Now that September is here and we have already crossed off a full week, it just means hockey is inching ever closer with each passing day. There hasn’t been an official announcement from the Pittsburgh Penguins on when training camp will begin or who is being invited to participate, but we know it will be soon with the the annual NHL Prospect Challenge tournaments set to commence later this week and through next weekend.
As is tradition for the Penguins with the Prospect Challenge, they will head
to Buffalo to join the Buffalo Sabres, New Jersey Devils, Boston Bruins, and Columbus Blue Jackets at this year’s tournament. There are other prospect tournaments being held at different team locations across the league, but the Penguins always head to Buffalo each preseason to take part.
As of right now, no roster has been announced by the Penguins noting which players will be heading to Buffalo to represent the team, but whoever does end up making the cut should make this the most talented prospect team the Penguins have ever fielded at this event.
Some names to look out for will be 2025 first round draft picks Ben Kindel, Will Horfcoff, and Bill Zonnon. Goaltender Sergei Murashov could make an appearance as well along with another 2025 draft pick Gabriel D’Agile to make up the goaltending tandem. Harrison Brunicke could use this as a launching pad to a strong training camp and possibly an opening night roster spot.
There will be a full roster announced at some point later this week, but until then all we can do is speculate on some names who may be making the trip to Buffalo.
One important item we do know about the Penguins in regards to the Prospect Challenge is the schedule they will be playing, starting on Friday, September 12th and wrapping up on Monday, September 15th for a total of three games to be played.
Here is the full Penguins slate in Buffalo:
- Friday, September 12th vs. Boston Bruins @ 3:30 PM
- Sunday, September 14th vs. Columbus Blue Jackets @ 3:30 PM
- Monday, September 15th vs. Buffalo Sabres @ 12 PM
Three games against three different opponents over the course of four days will be a nice appetizer to feast on before training camp opens soon after the players return to Pittsburgh. This tournament will also serve as a nice preview of some names who may not be ready to make an NHL impact for the Penguins this season, but figure to be a major part in the next chapter of Penguins history.
More importantly than anything we see on the ice this coming weekend, this signals the last major hurdle of the offseason before hockey is back. By this time next week, we should have a better idea of when training camp will begin and we can fully focus on the 2025-26 season.
