New mock drafts offer possibilities for potential Penguin picks

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PLYMOUTH, MI - JANUARY 15: Wyatt Cullen #7 of Team White concentrates before the face-off during the Chipotle All American Game between Team White and Team Blue at USA Hockey Arena on January 15, 2026 in Plymouth, Michigan. (Photo by Michael Miller/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images) | ISI Photos via Getty Images

It’s getting to be mock draft season with the event now three weeks away, let’s check on a few of them.

2026 NHL Mock Draft: June top 32 from @SEllisHockey

McKenna to the #LeafsForever at No. 1 still makes the most sense – but plenty of names shuffle around after that. Could Stenberg fall to the #Canucks?

Story:https://t.co/dEjncrzxEd

— Daily Faceoff (@DailyFaceoff) June 5, 2026

22. Pittsburgh Penguins: Adam Novotny, LW (Peterborough Petes, OHL)

Novotný would be a stellar pick here. He’s a rugged forward with an excellent shot – something we saw plenty of times with Peterborough. Novotný surpassed the 30-goal mark as an OHL rookie with Peterborough and easily finished as the Petes’ No. 1 scorer. Novotný loves to get the puck on net by any means necessary, and he’s a strong skater, too. I like his two-way work – he’s a full-time team player. I see a solid middle-six scoring threat here.

Bleacher Report

22. Pittsburgh Penguins: Wyatt Cullen, LW, USNTDP
Wyatt Cullen is a player you will see higher on our next draft board than he’s being selected in this mock; his rankings range from mid-first round to early second. The ones that lean toward the latter are, in our view, putting too much weight on his slow start. It’s important to remember that the slow start only happened because he tore his hip flexor clean off the bone and didn’t get into an actual game until the end of October this season.

Thankfully, Cullen spent the rest of the season showcasing exactly why he belongs in the first round.

Cullen is a player we’ve sent to the Penguins in a previous mock draft, and there are myriad reasons why he makes sense for this team. On pure skill alone, he’s one of the best available this season. Cullen’s vision and hockey sense are high-end, and he’s got a motor to match. He’s just as likely to showcase creative playmaking as he is to get involved in a puck battle.

More explosiveness in his skating will be key moving forward, as it can help ensure success at the pro level, and he needs to add muscle after a significant growth spurt over the last year.

New post @TheAthleticNHL: 2026 NHL mock draft 2.0 https://t.co/tY9uoLO8ex

— Corey Pronman (@coreypronman) June 1, 2026

22. Pittsburgh Penguins: Ryan Lin, RHD, Vancouver (WHL)

Pittsburgh doesn’t really have a future power-play QB in its prospect pool, and Lin could be one. He’s a highly intelligent defenseman, and despite being undersized and having average skating, he competes hard and wins a surprising amount of battles, giving him a chance to be a quality NHL defenseman.

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Cullen is being projected at some places as highest as ninth overall, to see him available at 22 would be a coup and extremely exciting outcome for the Penguins. Also perhaps unlikely, but occasionally the draft can surprise. Lin, too, is often seen picked in the first 21 selections in many mocks but would be another exciting possibility for the Pens to add. In the coming weeks we’ll do some player profiles in the range that could be available and eventually get down to making a mock draft of our own.

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