A quick primer to get you ready for the 2025 NHL Draft.
As the Florida Panthers continue to celebrate yet another Stanley Cup victory, the rest of the NHL turns its collective attention to the 2025 NHL Draft, set to begin on Friday night with the first round, then continuing into Saturday with rounds two through seven.
For the Pittsburgh Penguins, despite not making the playoffs this season, the last few months have been rather busy with the search for a new head coach and the building anticipation leading to where we are now.
Right now, the Penguins are set to have 10 total picks in the upcoming draft, but that number could jump to 11 if the New York Rangers transfer their first round pick to the Penguins that was involved in the Marcus Pettersson trade. They will have until 48 hours before the draft to make that decision.
Draft Details
When: June 27-28
Where: Peacock Theater, Los Angeles
Time: 7PM ET on Friday/9AM ET on Saturday
First Pick: New York Islanders
For the first time, the NHL Draft will be held in a decentralized format, similar to how the NFL Draft is conducted. This is a stark contrast to past drafts where teams converged in one location rather than making selections from their own draft spaces like we will see moving forward. Prospects are still invited to attend the Draft at the Peacock Theater and will be brought on stage when their named is called.
Draft Order
Here is the order for the first two rounds of the 2025 NHL Draft.
Penguins Draft Picks
Picks: 11 (1), 59 (2), 73 (3), 84 (3), 85 (3), 105 (4), 130 (5), 148 (5), 169 (6), 201 (7).
It’s a massive haul of 10 picks for the Penguins in the 2025 NHL Draft, with a potential 11th pick in the offing, but more on that in a minute. Of the Penguins 10 picks in this draft, only five of them are their original selections. Kyle Dubas has been hard at work restocking the cupboards during his time in Pittsburgh and now he will begin to put his plan into action.
About that Rangers Pick
As mentioned above, there is a scenario where the Penguins could add an 11th total pick to their 2025 haul, but it’s up to the New York Rangers whether or not that comes to fruition this season.
When the Penguins dealt Marcus Pettersson to the Vancouver Canucks, the Penguins received the Rangers 2025 first round pick in return from an earlier deal between the Rangers and Canucks. That pick was the Rangers 2025 first round selection, but it came with a set of conditions that the pick was protected if it fell within the first 14 picks.
That pick fell into the No. 12 slot in the first round at the Draft Lottery, one spot behind the Penguins own first round pick, thus qualifying it for protection if the Rangers wish to hang onto the pick. The Rangers will have to make a final decision on whether or not to keep the pick 48 hours before the draft begins, setting the deadline at Wednesday, June 25 @ 7PM EST.
Should the Rangers choose to transfer the pick to the Penguins, the Penguins will then pick at No.11 and No. 12 of the first round. If the Rangers decide to hold onto the selection, the Penguins will receive the Rangers 2026 first round selection as the final piece of compensation for trading Marcus Pettersson.
Checking the Mock Drafts
Ten days ago, we ran a piece breaking down mock drafts to see who various outlets had the Penguins selecting with that No. 11 overall pick. Three mock drafts from The Athletic all had the Penguins going defense with that pick, specifically selecting Kashawn Aitcheson from the OHL. Other mocks were all over the board for the Penguins, but the overall consensus was the team was in line to get one of the premier prospects in this draft class.
Fast forward to today, just five days out from the draft, Corey Pronman of The Athletic was back with his latest mock draft, and his selection of Aitcheson from earlier in the month remained intact.
The Penguins have expressed a desire to get bigger and tougher in their prospect pool and Aitcheson provides a lot of those elements.
This mock from Pronman was also a full mock draft, predicting every pick for the upcoming draft. Below is a list of who Pronman selected for the Penguins at each pick.
No. 59: Thomas Poletin, LW
No. 73: Maxim Schafer, RW
No. 84: Conrad Fondrk, C
No. 85: Yegor Borikov, RW
No. 105: L.J. Mooney, C
No. 130: Roman Bausov, D
No. 148: Gabriel D’Aigle, G
No. 169: Kieren Dervin, C
No. 201: Jordan Gavin, LW
Interestingly enough, just a few days after Pronman posted his solo mock draft, he teamed up with fellow NHL scouting experts on another mock draft. This time around, Pronman and his fellow scouting experts had the Penguins sticking with defense, but going with Radim Mrtka at the No. 11 slot. In this mock, Aitcheson was already off the board a pick earlier.
“I think the upside of Mrtka, with the potential he could one day be a top-four defenseman, a guy that’s going to give you the good mobility, the size, all those different things. I think he’s going to play, and then he complements a guy like an Owen Pickering, who has size, so you’re starting to build a bit of a bigger blue line.”
All in all, mock drafts are just educated guesses and cannot take into account any uncertainty that may occur once the draft begins. There have also been no mock drafts that we have found that game out what could happen should the Penguins get that No. 12 pick from the Rangers and who they could end up selecting in that slot.
For the Penguins, this draft marks the start of a new era for the franchise as Kyle Dubas begins work on his plan to build the Penguins for future success. After two years of accumulating assets, Dubas is now under the microscope to make it all work. No one the Penguins draft will have an immediate impact next season, but these picks are made with an eye on the future, with hopes they are the next wave of talent to lead the Penguins back to Stanley Cup glory.
It’s going to be a busy week across the NHL as teams prepare for the draft. Trades are certain to happen and we’ll be keeping a close eye on the Rangers and their looming decision on that No. 12 overall selection. Pensburgh will have coverage all week long leading up to and into the draft so stick with us to stay in the know on everything that transpires.