension to his game, something that could always be improved upon once he makes the jump to North America and adjusts to the smaller ice surface and different style of play.
A benefit with Reinbacher is that he's not currently under contract anywhere in Europe, and could play in the AHL next season if desired. The rule that prevents 20-year-old prospects from playing in the AHL is only for prospects eligible for Canadian junior hockey as part of the NHL-CHL transfer agreement. Since Reinbacher is coming from Europe, not Canadian junior, he's eligible to play in the AHL soon.
MATTHEW WOOD
Position: Right wing
Team: University of Connecticut (NCAA)
Size: 6-4, 193
Shoots: Right
Central scouting rank: No. 4 North American skater
Wood was the youngest player in college hockey this season, breaking into UConn as a 17-year-old freshman, not turning 18 until this past February.
Wood is Canadian, from Lethbridge, Alberta. He was drafted in the second round of the 2020 WHL draft by the Regina Pats, but had his sights set on college hockey. He was playing in the tier-2 British Columbia Hockey League from 2020-22 and was expected to join UConn in 2023-24, but an explosive 2021-22 BCHL season changed those plans. After leading the entire BCHL in scoring with 45 goals and 40 assists in 46 games that year, UConn decided Wood was ready to make the move to college hockey at 17 years old for this past season.
Wood proved he was ready -- he led UConn in scoring with 11 goals and 23 assists in 35 games.
“I think the first time you see him play, you're going to say, ‘This is Tage Thompson,’ because he shoots the puck extremely well, he's in the same spot on the power play,” UConn coach Mike Cavanaugh told CT Insider. “He sees the ice well. He's not just a shooter. He has good feel. He can make a play and find and open guy. He's just got an uncanny knack on where to go with the puck.”
NHL Central Scouting senior manager David Gregory compared Wood to Thompson as well in terms of their skating style.
"Both of them are not going to look like the Energizer Bunny, having that quick twitch, but they've got the longer stride," Gregory told NHL.com. "Matthew thinks it well. He's got good edges. I think the power and strength will come."
Wood has worn No. 71 throughout his career, in both the BCHL and at UConn, because his favorite player is Evgeni Malkin.
"I grew up loving his game," Wood told NHL.com of Malkin. "He's big and skilled and he competes really hard so that's definitely one guy that's my favorite player. A guy like Mikko Rantanen is also fun to watch. He's super smart, skilled, big and can score from anywhere."
Wood also played for Canada in the U18 World Junior Championship and finished No. 2 on the team in scoring with seven goals and six assists in seven games, winning the bronze medal.
Wood's two-way game could stand to improve, as well as his overall speed.
GABRIEL PERREAULT
Position: Right wing
Team: U.S. National Team Development Program
Size: 5-11, 165
Shoots: Left
Central scouting rank: No. 10 North American skater
Perreault projects as a future top-six winger.
This season Perreault broke the single-season scoring record for the U.S. National Team Development Program with 53 goals and 79 assists in 63 games. He's one of only four players to ever break the 100-point mark in a single season for the program, joining Auston Matthews, Cole Caufield and Jack Hughes.
Those 63 games include all the games the USNTDP plays throughout the season against various leagues. Of those 63, 23 games were in the USHL junior league. Perreault scored 19 goals and 26 assists in those games.
"Heading into the year, Perreault was seen more as a playmaker down the road, but he has quickly shown that he is also a talented finisher," Dobber Prospects wrote of Perreault. "His ability to score, distribute, and play a more complete game has allowed him to jump a couple of spots in our midseason rankings. Perreault’s a forward that every team needs with his ability to impact each play."
Obviously, at 165 pounds, Perreault's biggest weakness right now is ... his weakness. His speed and defensive game also need work.
Perreault's father Yanic played 14 seasons in the NHL with the Maple Leafs, Kings, Canadiens, Predators, Coyotes and Blackhawks before retiring in 2008. His sister Liliane was a senior for Mercyhurst's women's team this season. One of his brothers, Jacob, was a 2020 first-round pick of the Ducks and has played in the AHL for the last three seasons. Since Gabriel is Canadian-born but grew up in the U.S., he had the option to decide whether to play for Canada or the U.S. at the international level. His father and brother have both played for Canada internationally, but Gabriel chose the U.S. team.
