Kyle Dubas Reveals the Reason Behind Penguins' 3 Surprising Draft Picks

The first round of the 2025 NHL draft was quite eventful, especially for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Kyle Dubas was particularly busy working the phones during the first day of the draft as he moved the 12th and 22nd overall picks in deals that added more draft capital to his team.

Originally, the Penguins owned the 11th and 12 overall picks, but after the team made their selection at 11th overall, Dubas elected to trade the 12th overall pick to the Philadelphia Flyers, acquiring the 22nd overall pick in the process.

He would go on to trade with the LA Kings, getting the 24th overall pick in the process.

As a result, the Penguins ended up with three first-round picks in this year's draft, 11th, 22nd, and 24st overall.

With those picks, Dubas selected forwards Benjamin Kindel, Bill Zonnon, and William Horcoff.

After the draft, Dubas noted that he is very high on all three of the prospects that he drafted, but added that it is on him and the rest of the organization to develop them into regular NHL players.

Of the three, Kindel was certainly the most risky pick as a high upside player that is not a certain thing to become an NHL regular.

Kindel put up 35 goals and 99 points in 65 games this season with the Calgary Hitmen of the WHL.

At just 5'11" 180 pounds, he will need to develop physically in order to become an NHL regular, but if his production can translate to the NHL, he could be a legitimate top-six if not a top-line player for the Penguins in the future.

Bill Zonnon has a much safer floor, but his ceiling is considered to be much lower.

He should be a safe bet to play in the Penguins' middle-six in a few years time.

Finally, William Horcoff is perhaps the safest bet to play NHL games as he is much more responsible defensively, but his offensive upside is more limited, making him a likely depth option for the Penguins in the future.

Of course, nothing is set in stone, and any of these players could theoretically flop or exceed expectations.

Regardless, it seems that Dubas has done a good job so far in this draft. Hopefully he can keep this momentum going into day two and rounds 2 through 7.