Penguins Have High Hopes for Former First-Round Picks Smith and Poehling

After acquiring forward Ryan Poehling from Montreal and defenseman Ty Smith from New Jersey via trade this weekend, the Penguins hope that these promising young players – who each went in the first round of their respective draft years – can reach their potential in Pittsburgh.

“We have high hopes for Ty. We do believe the upside is pretty high,” general manager Ron Hextall said. “(With Ryan), we’re hoping that sometimes a change can spur a guy on, and we’re hoping he can be a good two-way player for us.”

Hextall was Philadelphia’s general manager the year that Montreal drafted Poehling on the 25th^th overall, and said that his staff had really liked the Minnesota native out of St. Cloud State. He ended up getting taken two slots before the Flyers were on the clock, but has remained on Hextall’s radar in the years since.

“I talked with him yesterday, and it seemed like he was excited to have me as part of the organization,” Poehling, 23, said. “It’s a fresh start, and I’m looking forward to that and just showing people the person and player that I can be in any way possible.”

After playing three years of college hockey – which included two World Junior Championship Appearances with Team USA – Poehling turned professional for the 2019-20 campaign. That season and the next were split between the NHL and the AHL before Poehling spent most of this past year with Montreal. They recorded nine goals and 17 points in 57 games.

While Poehling said he loved his time in the Canadiens organization, saying he loved his teammates and the city, he admits that the process of establishing himself as a full-time NHLer has been longer than expected. But Poehling has taken a lot out of that time, and believes that learning from generational talents like Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin should help him get to where he wants to be.

“I’m just excited to get to work with a new team,” Poehling said. “The organization has been great for so many years, and I want to add to that in any way that I can.”

Smith, 22, was drafted the year after Poehling. The Devils took him 17^th overall in 2018, and after four-plus years with the WHL’s Spokane Chiefs, Smith had a breakout rookie season in 2020-21. He was named to the NHL’s ‘All Rookie Team’ after leading all first-year blueliners in assists (21), points (23), and power-play points (7) in just 48 games.

“For me, I’m a guy who likes to skate. I kind of rely on that and my hockey sense, my ability to make plays and the first pass,” Smith said. “I think in Pittsburgh, they like that. They like skill and possession and they’re a skating team. That’s something that kind of goes with the way I play, so hopefully that works out.”

However, after a Fantastic first season, Smith struggled somewhat in his second, with his numbers falling off a bit despite playing more games. Hextall said that’s just part of the development process for young players, especially defensemen – and they feel he is going to come in and build on his first year, learn from his second year and continue to become a better hockey player.

“Two good years of experience for me,” Smith said. “I think I’ve come a long way as a player in a complete sense. Really looking forward to next year, and I think I was fortunate to learn a lot.”

He’ll be able to grow his game under the tutelage of Assistant Coach Todd Reirden, who has developed quite a Reputation for helping defensemen maximize their abilities, starting with Kris Letang over a decade ago.

“I’ve heard nothing but good things,” Smith said. “A couple guys that have played for him before have reached out and said that he does an amazing job, especially with defensemen. So I’m definitely fortunate for that.”

Although the left-handed Smith has played the left side his entire pro career, he was on the right his entire junior career, so he’s comfortable with either. Poehling said he’s always thought of himself as a center, but played wing in college and internationally, “so I think it’s something that definitely is an option for myself.”

Both players said they’ll slot in wherever the coaches see fit – they’re just looking forward to being here in a couple months for training camp to start the next phase of their professional careers with their new team.

“I’m excited to be part of the Pittsburgh family. They got a great organization, and I think that it’s going to fit me well,” Poehling said.

“Heard really good things about the city,” Smith added. “And I mean, obviously, they have Hall of Fame guys on their team, so it was really exciting and really cool (getting traded there).”