PensBurgh · Jul 10, 2022
When was the last time a Penguins draft pick paid off?
Newly drafted Penguin Zam Plante shakes hands with general manager Ron Hextall at the 2022 NHL draft on July 8.It’s been seven years since the Penguins saw one of their draft picks graduate to a full-time role in the NHL.
No Penguins draft selections since 2015— when Dominik Simon’s name was called in the fifth round— has skated more than 30 NHL games. Only five Penguins picks over these last seven years have made their NHL debuts.
This low draft turnout isn’t surprising for a perennially competitive team, which had only selected in the first round five times in the decade before 2022. If anything, the surprise is that the Penguins actually used their first-round selection this year.