Pittsburgh Penguins: 2 Prospects Who Could Make The Team Next Season

Having a strong prospect pool is such an important thing, as it helps determine the future success of all NHL franchises. Although it is always nice to be competitive now, things changes rapidly and it truly is a young man's league. Therefore, it feels right to start a 32-team segment covering them. During it, we will be looking at two prospects from every NHL franchise who could become NHL regulars next season.

With this piece, we will be taking a look at the Pittsburgh Penguins. Even though their top players like Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang are still fantastic, they are getting older and will not be on the team forever. Therefore, the Penguins will need to strengthen their prospect pool over the next few years. Yet, they do have some interesting players at this time who could make the NHL as soon as next season. Here are two that come to mind.

Samuel Poulin RW: Samuel Poulin should make his debut in some fashion next season with the Penguins. He is their top forward prospect and it does not hurt that they would benefit from having a new winger on the team. Poulin is expected to offer a little bit of everything, as he not only is a strong goal scorer, but also does not shy away from the physical game. Keep in mind, he is 6'2" and weighs 214 pounds, according to Elite Prospects. It is never a bad thing to have a young player who comes with both skill and size.

Valtteri Puustinen RW/LW: Vallteri Puustinen is another Penguins' prospect to keep an eye on. In 51 games this season with HPK of Liiga, he scored 21 goals and recorded 41 points. That is not too shabby for a 22-year-old kid who is still in the beginning stages of his professional hockey career. He also put up 40 points in 54 games with the team last season. He signed his entry-level contract with the team, so he could very well get some time at the NHL level. Even if it is a short-term call-up from the AHL, it would still be nice to see what he can do.