The Pittsburgh Penguins traded up in Friday night’s first round of the NHL Draft to get their guy. And with the 24th overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, the Penguins snagged Will Horcoff, a forward out of the University of Michigan.

After putting up 14 points in 28 games with the U.S. National Team Development Program’s U-18 team, the 18-year-old Horcoff joined Michigan at the midpoint of the season. He made his debut with a goal and an assist under the lights of the Frozen Confines outdoor games at Wrigley Field and finished his season with 10 points in 18 games, leveraging his big 6-foot-4 3/4 and 203-pound frame (22 pounds heavier than he weighed in January). At the NHL Combine, Horcoff set a horizontal jump record at 124.8 inches and placed top 15 in seven physical tests.

Horcoff’s selection marks nine straight NHL drafts in which a Michigan player went somewhere in the first round. He played with last year’s first-rounder, Montreal prospect Michael Hage, when he came to Ann Arbor. Both will return to Michigan next season, joining a team reinforced by a number of commitments from CHL players including Malcolm Spence, expected to be picked early in Saturday’s second round.

Horcoff’s father is Shawn Horcoff, who played more than 1,000 games in the NHL after going undrafted out of Michigan State. He’s now an executive with the Detroit Red Wings.

Predators take MSU commit Ryker Lee at 26th overall

Make it four first-round NHL draft picks who will play for Michigan State’s hockey team next season.

Ryker Lee, a 19-year-old winger from Wilmette, Ill., was picked 26th overall by the Nashville Predators in the first round of Friday night’s NHL Draft.

The Michigan State commit most recently played for the USHL’s Madison Capitols, scoring 31 goals and 68 points en route to USHL Rookie of the Year honors.

Lee was a diminutive forward throughout his high school days at highly regarded prep school Shattuck St. Mary’s (the alma mater of No. 1 overall picks Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon).

In his senior year, he hit a growth spurt that brought him to his current 6-foot stature, which opened up the skill already laden in his game.

Michigan State’s upcoming roster will include three other first-round draft selects in this season’s Hobey Baker winner and Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Isaac Howard (31st, 2022), Minnesota Wild prospect Charlie Stramel (21st, 2023) and incoming Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Cayden Lindstrom (4th, 2024).

MSU commit goes 29th to Blackhawks

It’ll be another year before Mason West skates at Munn Ice Arena, but he’ll come with a first-round pedigree.

The Chicago Blackhawks traded up and selected West 29th overall in the NHL Draft.

Just 17 years old but standing a towering 6-foot-6, West committed to Michigan State earlier this month as a highly-touted recruit. After a 49-point season with Edina High School in the Minnesota high school circuit, the center scored nine points in 10 games with Fargo in the USHL.

He’s also a three-star quarterback, racking up 2,592 yards and 37 touchdowns with Edina.

He’ll return to the gridiron for his senior season before playing another season of hockey with Fargo, slated to join the Spartans in 2026.

Chicago has made a habit of picking Spartans in the first round. In last year’s draft, Michigan State defenseman Artyom Levshunov went second overall to the Blackhawks and signed his entry-level contract later in the summer.