With the 2025 NHL Entry Draft approaching fast, POHO and GM Kyle Dubas and the Pittsburgh Penguins have their work cut out for them. 

With a total of 30 picks over the next three drafts, including 11 this year – which could reduce to 10 if the conditional first-round pick from the New York Rangers defers to 2026 – there will be plenty of opportunity for the Penguins to add impact players. Of their 11 picks in 2025, six of them are in the first three rounds.

And, as of now, the Penguins will select ninth overall. The draft lottery will take place on Jun. 5th – Pittsburgh has a five percent chance of getting the first overall pick – while the draft itself will be on Jun. 27-28.

Assuming they stay put at ninth, however, we have compiled a list of potential draft prospects that should fall around the Penguins’ selection. 

First up? Center Jake O’Brien.

2025 NHL Draft Lottery Day Announced: How It Works, And What Are The Odds?The 2025 NHL draft lottery is scheduled for Monday, May 5, when we will know which team has the top pick in June.

Jake O’Brien

DOB: Jun. 16, 2007
Position: Center
Shoots: Right
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 170 pounds
Team: Brantford Bulldogs (OHL)

After bursting onto the scene as the Canadian Hockey League’s (CHL) Rookie of the Year in 2024, O’Brien followed that up with an impressive sophomore campaign. The 17-year-old two-way center finished eighth in CHL scoring during the regular season, registering 32 goals and 98 points in 66 games. 

The only draft-eligible players more productive this season than O’Brien? Porter Martone and Michael Misa, who are both projected to be drafted in the top-five.

Even though several draft projections still have O’Brien being selected somewhere in the teens, it’s also worthwhile to acknowledge how much his draft stock has risen. He’s certainly put himself into the conversation to be drafted in the top-10, and what seemed like a far-fetched thing feels more and more like it’s going to happen.

Not a day that goes by that I don’t have someone tell me how much the Penguins have been around/interested in Jake O’Brien this year. Lots of people I respect who are in that arena a lot have told me the Penguins are all over this kid. https://t.co/ehIUWWqXKT

— Jesse Marshall (@jmarshfof) April 9, 2025

O’Brien’s playmaking acumen, patience, and hockey-IQ are near the top of this draft class, and there are a lot of details present in his game that should translate well to the NHL level. He’s good in the hard and the soft areas of the ice, and his creativity and vision aid in his playmaking and space creation ability.

His passing game is excellent, and his two-way game is strong. OBrien is effective in all three zones with his stick details and puckhandling ability, and he’s especially proficient in the offensive zone. He is able to expose the danger areas and has a knack for being in the right place at the right time around the net-front.

Like Penguins top forward prospects Rutger McGroarty and Ville Koivunen, O’Brien’s defining characteristic is his hockey sense. He is elusive to defenders, he goes to the net fearlessly, and the deception in his game makes him a threat every time he possesses the puck.

2025 NHL Draft Spotlight: Jake O’Brien’s Elite Playmaking Ability Heating Up Down The StretchTop prospect for the upcoming NHL draft, Jake O’Brien, has helped push the Brantford Bulldogs up the Eastern Conference standings with his incredible play.

O’Brien’s skating is average, and a lot of his production comes on the power play. In fact, 50 of his 98 points in 2024-25 came with the man advantage, so it’s fair to question whether his even-strength production is a concern. He also needs to fill out his frame and add some size.

However, O’Brien is arguably one of the most complete players in this draft class. Most of the deficiencies in his game are areas that can be addressed as he develops, his all-around toolset is already impressive, and his details in all three zones

Given the Penguins’ glaring need for center depth in their system, O’Brien is certainly a player worth taking a good look at. He has a ceiling as an effective second-line center at the NHL level, and his rise in stock is becoming harder and harder to ignore.

O’Brien will certainly be one to watch as a potential first-round selection by the Penguins in 2025.

NHL comparables: Mason McTavish, Martin Necas, Ryan O’Reilly

‘We Have To Stick To A Very Concise Plan And Then Execute Our Butts Off’: Dubas Clarifies Penguins’ Summer PlansTo close out the 2024-25 season, Pittsburgh Penguins president of hockey operations and general manager Kyle Dubas spoke with the Pittsburgh media on Monday.

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