Wilkes-Barre/Scranton signs three Penguins draft picks to amateur tryouts

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton did more than pad its spring camp depth on April 23. It gave itself a closer look at three pieces of the Penguins’ 2025 draft class, signing forwards Kale Dach, Jordan Charron and Travis Hayes to amateur tryout agreements with the postseason already in motion and the organization’s pipeline still taking shape.

The timing matters because the Penguins had already locked up a first-round bye in the 2026 Calder Cup Playoffs with a 46-17-7-2 record and 101 points. That gave the coaching staff room to evaluate young players without the pressure of an opening-round series, and it turned these ATOs into an audition for next season rather than a transaction for survival. Pittsburgh used 13 picks in the 2025 NHL Draft, and all three forwards were part of that class, with Hayes going 105th overall, Charron 154th and Dach 201st.

Of the trio, Dach looks like the clearest name to track if you are trying to project who could matter next. The left-shooting center from Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, just finished a WHL season with Calgary that produced 34 goals and 41 assists for 75 points in 63 games. That is real middle-of-the-ice production, not empty prospect noise. If Dach handles the speed and structure in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton the way his junior numbers suggest, he could move from “new draft pick” to a legitimate 2026-27 roster conversation faster than a seventh-round label usually allows.

Charron brings a different kind of case. The right wing from Ayr, Ontario, put up 25 goals and 22 assists for 47 points in 66 OHL games with Soo, and his ATO gives the Penguins a chance to see whether his offense translates against pro pace. Hayes is the most intriguing name from a recognition standpoint. The Westland, Michigan, forward was the highest pick of the group at 105th overall, and he also arrives with the built-in family link of being the brother of Penguins prospect Avery Hayes. That kind of connection does not earn a roster spot, but it does turn every shift into a small referendum on how far the family track can go.

The Penguins also had all three forwards listed among their 2025 Prospects Challenge attendees, which makes this feel less like a one-off spring add and more like the next step in a planned development path. The first practices will tell the story quickly. Dach’s center reps, Charron’s scoring touch and Hayes’ draft pedigree are the early markers to watch, because in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this time of year, one strong week can change the shape of a depth chart.