Center Will Horcoff learned early how hard it was to make the NHL and stay in the NHL.
Horcoff's father, Shawn, played 1,008 games in the NHL over 15 seasons. Will was born during his father's time in Edmonton, and his father would play another nine full seasons with the Oilers, Stars and Ducks before retiring.
What Will remembers from being around NHL rinks in his early childhood was just the amount of "extra" work it seemed everyone was doing.
"My dad would always go to the rink sometimes to be the only one there," he recalled. "He'd hop on the ice by himself, work on his game, and he'd go do mobility, then he'd go talk to the chef and work on his nutrition. That's one thing I really kept with me. I remember just seeing how bad they wanted it and how hard they worked, and it really inspired me to kind of model my work ethic after them."
The younger Horcoff's hard work paid off in a big way on Friday when the Penguins selected him in the first round, 24th overall at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.
"I'm a player who loves to win, and this is a Stanley Cup-winning organization," Horcoff said after hearing his name called. "So I'm super thrilled to be here. Just watching (Sidney) Crosby, (Evgeni) Malkin, (Jake) Guentzel, just all those guys in 2016 and 2017 win two Cups back-to-back and seeing how they play, I'm honored to be a part of an organization that won so many cups. Hopefully we can win more in the future."
Horcoff cited his competitiveness as his best attribute, and the work ethic he learned from those early days in the rink.
"I have a unique skill set and a high ceiling," he said. "And I think if I'm competitive and work hard, I can maximize my potential. I know I'm going to do that, so I think that's the best thing about my game."
Horcoff is big, at 6 feet 5, 203 pounds, and he uses that frame -- he's skilled at the net-front, he's physical, and he uses his long reach to defend well. But he's someone who can contribute offensively, too. He started last season with the U.S. National Team Development Program, where he scored eight goals and six assists in 28 games, and two goals and one assist in seven games at the USHL level before he was injured. Once healthy, he moved to the University of Michigan midseason, and scored four goals and six assists in 18 games.
After seeing Horcoff's transition to the college game, an NHL scout told the Elite Prospect Draft Guide that Horcoff is "skilled, thinks the game well, can shoot, score, play net front. He’s really competitive and physical. Plus, he’s got great NHL lineage. When you start projecting what he could be at 22 or 23, he becomes one of the more intriguing upside bets late in the first.”
The Penguins rounded out their first day of the draft on Friday by taking that bet. They don't have a forward like him in the pipeline, with his size and level of skill. If he pans out, he brings a needed element to the system.
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THE ASYLUM
Taylor Haase
5:58 am - 06.28.2025DowntownHorcoff learned work ethic from NHL-player father
Center Will Horcoff learned early how hard it was to make the NHL and stay in the NHL.
Horcoff's father, Shawn, played 1,008 games in the NHL over 15 seasons. Will was born during his father's time in Edmonton, and his father would play another nine full seasons with the Oilers, Stars and Ducks before retiring.
What Will remembers from being around NHL rinks in his early childhood was just the amount of "extra" work it seemed everyone was doing.
"My dad would always go to the rink sometimes to be the only one there," he recalled. "He'd hop on the ice by himself, work on his game, and he'd go do mobility, then he'd go talk to the chef and work on his nutrition. That's one thing I really kept with me. I remember just seeing how bad they wanted it and how hard they worked, and it really inspired me to kind of model my work ethic after them."
The younger Horcoff's hard work paid off in a big way on Friday when the Penguins selected him in the first round, 24th overall at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.
"I'm a player who loves to win, and this is a Stanley Cup-winning organization," Horcoff said after hearing his name called. "So I'm super thrilled to be here. Just watching (Sidney) Crosby, (Evgeni) Malkin, (Jake) Guentzel, just all those guys in 2016 and 2017 win two Cups back-to-back and seeing how they play, I'm honored to be a part of an organization that won so many cups. Hopefully we can win more in the future."
Horcoff cited his competitiveness as his best attribute, and the work ethic he learned from those early days in the rink.
"I have a unique skill set and a high ceiling," he said. "And I think if I'm competitive and work hard, I can maximize my potential. I know I'm going to do that, so I think that's the best thing about my game."
Horcoff is big, at 6 feet 5, 203 pounds, and he uses that frame -- he's skilled at the net-front, he's physical, and he uses his long reach to defend well. But he's someone who can contribute offensively, too. He started last season with the U.S. National Team Development Program, where he scored eight goals and six assists in 28 games, and two goals and one assist in seven games at the USHL level before he was injured. Once healthy, he moved to the University of Michigan midseason, and scored four goals and six assists in 18 games.
After seeing Horcoff's transition to the college game, an NHL scout told the Elite Prospect Draft Guide that Horcoff is "skilled, thinks the game well, can shoot, score, play net front. He’s really competitive and physical. Plus, he’s got great NHL lineage. When you start projecting what he could be at 22 or 23, he becomes one of the more intriguing upside bets late in the first.”
The Penguins rounded out their first day of the draft on Friday by taking that bet. They don't have a forward like him in the pipeline, with his size and level of skill. If he pans out, he brings a needed element to the system.
Want to participate in our comments?
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Become a member, and enjoy premium benefits! Make your voice heard on the Steelers, Penguins and Pirates, and hear right back from tens of thousands of fellow Pittsburgh sports fans worldwide! Plus, access all our premium content, including Dejan Kovacevic columns, Friday Insider, daily Live Qs with the staff, more! And yeah, that's right, no ads at all!
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