Last night, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins thrashed the Springfield Thunderbirds 8-1, taking the five-game series and advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals.

They will await the winner of the North Division Finals, where the Toronto Marlies and Cleveland Monsters will need an all-important fifth game to decide that series.

For the WBS Penguins, the American Hockey League affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins, this run marks the team’s deepest appearance in the Calder Cup Playoffs since the 2013-14 season. Since then, the club had only made it past the first round three times, and none since 2021-22 campaign.

And the seven-goal win over the AHL affiliate of St. Louis is a microcosm of the skill and talent that Pittsburgh’s top minor league team currently possesses.

Leading the way through nine postseason games is center Tristan Broz, whose three goals and six assists make him the only point-per-game player in WBS. Broz put up a stellar four points in the series-closing game, including scoring the game’s opening goal and the game-winner for the Penguins, both in the first period.

The former second-round pick in 21 had 16 goals and 23 assists (39 points) in 47 regular season games. The 23-year-old made his NHL debut in Pittsburgh this season, but only appeared in one game. Some bad injury luck might have hampered other opportunities to play in the top league, but his performance in the AHL will certainly have him in the mix come next season.

Not far behind him are Ville Koivunen and Milhail Ilyin, who are tied for second-place with seven points each.

Like Broz, Koivunen had a monster Game 5, scoring a pair of goals himself and adding an assist on Broz’s game-winner. His three-point night snapped a four-game point drought during the postseason, and now gives him three goals and four assists so far these playoffs.

Koivunen has scored in almost every league he’s played in. In 34 regular season games in the AHL, he tallied 13 goals and 28 assists for 41 points. Last season, he scored at just under a point-per-game rate (56 points in 63 games). Two years ago, he finished sixth in scoring in Finland’s top league and put up the highest production for a 20-year-old in almost 30 years.

The one league he hasn’t been able to conquer yet is the NHL. Koivunen split the season pretty evenly between the AHL and NHL; in Pittsburgh, he only mustered two goals and five assists (seven points). He struggled to establish himself on NHL ice, and couldn’t rely on his skillset as much as he was able to do in the AHL.

Still, the propsect acquired in the Jake Guentzel trade with Carolina is just 22, and to see him continuing to produce in the AHL the way he has is an encouraging sign for a potential NHL future.

Meanwhile, a prospect fans might be less familiar with is Ilyin. A fifth-round pick in the first draft general manager Kyle Dubas oversaw in Pittsburgh, Ilyin has spent the last few years playing in his native Russia. The winger was coming off his best season in the KHL with the Severstal Cherepovets, scoring 14 goals and adding 30 assists for 44 points in 68 games.

He made the jump to North America and joined WBS for the stretch run, appearing in five games before the postseason and all playoff games since. So far, he’s adjusting to the North American game very well. Ilyin has racked up six assists to pair with a goal, tacking on two assists in the series-winning game.

Ilyin has stood out as one of the newest additions to the WBS Penguins, but he’s doing it alongside another newcomer in Bill Zonnon.

The 22nd overall pick in last year’s draft, Zonnon wrapped up his final season in junior hockey earlier this year before turning pro. He was immediately thrust into the postseason lineup against Springfield, where the forward has not disappointed. He scored a goal in each of the team’s first three games against the Thunderbirds before adding a dazzling assist on a Koivunen goal in the third period last night.

At this rate, Zonnon has a real shot to crack the roster in Pittsburgh next season. That might feel a little early for the 19-year-old, but remember how few people thought 11th overall pick Ben Kindel would play in the show this year. The future might be sooner than we think.

On the back end, blue line prospects like Owen Pickering and Harrison Brunicke have also chipped in. Pickering, a first-round pick from 2021, has a goal and two assists in eight games with a -1 rating. The former Swift Current Broncos captain has 29 NHL games to his name over the last two seasons, with the Penguins hoping the 22-year-old can jump into a more consistent role next season.

Brunicke, meanwhile, started the season in the NHL this season, but unlike Kindel did not survive his nine-game trial. Still junior eligible, he returned to Kamloops in the WHL for a 24-game, 24-point stint before coming back over to the pro side. In nine games, his four points (two goals and two assists) have him second on the team amongst defenseman, behind Alex Alexeyev. Brunicke is also sporting a team-best +8.

And of course, the WBS Penguins are backstopped by a star in net. Sergei Murashov, set to leap forward to the NHL next season, is putting together an absurdly good run in the Calder Cup Playoffs. Murashov is sporting a 1.74 goals against average and .943 save percentage, both the best among rookies in the playoffs.

The 22-year-old Russian netminder played five games in Pittsburgh last season, and now figures to split the net in the NHL next season, likely with Arturs Silovs alongside him.

The Penguins are far from having the best prospect pool in the league, but there is a lot to be excited about in the AHL pipeline right now.

Now, it’s up to see how far a team powered by these kids can truly make it in the Calder Cup Playoffs.