The Pittsburgh Penguins are approaching the 2025 NHL Draft with significant assets, including two first-round picks at 11th and 12th overall. This presents an opportunity for the team to rebuild and strengthen its roster. Kyle Dubas, President of Hockey Operations and General Manager, emphasized the potential this draft holds for the franchise.
“It’s exciting. I mean, the team hasn’t picked this high in a long time,” Dubas stated. He sees this as a chance to either select promising players or trade picks for proven talent.
Dubas has been preparing for this moment since joining the Penguins two years ago by expanding the scouting staff. Among them is Wes Clark, Vice President of Player Personnel, who oversees various scouting departments. Clark’s longstanding professional relationship with Dubas has fostered alignment in their approach.
“The biggest opportunity was to work alongside Kyle Dubas again, and (assistant GM) Jason Spezza,” Clark said, highlighting their shared philosophy and process-driven strategy.
Clark praised his scouts’ efforts in identifying talent, which is crucial as they aim to gather competitive and skilled players. “We’re at a point now where we need to collect as many good hockey players as we can,” he noted.
Dubas acknowledged that past experiences have shifted their focus towards competitiveness over pure skill. “I would say in the past, those priorities flipped,” he admitted.
Both Dubas and Clark remained consistent in their approach despite acquiring an additional pick from the Rangers at 12th overall. With six picks within the top-100 selections, they aim to secure impactful players for future success.
“In a perfect world, every pick would make it,” Dubas remarked about his aspirations for draft outcomes.
The 2025 NHL Draft will occur over two days: June 27th for Round 1 and June 28th for Rounds 2-7 across multiple networks including ESPN and Sportsnet.
