Locked On Penguins - Daily Podcast On The Pittsburgh Penguins - The Penguins have back-to-back first-round picks, who should they take?

Episode Date: June 25, 2025

Now that the Penguins have back-to-back picks in the first round, who should their two selections be? Patrick and Hunter begin the show discussing a massive defenseman in Radim Mrkta, who could be a solution on the Penguins' blue line and will likely be available at 11th or 12th. The 6'6" blueliner might not be the flashiest prospect, but he does a lot of things right and could be a steady presence for the Pens long-term. Then, they shift the focus to forward, where another rat-style player who plays physical, goes to the net, and could be an asset on the power play in Carter Bear. Finally, they shift back to defense and discuss Jackson Smith, a smooth-skating D-man who plays a higher-risk, but higher-reward kind of game. Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!RugietHead to Rugiet.com/LOCKEDONNHL and use code LOCKEDONNHL to get 15% off today. GametimeToday's episode is brought to you by Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNHL for $20 off your first purchase. Terms and conditions apply.Monarch MoneyTake control of your finances with Monarch Money. Use code LOCKEDONNHL at monarchmoney.com/lockedonnhl for 50% off your first year.Wonderful PistachiosGet snackin' and get crackin' with the snack that packs a protein punch. Visit WonderfulPistachios.com to learn more! FanDuelToday's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Right now, new FanDuel customers can get $150 in Bonus Bets if your first $5 bet wins!FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Pittsburgh penguins have two count them, two picks in the first round. And Hunter and I've got a few options that Kyle Dubus and the Penguins could look at with both of those picks. And we'll get into that right after this. Your Locked on Penguins, your daily podcast on the Pittsburgh Penguins, part of the Lockedon Podcast Network, your team every day. Welcome into the Wednesday edition of the Locked on Penguins podcast. I'm one of your host, Patrick Damp. You can follow me across all social media platforms at Synonym 4WET. Joined as always by the one and only Hunter Hodes.

You can follow him on Twitter at Hunter Hodes. You can give our show's Twitter account a follow at L.O. underscore Penguins. And now you can follow us on Instagram as well at Locked on underscore Penguins, where after each episode we drop about a one minute clip, giving you an idea of what we talk about on this show each and every day. of course, we appreciate you making us part of your daily routine. Don't forget, though, that we are free and available wherever you get your podcast as well as YouTube. And with the draft looming, free agency looming and everything else in between, make sure you've hit that

notification button on YouTube. So you can be among the first to know when we drop our daily Monday through Friday episodes and any bonus content we may be putting out there. But before we get going, Hunter. Today's episode is brought to you by Fandul. Right now, new Fandul customers can get $150 in bonus bets if their first $5 bet wins. So just to get this out of the way to start the show, we are going to be operating under the assumption that the Pittsburgh Penguins will continue to hold their own pick at 11th overall, which they got from the NHL draft lottery, and the 12th overall pick, which we learned mid-show yesterday that they will be getting from the New York Rangers. There have been a million think pieces, tweets, and even podcast episodes of this very show

where we've talked about potentially packaging one or both of those picks to move up, make some other kind of move. But for now, until that does happen, we're going to just work and assume that they're going to use 11 and 12. So let's start with that right now. And let's start off with a prospect that will likely to get a lot of people salivating. And that is six foot six defenseman Radam Merca of the Seattle of Seattle from the WHL. This guy is let's say this. Is he the flashiest prospect in the draft?

Not even close. But with the league getting faster, the league getting more skilled and even getting a little bit more physical as of late. If you need a good, steady defenseman on your blue line who's got some size, Merca is your guy. Yes, Radamirka is one of the three defensemen that could go in the Penguins range here, maybe even top 10. We all know Matthew Schaefer.

He's going top two. He's the best defenseman in this class, not even really close. He could go to the Islanders at one, maybe drops to two, three at the latest. Islanders should probably just take him number one, in my opinion. Again, by far the best defenseman in this class. But after that, you look at the other three defensemen who I do think will be first-round picks. We discussed Kayshaan Aitchinson on Tuesday. I said my piece on why I think he's a little bit more well-rounded than Radamirka and Jackson-Smith.

However, if the Penguins don't go for Agen-Sin or say he's gone in the top 10, Radamirka is available at 11 or 12, I would not. mind them taking Red of Merca. Obviously, one of the biggest things that stands out, you said it, his size. For an 18-year-old, he is 6-foot-6 and 218 pounds. There's no wonder why a lot of teams in the top 10 specifically, you know, Buffalo and Anaheim are linked to Radamirka because they could also use a player like that in their system. The Penguins also could use a player like that in their system. He's another right-shot defenseman. Yeah, I know the Penguins took Harrison Brunick last year in the second round, but you can never have enough.

right shot defenseman in your pipeline. Heck, you can never have enough defensemen as a whole in your pipeline. So yes, the size, definitely one of the biggest things that stands out. After that, I would say it's his defensive work. From the tape that I watched this past season, he uses his reach extremely well. There were so many instances where it would look like the opposing team would have a rush-based opportunity, and he would use his reach to knock the puck away, send it to the boards, also take his man into the boards, separate man from puck, just basically they grab it and then just start the breakout going the other way. His gap control, which I talk about quite a bit when I evaluate defensemen on this show,

it's outrageous. I really see him as someone who can grow into a shutdown defenseman in the league with his size, with the way he plays in his own zone, especially if he develops properly. His skating, I think it's fairly good, especially for someone who is six foot six. That's another thing teams will be attracted to right away. I see him as someone who will eat 25 plus minutes a night in a shutdown role, top pair, second pair. I kind of said it yesterday.

He's like a bigger Gustav Forsling if he develops properly. I can kind of see that. Some people will look at his offense and be like, oh, like there could be maybe a bit more there because he had three goals and 35 points in 43 games. Me personally, I don't think a lot of that offense is going to translate. He does have a little bit of offensive ability, but I think the main part of his game that really stands out is his play in his own zone.

That's what you are going to be getting him for. I think if you put him with someone who has a little bit more offensive, capability on the pairing, I think that would be a dream. So I think the Penguins, if I had to guess they're going to go forward at 11, this is assuming they keep both picks. I'm sure Caldubis may try to move up to get into the top seven to maybe steal Porter Martone or even James Higgins. We'll have to see if he's able to do that.

We've discussed that a lot on the show. But if they do keep both picks, which I'm leaning towards them doing, I think they're going to do that. I think they're going to go forward at 11 and then one of the three defensemen at 12. We'll get to Jackson Smith a little bit later. But those are just some of my notes that I have on Radamirka. People can have their opinions about whoever they want when it comes to Agenson, Merca or Jackson Smith.

Again, I think Agensen is a little bit better than those two. But if you have Radam Merca as the best of those three, I'm not going to fault you because I can see it. I look at Merca and I said this at the top. He's not the flashiest prospect in the top, let's say 15. And the reason is because he is a classic low ceiling high floor prospect. He already plays a very mature game. You watch his tape, you brought it up.

Great gap control has, cliche as a phrase as it is, very good hockey IQ. He's not an offensive defenseman to where you can track. his progress as a prospect through counting stats. You're going to count it through how does he control his gap? How does he do with the puck on his stick? How does he aid the breakout? Where is he positionally? Yeah.

And you look at his game for being 18. A lot of it is there. And there is a lot of, and the biggest thing for him will be adapting to the professional level speed, whether it's the HL, if he has some time in the American League, or if he goes right to the NHL, adapting to that speed, knowing when to control a gap, knowing when to turn,

knowing when to ride guys into the boards and things like that. And this is obviously not going to be a one-to-one comparison because the player I'm going to name is not 6 foot 6. It's a lot like Brian Dumlin, where you watch the way he plays, and there's nothing flashy about it, but positionally never seems to be out of position. When he gets the puck on his stick in the defensive zone, he makes the smart play.

When you need him to step up, he steps up. He's not going to be overly physical. He's not going to be overly offensive. And I don't want the not being overly physical to scare people away. Because I know you hear 6.6. You hear 200 plus pounds. And you want him to be a bruiser. But it's like so many other aspects of his game.

He knows when to be physical. He's not going to chase hits. He's not going to make a poor decision and try to make up for it through physicality. He's a player who everything he does is smart. He uses his size to his advantage. And he's already got something that is difficult to track for an 18 year old. And I'll keep bringing it up. It's his gap control because you will see a lot of 18 year olds,

especially at the junior level, on defense rely on their speed skill in natural ability. He doesn't do a lot of that. But the biggest thing I want to bring up before we throw to break, you kind of hinted at this. And I know you've got a little bit more on it is for being 6-6, 6. This kid can move. Yes.

His skating is a plus to his game, in my opinion. When you look at some of the other bigger skaters in this class, whether it's forwards or defensemen, you know, again, we just talked about Lyndon last. Makovik last week. His skating is a bit clunky, in my opinion. For someone like Radamirka, even though he's on the back end, he can move. Like, we're going to get to Jackson Smith in a second. He's six foot three. He's not as big as Radamirka. His skating is even better. I think it's also one of my favorite parts of this game. That's a nice piece for the second segment. But

Radamirka's skating is a major plus three. The way that he can break the puck out of his own zone with control, he can lead the rush a little bit. That's not his full bread and butter, but he has the ability to do it. I like it. Again, his bread and butter to me is being reliable to a shutdown defender. He can be physical if he wants to. He doesn't have to, you know, be riding people into the boards every single shift. He has that ability and you see it with the gap control. You see it with the way his long leech really just sends the puck to the boards. He can ride players over there. And it's not like punishing checks. It's just that he's basically cutting off anything for them to do in the offensive zone. And if he's the pick at 12 after the penguins get a 4-11, I will be pleasantly

happy with that. As we know, though, one of the biggest needs for the Pittsburgh Penguins going into this draft, both immediately and going into the future is the defense. We're going to table that, though, and we're going to take a look at a forward in the second segment. And it's one that does not come without a little bit of risk. We will talk about that when we get back. So, Stick with us. We'll be right back right after this. Before we do that, though, we've got to tell you about today's sponsor, and that is Ruggit Ready. Guys, you've probably heard of Viagra or Cialis, and maybe you've even tried them. But if you're looking for something beyond the usual pill, it's time to meet Rougyte Ready. Ruggit Ready is a next-gen prescription treatment designed to amplify arousal in the brain and boost blood flow. Unlike the usual pills that can take hours, Rujit's three-and-one formula dissolves under your tongue and kicks in fast on average in 15 minutes. And the effects can last up to 36 hours so you can stay confident and in control when

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prescribed under federal law but are not FDA approved and do not undergo FDA safety, effectiveness or manufacturing review. Please visit the Rugi website for full safety information. Welcome back into the Wednesday edition of Locked-on Penguins. I'm Patrick Damp right alongside Hunter Hodes. And if we're going to talk about some players that might come with a little bit of risk, let's talk about a forward. We'll get back to the defense in the final segment. But let's talk about Carter Bear.

This is a left winger who six foot has some mobility. He is a good mover. But he does have a little bit of risk because he is coming back. from an Achilles injury. And while we know that we've seen it with plenty of NHL players before that, an Achilles injury isn't what it used to be where when it happens, it kind of derails everything. We've seen plenty of players suffer that injury, recover, and come back.

Maybe not to a level they once were, but not all that worse for where. Here's the thing, though. The reason this is a bit of a risk is while it appears his recoveries ahead of schedule, A lot of his game is based on mobility. So Hunter, give us a little bit of a rundown on Carter Bear. So Carter Bear, Pat, you were talking about rats during the Tuesday episode.

Carter Bear is a textbook rat. When I watch Carter Bear play, I think of a prime Patrick Hornquist, Thomas Holmes from type. He goes to the net a lot. And buddy, he's kind of a bully around there. I'm not going to lie. Yes, he did suffer an Achilles injury, but it appears like he is already back skating. He might be back for the World Junior Summer Showcase next month in July, both really good news. So I think that will ease a lot of people's concerns. Again, yes,

he did have the Achilles injury, but he's already back on the ice, and it looks like he's to be back playing pretty soon. Had 40 goals, 82 points in 56 games this past season. He can play center or left wing, so he's pretty versatile. He lives around the net. He also likes following his own rebounds. I was noticing that quite a bit. Loves crashing the crease. As I said, he also likes setting up players around that area, too. I also like when he utilizes his shot from distance, it's really good, probably one of the underrated aspects of his game, in my opinion. Yes, he goes to the net a lot. He likes to clean up the garbage. He likes setting up a lot of his teammates around that net front. But when he decides to

use the release, you know, even say 20, 25 feet out, it's pretty good. Again, I feel like he should do it a little bit more because he's really able to find those corners. But again, I love the grinder aspect of his game. He's always looking to make a play, loves hunting down pecks. He's not afraid to use his body. He can be a bit physical if he wants to. His skating, I think it's fine. He's not blowing past dudes, but I think it's good enough for now. It could probably use a little bit of work. But I expect Carter Bear to be available at 11 and 12. There just might be some better forwards available, but I still wouldn't be disappointed if he were the pick. I think the value for him at that point, some may say it's a little bit early. Maybe the values are better around 15, 16, 17,

but I have him up here as an option based on the way he plays, the offense that he can bring, two-way play, the way that he's always hunting down pucks on the forecheck. He's a really good forechecker, by the way. Again, skating can use a little bit of work, but I really like how much of a rat this player is. He might be one of the raddiest players of the first round in this class, if you ask me. Yeah, I should probably clarify what I said about base in his game off of mobility, because you brought up someone like Patrick Hornquist. And when you think about Hornquist's game, when it comes to skating, it's not so much that he's got quick bursts or he's the fastest guy on the ice. But once he gets moving, he is like a runaway freight train. And he's

He is going to bowl opposing players over, especially on the forecheck. So like I said, it's not so much that he's a burner and he's going to skate circles around guys. But once he gets to top speed, which doesn't take that long, it's not like he's lumbering. But the first couple of strides aren't great. But once he's up to speed, this guy's a menace on the forecheck. The other thing, and I want to give you a little bit of room to cook on this before we head to our final segment is that the difference I would say between him and Hornquist is when you think about Hornquist as a net front presence, it's more of a disruptor in hunting rebounds. And while he does

do that really well, there's the other aspect. And if you plant him in front, especially on a power play, he might be the guy tipping at home. He does both extremely well. He can clean up the garbage. He follows his own rebound. He sets up players around the net. But he also has some really good hand-eye and loves deflecting pucks right around the net front. And that's another reason why he is so good in that high danger area. He is going to be a pest to play against if his development continues the way and it has. Again, really like this player a lot, even though he was banged up a bit. I think a lot of that is behind him now.

I know that might scare a little bit of teams, but for the penguins, I think it should be fine to me. Yeah, the last thing I'll say before we go to break, and we're going to send it back to the defensive side of the puck for our final segment is this. If a lot of their preferred picks are off the board by 11 or 12 and he and Bear is still there, I do think it wouldn't be a bad pick. But if some of the players we've already discussed are still on the board, it does feel like Bear would be a little bit of a reach at 11 or 12. but we will see how the draft shakes out.

Overall, I like his game, but I feel like in that sweet spot of where the penguins are, it might be a bit of a reach. But that'll do it. I'll say this, I think they might be looking at a center and then a defenseman at 11 and 12. If McQueen is there, say him and Eklund are there.

What I would do personally, I would just say, you know what, go with Eklin, top five player in this class, in my opinion. But I think they might be like, you know what? We're going to bet on Roger McQueen's upside. We see him as a potential top line, second line center. Let's go with that.

Our medical team cleared him. We're just going to take him now. And then we'll take a defenseman at 12. I can easily see the team doing that. And I talked about McQueen earlier this week. He's really been climbing up my board a little bit these last couple of weeks just because I am not as concerned about the injuries as much as I used to be. But I could see them having that type of thinking for 11 and 12.

Yeah, that's that's totally fair. But we're going to leave it there. Like I said, when we come back, we're going to go back to the defensive side of the puck and talk about another defenseman that the penguins could potentially target with one of their two first round picks. So stick with us. We'll be right back.

We're back here on the Wednesday edition of Locked-on Penguins. I'm Patrick Damp right alongside Hunter Hodes. And let's talk about one more defenseman in the, that is Jackson Smith. 6 foot 3 played for Tri City and the WHL. Had a pretty solid year. 68 games played 11 goals, 54 points. And this is one that I can say pretty definitively.

His game is based a lot on skating. Very smooth skater, good in transition. So Hunter, I look at this guy, left-handed shot. That might be something that keeps them. I don't want to say away from it just because sometimes you're looking for a right-handed shot more often than not on defense. That's a little bit more valuable. But at the end of the day, if they're looking for a defenseman, they could do worse than

Jackson Smith. See, I disagree on that part about the left side because they already have Harrison Rootting on the right side. You know, Radimerk, of course, he's the right shot D. That would be really good depth for that side. But I could see them being like, hey, you know what? we're going to go get another player who can skate like the wind for our defensive side on the left, brings that offensive capability.

Let's go draft Jackson Smith. I think he needs a little bit more work in his own zone, but the offensive skill set and the skating is very much there. You brought up the points, you brought up the goals this past season. He's playing at Penn State this upcoming season. So if the Penguins do take him at number 12, if you live in the Pittsburgh area or you live near Penn State, you could drive up to state college and go watch him play. I'm excited for him to play there.

I'm also excited for potentially Gavin McKenna to go play at Penn State. Sounds like it's down to Penn State and don't get me wrong, people. I will be going to stay college to watch Gavin McKenna play if he commits to Penn State for this year. Jackson Smith, though, had four goals, five points in seven games for the U-18s. He likes carrying the puck into the zone with control. He really likes leading the rush. It's something that I really noticed when I was watching the tape this past season. He can also be a bit silky, and one of the plays that really stood out to me on tape,

was when he got the puck at his own blue line, spun around one player, knives through another, gets into the offensive zone, and it has a beautiful dish for a slap shot goal. That's the ability that he has with the puck on a stick. Another one of my favorite plays was when he scored his 11th goal this season. The way that he walked the blue line, dusted a defender with a nasty tow drag before hitting the snipe, has a really, really good motor.

Again, skates like the wind, really good playmaker, has a nice shot. he has a little bit of work to do in his own zone that's why i think i would put hison and murka a little bit higher than jackson smith but when you look at just the offensive side jackson smith has way more upside than those two players but there's there's there's there's the reason why i have three these three so close together because with agentson again to me i think he's a little bit more round it even though he has warts murkka he's great in his own zone Jackson Smith brings the offense is a wonderful skater. Those are by far my favorite two attributes of his game.

You could do a lot worse with Jackson Smith at number 12. But those are just a lot of my notes on Jackson Smith throughout this season. One of the concerns I have about Smith and it's related to what you brought up is that he does like to join the rush, does like to lead the rush. Yeah. And does like to enter the zone with possession. but that has led to some turnovers. It's led to some poor decision making.

And some of that with time and development, as we've talked about with other defensemen and even forwards this past week, is it comes with time in adapting to the professional game. But this is a player who it is a bit of a foundation to his game. And you have to wonder, will he be able to round that out going into the pro level? because even not even the pro level.

If we talk about him going to Penn State, Penn State plays a lot of meaningful hockey at the collegiate level. And while I'm not going to say it's better than junior because I don't think it is, it's a much more raw game with a lot more physicality. And that could lead him into some poor decisions. So I'm not sitting here saying buyer beware. I'm not saying he's not worthy of being one of the top defensive prospects. In this draft, he absolutely has earned that with his play, with his point totals.

But there is an inherent risk when you have a defenseman like, or a defenseman like this, who does like to jump in the play because we've talked about it before with other defensemen. You go a little too far in that direction, and it can lead to a lot of mistakes. I hear you on that. I definitely agree. There were some instances, excuse me, of that on tape. but I still feel like a lot of that's coachable if you are able to really home that back a little bit, not have him be as aggressive.

Like, again, I like him when he leads the rush. I thought he did it really well for the most part, but there were times where he was trying to do too much too quickly, trying to do too many deeks in the offensive zone. If he's able to hone that back a little bit, which I think he can, I think it'll be a lot of smooth sailing. And then if he can also work on his defensive play in his own zone, he could potentially be again, no second pair guy,

maybe even a top pair guy if he is fully developed. You made that point about the NCAA. I kind of disagree a little bit. I think it's better for these types of players to play in the NCAA against better competition because for someone like Jackson Smith, where we just talked about some of his deficiencies, he'll be able to really, you know, fix some of these, especially going up against really good players in the NCAA,

even some of these other top prospects. who will get to play in the NCAA this year, I feel like that can only be good for them. Just because in junior, to me, you're not going to be punished as much. And the NCAA, you will. So I think it will be really good for him to get those minutes at Penn State,

obviously he's going to. But especially when we're looking at his mistakes that he has made, getting to go against NCAA players will be really good for this. Yeah, that's kind of what I was getting at, is that I think it's difficult to compare Major Junior with Collegiate, but I think the difference is, like you said, there's going to be probably not better players, but it's going to be a little bit more physical.

It's going to be a little bit more demanding. And it's going to give him a perspective on how to make those decisions in better opportunities, whether it's knowing that you're playing a more physical team and leading the rush on this is likely going to lead, a turnover. So make the smart safe play rather that. And then also recognizing, okay, this is a team where they have a weakness that I can exploit at this level and join the rush and try to enter the zone with possession. Whereas in juniors, you probably have more often than not the opportunity to go

a little bit more finesse than you would say in the NCAA. So that could be a really good development for him. Yes. Should he get picked by the penguins or whoever, him because again, it's a different game in the NCAA level than it is a Canadian major junior. So that really could be honestly for any team, including the penguins, a check in in his corner to take him because it'll be better for his development. But that is going to do it for the Wednesday edition of Locked on Penguins. And don't you worry your pretty little heads. We've got even more of the draft board to dive into this week. And maybe. maybe an announcement for something we're going to do on Friday.

We're still working that out though. So stick with us. We'll let you know as it develops. But for Hunter Hodes, I'm Patrick Damp. Thank you as always for tuning in. And we will be back on Thursday.