The talent pool diverged from the top Pittsburgh Penguins prospects. The top draft picks from previous years were not at the UPMC Lemieux Complex for the annual development camp, but instead the 2026 version focused on the mid-rounders from previous drafts, free agents hoping to get noticed, and the 2026 picks.
After all, some of the Penguins’ recent draft picks already got their big taste of NHL hockey, such as Ben Kindel, and others had a lengthy AHL playoff run, complete with bumps, bruises, and injuries from which a little downtime was required.
So, the immediacy of analyzing the Penguins’ pipeline focused on only a handful of players, beginning with the top three picks of the 2026 draft, the Ruck twins (Liam, Markus), and Tommy Galvas.
There were others to keep eyes on, too, such as third-rounder Pierce Mbuyi, 2025 second-rounder Peyton Kettles, 2025 third-rounder Charlie Tretheway, and explosive college player Zam Plante, who was the team’s 2022 fifth-rounder.
Since the Penguins do not have many NHL contract spots to burn, the best most of the undrafted players at camp could hope for is an invite to the rookie camp and tournament in September.
In fact, as the Penguins upgraded Atley Calvert to an NHL deal on July 1, they lost one of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s leading scorers–Aidan McDonough–to free agency because he got an NHL contract slot with Buffalo.
Friday was the annual conclusion to the Development Camp with the three-team, 3v3 tournament. And yes, the Penguins continued to separate their first two picks of the 2026 NHL Draft, Liam Ruck and Markus Ruck.
As a note, 2025 first-round pick Will Horcoff was not on the ice this week. He is recovering from shoulder surgery, and the organization felt fellow first-rounder Bill Zonnon had already played enough high-level hockey with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins playoff run.
But in the absence of older players and the recent spate of first-round picks, some players a little further down in the pecking order got a chance to shine. And a few of them seized their chance.
Penguins director of player development Tom Kostopoulos spoke at the beginning of the week and the end. A few of the players seemed to make an impression on him, too.
Penguins Observations
**The tournament annually shows the great difference between 18-year-olds and those with a year or two at high levels, or simply the weight room. The corollary held with the Rucks. While neither made mistakes, their chances were limited.
Liam & Markus Ruck
Liam scored a goal in his second game. Markus had a couple of quick chances in Game 1 and sniped the game-winner in the championship game with a bar-down rocket. But it was Liam’s pushes in the offensive zone that showed the difference between the experienced players and the new draft picks.
A few times, Liam Ruck tried to stickhandle around defenders, but quickly found they were wise and his possession ended there.
Here’s one of Liam Ruck’s big moments from Friday. He started this rush and finished it 11 seconds later:
Liam Ruck starts the rush and then finishes it…eventually pic.twitter.com/teuGJn2DmW
— Dan Kingerski (@TheDanKingerski) July 3, 2026
Before we write off the Rucks for training camp, Ben Kindel had a similarly quiet Development Camp. Overall, the Rucks appeared to be better skaters than advertised, especially Liam.
“It was nice for Markus to step up and score the big goal for the winning team … but you can see how they read the game. You can see Markus can put pucks to areas that only his teammates can get to, that play-making ability,” said Kostopoulos. “I think you know the skating, there’s a lot of potential there as he gets stronger and more powerful. I think he’s not slow, but he can build more power.
“Liam, it’s neat to see how he can get to open space, and wants the puck in the shooting areas. Some guys want the puck all the time. Seems to me like (Liam) wants it in the areas where he can score from. So it was great to spend the week with them and watch them with our staff, watch them this week.”
Charlie Trethewey. Remember him.
The former Pens Elite product was a 2025 third-round pick (73rd overall) and played last season at Boston U. There was a lot to like about both his game and his stature. He’s about 6-foot-2, but he is stocky. His weight is in the 205-207 range, and he moves well.
Trethewey, 19, was able to get on the rush in the 3v3 games and get back on defense. He’s not going to be an offensive force at the highest levels, but his mobility showed well. He plays aggressive gaps on the puck and shows quickness, being able to adjust to the changing play and step forward to negate the opposing rush. He’ll return to Boston U this season, but he could begin his pro career sooner rather than later.
He just looks solid and quick. PHN was impressed.
“Guys in college are a lot faster and stronger, and it’s just about getting more comfortable, learning how to use your feet and trust your feet, and it all ultimately makes it easier–just kind of shutting down plays before they get started,” Trethewey said. “I think it’s also something that I’ve been focusing on. It’s a strength of my game, so just trying to stick to that.”
Zam Plante. He’s good.
Plante was by far the best player in the tournament Friday, but just where his ceiling is remains a question. There were times when he toyed with players without embarrassing anyone.
“I feel like any game you put this kid in–he excels at the five-on-five. He thinks his way out on four-on-four. He can make plays, three-on-three,” said Kostopoulos. “I thought he stood out probably more than anyone (Friday), just creativity, his hockey sense, and then he can finish. He can make plays.”
Plante, 21, is short (5-foot-9, 172 pounds), but has a low center of gravity. He’s probably a little closer to 180 than the books show. He’s clearly a gifted player, has a good burst, and a natural offensive push.
Plante won his team’s second game with 30 seconds remaining when he grabbed a loose puck in the defensive zone and raced to the offensive zone, where he turned a defenseman inside out and then deked the goalie for the game-winning goal. When he saw the open ice ahead, he was gone.
This season at Minnesota-Duluth, Plante will play with both of his brothers, Max and Victor. They’ll be a media’s dream, but this reporter would like to see Zam Plante turn pro and head to Wilkes-Barre this season. He’s ready to begin polishing his professional game to see where he fits. He very well might have some NHL potential.
Back Brady Peddle
*Brady Peddle, 19, is a big defenseman (6-foot-3, 205 pounds), but he can fly. Typically, stay-home defensemen show poorly in the 3v3 format–their job is to just hang on and get the puck off their stick, but Peddle flashed impressive wheels and even scored a breakaway goal.
“Yeah, I pulled that one out of the bag,” he joked to PHN.
Absolutely watch this kid, too. He’s the definition of an under-the-radar prospect who will be in a Penguins sweater one night, and fans ask, where did this guy come from?
Peddle was the Penguins’ 2025 third-round pick (91st overall), and he had just 19 points (3-16-19) with Charlottetown of the QMJHL. He’s headed to Michigan State this season, and the Big 10 will be a great test for his abilities.
Kostopoulos similarly noted his leap forward with skating and how it adds to his physicality and progression. He has a few more things to work on, but a big man who can move that well has a shorter path to the big show.
“During the season, (player development coach) Chris Butler does a really good job. He spends time with him, works with him, and sends a video, or Kelly Murray (player development video analyst) puts video together, and Butler was out there to visit him way out of East,” Kostopoulos said. “I think his ability to close defensively, his stick detail, closing quick, and his physicality grew throughout the year. And then his play with the puck got better and better.
“I thought he looked good out here in the scrimmage in the three-and-three tournament. Nice to see the breakaway go well. He’s not gonna get a ton of those, but it was good for him, and he looked like he was kind of leading the way out there, so I thought he did a good job.”
Ryan Miller, tear your head off
**Ryan Miller’s development and his game made the typically reserved Kostopoulos deliver the best quotes of the week. Miller had a few highlight reel plays and showed some hands, which is not necessarily what he’s known for.
Miller, 19, comes from the Portland Winterhawks, a grounded program built by former Penguins head coach Mike Johnston. Players from Portland learn how to play professional hockey, but Kostopoulos nearly gushed when PHN asked about Miller, who was the Penguins’ 2025 fifth-rounder (130th overall) and owns a projectable 6-foot, 180-pound frame.
“I thought he really stood out in the two games here. I thought his skating was really powerful. His puck skills look good. He’s a competitor, I don’t know, he might be the standout in our organization among prospects that want the puck, who play with hunger in a desperation to win puck battles,” Kostopoulos said.
“If you guys ever watched him last year in Portland, he will rip your head off to win a puck battle, and it’s contagious. It helps, it moves around the lineup, and it gets his linemates and teammates to buy in. So, he knows he’s got some things to work on. But I thought he looked really good this week.”
Miller will play for David Carle at the University of Denver next year.
Given the 3v3 format, there are always a few older players who stand out, and the younger prospects tend to struggle just a bit. But the under-the-radar candidates, Miller, Peddle, and Trethewey, should very soon join the conversations among the Penguins’ top prospects.
They earned some attention.
Categorized:Penguins Prospects
