With the 2024 NHL Entry Draft in the rearview mirror, the Pittsburgh Penguins were able to add six new faces to the organization and their pipeline. While they did not have a first-round selection, general manager Kyle Dubas and his staff seemed to do a solid job with the choices they did make. Let’s take a look at the players that were picked by the Penguins this year.
New Faces in the Steel City
Round 2 Pick 44: D Harrison Brunicke, Kamloops Blazers (WHL)
With their first selection in the 2024 Draft, the Penguins decided to add a big-bodied defenseman to help solidify the future at the position with 2022 first-round pick Owen Pickering. Harrison Brunicke is an all-around strong defenseman who does almost everything the right way. He may not light the scoresheet up, having tallied only 21 points this season for the Kamloops Blazers, but he is strong enough to be a difference-maker in the offensive zone. Defensively, he can use his body in a big way and is not afraid to do so. He is a lockdown defenseman that the Penguins will surely be happy with having in the lineup in the near future.
Related: Pittsburgh Penguins 2023-24 Final Prospect Rankings
Thanks to his strong game this season, he made the Canadian U18 World Championship team and scored four points in the tournament. Penguins fans will get accustomed to seeing Brunicke’s added size and defensive play whenever he makes his way to Pittsburgh. He is likely to head back to Kamloops for the 2024-25 season, marking his third full junior season.
Round 2 Pick 46: LW Tanner Howe, Regina Pats (WHL)
The Penguins returned to the Western Hockey League (WHL) with their second draft pick, taking Tanner Howe from the Regina Pats. After a 2022-23 season with Connor Bedard, there were some lofty expectations placed on Howe to be able to take on some of the load that Bedard left behind, tallying 28 goals and 49 assists for a total of 77 points. The numbers and productivity did not fall off in any manner, and he could end up being a pick who is looked at as a steal if things work out for both sides.
This season, Howe continued to show his offensive prowess and all-around game, giving fans numerous highlight reel plays. Adding him to a forward grouping in the pipeline led by Brayden Yager bodes well for the Penguins’ future. The current plan for Howe is to return to Regina once again for the 2024-25 season and likely wear the “C” on his jersey again for the Pats.
Round 4 Pick 111: D Chase Pietila, Michigan Tech (NCAA)
After not having a third-round selection, the Penguins made a bit of an interesting pick by taking Chase Pietila from Michigan Tech. If the last name sounds familiar, it is because his older brother Logan signed with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, the organization’s American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, toward the end of this season.
Chase is a late bloomer among his fellow 2024 draftees but brings a solid defensive game. He relies on using his body positioning to disrupt plays in the defensive zone rather than throwing his body around. When he does have the puck, he is smooth enough to make a quick and solid first pass out of the zone and can help maneuver the puck around the offensive zone. With the Huskies this season, he tallied 22 total points and is expected to return to school for the 2024-25 season before hopefully eventually joining his older brother with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in the future.
Round 6 Pick 175: D Joona Väisänen, Dubuque (USHL)
Dubas and the Penguins went with another defenseman with their sixth-round pick, taking Joona Väisänen 175th overall. He is a bit different than Brunicke and Pietila in that he can get more involved in the offensive zone thanks to the smooth skating and puckhandling he has in his arsenal. The Finnish-born defenseman is shifty with the puck on his stick and can get some room in the offensive zone to help find his teammates, as evidenced by the 31 assists he recorded this season for the Dubuque Fighting Saints. He also led all defensemen on his team in points with 40 this season. He may not put the puck in the back of the net as much as some offensive defensemen, but he is going to be a player to watch closely going forward as he is headed to play with Pietila and the Huskies of Michigan Tech for the 2024-25 season.
Round 7 Pick 207: C Mac Swanson, Fargo (USHL)
A pick that could end up being the most valuable is that of Mac Swanson in the seventh round. While he may not be the biggest player (5-foot-7), he does not let that deter him from being a strong player on the ice. He is at his best with the puck on his stick, looking for his teammates with strong playmaking abilities, and alongside fellow Penguins prospect Zam Plante, he led the way for the Fargo Force this season on the offensive side. He also individually finished in the top three in points in the United States Hockey League (USHL) with 77 total points and earned league honors as USHL Player of the Year.
If Swanson can continue to work on his offensive game, fill out physically, and maybe, just maybe, hit a growth spurt while he plays college hockey at the University of North Dakota starting in the 2024-25 season, then there is a chance that the Penguins will find themselves a late-round gem.
Round 7 Pick 223: D Finn Harding, Mississauga (OHL)
The Penguins returned to the Canadian junior ranks for their last selection in the draft, taking Finn Harding from the Mississauga Steelheads of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). While not the most physical defenseman on the ice, Harding does use his stick to his advantage defensively and is more or less a sound defensive defenseman. He has shown the ability to get involved offensively though, adding 34 points this season for the Steelheads, where he is expected to play for the 2024-25 season again.
Time Will Tell if Impacts Are Felt
With a pipeline that needed some higher-level talent, the Penguins were unable to necessarily do that this year without their first-round selection, but they did add some quality pieces that, if developed well enough, should make an impact on the Penguins’ NHL lineup in the future. Time will tell what kind of impact these players have on the organization.
