Inside Scoop: 2026 Prospect Tournament

PITTSBURGH VS. DALLAS: NIKONOVICH SHINES IN THE NET

The Penguins prospects wrapped up the Rookie Tournament with a 3-1 setback to Dallas on Tuesday morning.

I was back in Pittsburgh for season ticket delivery, but the wonderful and talented Nick Hart, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton broadcaster, was on the call. I reached out to him to share his biggest takeaway from the contest:

"He came away with the loss, but you couldn't help but leave this game having been impressed by (2026 fifth-round pick) Matvei Nikonovich. He lived up the reports of being a goalie that has a smooth, almost floating like ease when moving around his crease, but he also made more than a handful of quick-reaction saves on both his glove and blocker sides. Traffic didn't seem to bother him at all, neither did a handful of breakaway opportunities."

Following the game, seven players were re-assigned to their respective junior teams:

Forwards:

Jordan Charron – Soo Greyhounds (OHL)

Travis Hayes – Soo Greyhounds (OHL)

Pierce Mbuyi – Owen Sound Attack (OHL)

Defensemen:

Benett Kelly – Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)

Peyton Kettles – Kelowna Rockets (WHL)

Goalies:

Carter Casey – Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL)

Xavier Wendt – Tri-City Americans (WHL)

We should see the rest of the prospects at Training Camp, which opens Thursday. Details are here. Hope to see you there!

PITTSBURGH VS. DETROIT: TOMAS GALVAS STARS

After scoring a slick shootout goal in Saturday’s 2-1 win over Columbus, Tomas Galvas produced another highlight-reel tally in Sunday’s 4-3 win over Detroit.

The 20-year-old defenseman regrouped in his own end before heading up the ice. He calmly maneuvered through a sea of red jerseys before flicking a backhand into the back of the net. It was one of those plays that made you shake your head in amazement.

“Unbelievable,” his defense partner Finn Harding said. “That was really nice.”

Galvas’ fellow 2026 draft pick Pierce Mbuyi still hadn’t gotten over what Galvas did the previous day.

“He looks sick,” Mbuyi said. “I mean, obviously you've seen that shootout goal yesterday, which is gross. Like, I don't even know. And then he's just so calm with the puck. I feel like every time he gets it, he'll make a play. And he's always open, it seems. He’s always just making the right play. So, he's awesome to watch.”

Galvas is making a lot of noise in this Prospect Tournament after making a lot of noise in the Czech Extraliga, where he was named the league’s Best Defenseman in 2025-26.

Galvas led his team in goals (8), assists (16) and points (24) among blueliners. Galvas’ plus/minus (+16) ranked third among all league defensemen and seventh overall.

The Penguins had been watching Galvas closely, with their Czech scout Brian Ihnacak doing a lot of due diligence on him. Ultimately, Pittsburgh drafted Galvas in the second round (54^th overall), and signed him to a three-year entry-level contract not long after.

“He slept through two drafts, [he] was too good to pass up there,” said Wes Clark, Pittsburgh’s Vice President of Player Personnel. “We believe in the impact that he can provide, and we’ll help him develop properly.”

The on-ice impact is clear. Off the ice, it’s been an adjustment, particularly with a pretty steep language barrier. But that’s a big reason why this tournament is so beneficial for the younger players, as Galvas is getting the chance to get acclimated in that regard before main camp begins.

“I think he's getting better, and I think it helps that he's kind of now immersed with English-speaking guys all around him,” Harding said. “But we have our keywords that we have for on the ice, and so, it's been working. A little bit of Google Translate before the games to kind of figure out our cues and stuff. But yeah, it's been working well so far.”

Harding joked that they also have a connection through North American junior hockey. Harding’s Brampton Steelheads actually selected Galvas in an import draft, though he chose to remain in his native Czechia.

“But yeah, he's a great player and great guy, for sure,” Harding said. “Just so quick and offensively creative. He's been playing really well.”

MAKING GAINS

Most (if not all) of the prospects have been tasked with filling out their frames and adding more power and strength. Some of them have made noticeable gains in that regard.

After making his NHL debut with Pittsburgh in the regular-season finale, Jake Livanavage returned home to Arizona and was able to gain 15 pounds before reporting to Development Camp at the end of July. Jake gave all the credit to his mom Amy, who shared some of the meals and snacks he would eat to put on weight for this feature.

Liam Ruck and Markus Ruck learned a lot about proper fueling and nutrition when they attended Development Camp just a couple of days after being drafted in the first and second rounds, respectively. When they got back to their hometown of Osoyoos, British Columbia, they adjusted their diets accordingly and, like Livanavage, were able to add some pounds.

Liam gained about 10, while Markus gained about eight. “I kind of try to keep up with him. He's got a few pounds on me, so I just try to eat more than him and try to catch up,” Markus laughed.

Volume has been the biggest focus for the Ruck twins, with Markus saying they had already been eating healthy. “I think just have to snack more and eat a little more, and I think we've been doing pretty well with that,” he said. They’ve been spending more time in the gym as well. “When you're doing that and gaining weight, it usually works out well,” Markus said.

PITTSBURGH VS. COLUMBUS: LOTS OF SHOTS

The Penguins fired 52 shots on goal in their first game of the Prospect Tournament on Saturday, but only found one goal in regulation, with free-agent invite Brayden Edwards scoring on the power play.

Thankfully, they found a couple of goals in the shootout, with 2026 second-round pick Tomas Galvas and 2026 third-round pick Pierce Mbuyi both scoring to give Pittsburgh a 2-1 win. Watch their goals below...

Overall, WBS Head Coach Kirk MacDonald was pleased with his team's play, saying it was one of those days where you just have to tip your cap to the opposing netminder.

“The guys played outstanding,” MacDonald said. “I thought their goalie made some great saves. Did we miss the net a couple times? Yeah, that happens. But I'm not going to complain about 52 shots. ... I think just continue to build on that mindset and getting to the blue paint and being hard to play against. More often than not, when you put up that many, I think we score more than one.”

There’s always going to be rust when players return to game action for the first time coming out of the summer. Bill Zonnon said he didn’t expect to hit the ice and feel like he was in game shape right away.

“But I feel like as the game went on, we had a better chemistry with the players, with the lines,” Zonnon said. “I felt pretty good out there, and I think we should keep getting better.”

These are the lines and D-pairs Pittsburgh used:

Zonnon, one of Pittsburgh’s three first-round picks in 2025, was one of the standouts from this afternoon.

At the NHLPA Rookie Showcase, Zonnon was asked the question, “If someone is watching you for the first time this season, what do you hope they say after the game?”

He replied, “That I worked my (butt) off. That's what makes me the player I am, just my work ethic, the way I compete every time I'm out there. So I hope that they find that I'm a hard worker.”

That was the exact takeaway from today, as Zonnon was winning battles, winning faceoffs, and making plays. It was exciting to see, considering the showing Zonnon had with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton back in the spring after joining the Penguins for their Calder Cup playoff run. Zonnon had three goals in the first three games, but took the most pride in his 200-foot game.

“I think he's very smart away from the puck, especially for a younger guy,” MacDonald said. “You can see the experience from playing in the playoffs last year. I thought his decision-making was really good all over the ice. Great on the penalty kill, power play, all those things. Puck didn’t fall for him tonight, but not for lack of effort. I thought he did a great job.”

It was also a thrill to see Liam and Markus Ruck playing on a line together, after the Penguins separated the identical twins during Development Camp earlier this summer.

“I thought they did a great job. You can tell they know where they are all the time on the ice,” MacDonald said. “They easily could have had three or four goals. They had some Grade-A looks. They do a really good job just playing off each other and finding little pockets where they just know they're going to be, and then just creating that offense. They're only going to get better as it goes along.”

Finally, Galvas was very noticeable in a good way. MacDonald used the word ‘dynamic’ to describe the play of the Czech Defenseman of the Year.

“He was really good,” MacDonald said. “I thought that power play early in the game, his decision-making was outstanding. Not that it wasn't the rest of the game. I just thought that kind of showed how he recognized when to shoot pucks and deliver to the net versus distribute. Defends a lot better probably than he gets credit for his size, I thought. Really patient with the puck. I thought he did a lot of good things.”

CONFIDENT BRUNICKE HEADING INTO BIG YEAR

Harrison Brunicke is one of two players with NHL experience on the Penguins roster, along with fellow blueliner Jake Livanavage. He played nine games as part of a season that saw the now 20-year-old defenseman play for four different teams and experience two playoff pushes.

Our fantastic part-time staff writer Brandon Karafilis has more on Brunicke in this feature. I particularly liked this quote from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Head Coach Kirk MacDonald about Brunicke’s growth:

“You can tell he’s playing hockey at a high level, but his decision-making is much better; he knows when to skate and when to move the puck. He’s a guy who took charge on the ice, asserted himself, and showed everybody how things are supposed to be done. We’re all expecting a big year from him.”

PRACTICE IN PITTSBURGH BEFORE HITTING THE ROAD

The prospects skated at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex on Friday morning before boarding the bus and making the 4.5-hour(ish) trip to Detroit. Although there was some chaos in familiarizing the new additions with how the Penguins want to play, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Head Coach Kirk MacDonald was very happy with how the session went.

“Honestly, overall, today was the best day in my time here for the first day in the prospects camp,” said MacDonald, who will be taking the lead this weekend along with the rest of the WBS staff. “It was a great practice, the guys were dialed in, and it’s a credit to them. They were really good.”

As for what the expectations are over these next few days, it all centers around compete and building comfortability.

“We understand that at the end of the day, the games don’t mean anything for standings or aren’t even preseason games. We’re trying to win, but at the same time, we’re trying to help the guys get better,” MacDonald said.

“We’re trying to put them in a position so that when training camp starts next week with the big boys, they’re a little bit more comfortable. Hopefully this gives them a head start in the sense that they’ve been in game action, they’re ready to go, and they’re a little bit more comfortable with the system and how they want to play.”

INTRO

After a few years in Buffalo, New York (and before that, London, Ontario), the Penguins prospects are playing in a different city this September.

The inaugural Prospect Tournament is being held at Little Caesars Arena’s BELFOR Training Center. The other participating teams are the Blue Jackets, Stars, and of course, the host Red Wings.

We’ll miss Buffalo, as the setup and the people there are great. We’ve also had a blast trying different wing spots – ones that come to mind are Adolf’s Old First Ward Tavern, Carbone’s, Gabriel’s Gate and Duff’s. However, ordering ranch dressing instead of bleu cheese is a big faux pas there, so I’m looking forward to getting that with my Little Caesars pizza as part of the best media meal in the entire league. Not to mention I’m born and raised in Michigan, so I’m personally thrilled to be home.

UPDATE: There is no official media meal. I am devastated.

The roster is here. The schedule is as follows:

Saturday, September 12

Pittsburgh vs. Columbus, 3 PM

Sunday, September 13

Pittsburgh vs. Detroit, 7 PM

Monday, September 14

Day Off

Tuesday, September 15

Pittsburgh vs. Dallas, 10:30 AM

All three games will be streamed on the Penguins website.

I'll add tournament content here, so stay tuned!