Zonnon's 'swagger' eventually could land him spot with Penguins

CRANBERRY, Pa. -- Bill Zonnon idolized P.K. Subban while growing up in Montreal.

The 18-year-old forward's parents are from the West African nation of Togo. Augustin and Mathilde Zonnon moved to study in Canada when they were in their mid-20s, the younger Zonnon said.

So his connection to hockey came on television, where he saw a defenseman for the Montreal Canadiens that looked like him and exuded confidence he’d now like to share as he develops with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

“I think the biggest thing I took away from [Subban] is just being yourself,” Zonnon said. “He was not scared of what other people thought or what they were going to say about him. So just being myself, not changing for anyone else.”

To Zonnon, that’s “swag.” And it’s not unwarranted. He was the second of three first-round picks by the Penguins in the 2025 NHL Draft, being selected at No. 22 between forwards Ben Kindel (No. 11) and Will Horcoff (No. 24).

“I think it’s just confidence,” Zonnon said. "You don’t really need to show it or talk about it. But once you step on the ice, that’s when you really feel confident. That’s when I really let my confidence show, not really off the ice. Mostly on the ice, I’m a confident player. I work pretty hard at my craft, so why not have some swagger when you get on the ice?”

Zonnon (6-foot-2, 185 pounds) had 83 points (28 goals, 55 assists) in 64 games last season and was second in scoring for Rouyn-Noranda of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League, enough to make an impression on Pittsburgh general manager Kyle Dubas.

“We were excited to get him,” Dubas said. “Then we met him at the combine. You see the intelligence level and the combine results; how much they predict depends on how deep you want to go into it, in terms of the actual testing, but it gives us a base for when a player comes in here and he's obviously someone that's taken that element very seriously. And we know he's going to give us everything he has to reach his potential."

That work ethic is a product of his upbringing, Zonnon said.

Still, he just feels like a kid from Montreal. Zonnon visited Togo when he was about 4 years old, but hasn’t been back. There’s not much he remembers from that trip.

“I grew up in Montreal my whole life," he said. "I spoke French, pretty normal stuff. Just like any normal kid. It didn’t change much for me, honestly. But I’ll never forget where I’m actually from. I think it’s important to never forget those things and know where you’re from.”

Being from Montreal indirectly led to a connection with Kris Letang, who has won the Stanley Cup three times as arguably the most decorated defenseman in Penguins history.

Zonnon and Letang share an agent, Philippe Lecavalier. They skate at the same rink.

“I knew him. He probably didn’t know me,” Zonnon said. “I saw him a couple times around the rink. Like I said, we have the same agent, so we skate at the same spot. I remember seeing him a couple times. He probably didn’t remember.”

Letang was well aware of Zonnon on June 27; he and his son, Alex, announced Zonnon's name at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles after Pittsburgh selected him.

“I got to talk to him a little bit after I got drafted, in the backstage,” Zonnon said. “That was good. I’m excited to see him, hopefully, at training camp.”

That would be Zonnon’s next chance to show he belongs.

“When you see the look in his eye, he’s got that dog mindset,” Penguins vice president of player personnel Wes Clark said. “He’s the type of kid that helps you win hockey games.”

Yet, even with his swag, Zonnon remains realistic.

“Very far away (from the NHL). Very far away. I have a long ways to go,” Zonnon said. “I know I’m going to put in the work. Now that I’m drafted, I have more resources than I’ve ever had before. So I know one day, my goal is going to be in the NHL, but I still have a long ways to go. But I’m going to put in the work and, again, I have a lot of people around me to help me.

"Hopefully, in a couple years, you see me wearing that jersey.”