Seven options for Penguins today at No. 77

Back in August when the Penguins elected to send their 2021 first-round pick to Minnesota instead of their 2020 first-round pick, I wrote a story taking a look at seven potential options for players the Penguins could take with that pick.

Not included on that list was the Penguins using a first-round pick on Kasperi Kapanen for a second time, which is what happened in August when the Penguins re-acquired Kapanen in a multi-player deal.

The Penguins didn't have any picks in the first round of the draft Tuesday evening. They are, however, scheduled to make four picks on Day 2 on Wednesday: A third-rounder (No. 77), a fourth-rounder (No. 108), a fifth-rounder (No. 139), and a sixth-rounder (No. 170).

The missing second-round pick was sent to Vegas ahead of the 2017 expansion draft to ensure that the Golden Knights chose Marc-Andre Fleury, and the missing seventh-round pick was flipped with the Sharks' 2019 seventh-round pick, which the Penguins used to select defenseman Santeri Airola.

Once the draft gets into the middle rounds where the Penguins are set to be active, it's a bit more difficult to put together a list of potential players that could be picked in a specific spot. Players frequently go higher or lower than they may be ranked as teams' scouts all put together different draft boards. It also becomes difficult given that especially in these middle rounds, teams typically don't draft based on any particular positional need, and they instead take who they believe is the best player available.

It's a crapshoot.

Still, I thought it would be fun to take a shot and look at some players who are expected to be available when the Penguins make their first pick at No. 77 and put together a look at some potential options.

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ZAYDE WISDOM
Position: Right wing
Team: Kingston Frontenacs (OHL)
Size: 5-10, 195
Shoots: Right

Several rankings currently have Wisdom slotted right around where the Penguins are set to pick in the third round. Bob McKenzie had Wisdom Ranked No. 77 in his final draft rankings, TSN's Craig Button ranked Wisdom No. 76. Wisdom quickly moved up the rankings over the course of the season. He was unranked by Central Scouting in the pre-season and November, rose to No. 90 among North American skaters in the mid-term rankings, and finished as the No. 54 North American skater.

Last week, Central Scouting awarded Wisdom the E.J. McGuire Award of Excellence, which is awarded annually to the draft-eligible player “who best exemplifies commitment to excellence through strength of character, competitiveness and athleticism.”

The website OHL Writers called Wisdom a "a good skater with good speed and is markedly improved from a year ago. He is able to get on the forecheck quickly and create havoc. He darts into lanes quickly and without hesitation.

Wisdom is a big net-front presence for the Frontenacs, and is especially strong on his feet and hard to knock off the puck.

Wisdom finished No. 2 in scoring for the Frontenacs this season, his second in the OHL, with 29 goals and 30 assists in 62 games.

JAROMIR PYTLIK
Position: Center
Team: Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL)
Size: 6-0, 200
Shoots: Right

Different ranking sites have Pytlik going anywhere from the mid-late second round to late in the third round. McKenzie had Pytlik ranked No. 74, right around where the Penguins pick.

The website OHL Prospects said Pytlik is "a strong offensive player down low who operates well in traffic. Really liked how willing he was to take a beating in front of the net to make a play or score a goal. And his hands are quite smooth." ESPN's Chris Peters said that Pytlik is "a big body with strong two-way play," and noted that he protects the puck well with that big frame, but that he also has a heavy stride.

Greyhounds coach John Dean told the website The Hockey Writers that "Anytime I look down the bench and I’m not sure who to put on (the ice), it’s easy to say Jaromir Pytlik because he does play every situation. He already plays like a pro. Everything’s hard. If he gets the puck, he makes hard decisions. He’s hard on his stick. He’s willing to compete for a puck. Nothing is easy when you play against Pytlik. I love his speed wide. I love his shot. I think he’s a pretty smart player."

Grethounds general manager Kyle Raftis told NHL.com that Pytlik "likes to play that north/south [style], middle of the ice, go to those hard areas."

Pytlik models his game after that of Evgeni Malkin.

Pytlik finished No. 5 on the Greyhounds in scoring this season (his first full season in North America), recording 22 goals and 28 assists in 56 games. Pytlik spent the 2018-19 season split between the top Czech league and the second-tier Czech league before joining the Greyhounds for the second half of the year.

WYATT KAISER
Position: Defenseman
Team: Andover Huskies (USHS)
Size: 6-0, 173
Shoots: Left

McKenzie ranked Kaiser No. 81.

The Boston-based scouting website Smaht Scouting pointed to Kaiser's especially strong and smooth skating as one of his biggest strengths, and spoke highly of his defensive play. 

"His gap control is air tight and when the opposition is playing the puck up against the boards, it can be difficult for the attackers to find room to bypass Kaiser. Kaiser has strong physicality and he is not afraid to use it at each end of the ice. With Kaiser’s physicality and gap control, if you are rushing up the ice or playing the puck close to the boards, your chances of getting around him are slim."

The same website pointed to Kaiser's decision-making as an area in which he could improve.

Cental Scouting said Kaiser is a "dynamic heads up, feet-moving defenseman capable of making an impact in all game situations. Possesses the speed, smarts, competitiveness and composure to influence the play on every shift."

Central Scouting also compared Kaiser's skillset to that of Duncan Keith.

Kaiser captained Andover in his senior season this year. He finished No. 5 in team scoring and No. 2 among defensemen with nine goals and 25 assists in 25 games.

Kaiser is set to be a freshman at Minnesota-Duluth next season.

EAMON POWELL
Position: Defenseman
Team: U.S. National Team Development Program (USHL)
Size: 5-10, 165
Shoots: Right

Most draft rankings have Powell going somewhere in the middle of the third round. McKenzie ranked Powell No. 70.

Elite Prospects' draft guide calls Powell an "aggressive defender," and says that his "agility and great edge work are integral parts of his game. He's a confident puck-carrier, happy to lead a rush, or activate as a trailer to support the puck as the second wave of the attack."

Powell isn't much of a point-producer, scoring six goals and eight assists in 43 games with the development program and five goals and six assists in 19 USHL games with the program.

He models his game after those of Duncan Keith and Torey Krug.

Powell is committed to Boston College for next season.

JAN BEDNAR
Position: Goalie
Team: HC Energie Karlovy Vary (Czech), HC Banic Sokolov (Czech 2)
Size: 6-4, 196
Catches: Left

Central Scouting ranks Bednar the second-best European goalie in the draft second to only Yaroslav Askarov, who is expected to be picked in the first round. Bednar is No. 71 on Bob McKenzie's rankings.

The Penguins only have two goaltending prospects in the system, Emil Larmi and Alex D'Orio, both undrafted. They last took a goaltender in the draft in 2016, when they took Filip Gustavsson, who was later traded to Ottawa. Before Gustavsson, the last goaltender they took in the draft was Tristan Jarry in 2013. Adding another goaltender to the pipeline wouldn't be unreasonable.

Bednar is an incredibly athletic goaltender, very mobile, with great size and a quick glove-hand. He can, however, be very inconsistent at times.

Bednar split last season between the top Czech league and the second-level Czech league. In the top league, he posted a 4.39 goals-against average and an .884 save percentage in 13 games. He played 24 games in the second league, recording a 3.26 goals-against average and an .873 save percentage.

Bednar is scheduled to move to the QMJHL next season, where he'll play for Acadie-Bathurst Titan.

EMIL HEINEMAN
Position: Left wing
Team: Leksands IF (SHL)
Size: 6-1, 185
Shoots: Left

Various rankings have Heineman going anywhere from the middle of the second round to late in the third round. McKenzie has Heineman ranked No. 69.

Dobber Prospects calls Heineman a "goal-scoring winger who plays a very good 200-foot game. A very good skater. Not afraid to play the body. Great on-ice effort level. Very good by the boards. Lacks high-end offensive tools but projects to become a good complementary winger at the NHL level."

Heineman spent most of last season with Leksand's U20 team, scoring 26 goals and 15 assists in 29 games. He played 11 games in the top men's league and recorded two assists. With the 2020-21 SHL season already underway, he's scoreless in four games so far.

IAN MOORE
Position: Defenseman
Team: St. Mark's (USHS)
Size: 6-2, 171
Shoots: Right

Moore is the top-rated prep school player from Massachusetts in this draft, ranked No. 47 among North American skaters by Central Scouting. Moore is No. 72 in McKenzie's overall final rankings.

Smaht Scouting said that Moore is strong at eliminating open passing lanes, and is a crisp passer. His speed and acceleration is a weakness.

Moore finished No. 3 in scoring for St. Mark's and led all defenseman with 12 goals and 34 assists in 28 games.

Moore models his game after that of John Klingberg.

Moore is scheduled to play in the USHL with the Chicago Steel in 2020-21, then play his freshman year at Harvard in the 2021-22 season.