Penguins Defensive Prospect Praised by Analysts: 'He May Only 1-2 Years Away'

Last season with the Kingston Frontenacs, Emil Pieniniemi was absolutely dominant, tallying 10 goals and 60 points as a defenseman in his first season in North America, dominating the OHL with a point-per-game after having just three goals in 41 games the year prior overseas.

He had that production as a former third-round pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins back in 2023, and now at 20-years of age, the future appears to be incredibly bright for the talented native of Finland.

The production from Pieniniemi came as a major surprise to many in the OHL and in the Penguins organization, and although there was hope for his future, no one quite saw him blossoming as quick as he did.

Tom Kostopoulos was one of the people raving about the talented 20-year old, with The Hockey News the latest to make a major prediction about his talent and his potential within the Penguins organization.

At 6-foot-3, Pieniniemi already had a major advantage over other defensive prospects in the Penguins organization that are smaller and talented, but after a productive season that saw him show off all his tools, Kelsey Surmacz has predicted that he could be in the NHL sooner than expected.

With a great two-way game and confidence that's clearly growing, if Pieniniemi gets a shot in the AHL this season, don't be surprised to see him impress there too, and if that's the case, he'll be in the NHL much quicker than anyone could have predicted.