Heading into the 2025-26 season, the Pittsburgh Penguins have shifted the focus to youth and development.

With more talent in the system than Pittsburgh has had in years - and 13 picks in the 2025 NHL Draft - top prospects lists are becoming more competitive and more difficult to discern. Since the prospect pool is deepening, The Hockey News - Pittsburgh Penguins takes a look at the top-20 prospects in the organization. 

Next on our list is No. 15, and we shift back to the forward front to highlight a player relatively new to the organization. That player is young Swedish forward Melvin Fernstrom.

#15: F Melvin Fernstrom

Fernstrom, 19, was acquired from the Vancouver Canucks as part of the return for defenseman Marcus Pettersson and forward Drew O'Connor on Jan. 31. Selected in the third round (93rd overall) in 2024 by the Canucks, he is a bit of an intriguing prospect, and Penguins' GM and POHO Kyle Dubas did express that Fernstrom was someone Pittsburgh was interested in at the time of the draft. 

So far, he hasn't disappointed.

Fernstrom was named the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) Rookie of the Year in 2024-25 after registering eight goals and 17 points in 48 games for Orebro HK. Even if those numbers don't jump out on the stat sheet, they were impressive ones for a rookie playing in Sweden's top professional hockey league. 

Penguins Forward Prospect Named SHL Rookie Of The YearFor the second time this week, a

His game is raw, but there is a lot of potential. He has a deceptive release that jumps off his stick, and he can hit his spots with high accuracy, giving him the attributes of a sniper. He has good offensive instincts and, despite lacking footspeed and having some skating issues, Fernstrom's ability to read plays and distribute the puck give him the ability to work around his skating ability.

That said, his defensive game is a bit lacking, and he will likely have to continue to improve his skating in order to have hopes of making an impact at the NHL level. Penguins' prospect Rutger McGroarty had similar issues with his skating that have been somewhat rectified, so hopefully, Fernstrom can do a similar thing. 

If all goes well in his development, he could really end up being a good find for the Penguins. The raw talent is there for Fernstrom, so it will all come down to whether or not he can round out his overall game and fine-tune some of the rawness of it.

Top-20 Penguins' Prospects 2025: Defensive Prospect Continues To Grow All-Around GameHeading into the 2025-26 season, the 

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