2. Valtteri Puustinen
The Penguins appear to have gotten a very nice late round gem in Valtteri Puustinen, who they selected in the Seventh-Round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. He is currently in his third season with HPK Hameenlinna, which is quite impressive by itself given that he is just 21-years-old. Even more impressive is that he has been able to produce quite a bit of offence during those three years. His rookie season, which came as a 19-year-old, saw him score 10 goals in 47 games played.
The 2019-20 season was an even better year for the Finnish forward, as he had 17 goals and 40 points in 54 contests. His goals were tied for first on his team, while his point total was good enough for second. Early on in the 2020-21 season he is on track to have an even better year, as he currently sits with seven goals and 15 points in 15 games played.
Two concerns about Puustinen are his size, as he is listed at just five-foot-eight, 178 pounds, along with the fact that he has yet to sign an Entry-Level Contract with the Pens. It remains to be seen how he would adapt to the North American style of play, but given his clear skill level the Pittsburgh Penguins management has to do everything they can to get him signed to an Entry-Level deal and see for themselves.
1. Samuel Poulin
The best prospect the Pittsburgh Penguins currently have in their organization is forward Samuel Poulin, who they selected with the 21st pick at the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. At the time he was drafted, he was coming off of his second season in the QMJHL with Sherbrooke Phoenix where he had a team leading 29 goals and 76 points in 67 games. While those numbers were very good on their own, it was the 2019-20 season that saw Poulin truly establish himself as the team’s number one prospect.
Poulin was limited to just 46 games, but made the most of them, scoring a ridiculous 32 goals and 77 points. As a result of the great season, he was a legitimate consideration for the 2021 Team Canada World Junior Championship Roster.
Unfortunately, he did end up getting cut from the team, but Penguins fans shouldn’t be at all worried about that given how stacked Team Canada was. He will likely finish out the 2020-21 season in the QMJHL, but has a real chance to play in the NHL in 2021-22.