Meet Pittsburgh's 2021 NHL Draft Class

The Penguins added five new players to the organization - two forwards and three defensemen - in the 2021 NHL Draft, the first under general manager Ron Hextall.

They selected forward Tristan Broz in the second round; defenseman Isaac Belliveau in the fifth round; and defenseman Ryan McCleary, defenseman Daniel Laatsch and forward Kirill Tankov in the seventh round. The Penguins did not have a first-round pick.
"With all these guys, time and patience is on our side," said Penguins director of player personnel Chris Pryor, who helps oversee the team's scouting efforts in North America and Europe and assists with all player personnel decisions. "We're happy with all our picks."
Hextall has said that he would like to add some size and toughness to help the team deal with the competitive nature of the postseason, so the Penguins wanted to start gradually integrating those attributes into the organization's prospect pool through the draft without sacrificing skill.
The Penguins felt like they accomplished that goal with the trio of blueliners in particular. Belliveau and McCleary each measure 6-foot-2, while Laatsch is 6-foot-5.
"We felt that all three of these kids do have some size, but they all can play the game, so we were happy that they checked some of those boxes from a skill set standpoint," Pryor said. "You got to be careful that you don't sacrifice on the other side. You still got to be able to make a play with that little black thing on the ice. There is a balance there."

It's been a hectic few months for Pryor since stepping into his role at the end of February, as he not only had to evaluate these prospects, but evaluate his staff. He was pleased with their chemistry and synergy, with
the new hires
only adding to that.
"The comfort level is really good," Pryor said. "They do a really good job here. You can see why they've had success."
Both Hextall and Pryor believe it's critical to use the entire group when it comes to scouting. Everybody has to be involved, and everybody has to feel ownership. That certainly was the case today, as it truly was a total team effort when making these picks.
From Luc Gauthier, who has been with the Penguins since 2008 and felt strongly about Belliveau, to Alexander Khavanov, who joined the team earlier this month and had a great feel for Tankov, Pryor relied heavily on the insight from all of his scouts taking part in the process.
"With a lot of our picks here, the area guys had a feel for these guys," Pryor said. "That's what they get paid for, that's what they work for, and you got to go with what they're feeling. People have to remember, this is what the scouts work for all year. This is a big day. They work so hard, and this is the fruits of their labor."
Below is a look at the newest additions to the Penguins organization, with insight from Pryor on each one.

Tristan Broz

Selection:Second Round (58th Overall)
Position:Forward
Shoots:Left
Height:6-foot
Weight:178 pounds
Age:18
Hometown:Bloomington, Minnesota
Represents:United States
Amateur Team:Fargo Force (USHL); committed to Minnesota
Pryor's Take:"The USHL was one of the leagues that's played all year, so we had a number of viewings on him from a number of people on our staff, which was advantageous for us. We felt we knew the player pretty well. Tristan's got a good skill set. He can skate. He's a competitive kid. He can play center or wing, there's a versatility there. We like the path he's going. We just need to show patience and let him develop."
Read the full feature on Broz here.

Isaac Belliveau

Selection:Fifth Round (154th Overall)
Position:Defenseman
Shoots:Left
Height:6-foot-2
Weight:185 pounds
Age:17
Hometown:Orford, Quebec
Represents:Canada
Amateur Team:Gatineau (QMJHL)
Pryor's Take:"He's got a lot going for him. Bigger kid, got a little edge to his game, he's got some puck skills. In the draft, we tried to make a point of trying to get a little bit bigger if we can without losing the skill set. He checks a lot of those boxes. There's a lot of promise there. We're very happy and fortunate he was there when we picked. He's a good prospect."

Ryan McCleary

Selection:Seventh Round (194th Overall)
Position:Defenseman
Shoots:Right
Height:6-foot-2
Weight:180 pounds
Age:18
Hometown:Swift Current, Saskatchewan
Represents:Canada
Amateur Team:Portland Winterhawks (WHL)
Pryor's Take:"He's a raw young kid. If you look at his birth year, he's close to almost being in next year's draft, which is intriguing to say the least. There's a lot to project, but also a lot to like. You think about where he's going to be at this time next year - he's just starting to get into his body and feel for the game. As a big right-shot defenseman, there's a lot of attributes there to like, we just need some and patience. Portland does a really good job from a development standpoint, so he's in a good place. The kid's also got really good bloodlines. His dad played."
Ryan's father is former NHL player Trent McCleary, who skated in 192 games split between the Boston Bruins, Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens from 1996-00 before his career was cut short after taking a slapshot to the throat.

Daniel Laatsch

Selection:Seventh Round (215th Overall)
Position:Defenseman
Shoots:Left
Height:6-foot-5
Weight:182 pounds
Age:19
Hometown:Altoona, Wisconsin
Represents:United States
Amateur Team:Sioux City Musketeers (USHL); committed to Wisconsin
Pryor's Take:"He's an interesting kid. His path is very intriguing, too. Some of these guys, especially the bigger ones, get out of sorts at an early age and just need some time. He went to Sioux City this year, got on track. He's a good-sized kid. He knows how to play the game. He just needs to get stronger and more mature. Wisconsin is known for developing defensemen, so Daniel's got big upside there. We can just put him there and let him develop and grow into his body and get all synced up."

Kirill Tankov

Selection:Seventh Round (218th Overall)
Position:Forward
Shoots:Right
Height:6-foot-1
Weight:181 pounds
Age:19
Hometown:Yurga, Russia
Represents:Russia
Amateur Team:SKA-Varyagi im (MHL)
Pryor's Take:"He's a good-sized winger. He can play center. He's got a good skill set. Kind of long and lean. He's over in Saint Petersburg. We have a good eye over there with Alexander. As with the college kids, we can just leave him there and let him develop. There's no rush. There's a lot of promise there, a lot of upside."
For even more information about the prospects, the media release can be found here.
Click here to visit the 2021 Draft Hub.