Dubas May Have Sought Quantity In This Year's Draft. But That Doesn't Mean He Missed On Quality.

In the aftermath of every NHL Draft, the analysis always comes due.

This is especially true for a rebuilding team like the Pittsburgh Penguins, who had 13 picks in the 2025 draft. There were many who thought – for sure – that the Penguins were not going to use all of those picks to draft, and – instead – would leverage some in trades for young talent or to move up in the draft. It was the highest volume of draft picks they've had since 1994, when they had 14.

But that wasn't the case.

Much of the discourse surrounding the work that general manager and president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas – as well as vice president of player development Wes Clark – did on Friday and Saturday involved discussions of "quality v. quantity." Many want to see the Penguins shift in the direction of accruing high-quality assets, so they were disappointed to see Dubas and Clark make the decision to trade down in the first round to acquire three first-round picks instead of drafting back-to-back at 11 and 12.

Yes, 13 is a large quantity of picks, no matter how you slice it. But don't assume that "quantity" and "quality" – in this case – are separate things.

There were a handful of players who folks hoped to see the Penguins draft back-to-back. Names like Victor Eklund, Justin Carbonneau, Jackson Smith, and Kashawn Aitcheson were still on the board when the Penguins were selecting at 11, yet they went a bit off-the-board by selecting center Ben Kindel.

Many saw that as a confounding, "galaxy-brain" move. But that's not giving enough credit to the caliber of player Kindel is.

The 5-foot-10, 176-pound center was highly touted by several Western Hockey League (WHL) scouts. His production – he had 35 goals and 99 points in 65 games last season for the Calgary Hitmen – matched, and even bested, some top-10 talents in the draft:

     – Eighth overall pick Jake O'Brien recorded 32 goals and 98 points in 68 games for the Brantford Bulldogs of the OHL
     – Sixth overall pick Porter Martone posted 37 goals and 98 points for the Brampton Steelheads of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
     – Fifth overall pick Brady Martin registered 33 goals and 72 points in 57 games for the Soo Greyhounds of the OHL
     – Fourth overall pick Caleb Desnoyers had 35 goals and 84 points in 56 games for the Moncton Wildcats of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL)

The only real, conceivable quality that was holding Kindel back from being a top-10 pick is his size. And – as many have been quick to point out – his ability to outsmart, outskate, and beat opponents one-on-one, coupled with his top-notch skill and scoring ability, has the high likelihood of making his size a non-factor.

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Kindel is, easily, now the best prospect in the Penguins' system. Other players like Rutger McGroarty, Ville Koivunen, Harrison Brunicke, and Sergei Murashov have higher-end potential, but Kindel is the only one who could blossom into a star at the NHL level. And the Penguins need that – desperately need that – in their system.

However, Kindel isn’t the only quality prospect the Penguins added. The Penguins traded that 12th overall pick – given to them by the New York Rangers to satisfy the condition of the Marcus Pettersson and J.T. Miller trades – to draft two more players later in the first round, which resulted in Bill Zonnon at 22nd overall and Will Horcoff (after the Penguins traded back up from 31st overall) at 24th overall.

The jury is out on Horcoff's ceiling, although he profiles as someone who has the potential to be an effective third-line center. But scouts everywhere have praised Zonnon, whose stock had risen considerably over the past year. 

The tough-as-nails, all-around forward registered 28 goals and 83 points in 64 games with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies of the QMJHL last season, and many see him as a future middle-six forward with the potential to be in some Selke conversations. Zonnon has a complete toolset that includes strong puck skills, playmaking ability, versatility, hockey sense, defensive acumen, and physicality.

But it doesn't stop at the first round. Perhaps the two most underrated selections by the Penguins in the 2025 draft were both defensemen: Quinn Beauchesne and Charlie Trethewey.

Beauchesne – one of three fifth-round picks (148th overall) by the Penguins – is a great skater and has great defensive instincts. He is prone to turnovers and mistakes from time to time, but he's mobile, he has a good stick, he's good on the breakout, and he's got a good shot. 

Trethewey – who is a homegrown prospect of sorts due to his participation in the youth Pittsburgh Penguins Elite program and his father's family roots in the area – may end up being one of the biggest steals of the 2025 draft class, as he was projected as a first-rounder by most draft boards heading into the 2024-25 season. His booming shot, knack for physicality, and dynamic mobility already make him one of the Penguins' most intriguing defensive prospects.

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There are other potential upside guys, too. Horcoff is one of them, as is defenseman Peyton Kettles. So, too, is goaltender Gabriel D'Aigle.

Is every one of these 13 prospects going to pan out? No. Are even half of them going to make it at the NHL level? Probably not. 

But, some of them – a few of them, at least – will make it. And they will pan out. The nice thing about having so many draft picks is that the numbers start to work in your favor. The higher the volume of prospects, the higher the chance that some of them will make a difference. 

And, again – even when looking at sheer volume – that doesn't mean quality wasn't a focus. There are four higher-upside potential players in this draft class, which is four that the Penguins didn't have before. There is one star-potential player in this draft class, which is one more than the Penguins had before. 

"Quantity" doesn't always mean "quality." But, sometimes, those two things can coexist. 

"I think the 'quantity' part is objective that we drafted a lot of players," Dubas said. "Wes phrased it the other day, that, there's risk in all of them, regardless of first to the 200s. None of them are sure things.

"So, now, it's on us. We drafted them all for a reason. We all think they have a path to play in the NHL. Whether they become 'quality' is incumbent on the effort that they put in and the type of people that they are, but it's incumbent on us on the developmental side to get the most out of all of them."

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