Young Penguins Forward Emerging As Star of The Future Following Breakout Season In Europe

The Pittsburgh Penguins have a major need of young players to emerge in the coming years, and after a disappointing start to his Penguins career, it appears as though Filip Hallander may be ready to fill that role moving forward.

The 24-year old was a second-round pick of the Penguins back in 2018, playing three games with the team between 2021 and 2023 before heading back to Europe before the 2023/24 campaign.

While the move was heavily scrutinized at the time, it appears to have paid off in a big way for Hallander, as he has inked a new two-year deal with the Penguins following the 2024/25 season.

In that season, he posted 26 goals and 53 points in the Swedish Hockey League for Timra IK, earning him the award of SHL Forward of the Year, just a few years after flaming out of the AHL with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

Standing at 6-foot-1, Hallander has the size and the skills to make it at the next level, and while Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin will block him from becoming a top-six centre over the coming years, the 24-year old is now in a prime position to take a place in the Penguins lineup moving forward.

Not every NHL prospect immediately turns into a star at the next level or takes the same path to get there, and Hallander is a perfect example of that, but after a few years away from the scrutiny and the pressure in North America, it appears he's ready to return following an incredible campaign in Sweden.