BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Right now, the Penguins are locked in at pick No. 14 in next week's draft, set to be held June 28 and 29 in Nashville, Tenn.
That may change, though, as president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas acknowledged in his pre-draft press conference at the Lemieux Complex in Cranberry on Friday.
"We have to get the best player we can at 14, or we can move up and acquire somebody that’s really going to make a difference," Dubas said. "We can move back to collect more draft capital and really add to the quantity of our prospects, but they have to be the best players available."
There's the possibility that the Penguins could trade up or trade down with that pick before the draft. Trading down seems to be the more likely possibility. It's an exceptionally deep draft, and the Penguins could still get a pretty great prospect later on in the draft.
"I think this is a really deep draft class in the first round," NHL Central Scouting director Dan Marr said at the scouting combine earlier this month in Buffalo, N.Y. "You know, the top 50 all are going to be pretty good players down the road. We do our best, the NHL scouts do their best to get the order correct. But we won't know for another two or three years."
The Penguins could trade down to acquire more draft picks as Dubas mentioned, or they could trade down as part of a trade involving the acquiring (or unloading) of assets on the NHL roster.
In the interest of covering all of our bases here and trying to write a draft profile on the player who will eventually be the Penguins' first-round pick, we're going to look at a player the Penguins spoke with at the combine who might be a better option if they happen to trade down a few spots: Riley Heidt, a left-handed center who plays for the WHL's Prince George Cougars.
Heidt, who turned 18 in March, looks to be a late first-round pick next week. Bob McKenzie, TSN's draft expert, had Heidt ranked at No. 32 in his final rankings that were released this week. Other ranking services have him a little higher -- No. 17 (Dobber Prospects), No, 26 (Sportsnet), No. 27 (Elite Prospects), No. 30 (Flo Hockey), to name a few.
Rankings vary, and there's no telling where NHL teams actually have Heidt on their own daft boards, but there's a pretty decent chance that if the Penguins do move down in the first round, Heidt will be an option.
The Penguins were one of 24 teams to interview Heidt at the combine in Buffalo.
"It went really good," Heidt told me of that meeting. "Meeting Dubas was pretty cool. The meeting went really well, there's a lot of good people in that room. They sure make you feel comfortable, it's a first-class organization in there."
This season was Heidt's second full season in the WHL, and he improved upon his 2021-22 totals. He recorded 21 goals and 37 assists in 65 games in 2021-22. This season Heidt finished No. 2 on Prince George and tied for No. 2 in the entire WHL in scoring with 25 goals and 72 assists in 68 games. The only draft-eligible players to put up more points in the WHL this season were Regina's Connor Bedard and Winnipeg's Zach Benson.
Those 72 assists tied Bedard for the WHL's lead. Of those 72 assists, 39 came on the power play, the most in the WHL.
"I like to play a pretty intelligent game," Heidt told me when I asked what he thinks sets him apart from other prospects. "I bring high speed and try to use my edges to create separation, it works pretty well for me."
At the start of this past season, NHL Central Scouting director Dan Marr told NHL.com that Heidt is an "intelligent and skilled natural center who is good at winning face-offs."
"He has a high hockey IQ making him a strong playmaker, excellent hand/eye coordination with his puck skills and can generate and finish scoring plays every time he has the puck," Marr added. "He's a very smart player who can contribute."
Heidt was asked what changed the most with his offensive game this past season.
"I think maybe being a bit more receptive at times," he said. "I think not knowing what I'm going to do and change things up try to be creative, do the most I can to try to keep the D-man guessing. It's probably played a huge part. I've got to give credit to my linemates, they for sure helped jump my offense on our level. That being said, though, I'm not even really focused on that a whole lot. I think I'm more worried and focused on my play away from the puck."
Heidt added that working on his play away from the puck has been one of his biggest focuses over the last several years, and that he thinks his two-way game is at a point where it's "going really good," but it remains an area he always wants to work on improving.
Heidt could probably stand to put on some weight, too -- he's currently listed at 5 foot 10, 180 pounds, but that's a pretty decent size for a player his age already.
Heidt said his biggest inspiration these last few years has been Tampa Bay's Nikita Kucherov.
"I have similar play styles to him," he said of Kucherov. "I try to make some of the same plays and try to think on his level. He's such a big player in those key moments. He's won lots, he's always got a ton of points in the playoffs. He helps his team win. I'm just trying to take a page out of his book right now."
Heidt projects to be a second- or third-line center type if he develops well. He's still several years away from turning pro, but his attention to detail when it comes to his play away from the puck should help him with the transition to the pro game when that time comes.
This is the 11th story in a series of player profiles from the NHL's Scouting Combine in Buffalo, N.Y., focusing on potential first-round picks for the Penguins.
