Introducing the Pittsburgh Penguins 2023 NHL Draft Class

The 2023 NHL Draft is in the books, with the Penguins welcoming six new prospects to the organization on Wednesday and Thursday at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.

In the first round, Penguins president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas announced Pittsburgh's selection of forward Brayden Yager, who spent last season with the Moose Jaw Warriors of the Western Hockey League.

"He was in a mix of players that we were really hoping would drop down to 14," Dubas said. "The scouting staff was very excited about him, and we were thrilled to be able to get him at our pick."

On Day 2, the Penguins added defenseman Emil Pieniniemi in the third round; forward Mikhail Ilyin in the fifth round; forward Cooper Foster in the sixth round; and forward Emil Jarventie and defenseman Kalle Kangas in the seventh round.

During last year's draft, most players drafted were North American skaters. This year, the opposite occurred, as the Penguins selected a variety of prospects from Europe.

"There was obviously a lot of players that we were interested in from Europe," Penguins director of amateur scouting Nick Pryor said. "I don't know if that was the plan, per se, going into it, to go to Europe that much, but we really like all the players that we were able to get in Europe."

Although Dubas didn't have much time to prepare for the draft after taking over in his new role at the beginning of the month, his directive to the scouting staff was to swing for the fences and try for home runs.

"But when he encourages you to take some swings, and to take some chances on some players that have high offensive ceiling, that's good advice for us," Pryor said.

Below is a look at each draftee, with some added insight from Pryor.

Brayden Yager

Selection:First Round (14th Overall)

Position:Forward

Shoots: Right

Height: 5-11

Weight:170

Age: 18

Hometown:Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

Represents: Canada

Amateur Team:Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL)

More from Dubas:"He competed as a center in a really difficult division against Winnipeg, against Regina, against Saskatoon - all really high-quality teams. They won a playoff series and they fell to Winnipeg along the way in the second round, but he had to go against really difficult competition. He doubled his assists total year to year, but I think more importantly, in addition to his production, it was the way that he played defensively, the way that he drove possession out of his own zone, played the whole rink, skated through the middle of the rink, able to make plays, able to be the defensive conscience of his line while also still producing offensively."

Pryor's Take: "We see him as a really smart, intelligent, 200-foot center. Really good release on his shot. This year, he focused more on his 200-foot game, and just really put a lot of time and effort into playing on both sides of the puck. … he is going to be a guy that can play in all situations, power play, penalty kill, obviously 5-on-5 minutes as well."

Fun Fact:Yager models his two-way game after his hockey idol, Sidney Crosby, and his wicked shot after the captain's fellow Cole Harbour native Nathan MacKinnon. In Yager's first interview after being drafted a Penguin, he said with a big smile, "it's pretty crazy that I'm wearing the same jersey (Crosby) does." Shortly after, Yager got a call from his new teammate, welcoming him to the organization.

A full feature on Yager can be found here

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Emil Pieniniemi

Selection:Third Round (91st Overall)

Position: Defenseman

Shoots: Left

Height: 6-2

Weight:176

Age: 18

Hometown: Kuopio, Finland

Represents: Finland

Amateur Team: Karpat Jr. (Finland Jr.)

Pryor's Take: "He's got good size, range. Moves well, really good with the puck, smart. Gets you out of your end clean, transition game is very good, and has the size to go with that. We were really excited where we got him."

Mikhail Ilyin

Selection: Fifth Round (142nd Overall)

Position: Forward

Shoots:Left

Height:6-0

Weight: 181

Age:18

Hometown:Cherepovets, Russia

Represents:Russia

Amateur Team: Severstal Cherepovets (KHL)

Pryor's Take: "Mikhail we view as a really smart 200-foot center as well. Makes a lot of plays. Pass-first mindset, but he's really diligent with and without the puck. I think he's one of those guys that makes those around him better, makes his wingers better."

Cooper Foster

Selection: Sixth Round (174th Overall)

Position:Forward

Shoots: Left

Height:5-11

Weight:172

Age:18

Hometown:Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

Represents:Canada

Amateur Team:Ottawa 67's (OHL)

Pryor's Take:"Kind of a guy that was maybe lower in the lineup for the Ottawa 67s. But we feel as he turns into his 18-year-old year and his 19-year-old year and there's more opportunity presented to him, same thing (as Ilyin). We really liked his sense on both sides of the puck, and then we feel that there's skill and offensive production that are untapped at this time. As more opportunity comes his way, he'll be able to take advantage of it."

Emil Järventie

Selection: Seventh Round (217th Overall)

Position: Forward

Shoots: Left

Height: 5-10

Weight:168

Age:18

Hometown:Tampere, Finland

Represents: Finland

Amateur Team:Ilves Jr. (Finland Jr.)

Pryor's Take:"He's an undersized winger, offensive-minded. Can really shoot the puck, really good in the offensive zone. For him, it's going to be about rounding out the other parts of his game, but we felt that - at the point where we got him - that it was good to take a chance on a guy that had offensive instincts and an offensive part of his game that we were really attracted to."

Fun Fact: His older brother Roby was drafted in the second round of the 2020 NHL Draft (33rd overall) by the Ottawa Senators, and currently plays for their American Hockey League affiliate, the Belleville Senators.

Kalle Kangas

Selection:Seventh Round (223rd Overall)

Position: Defenseman

Shoots: Left

Height: 6-4

Weight:196

Age:18

Hometown: Vantaa, Finland

Represents:Finland

Amateur Team: Jokerit Jr. (Finland Jr.)

Pryor's Take:"Kalle Kangas is a big defenseman. He can move the puck and he's extremely hard to play against. So, he's one of those guys that makes it hard on the other team."

For more on how each of these prospects performed in the 2022-23 season, check out the media release.

Click here to visit the 2023 NHL Draft Hub.