Penguins use 86th pick on Pierce Mbuyi, doubling down on middle-round draft value

The Pittsburgh Penguins added another forward to their pipeline on Saturday by selecting Pierce Mbuyi with the 86th overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. The pick, made in the third round, sends Mbuyi from the Ontario Hockey League’s Owen Sound Attack into a system built around development and role definition for prospects who mature at different speeds.

Mbuyi’s selection fits a recognizable draft pattern for Pittsburgh. Yahoo Sports noted that the Penguins have found notable production by taking players “beyond the first round,” citing examples from recent Penguins drafts such as Bryan Rust, Jake Guentzel, Harrison Brunicke, and Sergei Murashov. While each player’s path is different, the common thread is that the organization has historically treated later picks as legitimate building blocks rather than roster depth.

In practical terms, middle-round selections like 86th overall often become the class of prospects who arrive with a clearer combination of skating, skill, and hockey sense than lower-round lottery tickets, but without the same certainty that accompanies top-ten choices. For teams, that balance matters because it affects how quickly they can turn prospects into NHL contributors and, just as importantly, how much they can reshape their depth without overcommitting to one style of player.

Mbuyi’s junior background with the Owen Sound Attack places him in the CHL ecosystem, a league known for producing prospects who can handle a heavy workload and adjust to tight game-to-game execution. Prospects from the OHL also tend to be evaluated not only on isolated offensive flashes, but on whether they can sustain shifts, win puck battles along the wall, and fit into structured systems while still playing with speed and creativity.

For Pittsburgh, the third-round window is also a practical roster-management tool. The Penguins have to keep building organizational depth because prospects graduate on different timelines, and NHL roles turn over quickly due to trades, free agency, and performance changes. Adding a forward at 86th overall suggests the club continues to prioritize creating internal options for offense and two-way production, particularly for situations that require a prospect who can be coached into a consistent game.

What to watch next is how Mbuyi’s game translates from junior to the professional development track. The immediate next step is typically a transition in strength, spacing, and decision-making under speed against older, stronger opponents. If Pittsburgh’s recent middle-round success translates again, Mbuyi could become one of the prospects who earns a real look at higher-level roles rather than being confined to the fringes of the prospect group.

As always, draft-day selections are best understood as the start of an evaluation process, not a finished product. The 86th pick puts Mbuyi in the organization’s sights, but his ability to grow within Pittsburgh’s system, and how quickly he can handle the demands of the next competition level, will determine whether this selection becomes a steal or simply a solid development choice.