Continuing my breakdown of the Penguins’ 2025 first-round picks—if you haven’t read Part One on Ben Kindel yet, I highly recommend starting there. Now we jump into an exciting Part Two—featuring a player I was genuinely thrilled to see selected: Bill Zonnon. He’s someone I’ve had my eye on for a while, and going into the draft, I was really hoping the Penguins would come away with him. As I mentioned in my last article, I had told my fellow writers, Rick Buker and The Other Rick, that Zonnon was exactly the kind of player I’d target if I were the Penguins—because he’s exactly the kind of player the team needs.
I had a strong hunch that Kyle Dubas and his staff might be thinking the same way. It’s felt for a while now like Dubas has been steering this team toward a new identity—one built around grit, energy, and physicality, but without compromising on skill. You could see that shift taking shape with moves like trading Yager for a relentless, high-energy, physical forward like Rutger McGroarty, and adding guys like the hitting machine Noel Acciari, the gritty Connor Dewar, the buzzsaw Blake Lizotte, the dependable two-way presence of Tommy Novak, and most recently, Connor Clifton—a tough-as-nails defenseman who loves to lay on the hits, block shots, and not afraid to throw hands with anyone.
Still, I wasn’t entirely sure Zonnon was on their radar, especially with Mike Sullivan still behind the bench—a coach who’s never really favored players with that kind of rugged, high physical style of play. But what tipped me off was what felt like Dubas forcing Sullivan to play Boko Imama late last season. Imama’s hard-hitting, high-energy game felt like more than just a depth experiment—it felt like a statement. Like Dubas was laying the foundation for a team with more bite.
And that’s exactly where Zonnon fits in. He checks every box of that mold—high energy, physical, defensively responsible—but with far more upside. He’s younger, hungrier, and has real offensive tools. He’s not just fire and grit—he can play, and that’s what makes him such an intriguing pick for where this team is heading.
Once I saw that Dubas had the, let’s say, cahoonas to “part ways” with Mike Sullivan, the Fenway darling. I felt more confident than ever that I was on the same wavelength as the Penguins. Or at the very least, there was a strong chance I might get my wish. I had a feeling the Penguins would find a way to snag another first-round pick—whether by trading down (a classic Dubas move) or moving a piece that could net them a late first. Honestly, I thought it might be Bryan Rust going to the Kings for the 24th pick and that’s how they’d land Zonnon. But hey—doesn’t matter how it happened. They got him. Let’s talk about why I love the pick.
First off, Zonnon’s two-way game stands out immediately. He backchecks hard, consistently sticks to his assignment, clogs up passing lanes, and is a constant nuisance for the opposition. He wins puck battles along the boards with ease—and a big part of that is because, unlike our boy Ben Kindel, Zonnon has strength, and plenty of it. He’s an immovable object out there. Whether it’s a battle along the wall, fighting for position in front of the net, or tracking a guy on the backcheck, Zonnon just doesn’t get pushed off the puck or the play. When he sets his mind to something, he’s locked in—and odds are, he’s going to win that battle.
He brings relentless physicality. If he’s parked in front of the net (and you’ll notice—he often is), or working the boards, he’s shoving, leaning, and bulldozing any human in his path. Zonnon is the type of player built for playoff hockey. Even when he’s not scoring, he’s making an impact—bringing energy, throwing hits, blocking shots, and grinding out momentum. He just doesn’t turn off. That motor runs hot, shift after shift.
He’s excellent at recognizing and covering defensive gaps the moment they appear—quickly sliding into lanes or tying up loose players before things can break down. You absolutely love to see it. It’s those little details that make a huge impact, and Zonnon nails them. For the opposing team, he’s just suffocating to deal with.
Now, I’ve called him a high-energy engine—and he absolutely is—but his skating, particularly his stride, isn’t the cleanest. It’s not bad by any means, but he tends to generate his speed through brute force and power rather than fluid movement. I’d love to see him develop a smoother, more efficient stride, because against quicker, more technically sound skaters, he can be gapped. That separation could become more noticeable at the NHL level. It’s a minor concern right now, and I’m confident the Penguins’ development staff will address it, but it’s definitely something worth keeping an eye on.
When it comes to offensive capability, Zonnon’s playmaking is actually quite impressive. He’s not the visual feast or raw skill showcase that Ben Kindel is, but he’s surprisingly creative and has a knack for catching teams off guard. Like Kindel, he has this ability to manufacture a play from seemingly nothing—or turn a broken sequence into something dangerous.
We talked about in the last article, Kindel’s ability to slow the game down and outthink his opponents—Zonnon does that too. He’s very good at making defending players overstep or bite on a fake, creating space with smarts rather than speed. While Zonnon might not have the elite-level playmaking flair that Kindel does, make no mistake—his vision and passing are still high end.
Circling back to his skating—particularly his ability to generate speed—it’s definitely a bit of a weakness. That said, once Zonnon gets going, he can build up to a high pace that can be hard to stop. To his credit, he finds smart ways to compensate. He often shifts into the center lane to distribute the puck, using his vision and playmaking to create breakout passes or advance play into the offensive zone without having to rely entirely on his legs. He consistently gets the puck to the right players to make something happen, showing excellent situational awareness and hockey IQ. It’s yet another example of a player recognizing a limitation and adapting his game to overcome it.
We saw something similar with Kindel—who, while physically weak, finds ways to win puck battles with stick work and positioning rather than getting into physical battles he knows he will lose. With both Zonnon and Kindle they have a weakness in some area, and not only recognize it but have the smarts and creativity to work around it. Noticing a trend in these picks already?
Zonnon has a great knack for finding the middle of the ice. Whether he’s dishing passes to teammates cutting up the slot or driving it himself when defenders are caught sleeping, he’s always looking to exploit that central lane. And what really stands out to me is how consistently he goes to the net. That willingness to crash the crease and hunt for scoring chances is invaluable—and honestly, more rare than it should be. Players who live in the high-danger areas make things happen, and Zonnon does that every time the opportunity presents itself.
He’s constantly in motion—rotating, scanning, creating chance after chance. That kind of game translates incredibly well to the NHL. He’s the type of player who could exceed expectations if paired with the right linemates—guys who can finish the chances he generates or help keep the puck moving. He creates and collects—that’s his bread and butter.
Give him a solid sniper who can read his game or just clean up rebounds, and pair that with another strong playmaker, and things could get scary. A future line of Zonnon, Horcoff, and McGroarty? That’s exactly what I’m talking about. All three are big and hard to knock off the puck, all three are defensively responsible, and Zonnon and Horcoff both see the ice exceptionally well. With McGroarty hammering shots and cleaning up loose pucks, that line could be a nightmare to deal with—possibly scarier than the Panthers’ current third line. And if development goes well, it might not be a third line for long—it could easily become a strong second.
I think I’m starting to see the vision Dubas might be building. It clicked in my head and I just thought—Ohh… I see you, Dubas.
Let’s quickly touch on his shot. To be frank, it’s decent—not spectacular compared to some of the top shooters in this draft class, but it’s solid. He gets it off quickly, and while he’s not going to wow you with snipe highlights, it’s how he scores that really matters. Zonnon gets his goals in the greasy areas—in the slot, around the net, just being in the right place at the right time. And for the kind of player he is, that’s more important to me than having a flashy wrister.
Now, Penguins fans might not love hearing this, but he definitely has a tendency to defer too much. He needs to shoot more—a lot more. The good news is, not only can he get his shot off quickly, but he’s strong enough that, with some refinement by shooting more, his shot could actually become a real weapon. Toward the end of the season, I think even he started to realize that. His shot volume went up, and while it’s still not quite where I’d like it to be, it’s trending in the right direction.
Projection:
If Zonnon can improve his shot—both in terms of volume and overall quality—and clean up his skating stride, I think he’s very likely to become a “glue guy” in the middle six. His top-six potential probably depends more on who he’s playing with and how much that shot evolves. But at the very least, I see him as a near-lock for the bottom six, with a strong chance to stick in the middle six.
Point projection is tricky with Zonnon because it hinges on usage and chemistry. If he doesn’t increase his shot volume or doesn’t find the right linemates, I’d expect something in the 30+ point range—around 8–10 goals and 20–30 assists. But if he does ramp up the shooting, finds strong chemistry, and develops more of a scoring touch, I think 45–55 points is a realistic range, with the potential to crack 60+ in a particularly strong season.
I don’t think he’s likely to become a regular 65–70 point player, but in a best-case scenario—with elite linemates and extended top-six time—he could have one or two big seasons where he hits that mark. It’s not the expectation, but with his hockey IQ and all-around game, it’s within the realm of possibility.
To me, Dubas is looking for a high intensity, playoff focused player here, strong never give up attitude, goes to the right areas, a big game type of player. He’s definitely one of Dubas best picks, and the right player for the Penguins.
I’ll continue the series in my next article with a breakdown of Will Horcoff! As I mentioned I think Horcroff is the Penguins biggest steal. Stay Tuned!
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Hey Caleb,
I'm just blown away, both by your in-depth knowledge of your subject and the incredible quality of your writing. Outstanding, simply outstanding, and an absolute joy and pleasure to read.
I was so disappointed when we didn't draft Kashawn Aitcheson. I pictured him to be paradigm shifter for our defense. But I was super happy that we got Zonnon. He just radiates energy and electricity whenever he's on the ice. Frankly, when watching his highlight clips, my eyes just immediately went to him time and again.
The only sneaky negative? The quality of competition in the Quebec League. At times he looked like a man among boys, which won't necessarily be the case when he turns pro. But I agree with you, I think his style will translate to the NHL.
Anyway, just another outstanding job, and I'm sorry I didn't respond to your review of Kindel. It was terrific as well.
Rick