It’s been an active night for the Penguins to make their third pick of the night
The Penguins were active in the first night of the NHL draft. By pick 24 they had already made two picks, and then made a trade to get a third and move up to pick 24. Pittsburgh traded pick No. 31 (acquired earlier in the night with pick 22, in exchange for pick 12) and pick 59 (acquired a few months ago from Washington for Anthony Beauvillier) to move back up to 24.
Follow all that? Like we said, it was an active night. There were rumors the Pens would consider moving up the board for an elite pick, but instead they ended up using their second round pick and another trade to secure three picks out of the first 24 in the draft (checking in with Ben Kindel at 11, Bill Zonnon at 22 and this pick at 24).
At 24, the Penguins decided to select center William Horcoff.
Horcoff, the son of longtime NHL player Shawn, plays at Michigan. Here’s a scouting report for our friends at All About the Jersey:
Where is Horcoff Ranked?
#24 by NHL CENTRAL SCOUTING (NA Skaters)
The attributes that pop out most in scouting reports of Horcoff is his high hockey IQ and gritty defensive work with a willingness to take the body on intense forechecks and block shots. Horcoff’s offense seems to be currently centered around a crash the net and pop it in philosophy, but the center possesses a high-quality shot, which could be nurtured with more confidence into a bigger offensive threat. His biggest downside appears to be his skating, which is unsurprising in a man his size, as it lacks acceleration.
Some other sources:
“Will loves to put players through the glass whenever possible. He hasn’t put up a ton of points this year, but he’s good in his own zone and is one of the team’s better back checkers.”
Jordon Orth, The Hockey Writers
Outside of the offensive zone, his defensive game is very fundamentally sound. He is all over his opponents on the backcheck and then engages well in board battles. Away from the puck in the defensive zone, the Birmingham, Michigan native fills lanes and plays with an active stick to take away passing options for his opponents.
William Horcoff is a long limbed forward with NHL bloodlines, power-forward attributes, and pro habits already forming in his off-puck game. While still raw and physically underdeveloped for his frame, Horcoff has made a relatively smooth transition to the NCAA level after a mid-season move from the NTDP, earning a middle-six role at even strength and power play usage.
Added to Kindel and Zonnon and there’s no doubt that Pittsburgh was focused on not just forwards but some players with experience at center in the first round of this draft.