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Penguins Begin Youth Movement

The Pittsburgh Penguins appear to be making a change with the roster and turning to their top prospects.

Nick Horwat

Jul 7, 2022; Montreal, Quebec, CANADA; Owen Pickering after being selected as the number twenty-one overall pick to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round of the 2022 NHL Draft at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images
Jul 7, 2022; Montreal, Quebec, CANADA; Owen Pickering after being selected as the number twenty-one overall pick to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round of the 2022 NHL Draft at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images / Eric Bolte-Imagn Images
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The Pittsburgh Penguins are in a fascinating situation in the early stages of the 2024-25 season. They are playing like one of the worst teams in the NHL yet still have loads of firepower in their arsenal. With things going south, it looks like the Penguins are turning to their youth and giving them a chance at the NHL lineup.

Ahead of their contest with the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Penguins have recalled top defensive prospect Owen Pickering from the American Hockey League (AHL). This move comes a day after they recalled forward prospect Vasily Ponomarev, and the day before that Sam Poulin made his season debut.

The Penguins are 6-9-3 through 18 games and have already started shedding pieces in the trade market, possibly turning to a new youth movement in Pittsburgh.

Pickering recently scored his first goal at the professional level with the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and has been playing solid minutes on the blue line. His goal is his only point on the season, but he’s appeared in 12 games with the WBS Penguins and is being held to a high standard in the organization.

This is Pickering’s first call up to the NHL level after being the Penguins first-round draft pick (21st overall) in 2022. The 2024-25 season is also his first full year in professional hockey after graduating from the Swift Current Broncos of the WHL.

Ponomarev on the other hand has had a string of back luck since being traded to the Penguins from the Carolina Hurricanes. Ponomarev came to Pittsburgh in the Jake Guentzel trade and has only played in nine games since then.

Injuries have sidelined him for a majority of his time with the organization, but there is still a level of excitement to what he can bring. With two NHL games under his belt from his time in Carolina, Ponomarev has a goal and an assist.

The Penguins did recently send top goalie prospect Joel Blomqvist to the AHL, but that was so the team didn’t carry three goalies on the roster and to get him more playing time. He looks like the goalie of the future in Pittsburgh and they’ll want to keep him to grow his game as much as possible.

The Penguins entered the year as one of the oldest teams in the NHL. With 35-year-old Lars Eller out the door and multiple youngsters possibly hitting the lineup, the Penguins are taking a turn to the youth movement.

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Nick Horwat
NICK HORWAT

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