It is rather rare to find a talented player after round two at any NHL draft who has a chance to make a big impact. The Pittsburgh Penguins may have done just that at the 2026 NHL Draft, selecting left winger Pierce Mbuyi with the 86th pick in round three. Mbuyi could be the sleeper pick of the draft and may be the game-breaking, impactful player the Penguins need for the future.
Who is Pierce Mbuyi?
Mbuyi is a 5-foot-10 and 163-pound forward from Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. He was ranked 56th on the final Central Scouting list before the 2026 NHL Draft and played the last two seasons with the Owen Sound Attack of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). In 131 Owen Sound games, he notched 61 goals and 66 assists for 127 points, along with 141 penalty minutes and was a plus +10.
Mbuyi'as father, Joseph, was born in Russia but raised in Canada. He also has family roots in the Democratic Republic of Congo. His mother, Irene, made her home in Prince Edward Island before she passed away.
Mbuyi is a dual threat as he is an elite goal scorer and an excellent passer, always playing with an edge. He is good defensively but it is something he could work on to round out his game even more, Among Pittsburgh prospects, he is fourth among left wingers not yet in the NHL. He is fully committed to Penn State after this season.
Mbuyi is a scary talented player
When development camp arrived, Mbuyi wanted to get his feet wet and soak it all in, grabbing any information he could. While doing so, he managed to be very impressive during the camp in terms of picking things up and overall strength. He would post the top result among the 82 prospects in camp in recording a strength output that was equal to 3.62 times his body weight. He is surprisingly strong for a player that is not overly big in stature and that says something.
When asked how important development camp is he replied "I think this week is important to get to know all the staff, all the boys here, and I think my kind of thing is I just want to listen, learn."
After winning the 2025 OHL (Ontario Hockey League) Rookie of the Year with 29 goals and 23 assists for 52 points, he set his sights on the draft process. While being drafted into the NHL is the easy part, his hard work is just beginning. He may need to change his body in terms of weight, he will need to learn the little aspects of the pro game to make him better adjusted, and how to play against players that are much larger than him. That will take place once he makes his pro debut with the Wilkes/Barre-Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League (AHL), which may come sooner than later. He will report to Owen Sound for one more season then he will head to Penn State for the 2027-2028 season.
Add us as a preferred source on Google